Tilting her head to the side, she took in her surroundings. Candlelight cast a glow in the dimly lit backdrop of silver and white balloons. Fairy lights twinkled from the ceiling, adding to the romantic ambiance.
Gillian placed her bag on a gleaming, mahogany bar and picked up a matchbook with Willow and Alex’s name across the front. Her heart tugged. Willow had been through so much in her life and somehow managed to come through the other side, finding love and happiness with a great guy. Gillian wondered if the same would ever be true for her. This whole fake relationship made her head pound with overload, especially now that she knew the truth about Garrett. Did she screw up any chance at having something real with him? Her thoughts spun in a million directions.
“What would you like to drink?” Garrett asked, breaking into her musings. He rested a hand on the small of her back, and warmth seared through the fabric of her dress.
“I’d love a glass of Chardonnay.” A few minutes later, the bartender poured her a glass and set it on a silver cocktail napkin.
“I see someone I need to have a word with about the op. I’ll only be a few steps away, keeping a close eye on you and so will Teague. Excuse me,” he whispered against her ear. After he pressed a kiss to her temple, he walked to the end of the bar with a glass of scotch in hand. The affectionate gesture shouldn’t have made her flush, but somehow it did, even if this was all for show.
Glancing at the door, she was disappointed to find there was still no sign of her friends. It was time to go in search of them, and if nothing else, find the bride to be. Gillian took a long gulp of wine, hoping for some liquid courage, when someone tapped her on the shoulder.
“Gillian?”
She whirled around to find Ellen, the high priestess of her coven standing in front of her.
“You’re back?” She pulled the petite woman into a giant hug, and after a few seconds, Gillian broke away, not able to believe she was here in the flesh. “I thought you were still on your cruise with Commander Smith.”
“How many times have I told you to call him David? We flew back early. I wouldn’t miss this day for the world.” Ellen wore her flaming red hair in a pixie cut, accentuating enviable cheekbones. She was clad in a long, strapless black sheath dress that showed off her tan and some of her ink. Much like Alex and Willow, she and David had met last year when a serial killer targeted the coven. Despite the gruesome circumstances, they managed to fall head over heels in love.
The memory made Gillian long for a happily ever after. Why couldn’t it have been that easy for her? Well, maybe because she tended to screw things up in that department.
“I’m so glad you’re here. How was the Bahamas?
“The Bahamas are beautiful, and very romantic, especially for new relationship beginnings. Is it true about you and Detective Mulroney? Where is he?”
“He's talking to David.” Gillian pointed to the other end of the bar where Garrett stood amongst a sea of males, some even taller and broader than him. Cayden leaned on one side of the bar, and David, a distinguished-looking demon with reddish skin, jet black horns, and thick, grey hair, stood on the other.
“I can’t say I blame you. Mulroney is a God. You two getting together doesn’t surprise me one bit. I suspected as much the way he was always checking you out and sniffing around the coven.”
Gillian tried to play it off, but the words made her skin flush. “On that note, I think I’m going to find the bride to be.” She’d been wrong about Garrett on so many levels. Could she have missed his interest in her as well? “Do you want to come with me?”
“You go ahead.” Ellen smiled. “I’ll be along in a minute. There are some things I’d like to say to the handsome detective.”
“Promise you’ll go easy on him. Saje already took her shots when he stopped by the shop.”
“I only want the best for you, Gillian. If anyone deserves happiness, it’s you.” Descended from a bloodline of hereditary born witches, Ellen knew how to create fire at will, which she used for divination and spell casting. But it also made her a force in high heels that few would mess with. “Besides, you’re the closest thing I have to a daughter.”
The words made Gillian blink back tears. Ellen had been a mother figure to her after her mom passed away. Despite their differences over the years, it was a relationship she treasured.
Before she smeared her freshly applied make-up, she headed into the dining room and bit back a gasp. Silver and white tablecloths, floating candles, and small vases of white roses adorned the tables. Crystal chandeliers glittered brightly overhead, their prisms picking up the glow from the fire sparking in an elegant brick fireplace.
Through the corner of her eye, Gillian spotted Willow and Alex talking to two men that were the spitting image of the striking special agent. Both stood over six feet tall with wavy, black hair, olive skin, and dark eyes. She’d heard about Alex’s good-looking single brothers. Ordinarily, she would've gone over to flirt, but now all she could think about was Garrett and the possibility that this thing with him could lead to something real.
“Congratulations.” Gillian walked up and kissed Willow on both cheeks. She went to do the same to Alex, and he pulled her into a bear hug.
Last year at this time, Willow had been fatally injured after a blast from a demon fireball. Gillian, along with the other witches from their coven, had used an ancient form of magick to bring her back from the other side. Now she was about to start her new life with the man she loved. Envious as she was, Gillian could think of no witch who deserved it more.
“You made it,” Willow said with a wide, beaming smile.
She looked stunning with her reddish hair pulled back in a side-swept knot. She wore a cream-colored, figure-hugging dress, and a gleaming sapphire ring on her finger. Thankfully, she also looked distracted. Gillian hoped she didn’t pick up on the churning worry in her gut.
Gillian motioned around the room. “I wouldn’t miss this for anything. It’s good to see you. I can’t remember the last time we worked together.”
While planning her dream wedding, Willow had taken some much needed time off from the store. Now she spent her days working with troubled teens at the youth organization she and Alex had founded, Hope House.
“Are you here with Garrett?” Willow asked, curiosity lacing her voice. “I hear you two are a thing.”
She nodded. “We came together, but after Ellen gets done grilling him, I’m sure he’ll be looking to make a hasty escape,” she said, forcing a chuckle. Too bad it sounded fake. Once again those pangs of guilt came rushing back, only tenfold. Tonight she’d be forced to lie to her friends, but it was for their safety, she reasoned.
