“What do you say? Are you ready to get out of here?”
“You have no idea.” Even in the dim light, Garrett could see her face soften into a sad smile. “But I’m afraid nothing’s changed between us, Garrett. I’ll never stop loving you, but it’s like you said, this relationship was never meant to be.”
Chapter 29
“What’s your position on man caves, for or against?” Saje posed the question to Gillian and Brooke.
Resting her head against the couch cushion in the parlor, Gillian finished the last of her dinner and set the container on the coffee table. The three women had been binge-watching HGTV for the past few hours in an attempt to recapture what used to be a typical Friday night. After living at Garrett’s for the past week, being back at the coven felt strange and oddly comforting at the same time. They had the whole place to themselves while the rest of the girls manned the shop.
“Nick’s been talking about using the spare room in his condo as one,” Saje said, curling up in an oversized chair under a throw. “I said that if we’re doing this there’s no “man cave” or “my cave” but we can do an “our cave”. Funny, he hasn’t brought the subject up since.”
All three women laughed.
“You will keep that demon on his toes twenty-four-seven,” Gillian teased.
If one good thing came from the whole ordeal, it was Nick asking Saje to move in with him. After all the murder and mayhem—witnessing what could happen in the blink of an eye—he declared his undying love to Saje, insisting he couldn’t go another day without waking up to her in his bed. Despite Saje claiming this was Nick’s over-the-top way of making sure he got laid regularly, Gillian knew Saje was secretly thrilled. And the fact that Nick was a hymera, part human and part demon, meant he’d die eventually and could procreate.
Gillian had to admit, the whole declaration thing was kind of sweet. Even she couldn’t have predicted such a happy ending coming from this nightmare. Too bad she couldn’t say the same.
“Any word from Garrett?” Saje asked, lowering the volume on the remote.
“We broke up.” Gillian tried to keep the hurt out of her voice and failed. If he truly loved her, he would have come after her, and he didn’t. Maybe this was his pattern, or maybe he simply didn’t feel the same way. At this point, she didn’t know what to think anymore.
It had been three days since the night of the masquerade ball, and there’d been no texts or calls from him. At first, when she still hadn’t heard from him, she imagined the worst, but when Natalya had called to check in on her and Brooke, confirming that he’d shown up for work, she’d lost all hope of him coming after her. Too hurt to face him, Gillian went to his place later that morning to pick up her things and had left the key with his neighbor.
“Don’t give, up, Gillian. Everyone reacts to extreme stress in different ways. Give him time,” Saje urged in her best eternal optimist voice.
Gillian picked up a deck of tarot cards off the table and began shuffling them. She looked up at Saje and forced a smile. “And sometimes you have to know when to fold your hand.” When she’d gone and declared her undying love to Garrett, her feelings hadn’t been reciprocated. The sooner she accepted the fact he’d remain a vampire and she a human, the easier it would be to get over him. If only her heart could believe it.
Brooke, who remained silent this whole time, seemed content to flip through decorator magazines and listen to their conversation. It reminded Gillian of old times, a girl’s night in front of the TV, eating take out from Bareburger, their favorite vegan place, and bitching about men. But no one could deny the change in Brooke after her kidnapping. No one seemed to want to talk about the giant, pink signet ring in the room.
Fortunately, Brooke had agreed to go see a therapist starting next week, and Gillian planned to go with her. Maybe she’d even make an appointment for herself. She needed to stop this pattern of going after emotionally unavailable men once and for all.
“I’ve talked to the other girls,” Gillian said, touching her arm. “We’re all in agreement. We think you should move in here with us. You don’t have to give me an answer right now.” She set the deck down and reached for her tea. She put the mug to her lips, enjoying the taste of cinnamon, lemon, and ginger. The last thing she wanted for Brooke was to have the memory of that awful night come rushing back. She’d taken the weekend off to regroup.
“What we lack in privacy around here we make up for in comradery. There’s always someone to talk to, no matter what,” Saje chimed in. “Don’t forget the rituals we go to as a group and movie night. We even host teas with those cute little sandwiches for the other covens in the area. You should consider it, Brooke. It really can be a blast around here, and you could have my old room.”
Brooke gave a tentative smile. “I think I’d like that. It would be nice to be with friends and family right now. I’m not ready to go back to my apartment. But what about my lease? It’s not up for another few months.”
“I’m sure we can find someone to sublet your place in the short term. You can decide what you want to do after that.” Gillian placed her mug on a coaster. “We can advertise it. I know a ton of reputable sites.”
“You seem well versed on the subject. Have you been looking for yourself?” Saje asked and got to her feet. She started to clean up their mess.
Gillian shrugged. “I guess a part of me couldn’t wait to leave here, to prove I could live on my own, but I realize now that was a waste of time.” If she’d learned anything from this whole mess, it was that Glinda was on to something. Maybe there really was no place like home. “At the end of the day, it doesn’t matter where you live. It’s about the feeling you get when you’re there. Nothing beats coming home and feeling love.”
Her mind automatically drifted to Garrett. He’d broken her heart, and now she wondered if it would ever mend. But that didn’t mean she couldn’t enjoy a different kind of love, one that revolved around Brooke and her friends. She wanted to move on and put the whole thing behind her.
“That, right there, is why I do what I do.” Brooke sat up and some of the haze seemed to clear from her eyes. “Thanks, Gillie, for reminding me. It’s going to take some time, but I’m still here.”
Gillian leaned over to hug her, relieved she’d started to sound more like herself. She pulled away and got to her feet.
“How about we call it a night?” Gillian said as she clicked off the TV.
Together, the three of them took the empty containers into the kitchen. She started to put the leftovers in the fridge when her phone buzzed in her back pocket.
She reached for it and glanced at the unfamiliar number. Maybe it was an out of town client. She hit accept. “This is Gillian.”
“Gillian, this is Max Williams calling from WESX radio in Salem, Massachusetts. I’m sorry for calling so late. I’ve been in meetings all day and this is my first free moment. Is this a good time to talk?”
