by Jane Tara
“That’s asking an awful lot from mere mortal men.”
“I’m aware that it narrows the field down.”
Taran finished his coffee and placed the cup on the table. “I get what you’re talking about. It actually happened to me once. But even that didn’t work out. I saw you and thought, She’s attractive, smart… dinner would be nice. That’s a good starting point for all sorts of things.” Taran walked over to the counter and paid for his coffee. “I’ll see you soon.”
Tye watched him leave and then breathed a sigh of relief. He was unnerving. But then, perhaps she was being unreasonable. Being a witch didn’t necessarily mean there would be a magical overtone to every aspect of her life. She still experienced the ups and downs everyone else did. She couldn’t just wave a magic wand and solve everything. (Actually that wasn’t entirely true, but as a witch she had to choose her moments, as every spell she put out there also returned to impact on her.) Despite her upbringing, she was quite a practical person. And yet, on this one issue, she had been unwaveringly wistful. She didn’t date. She didn’t ever give guys a chance. She was loyal to a dream. And she waited.
Thinking about it now, she felt rather foolish.
She should probably give Taran a chance and at least have dinner with him, but she needed to get a handle on how she was feeling first. She’d always thought that meeting the man she dreamed about would be easy. Instead, she was awash with conflicting emotions. He wasn’t at all what she’d expected. She felt betrayed by her own psychic gifts. She didn’t feel the way she thought she should. She wasn’t even sure it was him.
She looked around the shop, which was now empty. She was grateful for a quiet afternoon. Her mom was having lunch with an old friend. Strange that the old friend didn’t come to the shop. Perhaps she was meeting Larry for an afternoon romp.
She noticed a text: Make me a latte. I’ll be there in 10. X
Tad.
She went to put her phone down but then remembered that she’d been meaning to update it and download all the recent pics. She hooked it up to her computer and then left it while she made Tad a coffee. She was just filling the glass with milk when he arrived.
“Quiet today?” Tad said as he gave her a kiss.
“That suits me.”
“Anything wrong?”
“Not really.” She wasn’t quite ready to share her feelings about Taran yet. Instead, she turned her attention back to the computer while Tad sat on a stool near the counter.
“You’re close to Rhi now, aren’t you?” Tad asked.
Tye nodded. “We’ve become good friends.”
“And you wouldn’t be good friends with a total weirdo would you?”
Tye’s attention was elsewhere. “I’m friends with you.”
Tad laughed. “Apart from me.”
She flicked through some photos, giving Tad only a sideways glance. “What makes you think Rhi is weird?”
“We’ve had a few extremely weird exchanges.”
“Perhaps she’s just shy around you. She can be reserved, but—” Tye froze.
“Tye? You okay?”
Tye looked at Tad and then back at the computer. “I didn’t realize you were in this photo.”
“What photo?”
“At the theater.”
Tad paled. “The Majestic? Tye, I haven’t been near the theater for years. I was just telling your mom the same thing the other day.”
“But you’re in this photo, Tad. Here, look.”
Tad jumped up and moved to her side. He stared at the screen, which clearly showed a photo of Tye, Rhi, Annie, Sam and Jake on the steps of the finished theater. And then his eyes moved to the door behind them, to a sixth person.
Tye looked at him. “Rhi told me you’d been there, but I didn’t see you that day.”
Tad’s voice was barely above a whisper. “That’s because I wasn’t there.”
Chapter 33
“And so there we were, stuck in that beach house for a week with wild weather raging around us. No television. Nothing. And I thought Tad and Tye would tear each other apart…but the owner of the house had a music room. So the kids went in one afternoon and Tad sat down at the piano and Tye picked up the violin, and I didn’t see them until dinner. I didn’t see them much for the rest of the holiday. They were obsessed. And that’s where it all began.”
Kip stared at her, a smile filled with both admiration and gratitude on his face. “I’ve missed so much.”
“That’s the way it goes, love.”
“You kept your promise though.”
“I would’ve anyway. Even without you asking me, I’d have kept an eye on him.”
Crystal’s phone buzzed. She knew it was a text from Larry, so ignored it.
“Not you too!” Kip exclaimed. “One of those dumb phones. You of all people, Crystal.”
“Mine’s not that fancy, Kip. Just calls and texts. I’m a luddite.”
“So who would be contacting you at this time of the night?”
“None of your business, that’s who.”
“A boyfriend?”
“Kip!”
“You’re not answering my question. Why not? Do you have a lover?”
“Do you have a lover?”
“The last lover I had was you!”
They stared at each other for a moment, blazing heat filling the space between them, erasing both his death and her age.
“Kip, I won’t apologize for surviving.”
“Nor should you. You have every right to have a lover, even now that we’re back together.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“I’m grateful that you spend so much time with me, Cryssie, and I know I can’t satisfy all your needs.”
“Jesus, Kip. The thought of going there with you makes me feel like a cougar.”
“A cat?”
“It’s a modern term for an older woman who has sex with a younger man.”
Kip still looked confused. “I don’t see you as an older woman. I just see you. And I’m jealous of you being with someone else. But that’s my problem.”
“No—it’s my problem too. You were my great love. I always knew you were.”
“I wish I’d been so clear about things, Cryssie.”
“You were toward the end, Kip.”
“But those early days—”
“We were young. You were young. It’s not important now.”
Kip nodded. “You’re right. We’re here now, and that’s what’s important.”
Crystal refrained from saying anything. As much as she loved him, spending time with him was a no-win situation for both of them. “I have to go. I’ve been here all evening. I need some sleep.”
Kip looked disappointed. “Just another hour?”
“I’m not a vampire, Kip. I need sleep at night. I’ll see you soon, okay?”
“Okay, okay.”
Crystal left via the back door of the theater, walking down the steps and along the side fence to the pavement. The street was isolated, the night still. She was glad for some time alone now, to walk and think and clear her mind. She heard her phone buzz again. She’d ignored the texts from Larry, even though she sensed his growing confusion with each one. She slipped her phone from her coat pocket and read them now.
How about dinner tonight beautiful?
Hellllooo Crystal!!!!
Have I done something wrong?
Just checking you got my message, darling.
It wasn’t Larry’s fault. He was a perfectly nice man: funny, smart and attractive. No mental baggage or obvious medical conditions—a huge bonus once you reached a certain age.
No, there was nothing wrong with Larry. He just wasn’t Kip. No one ever had been.
Unfortunately, even Kip wasn’t Kip any more, just an ephemeral version of himself. He was also exactly as he had been when he died, whereas she’d done a lot in nearly thirty years. She’d travelled. Raised Tye, and virtually raised Tad. She’d built a successful s
mall business in New York, sold it, and built another one here in Hamlet. And she’d done it all alone. No man supporting her. Not that she’d ever been adverse to the idea…but no man had ever rocked her world the way Kip had.
The way he still did. Damn it! Despite his arrogance, and insularity and him being dead, the connection between them was more powerful than ever. He was her soul mate and while Crystal was the first to admit he was an unfortunate choice for one, he was hers and there was nothing she could do about that.
She knew she couldn’t be with him. But she couldn’t bear to let him go either. What the hell was she going to do?
She’d start by having some manners. She texted Larry back.
Sorry Larry, I have some personal matters I need to attend to this week. Will explain when I see you next. Xo
She let herself into the house and noticed a light on. Tye was obviously staying the night.
“Mom, where have you been?”
Both Tad and Tye were sitting on the lounge, ashen faced. Beside them was Tye’s computer, a photograph filling the screen.
“Can you explain this?” asked Tad.
Crystal sat on the edge of the lounge and looked at the photo. Her stomach dropped. What was he thinking? The bastard was standing there for the entire world to see. Goddamn him.
“Mom, please explain this.” Tye sounded panicked.
“It’s your father.”
“That’s impossible,” Tad said.
“No, honey, it’s not,” Crystal said. “He’s haunting the theater.”
“How do you know that?” asked Tye.
“I’ve been with him all night.”
Tad’s eyes nearly fell from his head. “That’s my father?”
Tye took a deep breath and turned to him. “He’s my father too.”
Chapter 34
“Crystal!”
“I’m right here, Kip.”
“I can’t find my tights!” Kip was frantic, pulling clothes out of a pile of washing.
“Now there’s something I never thought I’d hear you say.”
Crystal grabbed Kip’s tights from a drawer and threw them at him.
“What would I do without you?”
“Perform Hamlet bare-legged probably.”
Kip gave her a kiss and started dressing.
“Kip…there’s something I need to speak to you about.”
“Is it important?”
“Yes.”
“Then let’s save it until after the show. I’m a bundle of nerves, Cryssie…I just need to get through opening night.”
Crystal turned to the mirror and applied some lipstick. “Okay, we’ve got plenty of time to talk about it.”
He moved behind her and wrapped her arms around her. “You look beautiful.”
Her eyes shone, as they always did when he paid her a compliment.
“And after the show, we’ll have our own private celebration.”
Crystal nodded. “Perfect.”
Kip kissed her neck and moved off in search of the rest of his costume.
She could wait. She wanted the time to be right. She knew this was huge, but also felt that Kip would be happy. She’d tell him she was pregnant later. After opening night, when he was hers alone again.
She looked at him now, so handsome and so obviously nervous. “You’ll be fantastic, Kip. I just know it.”
Which wasn’t actually true. She had the most awful feeling he was going to fail.
But that’s okay, she thought to herself. I’ll be there to catch him.
*
“But I wasn’t,” Crystal sobbed. “I wasn’t.”
Tye reached out and held her mother, even though she knew she was upset with her.
Crystal was inconsolable. “You weren’t to say anything, Tye. You promised me.”
“Things have changed. If my father is in that theatre, then I want to meet him. And for me to do that, Tad needed to know.”
“But—”
“No buts! It’s an outdated promise. It’s not like she can stop him from seeing us now.”
The night seemed to close in around the three of them. The living room lamps cast shadows on the wall that flickered strange images on the ceiling. Tad’s face was indecipherable. He didn’t move.
“I promised, Tye.”
“You didn’t break that promise. I did.” Tye turned to Tad. “I wanted to tell you a million times, but I couldn’t.”
“Why not?” Tad asked quietly.
Tye looked at Crystal. “Tell him.”
“Please don’t ask me that.”
“I’ll tell him if you don’t.”
Crystal reached out a hand to calm her daughter. And then she turned to Tad.
*
The wind howled, rattling the windows, knocking at the roof, threatening to blow the house apart. Crystal lay on the floor, in fetal position, unsure if the turmoil was actually a storm outside Kip’s house, or inside of her. She was shattered. Completely destroyed. Her man, the only man she had ever loved, or would ever love, was dead. She’d been dragged away from his broken body by paramedics who, concerned for her, had injected her with sedatives and brought her home.
The first night passed. Then the first day of her new life, the one where Kip was dead. There were times she stopped crying and instead would sit, staring at the clock, catatonic. Each minute that ticked away took her further and further from him. His kiss, his touch, his smell, his laugh, his frustrating and all-consuming goddamn behavior…Each tick of the clock was yet another death knell, further and further into a world she already despised.
The doorbell rang but she ignored it, just like all the others she’d ignored all day. But then she heard Collette call out her name. She wanted to take no notice, but a little voice told her she must open the door. Collette had Tad and Crystal needed to know that he was okay.
Collette stood on the doorstep. She was immaculate as usual, with her high-maintenance hair and red lipstick. But her eyes were bloodshot and puffy. She’d loved Kip in her own way.
“Hello, Crystal.”
“Hello, Collette.” Crystal’s eyes drifted to the world outside. It was still. A beautiful fall evening, not a breeze in the sky.
“Can we talk?”
Crystal led Collette into the house and they sat on a sofa in the living room. Crystal didn’t offer her anything. Collette clearly wanted to make the visit as brief as possible. Crystal’s pain was excruciating to witness.
“You do realize that this is now Tad’s house,” Collette said.
“I haven’t thought about it.”
“You can’t live here.”
“Okay.” Like she wanted to anyway. It was the last place on earth she’d live now that Kip was gone.
“I’m taking Tad back to New York after the funeral. My lawyers will tie everything up here.”
“Okay.”
“I know you’re pregnant.”
Crystal looked her in the eye for the first time since she’d arrived, the full force of her grief evident. Even Collette seemed shocked by it.
“Are you sure it’s Kip’s?”
“Of course I am.”
“Well, you can’t tell anyone. He’d dead, so there’s no point announcing it anyway, right?”
“Tad needs to know.”
“I’m Tad’s only parent now and I get to make those decisions, so I’m saying he doesn’t. It will be confusing for him. Everyone treats him as Kip’s only child. It makes him special. I won’t take that away from him.” Her eyes narrowed. “And of course, there’s the inheritance. I funded Kip’s life. The theater. This house. Our son gets it all.”
Crystal came to her senses. Collette had the wrong idea about her. “I would never—”
Collette held a heavily bejeweled hand up. “I haven’t finished yet. I know you have a special bond with Tad, and I don’t want to stand in the way of it. I’m happy for you to be in his life as a family friend. But mention that baby and you’ll never see him again.”
>
“I promised Kip I’d always keep an eye on him.”
“That’s sweet, but Kip’s dead. I make the decisions now. Clear?”
Crystal was dissolving. She was disappearing into an abyss of invisible sludge, weighing heavily around her and suffocating her. For a moment, a brief moment, she considered taking a razor to her wrist. She could join Kip. They could be together, as they’d planned. But then she felt the tiniest flutter…a baby’s movement inside. It was the first time she’d felt anything. New life, amid this overwhelming death. Kip lived on in this child, just as he lived on in Tad. She thought of Tad, who she loved as her own. They would be okay. They would be a family. She would do what she had to.
“Fine, Collette. I won’t say a word. But I’m begging you, don’t take him away from me.” Crystal’s eyes pleaded with her, one woman to another. “I can’t lose him too. My heart—I won’t survive it.”
Collette actually seemed moved. She turned her head away and wiped a tear from her eye. “I’m glad we’ve worked that out. To be honest, I need some help raising him anyway. As long as we both know where we stand.”
Relief flooded her body and Crystal knew she’d survive.
Collette stood and made her way to the door. She paused at the entrance and turned back to Crystal.
“I’m sorry. I know you loved him.”
*
Crystal blew her nose. “And so we came to an agreement. And though you might feel hurt right now…it worked out for us all.”
“Sounds like my mother,” Tad said, his face set in stone. “How dare she?”
“We’ve grown to respect each other over the years, Tad, but at the time, she was a star and I didn’t have the resources to fight her. And I couldn’t lose you. I’d made a pact with your father that if anything ever happened to him, I’d be there. And I had to be. I decided to do everything in my power to raise you two as siblings. You might not have known Tye was your sister, but you felt it. I know you did.”
Tye looked at Tad. “She’s right.”
“How long have you known?”
Tye shrugged. “I’ve always known.”
A sob caught in Crystal’s throat. “I am so sorry that I took this from you.”
Tad’s voice was gentle and filled with emotion. “Crystal, you have given me more than you have ever taken.” He turned to Tye. “I’m more worried about you, Tye. You missed out on being acknowledged by my—our grandparents because of my mother.”