by Sara Mack
“For what?”
“For the soup and all the other supplies.”
He brushes me off. “You don’t owe me anything.”
“Yes, I do,” I say adamantly. “That’s not fair.”
He eyes me. “You were in no condition to be running to the store. Consider it a favor.”
I shake my head and get to my feet. “Let me pay you.”
“It’s really okay,” he says. “It wasn’t that much.”
I pause for a moment and try to calculate in my head everything he’s purchased. If you add in the ingredients for the soup it has to be at least forty dollars. I turn and walk into the kitchen to grab my wallet out of my purse.
“I know what you’re doing,” he half-yells to me. “I won’t take your money!”
“Yes you will!” I half-yell back to him. I reach for my wallet and as I open it up, my cell chimes against the counter. I look at it.
Wish you were here.
It’s from Shel. There’s a picture attached, and I touch it to make it bigger. I’m greeted with smiles from both her and Matt as they pose together at Dane’s party, dressed for a night out and seated at what looks like a restaurant table. Shel leans against Matt’s arm and beams. They look so cute. I text back You guys look nice then slide my phone into my back pocket. I take two twenty dollar bills out of my wallet and head back to the living room.
“Take this.” I hand the money to Garrett.
He ignores me.
“I’m serious!”
He changes the channel with the remote.
“I’ll feel bad if you don’t take it,” I say.
He looks at me annoyed. He plucks the money from my fingers and tosses it on the table instead of putting it in his pocket.
I cross my arms. “I didn’t mean literally.”
“Has anybody ever told you that you’re stubborn?” he asks.
My mind flashes to both James and Dane, making me sigh. “Yes.”
My cell sounds again, from my jeans pocket, and I pull it out. There’s another picture from Shel with the caption Operation recon in full effect. I tap the image and the picture grows larger, revealing a distant and crooked photo of Dane and a woman who must be Teagan. They stand side by side, just in front of a door surrounded by people. The lighting is dim, and it’s not a very clear shot. I squint to make out her features.
“What’s so interesting?” Garrett asks.
“Nothing, really.” I close the picture and hope Shel can get a better shot. I pause. Do I really care? Unfortunately, yes. Yes I do.
I turn my attention back to the money exchange and threaten Garrett, pointing at the cash. “I’m going to find a way to make you take that.”
He gives me a condescending look that says, “I’d like to see you try.” I give up for now and take a seat to finish my dinner. I curl my legs to the side and set my elbow on the table. “If you’re so rich, maybe I should start charging you rent.” I raise my eyebrows. “You have been here for two days straight.”
He smirks and then stands. “I guess I’ll be going then.” He takes a step toward the door.
“No!” I sit up. “I was kidding. Sit back down; I’m not fully well yet.” I really have enjoyed his company. The days go by so much faster when you have someone else to talk to besides the cat. James did come back the day after I got sick, like he promised, but he only stayed for a few hours.
Garrett takes a seat, pretending to be inconvenienced, then turns to me with kind eyes. “It does get pretty lonely, doesn’t it?”
I nod. Sometimes I forget that he’s all alone too, on top of becoming mortal. “Is it hard?” I ask. “Becoming human?”
He pauses, thinking. “Not physically, no. I think mentally, wrapping your mind around the things you’re giving up and the things you have to relearn, is the hardest part.”
My cell goes off, and I pull it from my pocket. “Sorry,” I apologize. I see Shel has sent another picture and the message reads And I love him why? The picture is of Matt, who has decided to put drink stirs up his nose. I laugh and then show Garrett the picture. “This is why you chose to become human again, isn’t it?”
He chuckles. “For sure.”
I take another look at Matt and shake my head, then lower the phone. “So why did you decide to do it?” I ask, intrigued.
“That’s simple,” he says. “For a chance to live the life that was taken from me.”
I frown. “But will it be the same without…her?”
“There’s more to being human than being in love,” he says without hesitation. “But no, it won’t be the same. She can never be replaced.” He pauses. “Maybe I will find love again. Get married and have a family. Or maybe I won’t. But that’s the point. I have a second chance. I can make this life whatever I want it to be.”
His ruminations make me smile.
“Do you want to know what I’ve missed the most?” he asks.
“What?”
“The taste of food.” He grins. “Physically touching and actually feeling. Sleeping again. There’s something to be said for the satisfied feeling of a full stomach and good night’s rest.”
I agree. “Those are good things. I think I would add taking hot showers to the list, too.”
“Yes!” His eyes light up. “And changing clothes! Although, I’m not too fond of doing laundry.” He makes a face. “I’m not very good at it. First I had to figure out the washing machine and which soap to use, and now I’m wearing pink underwear due to someone’s misplaced red sock.”
The image of Garrett in pale pink tightie whities nearly makes me lose the soup in my mouth through my nose. It hurts trying to contain my laughter, and I grab my sides.
Garrett pretends to be offended. “It’s not that funny.”
My cell interrupts us again, and I manage to swallow, blinking away the tears from my hysterics. I look at the screen and another picture from Shel is waiting. I open it and immediately crash from my laughter high. It’s a clearer image of Teagan. How do I know it’s her? Because I’ve seen her before. She’s the same girl in the framed photo that I saw on Dane’s side table, the one I saw after the incident with Mrs. Davis last summer. The same picture of him with his arm draped around a beautiful girl, a girl I thought could be a sister. I don’t know how Shel took such a close photo unnoticed, but I can clearly see Teagan’s long raven black hair, dark almond shaped eyes, gorgeous lashes, and full, pouty lips. She could be a model. She appears exactly as she did in the photo of her I’ve already seen. I guess back then Dane wasn’t trying to hide anything from me. But what did he expect me to do? Ask him about the girl in the picture? I remember him giving me permission to snoop around his apartment when he left. I mentally kick myself for not taking him up on that offer.
“Tell me again what’s so great about being human?” I ask Garrett quietly.
He looks at me concerned, and I show him the picture. “Dane’s fiancée,” I say.
He gives me a sympathetic look. “You were curious?” he asks in an effort to understand.
“I tried not to be.” I close the picture and tuck my phone under my leg. “Avoiding all things Dane is easier said than done. Especially when your best friends are his friends too.”
“It sounds like he may be a part of your life whether you like it or not,” Garrett says wisely.
I never thought about it that way. Being friends with Matt and Shel will inevitably have me running into Dane from time to time. I won’t be able to avoid him forever.
“You know,” he says, “maybe Dane was meant to be in your life. Did you ever consider that?”
I roll my eyes sarcastically. Riiiiight. The phone chimes under my leg. “Geez!” I complain. “I’m just going to turn it off.” I don’t want to see any more pictures of Teagan.
I pull the phone out and, yes, there again is another image from Shel. I can tell it’s not Teagan though, and reluctantly I touch the screen. A picture of Dane enlarges before me, and it’s a close-up. He must
be sitting down because his forearm rests against a table, and the frame is filled with his face and torso. He looks directly into the camera, wearing an apologetic expression, and he holds a small white napkin over his forearm so it’s clearly in view of Shel, but not anyone else. There, in black and white, is a message just for me:
I miss you.
Chapter 13
Putting a cat in a pet carrier should not be this hard! You would think I was trying to murder her.
“C’mon LB!” I wrestle with her as she twists her body in my hands. “Do you really want to stay here alone?”
I’m attempting to leave Kalamazoo for home. Tomorrow is the Halloween party I promised to help with, and I get to dress up as a citizen of the Emerald City. I’m a little worried about it because I remember the movie costumes being a bit bizarre, but at least I didn’t get stuck with Toto. All the other popular choices were taken.
LB lands a good scratch on my forearm, and I let her go. “Dang it!” She runs to hide under the bed as blood starts to slowly seep from two of the three claw marks. I groan in frustration and pull myself off the floor to find a Band Aid. I’m starting to think she will be okay here by herself for a few days.
While I apply some antiseptic to my wound, I hear three distinct thumps on the wall that separates my apartment from Garrett’s. We’ve been communicating this way since last week, when he decided to move back to his place after I survived the flu and he dropped a stack of books against the wall. The sound was so loud I thought he was being attacked and went running over there. Turns out he was just being clumsy, but we discovered a cool way to say hi every now and again. I peel the paper from a Band Aid and press it to my skin as I walk into the kitchen. I give the wall three good thumps back which are meant to say “Hi. I’m still here.” I look around the kitchen and grab two breakfast bars I left on the counter to take with me for snacks for the road. I knew I was forgetting something.
I head to my room and place the bars in my backpack, then zip it up. I have some clothes left at home, and I don’t need to bring much with me other than a few toiletries and my homework – and LB. She’s still hiding underneath the bed. I bend down, pull back the bed skirt, and let my eyes roam the darkness until I see hers. “Come out of there, you,” I say. “Don’t you want to go see Grandma and Grandpa?” Lord, if anyone heard me they would think I was insane. LB thinks I’m crazy too, because she hisses at me. She has never done that before. What a stinker!
I sit back on my heels. I need to get going, and I don’t feel like forcing her out of there and making her even angrier. I look to my left and think of Garrett on the other side of the wall. I bet he would agree to feed her while I’m gone. “Looks like you might get your way LB,” I say as I stand. I walk out of my apartment and over to Garrett’s, grabbing his door handle and letting myself in. This is another thing we’ve started since having the conversation about feeling lonely. We leave our doors unlocked during the day, so we can come and go between each other’s places. Of course we let one another know we’re home by the thumps. It’s just easier.
“Hey,” I say as I enter the apartment, looking around the door. “I was wondering if…” I stop short. Garrett, Thomas, and another woman are standing in the living area. “I’m sorry,” I immediately apologize. “I’ll come back later.”
“No, it’s okay,” Garrett says. He looks between me and the other Guardians. “You already know Thomas and this is Joslyn,” he introduces us.
Thomas smiles his fatherly smile and raises his hand to wave. When he does, he also raises Joslyn’s hand because he holds hers firmly in his. She laughs and pulls her hand away, giving me her own small wave. “Happy to meet you, Emma,” she says. “You can call me Joss.”
Does everyone know who I am? I feel like there must be a poster of me somewhere in the Intermediate. “Hi.” I nod, embarrassed for interrupting. I look at Garrett. “I didn’t know you having a meeting, so I’ll just…”
“Oh, stay,” Joss says and walks forward, holding her hand out to me. Her black hair is peppered with gray, and she wears it in a bun on the top of her head. She’s about my height, and has on black slacks, heels, and a bright royal blue blouse with a cowl neck. Her complexion is peaches and cream which, paired with the blouse, make her gray eyes sparkle. “Let’s talk while the boys conduct business.”
She grasps my hand, and I allow her to lead me to my old loveseat. Thomas and Garrett resume their discussion and Joss looks at me warmly. What could she possibly want to talk to me about? I really need to get on the road.
“So,” she says, patting my hand, “what are you up to today?”
I give her a confused stare. “Um…I’m going home for the weekend?” My statement sounds more like a question than a fact.
She smiles. “Do you have big plans?”
“Nooo.” I look over my shoulder to send Garrett a questioning glance. He just smiles at me and continues speaking with Thomas. I turn back to Joss. “I’m helping my mom with some volunteer work.”
“That’s nice.” She sounds genuinely excited. “What will you be doing?”
“Helping out at a Halloween party for little kids.”
“Oh!” She releases my hand and places hers against her chest. “That sounds darling! I miss doing things like that.”
Okay, I get it now. She misses being human. I relax and give her a smile.
“Actually, it’s my grandkids that I miss,” she says. “Helping them get all dressed up for Halloween.”
“How many grandchildren do you have?”
“Eleven.” She beams. “And one on the way.”
I can’t help myself and an “awww” escapes. I can’t wait for my brother and Kate to get married and start having kids.
“I miss them,” she sighs. “The feel of their little hugs, my refrigerator covered in artwork. I used to spoil them rotten.”
“I bet.”
“That’s actually what drew the two of us together,” Thomas pipes up, leaning over the back of the loveseat and into our conversation. “The discussions about our grandkids.” He looks at Joss like a love-struck teenager, and I get the feeling if she could blush, she would.
Wait. “Are you two dating?” The question is out before I can think twice.
Joss laughs. “You could call it that,” she says. “Who knew you could find the love of your life after you’re no longer living?”
What? The idea never crossed my mind that Guardians could fall in love with each other.
Thomas leans forward and plants a kiss on Joss’ temple. She smiles at him and then shoos him away. I’m sure I look stupefied.
She leans in to me conspiratorially. “Fat lot of good I did marrying all those husbands. No wonder none of them would release me.”
I blink and rearrange my face. “How many husbands did you have?”
She shakes her head and chuckles. “Five.”
“Five?”
“And none of them compared to me,” Thomas boasts.
“Would you go away?” Joss teases. “We’re trying to have a nice talk.”
I smile at Thomas. The two of them are so cute. He listens to his woman and retreats a few steps.
“So,” Joss says, “what about you and Garrett? Will you be having children?”
Whoa! Where did that question come from? “Ah, no.” I blush and look at Garrett, my expression panicked.
“Joss,” Garrett steps in quickly. “Emma is with James, remember?”
Joss looks between Garrett and I, puzzled. “I thought James was her Guardian?”
“He is,” Garrett says. He smiles at me apologetically.
“But I thought he and…”
“Emma,” Garrett interrupts her. “Did you need something?”
“Yes,” I say and stand. This is the perfect opportunity to get out of this awkwardness. “LB is giving me a hard time about the carrier; I can’t get her into it.” I flash my forearm. “Could you feed her for me until I get back on Sunday? I don’t feel
like wrestling with her anymore.”
“Sure. The food is…?”
“Under the kitchen cabinet. I’ll feed her today; you’ll just have to do it tomorrow and Sunday.”
“Got it.”
I start to make my way toward the door. “I’ll bring my key over to you in a few minutes.” I turn to say goodbye to Thomas and Joss. “I really have to get going; it’s a three hour drive back home. It was nice talking with you.”
“You too.” Joss gives me a genuine smile. “We’ll have to do it again sometime.” She eyes the boys. “With just us girls.”
I laugh. “Sure.”
“Drive safe,” Thomas says as I reach the door.
“Thanks, I will.” I open the door and step outside. “I’ll be back in a sec with my key,” I tell Garrett.
“Sounds good.”
I close the door behind me and walk to my apartment, shaking my head. That was one of the weirdest conversations I’ve had in awhile. Finding out Guardians can fall in love? The idea of Garrett and me together? I almost laugh out loud. He’s a nice guy and all but...
I open my door and LB comes running. “Oh, now you come out,” I chastise her. I bend down and pet her roughly along the sides of her body. “Don’t worry. You’re staying here.”
Well, Auntie Em looks great. I look ridiculous.
When I arrived home on Friday, my mom hit me with the news. Someone named Mildred had to back out of the Halloween party because apparently her dog, Fluffnstuff, was ill. I couldn’t stop laughing from the name. Fluffnstuff? Seriously? My dad proceeded to make a lame joke about the dog being sick because it ate some fluff…and stuff, which pushed my giggle fit to new heights. But the really funny part was that I was now bestowed the honor of dressing up as the Wicked Witch of the West. When my mother first produced the costume from my old closet, it wasn’t too bad. Just a basic black dress with a black witch’s hat and a broomstick. It was the green face paint, wiry wig, and prosthetic wart that made me cringe.
“You have to wear it,” my mom said. “What’s a Wizard of Oz party without the Wicked Witch?”