“Do you want me to put you to bed before I leave, sweetie?” I asked Georgia.
She tucked her thumb in her mouth and nodded.
I closed my eyes, extended my telekinesis toward the sock monkey and held out my hand. The monkey came to me and I handed it to Georgia, then led her to her bedroom.
“Sleep,” I whispered into Georgia’s hair.
“Sing me?” she mumbled around her thumb.
I sang Blackbird, and before I reached the chorus, she was sound asleep.
I was going to be the bad guy in this scenario, no matter what I did. If what I suspected had happened, I wouldn’t have to worry about guiding Georgia’s dreams any longer, but that wouldn’t stop me from wishing I could be a part of this sweet girl’s life, and her baby brother’s.
I kissed her forehead, smoothed her hair and marched out of her room, to where Kyle waited for me.
“You need to call the police,” LeAnne cried. “Have her arrested.”
“I can do that for you,” Kyle offered. “We’ll see who they take away.”
Jason sighed. “That won’t be necessary.”
I met Jason’s gaze, saw the conflict there. “You know where to find me.” I opened the top of Ash’s basket and looked for her. She lay on the sofa, grooming herself. When I picked her up, she meowed as if she was in pain. I eased her into the basket, grabbed my coat, took Kyle’s hand and we left.
Chapter 41
Kyle took Ash’s basket and opened my car door. “You want to ride with me, or are you okay to drive?”
I wanted to put distance between myself and LeAnne Hanson. “I can drive.” He reached across to put Ash’s basket on the passenger seat, took my hand and eased me behind the wheel before he closed the door. “See you at home.”
Ten minutes later, I walked into my own house and scooped Ash out of her basket and sat at the dining room table. “You okay, kitty?” I asked.
She curled into my lap nudged my hand with her head. I scratched her ears and ran my hand over her body, stroking her fur and inspecting her for any wounds. She seemed unharmed, perhaps as exhausted from the experience as I was. We drew strength from each other, and as Ash’s purrs grew in volume, I closed my eyes and let the last vestiges of the ball of ice inside me melt away.
The cat hopped to the floor and wandered into the utility room, circling her food dishes. I followed, giving her a little extra food, and went back to the table where I’d spent so many hours with Nora. I laid my head against my arms and cried. Moments later, Kyle arrived home, knelt beside me, and slid his arms around me. I turned into his embrace. We clung to each other until I’d let go of the sadness and held onto the goodness I’d found in Kyle.
“Are the kids going to be okay?” Kyle asked, smoothing my hair off my face.
I nodded. “I’m sure Jason will take care of them.”
“And LeAnne?”
A fresh stream of tears slid down my face. “If you had seen her with those kids. I want to believe she’s suffering from post-partum, but the things she said...” I drew a shuddery breath.
He eased an arm across my shoulder. “I’ve seen new mothers do scary things.”
“She said she married Jason to enhance the gene pool. Essentially, she wanted to have a powerful child. I don’t even know what she had in mind, but after today, I can’t imagine it was good.”
“So Sharon was right about her.”
I nodded.
“If it’s any consolation, I suspect Jason has seen the light, in a manner of speaking.”
Jason. He wasn’t due home for another day. “Why did he come home early? He couldn’t possibly have made it home that fast after I texted him.”
“That’s my fault. You were worried if I tried to help, you wouldn’t be able to protect me. I’ve seen enough these past couple weeks to trust you might be right. I figured if anyone could reach LeAnne, Jason could, so I suggested he was needed at home. If things went sideways, he could at least distract her long enough for me to get you out of there.” Kyle tilted his head. “You texted him?”
“Someone had to take care of those kids, and it wasn’t LeAnne. That’s why Georgia hasn’t been visiting me. The poor child has hardly slept with taking care of her baby brother. She’s three years old. She can’t even change a diaper.” I was horrified anew at the weight of Remy’s diaper, at his chapped skin.
“Have I told you you’d make a great mom?” Kyle said, bumping one of his shoulders against mine.
Fresh tears fell. Holding Remy, caring for Georgia, a yearning yawned inside of me.
“I didn’t mean to make you cry,” Kyle said, his eyes welling with tears of his own.
“If we’re meant to be parents, we will be,” I said.
“And if we can’t have them on our own, there’s a world full of children who need parents. I have no doubt your heart is big enough to claim one or two.”
I laughed through the tears and punched his shoulder. “Can we wait until after the wedding to talk about what comes next?”
He held me tight and I drew from his strength.
The kitchen door opened and Nora rushed in. “I was so worried. Are you okay, sweet Brynn?”
I wiped my tears away and nodded while Nora joined in the hug.
“I felt a ripple, but I couldn’t reach you. I came as soon as I could.” She pulled away. “Let me make us all some tea.”
She returned a short time later with a pretty, painted teapot I hadn’t seen before and set it on a trivet. A quick trip back to the kitchen and she brought us matching cups.
“Where did you find this?” I asked.
“On top of the cupboards. I save it for special occasions. This strikes me as one of those times.” She settled at the table with us. “Tell me what happened.”
While she poured, I filled her in on LeAnne and Jason.
“I guess I can forget about trying to prove to him I’m not a bad person,” I concluded. “After today, I’m sure he’ll hold me responsible for everything.”
“And you think LeAnne and Georgia have both lost their powers?” she asked, sneaking a peek at Kyle.
“Pretty sure. She tried to get me to drink the potion that went with the incantation, but when Georgia reached for the glass, LeAnne knocked it out of her hand. Will the spell be complete without it?”
“Time will tell,” Nora said. “What about Jason?”
“I think the initial glow, if you want to call it that, had already worn off. He was staying with her out of obligation more than anything else,” I replied.
“If I get a vote,” Kyle said, “speaking as a man who’s been there, the look on Jason’s face said it all for me. Whatever hold she had on him seemed to have been severed completely.”
“Maybe,” I said, “but that doesn’t mean Jason will absolve me of whatever crimes he imagines I’ve committed.”
“I wouldn’t write him off yet,” Kyle said. “You took care of his kids. That will carry more weight than you think.”
Nora took my hands. “What about you?”
“What about me?”
“You managed to avoid the line of fire?”
I rolled my eyes. “You know what, I wouldn’t have minded if it had been me instead of one of them. I know this is a gift, and I understand how I fit into the grand scheme of things, but all I’ve ever wanted was to be normal.”
“You are one of the most normal people I know,” Kyle said. “Don’t sell yourself short. Normal is caring. Normal is thinking about what other people need, too.”
Nora grinned. “I knew I liked this boy. Might have taken a bit of refining to get it right, but clearly his mother’s genes made the difference to the Jakes bloodline.”
Kyle raised his eyebrows and I laughed.
Chapter 42
Nora stayed the night, and on Sunday after Kyle left, she and I resumed our old routine in the workshop making soap and bottling essential oils.
Lisa texted late morning to ask when I’d be ready to go shop
ping and I begged off, giving her a short recap of my day at Jason’s. I promised to reschedule—soon—and asked her to extend my regrets to Cassandra, as well.
“You know, you could still go,” Nora said.
“I need a day of quiet.”
Nora patted my hand and reached for a bottle of Linden blossom oil.
“Will it ever end?” I asked. “The people who are angry with me for being different?”
She put her hands in her lap and glanced out the window, as if searching for the answer. “You told me once you didn’t have friends in high school,” she said. “At that time, you didn’t know you were different.”
“I did. I just didn’t realize how different.”
She faced me with a mischievous smile. “I think the answer to your question is to surround yourself with the people who care about you, and screw the rest of them.”
I laughed. “What other people think of me is none of my business?”
“Exactly. But look at you now. You have two very good friends in Lisa and Cassandra, a man who clearly adores you. You have me and Fletcher, and whether you know it or not, I’d wager most of the people in Hillendale would take your side against a stranger. And let’s not forget Hannah.” She hopped off her stool and stood behind me, hands on my shoulders while I filtered pine essential oil.
“I’ve counted my blessings more times than you know,” I said. “I can’t help but be disappointed the family I grew up with thinks so little of me.”
“Their loss.” Nora placed a kiss on the top of my head and sat down again. “One day Georgia will remember she had an Aunt Brynn and find her way to you, even if she no longer needs a mentor.”
“I think I’d rather imagine her living her best life with her father instead of searching for her place in the world the way I did.”
“Oh, I don’t know,” Nora said, tilting her head with a gleam in her eye. “Even people with functional families need to find their own way.”
By midafternoon, she left for the reservation and I retreated to the living room to relax and read. Ash curled into my lap and I closed my eyes and fell asleep, which is how Kyle found us when he got home from work. He and I spent a quiet evening, and on Monday morning I walked to work like any other day. The weather had grown colder, but the sun shone brightly in a crystal blue sky.
Cassandra was at the shop when I arrived, beaming and waiting to chat. Since she and Lucas had connected, she’d become more animated, as if she’d found the missing piece in her life.
Over the course of the day, I found myself watching the door, waiting for Jason to walk in with Georgia to let me know everything was okay, or Jeannine, or—heaven forbid—Aunt Theresa or Uncle Jerome, to make amends. None of that was likely to happen. By closing time, I reminded myself of the people I did have in my life, the people who truly cared about me.
The hidden grimoire hadn’t put in another appearance. With luck, I wouldn’t have need of it again, and after LeAnne and Georgia had rendered each other powerless, the legacy in our family seemed to be at an end.
Thursday rolled around, Thanksgiving. I woke up with a stomach ache. Anxiety. After an eventful month, I tensed at the thought of spending the day with Kyle’s father. My first inauspicious meeting with Kurt Jakes stuck with me, when he’d mistaken me for my mother and told me I had some nerve coming back to Hillendale. Since that time, he’d stopped drinking and become much more subdued, but first impressions were hard to overcome.
I tried to sneak out of bed, not to wake Kyle, but he made an exaggerated stretch, complete with an accompanying groan. “Why don’t we bring Ash across the street with us? My dad would love her, and I’ve been trying to talk him into adopting a dog.”
“Or you want him to have a dog in place of the K-9 you never got.”
He laughed. “No, seriously. They say a pet helps older people who live alone focus on something other than themselves, something to take care of.” For all the years his dad had been an alcoholic, they’d managed to maintain a relationship, one that appeared to be stronger now that his dad was sober again.
“Not sure your dad is quite in that category yet, but whatever you think,” I said.
“You’re not mad we aren’t going to a restaurant, are you?” Kyle leaned on one elbow, a carefree look on his face.
“Of course not.”
“He hasn’t been over since I finished the floors.” He grinned. “The house is looking pretty good, if I do say so myself. It’ll be nice to check it out, don’t you think?”
“Are you saying you’d rather live there than here when we get married?” I asked.
He tilted his head, the first sign he’d caught on to my uncertain mood. “No, I’m saying it’s better than a restaurant. You’re not still afraid of my dad, are you?”
“Afraid? I wouldn’t say that.”
“Uncomfortable.”
A better choice, but I didn’t want to spoil his holiday. “Wondering if he’ll think less of me for serving turkey burgers and baked beans instead of a real turkey and mashed potatoes. And you, for that matter. I get the feeling you’d rather do something more traditional.”
Kyle scooted across the bed beside me. “We’ve had worse meals for Thanksgiving, and we get to make our own traditions, don’t we?”
“Either way, we’d better get moving.” I rushed off to the bathroom, eager to avoid any further discussion. Chances were good Kyle and his father would spend the day watching football, which meant I wouldn’t have to engage in conversation after dinner.
I shouldn’t be so nervous. Kyle’s father had been polite to me on the few occasions I’d spent time with him in the past couple of years. The only thing remotely antagonistic he’d said since our first meeting was when he referred to people outside the AA program as “normies” who didn’t understand the struggle.
I showered and dressed, and while I collected Ash, Kyle packed the food we’d bought for dinner and carried it across the street.
His house smelled of polyurethane, the hardwood floors gleaming a rich, reddish brown. I kicked off my shoes so as not to track any dirt across the clean surface. I let Ash out of her basket and she made herself at home on the velour sofa.
The living room, like mine, was small and led to a patio behind the house. The white French doors Kyle had installed brightened the room. Like my house, wooden beams lined the ceiling. Unlike my house, the dining area had its own nook, part of and yet separate from the living room. The kitchen was twice the size of mine, and he’d recently replaced the countertops with no-drip bullnose edges. They’d turned out well. Something to swap out in my kitchen?
While we unpacked the food, Kyle’s father knocked on the door. I stayed in the kitchen when Kyle went to let him in. Out of sight, out of mind—but not for long. Mr. Jakes sought me out within minutes.
He’d shaved his mottled beard since the last time I’d seen him, which made the few strands of brown left in his white hair more noticeable. His eyes, more gray than blue, settled on me. “Kyle tells me you two have decided on May for the wedding.”
With my back to the counter, I set my hands on the edges for support. My eyes were drawn, as they usually were, to the mole on his cheek. If we were going to be family, I could nudge him to have it checked, couldn’t I?
Not today.
“We have,” I replied.
He took a step toward me and hugged me. He’d never acknowledged my relationship with Kyle before, so I was caught off balance by his welcoming embrace. I hugged him back awkwardly.
“I hope you don’t mind turkey burgers and baked beans for dinner,” I said. “I did make a pumpkin pie for dessert, though.”
“Honey, I don’t care what you feed me. I’m as happy as a clam to be here,” he said. “I gotta tell you, though, one of my biggest regrets in life was letting Nora go. Might be this is the world giving me a piece of her with you as a daughter-in-law.”
Except he hadn’t let Nora go. She’d been the one to end things. This wasn’t
the time to quibble over history. I wasn’t sure what to say.
“You’ll be good to my son?”
“I’ll do my best,” I replied.
He gave me a quick nod, grabbed hold of Kyle’s arm on his way out of the kitchen and the two of them did a tour of the house.
I rested a hand on my stomach, the nerves settling. The encounter might have been awkward, but it filled me with hope for the future.
The rest of the day passed without incident. Kyle and his father were boisterous while they watched football. Ash remained aloof. Kyle’s father hardly noticed her. Not the starter Kyle had hoped for in his campaign to talk his dad into getting a pet.
When we waved goodbye to his father, Kyle slid his arm around my waist. He might not have made progress with the pet, but his contented glow spoke to the success of the day.
The three of us were family.
Chapter 43
By Saturday, my life in Hillendale had become blissfully uneventful.
I mixed bath salts in the backroom for Sally Miller’s December B&B order while Cassandra sewed in the front window. Siri filled the shop with music, and two hours into our day, Cassandra checked on me to let me know she would pick up lunch for us. I set my work aside, and gave Ash a cursory pet. She rose and followed me to the front.
While I sat at the counter, I checked the computer for internet orders until the bell over the door announced a customer.
Sharon Clark walked in, a smile on her face. Before today, she’d been sad or angry on the occasions I’d spoken to her. The transformation was remarkable, and yet my nerves jumped. Had I lulled myself into a false sense of security?
I mustered as much civility as I could. “How can I help you today?”
She rushed toward me and drew me into a hug.
Stunned, I pushed back. “What’s this about?”
She glanced toward the door, then grinned at me. “Jason is divorcing LeAnne. He says he doesn’t know how it went on this long, or why he couldn’t see through her sooner.”
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