Chapter 2 #2
Though she still felt a little uneasy with the surprise-boyfriend situation, Selene returned to the car to grab her purse, then went into the house.
The moment she stepped inside, her heart swelled with love then broke again.
This place was a barrage of everything that had been Emma: warm lighting, cozy and quirky decor, polished wood, and dried flowers.
Selene closed her eyes and took a deep breath.
“I’m here, Emma,” she murmured. “I wish you were too. So much.”
She took another moment to steady her emotions, then went into the living room and sat on the couch.
As she waited for Allie to come inside, she tried to conjure the right thing to say about boyfriends and curfews and maybe not giving poor Aunt Selene a heart attack on her first night in Avondale.
Damn. She should have had that coffee after all.
Selene pulled out her phone and scrolled to pass the time, but it was impossible not to notice how long it was taking Allie to “say good night” to Josh.
Five minutes.
Ten.
Had Josh driven to the house? There hadn’t been a car in the driveway or parked on the street, and she hadn’t noticed a bicycle. Did he live in walking distance? Was that a good thing or a bad thing?
She drummed her fingers on her knee.
Maybe they’re just talking. Allie’s been away for six months. They have a lot to catch up on.
Fifteen minutes.
They are not just talking.
She was contemplating getting a bucket of ice water to throw on them when she heard the front door open, and a moment later Allie appeared in the living room, rosy cheeked and beaming.
“Thanks for not freaking out, Aunt Sel,” Allie said, flouncing over to the couch to plop down beside Selene. “You’re not, right? Freaking out?”
Selene lifted her hand, pinching her thumb and pointer finger together but leaving a slight gap. “Little bit. Maybe.”
Ducking her head, Allie let out an awkward laugh. “Yeah. Sorry. I know that was weird—Josh waiting on the porch for us.”
Selene pinched her thumb and finger together again. “Little bit.”
“But you like him, don’t you?” Allie prompted, all expectation and earnestness.
“I don’t really know him yet, Allie,” Selene answered cautiously.
She’d been seeing a therapist about losing Emma, and her new responsibilities to Allie.
The therapist had emphasized how important it was not to react instantly to a surprising or uncomfortable situation but instead listen to Allie’s perspectives, consider, then address the issue cooperatively whenever possible.
Time to put that advice to work. If she could manage it.
“But if you like him,” Selene continued, “I’m sure he’s great. And I’ll find that out when he visits . . . but those visits shouldn’t be after ten p.m.”
“He is great,” Allie effused, ignoring the curfew Selene had not-so-subtly attempted to establish. “He’s perfect.”
Selene started to grimace at the word perfect but forced her pained expression into a smile. “I look forward to seeing him around then. Allie, look, I’m not here to dictate how you live your life, but we do need to set up some rules.”
“I get that.” Allie nodded quickly. “But really, you don’t need to worry. Josh isn’t, like, a ‘bad influence.’”
Selene laughed at Allie’s air quotes. “Good to know.”
Grinning, Allie continued, “I mean it! Josh and I are being responsible.”
Selene went very still.
Allie frowned, then clapped her hands over her mouth, which sort of muffled the shriek she let out before she blurted, “Oh my god. Oh my god. Oh my god.”
Selene managed to find her voice, or rather, the frog’s voice she borrowed, because what came out was mostly a croak. “Allie—”
“No,” Allie cut her off. “I didn’t mean, we’re not, I’m not, we’ve haven’t, I swear. Oh my god.”
Allie turned and buried her face in a throw pillow.
Relieved, Selene patted Allie on the shoulder. “It’s okay. I get the picture. But thank you for . . . clarifying. And for taking pity on me. The boyfriend was enough of a surprise. Maybe hold off a little ’til you make me deal with that thing you’re not doing.”
“Irmmugrrdd.” Allie groaned into the pillow, but then she lifted her head and fixed a solemn gaze on Selene. “I’m not lying. We really haven’t.”
With a dramatic flop against the back of the couch, Allie stared up at the ceiling. “I can’t believe I’m messing this up so badly.”
“I believe you, honey,” Selene told her. “You’re not messing anything up. And if the time comes that you need to talk to me about anything with Josh, or anyone else who becomes important in your life, I’m here. Always.”
She was never going to be able to say the word important without cracking a smile after this.
“I know,” Allie replied. “That’s not what I meant when I said I was messing up.”
She sat up suddenly, fixing a determined gaze on Selene. “I have something else to tell you about Josh, and it has nothing to do with . . . that stuff.”
Selene should have been relieved the conversation had moved on from “that stuff.” Nevertheless, her stomach dropped. “Oh?”
The word came out like another croak.
“It’s not bad, Auntie Sel,” Allie assured. “I promise.”
“Okay.” Why did Selene feel like Allie was the adult in this situation and she was the kid dreading punishment? “What do you want to tell me about Josh?”
Allie straightened, taking a breath. From her expression, Selene surmised Allie had been rehearsing this conversation.
“The first, and most important, thing you need to know,” Allie began, “is that Josh and I are serious.”
“So, it’s serious,” Selene repeated warily.
Her therapist always reminded her that she should never dismiss or patronize Allie’s feelings, despite her gut reaction that a sixteen-year-old’s idea of serious was definitely skewed.
The most important thing was to listen. To solve problems as a family rather than set herself up as Allie’s adversary.
This was a problem. “What does ‘serious’ mean? How long have you been seeing Josh?”
Alarm bells sounded in Selene’s brain. Had Emma known about Josh?
Selene couldn’t remember her ever mentioning Allie having a boyfriend, much less a serious one.
She had a hard time imagining a reason Emma wouldn’t share that information.
In fact, it was exactly the sort of thing Emma would have called her best friend about immediately to hash out potential pitfalls of Allie starting to date.
“Well, it’s kind of complicated.” Allie frowned. “Technically it’s been eight months, including the six months I’ve been living with you. So we’ve been doing the long-distance thing, which was hard, but we talked every day. Being apart made us realize how much we needed each other.”
Oof. That was a gut punch. Of course Allie needed love and understanding while grieving her mother.
And there was nothing wrong with getting support from her boyfriend, but Selene worried the strength of Allie’s feelings for Josh were knotted up with the depth of her loss, leading to impulsive decisions and declarations: a ticking bomb of emotions that would detonate in disastrous heartbreak.
As Selene rummaged through her memories for something she might have missed, Allie dug into her pocket and pulled something out. There was a blur of movement, then Allie shoved her right hand in Selene’s face.
Selene blinked, closed her eyes, counted to three, and then opened them again. She blinked once more at the glittering object on Allie’s right ring finger.
“What is that?” Selene asked numbly.
“It’s a ring,” Allie answered breathlessly, as if Selene’s question wasn’t ridiculous. “Josh just gave it to me. He told me he loves me and he missed me more than anything and he wanted me to know how much I mean to him.”
Love. Love. Noooooo. No. No. Nope. After seven hours in the car, facing the upheaval of her whole life and the reality of starting a new one in a new home, Selene didn’t have the mental fortitude to handle this kind of revelation. She barely knew what she was doing. How was she supposed to react?
She had to swallow before she could speak again, and when she did, all she could manage to focus on was the ring itself. “Is that silver?”
Somehow she already knew the answer, but she couldn’t push past her own disbelief. She was grasping for anything reasonable in this moment of unreality.
Allie giggled and beamed at the bloodred stone flanked by flawless, colorless baguette-cut gems—please let them be Swarovski crystals—that sparkled on her hand.
The bubbling laughter made Selene grit her teeth.
She didn’t find anything funny about this conversation.
Exhaustion and stress set off a painful pounding in her temples.
“God no, it is not silver.” More giggling, then Allie sighed dreamily. “It’s a ruby and diamonds in platinum.”
Selene wasn’t trying to be dramatic, but she found herself on her feet. “Allie—”
“It’s an antique. Josh says it’s Art Deco,” Allie cut her off. “He loves art history; he’s so smart.”
Selene bit her lip. Listen. Remember to listen. Don’t just react. God, this is hard. Was it easier for Emma? How did she do this?
“Isn’t it beautiful?” Allie said. “I was so surprised.”
“Surprised?” Selene couldn’t catch her breath. “That’s a good word.”
“Don’t you think it’s sweet of him?”
“Allison,” Selene said. “Josh is your age, right?”
Her niece nodded, but after a moment of hesitation.
“How did he afford a ring like that?” Selene asked. “Does he have a job?” As an investment banker? Did his parents sell a hot tech start-up and retire here?
“Well.” Allie kicked the edge of the rug. “That’s the thing, Aunt Selene.”
Selene’s frenzied thoughts jolted to a stop as she waited for Allie to bring the hammer down.
“He’s not like other boys at all,” Allie said. She wound her fingers through her long blond hair and sighed again.
“Obviously not.” Selene’s eyes narrowed as worst-case scenarios bombarded her thoughts. “Allie, if he’s dealing drugs, you cannot continue this relationship.”
She didn’t actually believe Josh was peddling narcotics, but her mind was spinning through the bad highlights reel of teendom: drugs, sex, car accidents . . .
“He’s not a dealer, Auntie Sel.” Allie laughed, then her expression turned wistful. “He’s special.”
“I’m sure he’s special, sweetheart, but that doesn’t answer my question.” Selene couldn’t imagine how much that ring cost.
“And he didn’t buy the ring,” Allie continued. “It’s an heirloom. From his family.”
Okay, that’s way better than drug dealing. But it didn’t make her feel any better about this whole “serious” issue.
Selene’s heart skipped a beat. “Honey, I know two months can seem like a long time, but don’t you think that’s a bit early for Josh to give you a ring that has sentimental value for his family?”
“Eight months, and his family loves me,” Allie said quickly, then amended, “or Josh promises they will . . . when I get to know them better. That’s part of what I need to talk to you about.”
“You haven’t met his family?” That made Selene feel an eensy bit better. At least Josh’s parents wouldn’t judge her for being uninvolved before now. She wondered how much they knew about this suddenly serious relationship. And if they didn’t know . . .
“Allison,” Selene spoke quietly. “Did your mom know about Josh?”
The way Allie instantly averted her gaze was all the answer Selene needed.
“Is there a reason you kept your relationship a secret?” Selene asked. Her pulse began to thump hard. Something is very, very wrong here.
Allie’s voice tightened, and when she looked at Selene again, her eyes were filled with tears. “It wasn’t supposed to be a secret. We were getting ready to tell Mom and then—”
She began to cry, and Selene sat down, but when she tried to pull Allie into a hug, Allie drew away, shaking her head.
“No, I’m okay.” Allie swiped her tears away. “I need to get through this. It’s just that I really wish Mom was here. I was so excited for her to meet Josh.”
Selene nodded, swallowing her own tears. “I wish she was here too.”
She wasn’t any less worried about the Josh situation, but at least she wasn’t lacking any background information Emma might have provided.
Emma, if there’s any chance you’re listening and you want to tag team this situation in spirit, I’d be grateful.
Selene didn’t have strong beliefs about ghosts or an afterlife, but it couldn’t hurt to throw a plea out there.
Allie sniffed, then offered Selene a smile. “I’m okay now.”
“You sure?”
“Yeah.” As if to prove it, Allie sat up a little straighter. “So it wasn’t meant to be a secret from Mom. I just wanted to wait a little while to tell her about Josh because of the circumstances with him and his family.”
“There are circumstances?” Selene frowned. “That your mom wouldn’t have liked?”
“I honestly don’t know how she would have reacted,” Allie said. “Because it’s complicated. But I do know she would have loved Josh. Because I love Josh.”
Selene nodded slowly. “So what’s the deal with his family?”
“I mean, I have met them. At least some of them. It’s kind of hard to explain,” Allie said. “Josh’s family is really important to him. He wants to make sure they’ll accept me before I meet all of them.”
Selene’s eyebrows shot up. “There’s a question that they might not accept you?”
“That’s what I’m trying to tell you,” Allie said. “Josh isn’t like other boys. The rules are different for his family.”
“Hold on,” Selene said. “Is it a religion issue?”
“No, Aunt Sel,” Allie groaned. “They’re just . . . not like us.”
Fed up with the weird clues, Selene said sharply, “Allison, what are you talking about?”
Allie stood up and crossed her arms over her chest, as if steeling herself for what she was about to say. “Josh is a werewolf.”