Chapter 8
What a long, strange day.
On the way home, Gideon picked up his usual to-go order from the Crystal Panda. Fried rice, kung pao shrimp, and a spring roll. He opened the bag before he left to be sure the order was right. As usual, it wasn’t, but they quickly fixed it. He never blamed them.
Once he arrived home, he parked, checked twice that he’d locked the car and went inside.
He left his keys in the dish by the door without knocking it over, put his food on the kitchen counter without dropping it, then went to change.
He wore drawstring pants, a plain navy T-shirt, and slippers that his younger sister had sent him last Christmas.
He carried his book into the kitchen, got a glass of water, and sat at the table to eat while he read.
He managed a single page before he looked up, sure something was wrong. He listened. Nothing was beeping, ticking, cracking, or seemingly on the verge of collapse. So what was it?
Then he realized. Not once since he’d lived in this house had he ever thought it was too quiet. Now, inexplicably, that was exactly how it felt.
How was that possible? He liked quiet. He was used to solitude. Why was this moment suddenly different?
He frowned as the answer came to him. But his brain was wrong. Sabrina and her chaos had nothing to do with this.
Nothing.
That sort of noise and nonsense had not been interesting or enjoyable.
She had roped him into something he wanted no part of.
Amelia could have him banished from Shadowvale.
And then where would he be? Back in the ordinary world, where his curse ran rampant and no one wanted anything to do with him.
Better to live a solitary life of his own choosing than to be exiled into one.
He went back to his book, only to read the same paragraph twice without a hint of comprehension.
Sighing, he finished his meal and went out to the living room. Carefully, he turned on the small television, hoping it didn’t spark or die or refuse to come on as so many electronics usually did for him.
When it came to life, he exhaled and sat, hoping to distract himself. He found an old black-and-white war movie.
It was interesting but not enough to really draw him in. His mind returned to Sabrina.
She was beautiful, that was true, but beauty was everywhere. It wasn’t enough.
What was he thinking? There was nothing that would make any woman enough because he was too much.
Once, in college, he’d thought the curse was nothing serious and that he was young and indestructible. The fallacy of youth. He’d fallen for a girl. Bright, pretty, fun to be around. He’d imagined her as the one.
He’d even bought a ring.
Then he’d discovered she was seeing someone else and lying to him about it. His heart had been broken, and he’d finally understood how serious the curse was.
He’d also understood he was better off alone. That was just how it had to be. Not long after graduation, he’d used part of his trust fund to buy a home and a business in Shadowvale.
As cursed as his family was, they at least had wealth. Although to him, the money seemed like another part of the curse.
It was impossible to do anything or go anywhere without the curse hanging over him like a dark cloud. The money allowed him to live without financial worry, but beyond that, it did nothing to alleviate his loneliness, his boredom, his careful existence.
He had a few memories of what it was like to have fun, stolen moments when his mother hadn’t been watching like a hawk, fearful that some terrible fate would befall him.
She’d been right to watch him. He’d been injured more times than he could count as a child. He’d fallen into a campfire and been burned. He’d stepped on a fishhook. Broken numerous bones in sports or accidents. Crashed cars.
College had been the last of his carefree days. College—and Terri Ann—had cured him of thinking he could ever live like a normal person.
Maybe he should write his mother a letter. He did his best to mail her something at least once a week. After his father’s death, she’d moved to an exclusive retirement community. She was a Locke only by marriage, so when Gideon’s father had passed, the curse had stopped being part of her life.
For that, Gideon was thankful. He got out a notebook and pencil. The blank page felt daunting. What could he say? There was nothing new in his life. Nothing interesting.
Well, there was Sabrina, but was that really something he could share? He wasn’t sure his mother would even understand.
He put the pencil and notebook aside and tipped his head back to stare blindly at the ceiling. As superstitious as he was, he had to wonder what it would be like to have a pet. Cats were suspicious creatures surrounded by legends, but a dog might be all right.
He’d never be able to leave it in the house. The curse would see to that. The dog would destroy everything, or something bad would happen to it. No, the dog would have to come to work with him. The dog could run with him in the morning, then spend the day in the shop.
He could buy it a bed and fix a place for it to sleep. The work room was large enough to accommodate a medium-size animal. He’d put food and water by the back door.
Would that actually work? His imagination took over, and without realizing it, he smiled.
Something deep inside him contracted. The idea of companionship in any form brought him a sense of longing so deep it ached. Reality settled in. His curse would never allow that kind of happiness.
What a sad person he was. With an incredibly sad life.
He sat up. What if that wretched sprite was right? What if Sabrina really did like him?
“I can’t let that happen,” he muttered.
Sabrina wasn’t a friend, but she was a nice woman. He didn’t want her to be hurt. Maybe this whole business with the sprite had only happened because her shop was next to his. There was no telling what the curse was capable of.
There was only one option. He’d have to tell her the truth about himself.
He closed his eyes, already picturing the look she’d give him. The one full of pity but also the sudden idea that she might be the one to fix things for him. That he just hadn’t met the right woman, that she might be that woman.
He’d seen that look before. It had been a while, but it wasn’t something a man forgot.
Of course, this was Shadowvale. Curses were not taken lightly here. She might run screaming in the other direction and never have anything to do with him again.
As awful as that was, it might be the first bit of good luck he’d experienced.
He slouched, misery settling over him like a damp blanket.
What had he done to deserve this?