Xarius
It was now or never. I could see Jerry looking at his watch and soon our meeting would be over. We’d spoken with them for over three hours, and in that time, Jerry had to go back and forth between working and talking to us. But now it was time for my plan.
I held Niam’s hand and then focused on the station while I used my earth magic.
The earth began to shake under us. “What?” Jerry said, looking around.
It intensified and we heard the building begin to collapse.
“Fuck!” The earthquake I’d made wasn’t enough to harm us, but I forced the station to crumble.
I didn’t want to ruin Jerry’s place, but I had to do this for him to see what was under it. And now he could rebuild easily.
The building crumbled, my magic made sure nothing inside was truly broken, but just enough for Jerry to want to rebuild.
“Oh, honey,” Betty said, stroking Jerry’s arm as we all looked at his workplace in ruins. I could feel Niam’s eyes on me. He trusted me, I knew that. But he was also confused as to why I would ruin Jerry’s place like this.
“Let’s check it out,” I said to Jerry. “You two stay here while we take in the damage.
I finally looked at Niam and he nodded in understanding, taking Betty’s hand in his. He would keep her there until we came back.
“I fucking hope it looks better inside. If there even is an inside. I guess the roof falling down means no,” Jerry said, his voice resigned.
I knew what I wanted him to see first, so I walked behind the building where I’d made a hole under the rubble. “Look,” I said, pointing to the freshly broken ground. The cement had cracked and with it you could see underneath the foundation.
“What is that?” Jerry walked closer, moving debris out of the way. I squatted down next to the biggest area.
“Um. I’m pretty sure that’s gold.”
“But why would someone bury gold bars underneath a gas station?”
I shrugged. “Maybe they wanted them hidden and then forgot about them or died. How long have you owned the place?”
“Since I was twenty-two. The last owner died and left it for me in his will. I’d worked for him since I was seventeen.”
“So, maybe he knew? Did he have a family?”
Jerry shook his head. “He only had friends in town, no family left. Which was why I believe he left it for me.”
“And all this gold,” I gestured to the few bars we could see amongst the rubble and dirt. “They’re yours, too.”
Jerry visibly shook as he began digging out gold bars, then handing them to me so I could stack them.
“You could rebuild this place,” I said, allowing my plan to manifest in his mind. “Maybe add to the building and make Betty’s flower shop here too, maybe a sandwich shop. Everyone drives past here before going into town, it could be a bigger place, a better place. Or you could retire.”
“I wouldn’t keep all of these for myself.”
“Why not?” If he decided to donate some, that would be his choice, I’d only done this to help pay him back for all he’d done for Niam.
“You, Niam, my mom. I’m not about having lots of money and spending my days scratching my balls and doing nothing.”
I laughed, then made a few more gold bars under the others for him to find. We wouldn’t say no to gold bars from him, since it would seem rude and if he slept better knowing we had more money then so be it.
“Do you have a shovel?”
Xarius
After saying goodbye to Jerry and Betty, who had decided together that they would rebuild and make room for Betty too.
Jerry’s wife had wanted a change in career anyway, so she would work with Betty.
They would have the perfect family business very soon and both Niam and I were pleased knowing they would be fine.
We’d promised to come back in five years, and after Niam had fully healed Betty, we knew she would be there waiting eagerly for our return.
“Where to now?” I asked. We’d told Jerry that we had our friends drop us off earlier and that we would walk back to where they were staying with our RV.
He didn’t question it and as soon as he’d left to drive Betty back to town, we’d left the parking lot.
We were now walking into the forest so we could create a new portal.
“Oh,” he said. “I forgot it was my turn. I thought we would stay here for a few days?”
I shook my head. “I have plans for you at home too. I just figured we could do your location first and the rest of our free week will be spent relaxing with me buried inside of you at every opportunity.”
He stumbled. “Fuck,” he muttered. “Okay, deal. Let’s go.” He grabbed my arm instead of my hand and tugged me behind him as he power-walked faster into the forest. I laughed at his eagerness.
My laughter died as we went through Niam’s portal. We were in an alley, and I knew that alley. This was where I’d once parked my van. Where I’d slept and lived in my van for years.
Julie’s coffee shop.
I swallowed, not truly able to figure out how I felt being back here.
But I guess Niam had sensed that I, too, needed closure.
Losing Julie had been horrible, even more so when the horrible thought had entered my mind at the funeral, that if I’d never met her, she’d likely still be alive.
I hadn’t even told Niam about that passing thought.
Passing would be a stretch since it came and went whenever I thought of her, which was every day. Several times.
“Is this okay? Should I have waited a few years? I got the location and thought it would be a good idea. Was that wrong of me? I’m sorry.” Niam’s worried voice pulled me from the horrible thoughts running through my mind.
“It will always be hard to return, no matter how many years we wait. I’m glad we’re doing it now.” I took his hand in mine, and now that I’d reassured him, he seemed to relax beside me.
Because I no longer worked there, we couldn’t just walk in from the back like I’d used to. So, we walked around the corner and entered through the front door. The man behind the counter smiled as we walked in, but both his smile and mine faded as our eyes met.
Declan.
What was Julie’s ex doing behind the counter, wearing an apron like he worked there? Declan, the man who had left Julie so he could keep being rich from his family’s money. Why on Sutiner would he be here, working?
“Xarius,” Declan said, rounding the counter and nearly running over to us. “Where’s Julie? Have you seen her? Is she okay?”
His questions threw me. He didn’t know. Of course, he didn’t know!
Nobody knew. No one here had been told, because only we knew.
Fuck. I might’ve hated Declan for what he’d done to Julie, but he had helped her escape so she could get to us.
And his eyes right now. Those eyes showed true fear and worry.
Fuck.
“Maybe we should take this in the back,” I said.
He gulped and nodded, then spun on his heel and hurried through the door to the kitchen. I tugged Niam with me as we walked closely behind Declan.
Niam closed the door and immediately Declan rounded on us. “Tell me.”
I sighed, sitting down on the worn chairs in the corner. Where I used to eat all my meals. Most of them with Julie.
“Please.” Declan’s broken voice hit me then. I could feel his emotions. They were all over the place, worry, hope, fear, love. Fuck, why did I have to feel his emotions like that?
“She died in a car accident a year ago,” I finally said. And then I felt Declan’s heart break.
An hour later, and after a much-needed meal delivered by my favorite pizza place further down the road, we’d talked about everything.
Or as much as we could tell. I told Declan how Julie had been threatened and she needed to get away from here so she’d met up with me and Niam.
Declan hadn’t known if I was single or not, and he’d hated seeing me with Julie and always feared I would somehow steal her from him, even if he broke her heart in the end.
Telling him the lie that Niam and I had dated a year before I left to go on a road trip with him went smoothly, again because he knew nothing about my love life.
Julie had joined us on the road and we’d had so much fun together, until one day when a car collided with the back of my van where Julie was sleeping.
I couldn’t go into detail, fake or not, it hurt just to talk about Julie dying.
“So, she was asleep when it happened?” Declan asked. He’d stopped crying as we ate, his eyes still red, his heart still aching.
“The police told us she died on impact,” I lied.
He nodded, and I couldn’t stop myself from asking. I simply needed to know. It was like Julie stood beside me and poked me because she’d wanted to know, too.
“Why are you here, Declan?”
My question surprised him, but he answered without looking at either of us. “I came back for her.”
“What?” Niam asked, likely just as invested as I was.
“After I’d left Julie with the rental car, I returned home and divorced my wife. I’d planned on leaving my family business, making a way for myself. Hell, I even pictured myself working here, beside Julie.”
“Oh,” I said, feeling horrible that they never got to have that.
“I made the biggest mistake of my life when I left her. I thought money would always make me happy. I was used to having it. Living without it seemed unthinkable. But leaving Julie had me waking up miserable every day. I never thought I could be too late. But I was, am.”
Fuck. But he was right. He’d messed up and would forever be kicking himself for it.
“What are your plans now?” I asked, knowing Julie would want the best for him, even if he’d hurt her.
She was forgiving like that. I could clearly picture how she’d make him grovel for months, maybe years before she’d eventually forgive him.
I hated that they’d never get the chance for that.
But Julie’s death wasn’t in vain, she’d helped so many mages and their futures that day.
She would go down in history as a true fighter and was even in all our new history books.
Her sacrifice meant our victory. She would always be remembered as a true fighter. Brave. Loyal. Fierce. Loving.
“I have no idea,” he admitted, this time looking at me as he replied. “I took over the shop since it was closed for so long. I figured I might as well help her out and start showing her I was all-in. Whoever worked here never showed, so I figured she closed it down before leaving.”
I had no idea how to answer that, so I just waited for him to continue.
“I… I think I’d like to stay here. I want to honor her hard work, and this shop meant the world to her.” I nodded, it was what she’d earned herself, hard work and all that, though I believed he still hadn’t heard about her stripping days, and no way was I going to be the one mentioning that.
“I came here to sell it. Julie had added me as part owner if anything ever happened to her. I never thought something like this would happen though, and I was only a partner on paper.”
“Makes sense, with her family not in the picture, I figured as much.”
“But I won’t sell it to you. I want to give it to you.”
“What?”
“Firstly, Julie would’ve wanted you to have it. And secondly, I don’t need the money. It’s yours if you want it.”
He just blinked at me, then nodded. And then, just for the briefest moment, I swore I smelled Julie’s favorite perfume.
Xarius
“I’m proud of you,” Niam said as we stepped into our room.
We returned home straight after, not wanting to stay on Sutiner now that we’d both done what we needed to for now.
We would be back in five years to see Jerry and Betty, but I wouldn’t see the shop again.
That part of my life was over, and now that Julie wasn’t there either, it would remain that way.
“What for?”
“For giving Declan the shop, even though you still hate him for what he’d done to Julie.”
“I felt his heart break,” I admitted. “That was enough for me to forgive him. He was hurting himself and will likely keep hating himself for what he’d done to her. This way, Julie’s shop keeps going and Declan will find his own place in the world.”
“Did you see how the delivery guy had looked at him?” Like I wouldn’t have noticed.
The guy that delivered our pizzas had heart eyes for Declan.
Hell, the poor guy walked into the back and found Declan crying his eyes out.
I could feel how much it hurt the other guy seeing it.
And from how comfortable he’d been walking into the private back room; it seemed it wasn’t the first time he’d delivered Declan a pizza.
“Let’s hope Declan orders many pizzas in the future,” I grinned.
“Well, now that we’re home again, maybe we should start the rest of our vacation? I’m sure I heard something about you being inside me for most of it?”
“Really? I don’t remember that part,” I teased.
“Oh, then I’ll just go bother Silver and tell him we’re back.
” My soulmatch even dared wink at me as he headed back for the door.
I quickly snatched him up, carrying him over my shoulder and throwing him on our couch.
It really was perfect for us living like this.
Each of us had our own “wings” with one bedroom, living room, two bathrooms, and a kitchen.
It was like three apartments in one building, but still with one huge shared living room and kitchen.
“You aren’t leaving this room for the rest of the week, baby.”
“Promise,” he grinned.
“Oh, it’s not a promise, it’s a fact.”