Chapter 35
When it got closer to three, I emerged from my hiding space. Err, my office. The Twins were breaking ground on their construction, at long last, and I wanted to be there to celebrate with them. Plus, Ray was on his way so we could interrogate Nina.
I’d have to buck up and act like his rejection hadn’t completely smashed my heart to pieces. If he wanted the past to remain that way, I could deal with that. There were plenty of other fish in the sea.
Surely there was another fish who could kiss me like Ray did.
He was sitting at the break room table when I stepped out, chatting with Brianne and Lauren like it was just another day. He said something to them, and they all laughed. It was with that mirth in his eyes that he saw me. His smile froze. Then slowly faded.
Cool. Coolcoolcool. I sauntered over, trying like the dickens to look casual.
“Boy, they have a big setup for this, don’t they?” I joined them, sitting between Lauren and Brianne, and gestured across the lobby to where the Twins stood. Though it pained me, I kept my voice as casual as possible and smiled at the man. “Hi, Ray.”
Although the construction was going to take place behind the doors in their actual divisions, they’d set up a ceremonial brick wall in front of their spaces.
It was no more than ten feet tall and maybe half as wide.
It sat atop a red carpet and was adorned with a giant bow.
Two golden sledgehammers waited on each side.
A few feet away, a young woman I’d never seen before fiddled with a camera atop a tripod.
She briefly turned, and I caught the unmistakable glow of fae skin.
Brianne leaned close to me and whispered, “Can you make sure my desk doesn’t get, you know, caught up in the rubble.”
“Done,” I told her, bumping her shoulder with mine. I waggled my fingers, sending a bubble to envelop her workspace. “You know we could always give you a real office, right? With walls?”
“Yuck, why would I want that?” She wrinkled her nose, and I chuckled. “I’m where all the action is.”
“Lydia looks stunning.” Lauren propped her chin on her hands, her eyes all wistful and adoring. “They both do.”
She was right. Although they were presumably about to knock bricks down with golden sledgehammers, they’d both taken time to do up their hair and apply makeup. Lyra wore a cute construction-coded outfit of fitted overalls in a subtle shade of green with a simple white tank underneath.
But Lydia? She’d gone way less subtle.
Her black leather pants hugged every single curve of her sinewy body. The soft pink tee she’d chosen cut low enough to expose an impressive amount of cleavage, stopping short of her waistband to reveal a teasing sliver of her toned tummy.
“Imagine doing construction in those spiked heels.”
I laughed with Lauren. “Neil Diamond doesn’t stand a chance.”
“The singer?” Ray asked, and we laughed even harder.
I would stay with my girls. Hang with my coven. If I did that, I’d be okay. I just had to make it through the next hour. And the one after that.
Eventually, Ethan strode in, carrying his briefcase, his tie loosened. Cecelia manifested an extra chair for him, next to Ray. “Thanks, Cecelia. I was afraid I was going to miss this.”
“It’s nice you’re here,” I said to him. “Both of you.”
“Wouldn’t miss it.” Ethan lowered his voice, sending me a look of quiet intensity. Concern softened his eyes. He knew. Either Ray had told him, or his wolf sensed it. I shrugged, hoping Ray wouldn’t notice.
Thankfully, Neil Diamond the contractor arrived.
Lydia perked up right away, strutting over to greet him on those six-inch heels of hers.
I watched Neil closely. While we knew how Lydia felt, I wasn’t sure if he reciprocated.
Frankly, I couldn’t imagine a scenario in which anyone didn’t fall at Lydia’s feet.
I didn’t know Neil well, but his body language told me everything I needed to know.
He stopped in his tracks, his throat bobbing as he tried, and failed, not to scan her from head to toe.
A sweet blush rose from his neck to his ears.
He adjusted his glasses, which had not fallen, then did the same with the pens that lined his front pocket.
“Oh, he’s got it bad,” I whispered to Brianne.
“Mm-hmm,” she responded.
Lydia, as if sensing we were watching her, directed her gaze to us, shifting from a look of allure to an impatient glare. I couldn’t help it. I snorted. She waved us over with an angry flick of her arm.
“We’re going to take some shots in front of the wall first. Then Orienne will take video of the demolition.” Lydia looked me up and down. “Is that what you’re wearing?”
“I … didn’t know there would be pictures.” I looked down at my clothes. What was wrong with professional slacks and a simple shirt? Just because my boobs weren’t—
“Simone?” I blinked at Lydia, who sneered. “I said, can you do a glamour or something?”
“I guess?” I’d never actually tried one, but I figured it was as easy as saying words. Not that I knew which words to use. Make me pretty seemed like a loaded comment. Put me in a dress, knowing my hexing past, would probably make me look like a stripper.
“I’ve got her.” The fae who’d been operating the camera came over.
She had short red hair that couldn’t seem to make up its mind which direction it wanted to point, and a spray of brown freckles crossed her nose and cheeks.
Her eyes were an intense green, almost eerily clear.
Unlike the Twins, she was on the shorter side, though she still stood at least a foot taller than me.
And she had an incredibly kind smile. “Name’s Orienne. Nice to meet you.”
“I— you, too.” She waved her hands all around me, stepping back to survey her work, then moving forward to wave again. “All done.”
“Thanks.” There were no mirrors around, so I was just gonna trust she hadn’t put me in clown makeup or anything. I did try to subtly look at my clothes. She hadn’t changed my top, but she’d adjusted the buttons to square gems. My slacks had been exchanged for baggy blue jeans.
“I look kind of cool!” I turned my head to Brianne with a grin. Ray stood nearby, and our eyes met in passing. There was something in his expression that gave me pause. Something I couldn’t define.
I didn’t get a chance to linger on it because Lydia pulled me by the arm to the wall. We took about five hundred twenty-five thousand pictures, each a slight variation of the last. Then the Twins did the same, including Neil, who grinned like the nerd who’d been invited to a sorority party.
Finally, they donned blush-tinted safety glasses. The rest of us backed away, and with their muscular arms, Lydia and Lyra lifted the sledgehammers over their heads like they were feathers.
“Okay, ladies.” Orienne angled herself behind the camera, holding her finger up. “When I say go, let them swing.”
Orienne dropped her hand. Lydia took a moment to send a long, slow wink to Neil, causing his blush to rebloom with a vengeance. Then they went to town on that brick wall.
It was louder than I’d expected and took way longer than I’d thought it would. The wall was surprisingly stubborn. Each hit tore through, but it refused to collapse. Dust and debris floated through the air. Lauren sneezed. Soon, exhaust fans appeared and Cecelia began cleanup.
The Twins loved every moment of it. They laughed, hugging one another between swings.
I dropped my head to Brianne’s shoulder and put one arm around Lauren’s waist. This was a moment, and I wanted to savor it.
Lydia and Lyra had done some destruction of their own, breaking through some of the faulty foundations of their relationship to create something new.
Now they were rebuilding with a stronger base and elements that allowed them both opportunities to grow and expand.
I excused myself, escaping to the kitchen for a quick sniffle in private. I sent a wave of love to Cecelia. “You made this happen, you know, by refusing to let them do everything with magic.”
Her pride filled my chest. I chuckled. “Sneaky old house.”
“Talking to yourself?”
I whirled around, and there was Ray. That same strange intensity was in his eyes, a dark sort of conflict I couldn’t fully decipher. A tentative smile crossed his lips.
“Not this time.” I wiped my eyes with a tissue, gripping it tight. “Just having a moment with Cecelia.”
“You know, Agatha never talked to it the way you do.” He walked closer, leaning on the cabinet opposite me. “I don’t know if she ever talked to it.”
“I’ve heard that.” I tried to match his smile, but my lips still trembled. “Cecelia prefers her.”
“My mistake.” Ray ran his hand along the cabinet, a cross between a pat on the head and a friendly shoulder rub. “Sorry, Cecelia.”
Cool wind, brisk but not biting, swirled around us. It played with my hair until I giggled. “You’re forgiven.” The wind lifted the edges of his collar. He scratched his neck, giving me a long, slow stare that made my cheeks hot. “What?”
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to stare.” But he didn’t look away. “I was just thinking about how much you’ve grown into your role here. How connected to the Magnolia you’ve become.”
“It’s a far cry from the lost woman who arrived six months ago.” I held his stare. “And the one who left here thirty years ago.”
“It suits you.” His voice was soft. His hair disheveled. I chewed on the inside of my cheek, trying to temper the rising swells of emotion. “Look, Simone, about the other day—”
“We don’t have to talk about that.” Though he wasn’t particularly close, I took a deliberate step away. “Ever again,” I added, with a laugh I did not feel.
Ray frowned, dipping his head to look at the floor, his lips moving. Whatever he’d been about to say still hovered between us. I didn’t have to know what it was to know I didn’t want to hear it. It was only going to hurt more, whatever platitude he offered.
Ultimately, I couldn’t trust his emotions.
If I wasn’t his fated mate, then Ray was the one hit with an arrow.
Ethan and I were right to part as friends.
And no matter what resolution I found with Cupid, there was no chance for love with the man in front of me.
Eventually, he would find his mate, and I wasn’t sure that was something I could rebuild from.
“You know this construction is Cecelia’s doing.” Tears had formed, and I brushed them away with an impatient swipe of my hand. “She understood they needed to do the work, to break down what they’d created in the past so they could create something new.”
“Yeah.” Ray nodded, his eyes still on the floor. “Sometimes that’s the best way.”
“You know what the best part of reconstruction is, though?” I stepped closer, leaning forward to plant a soft kiss on his cheek. “No matter what they create, no matter how new it is or how much has changed, there will always be pieces of the old woven into it, making it even more special.”
Ray reached out to take my hand. We held there for a moment, silent. Even knowing I couldn’t have him the way I wanted, I couldn’t let go.
But he did. “Speaking of building, do you want to take me to this holding cell Cecelia created?”
“Sure.” I stepped back, clearing my throat. “Let me just grab Lauren. She deserves to be part of the interrogation.” I edged out of the kitchen area to catch her eye, jutting my head toward the hallway.
“I wonder if Ethan should join us, too,” I said, almost as an afterthought. “For legal reasons.”
Ray was looking at his reconciled friend, another strange smile I couldn’t decipher emerging. “I think Ethan is good where he is.”
“Okay.” I peeked into the lobby, where Ethan stood with the group, talking and laughing. Nothing seemed amiss.
Lauren joined us, and we walked down the hallway, which seemed to lengthen as we moved, as if we were stepping far, far away from the world we knew and toward something dangerous.