Chapter 15
There’s nothing I can do. Nothing except make this moment slip by as painlessly as possible.
I set my pie aside. Then I wrap her in both arms, as if by holding onto her I can preserve her in this form.
“If you turn into a horse, I’m going to take such good care of you,” I say.
“I’ll brush you every day and feed you the best oats.
You’ll have the fanciest horseshoes, a whole collection of them.
Prada ones, and Louboutins—does Louboutin make horseshoes?
I’ll get them to make you a pair of red-bottomed horseshoes. I’ll spare no expense.”
I don’t usually talk this much, but she seems to like it. She’s cracking up, laughing so hard that the final seconds pass without her noticing.
I’m terrified. I think I’m going to die or have a heart attack. But I don’t let on.
Seconds tick by. The band continues to play.
At last Marlowe murmurs, “I’m not a horse.”
“Nope.”
“Blessings on the witch who spelled this bracelet. How much did you pay him?”
I sigh and kiss the top of her head. “Not enough.”
We stay there for another hour, in a sort of daze of disbelief.
Finally the cold breeze and the pain in our bodies remind us both that we are alive, that we are okay, and that we could use some shelter.
We go down the fire escape carefully and return to the diner, where I take Marlowe into my apartment, into my bed.
I no longer have a phone—I have no idea what Valeria did with it—but I call Tae from Marlowe’s phone.
I would have called him sooner, but I didn’t want to waste a second of what I thought would be my last night with her.
It’s almost two in the morning now, but I call anyway, knowing that he has probably spent the day out of his mind with worry and anger.
The second Tae hears my voice, he starts shouting, half rage, half relief. “Where were you? I thought you died! I was about to call the police and report you missing!”
“I’m okay, Tae. But I almost wasn’t. I can’t talk long, man, because I need sleep, but I’ll tell you the gist of it as quick as I can and fill you in on the rest tomorrow.”
Marlowe falls asleep during the ten minutes I spend on the phone. Finally Tae lets me hang up, reassured that I was absent for good reason and that I’ll be up at five to help with prep for the day.
I fall back against the pillows, and I sleep.
The next few days are a blur of activity.
Nothing could have prepared me for the madness of the diner during the music festival, and I’m barely hanging on.
I’m so tired in the evenings that I can barely stay awake long enough to brush my teeth and crash into bed.
Somehow I find a few spare minutes to order a new phone and start the insurance claim on my car.
Marlowe pops into the diner a few times throughout the weekend, her eyes bright and her tongue sharp. She teases me mercilessly, secures her emotive coffee, then breezes off to enjoy the festival with friends.
She doesn’t stay long, because she knows I’m busy and stressed out. But her brief appearances are like water to a thirsty man. They keep me going.
At last the festival is over, and the tourists leave town.
Even if they want to visit again, they won’t find any accommodations available, except for during the very specific windows of time in which Crescent Cove allows outsiders to enter.
No one can even find the road to this place unless the wards are opened or unless someone gives them a charmed object that allows them passage.
This place is sacred, and now that the droves of guests have left, it’s blessedly quiet.
I close the diner early Monday evening, giving Tae and the servers hefty bonuses as a thank you for all their help. Without them, I couldn’t have survived the weekend.
I leave the Toast & Tide by the front door, with my overnight bag in hand. The bell jingles for me, then quiets as I lock up. I turn, surveying the street and its quaint buildings, peach-pink in the glow of sunset. The water of the cove glistens in the distance, and gulls cry overhead.
I’m meeting Marlowe at a restaurant near the beach. We’re going to have dinner and go to a movie at the old theater here in town. Then I’m spending the night at her place. I’ve got some parsnips in my bag for Atreides. I’m looking forward to seeing him again. Maybe eventually he’ll let me ride him.
So far, the council hasn’t mentioned anything to Marlowe about an investigation.
A few other incidents occurred over the weekend, and I’m pretty sure they’re too preoccupied with those events to worry about her.
And if they ever do call her self-control into question, I’ll be right by her side to defend her if she wants me to.
My new phone starts playing some K-pop jingle. I just got it today, and I made the mistake of letting Marlowe set it up this afternoon while she sat at the bar, sipping her coffee. She must have added custom sounds.
I answer the call. “Hey sweetie, I’m on my way.”
“Good,” she replies. “I’ve got us the perfect table, with the best view. And I ordered the spinach-artichoke dip. How does that sound?”
“Like horse food,” I say wryly.
“You don’t like spinach?”
“Hate it. But if you like it, I’ll eat it every damn day.”
She chuckles. “No need. I’d just as soon have it all to myself. I’ll mark down ‘hates spinach’ on my list of things I’m learning about you. Is there an appetizer you’d rather have?”
I lower my voice as a pair of elderly ladies stroll past me. “The appetizer I want, I can’t eat until later.”
“Oh, you’re naughty,” she whispers. “Fine, I’ll get an order of crab cakes.”
“Perfect. Love you.”
“Love you, too.”
“Hey Rick!”
“Yeah?”
“Is it weird that we’re doing this backwards? First the love, then the learning about each other?”
“Yup. It’s weird.”
“It is, isn’t it?” She sighs blissfully. “I love that for us, because we’re both so weird, too.”
“Speak for yourself, water horse.”
“See you soon, witch.”
I end the call, grinning so big my cheeks hurt. When I look up, I spot a familiar figure crossing one of the side streets. “Hey Jareth!”
My voice comes out louder and sharper than I intended. Jareth startles and whirls around. “Rick! How are you?”
“You know that favor you did for me?”
“The wards or the bracelet?”
“Remember how I said you were getting free lunch for a month?”
“Ye-e-s-s.” He drags out the word, his expression wary.
“It’s not lunch. And not for a month.”
“Did something go wrong? Marlowe texted me that it worked—”
I cut him off. “It’s everything. All the meals and all the drinks. Free. For life. Anytime you walk into my diner, you don’t pay. You want to take a whole pie with you? Fine by me. I owe you more than I can ever repay, so... yeah. That’s all I wanted to say.”
“Oh.” He looks both stunned and relieved. “Shit, man, you scared me for a second. Yeah, Marlowe told me about the vow stuff, how the bracelet spared her from the consequences.”
“Once the charm wears off, she’ll still be okay, right?” I ask.
“She’ll be just fine. The moment when the consequence would have kicked in has passed. She’s good to go.”
“Thank fuck.” I clap him on the shoulder. “Like I said, you’ll eat and drink free at the Toast & Tide until the day you die. Least I can do.”
He smiles. “Thanks, bro. Have a good night.”
“You too.”
I keep walking. Every step feels like flying, and my grin won’t quit, because I’m heading to a delicious dinner that I didn’t have to cook, and someone is waiting for me. A beautiful woman with a coffee addiction, a wicked secret, and an affinity for talking my ear off.
I can’t wait.