Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty
C an you live a lifetime in a single week? Gus was going to try to do it by spending as much time as possible with Sirena. She brought him lunches every day when she finished work at Night Sky, still in her work outfit, her T-shirt and jeans smelling of fresh bread and rosemary.
“I need you to be honest,” she had said, handing him a paper bag while he was in his office. “Jester’s privilege!”
Monday, he was given grilled cheese and homemade tomato soup that made him yearn for rainy days and cartoon reruns.
“It was a plate of pure coziness,” he said.
Sirena shook her head, seemingly unsatisfied with his praise.
“Thank you, but I need you to want to hire me!” she said. She clapped her hands. “Back to the kitchen!”
On Tuesday, he ate a mushroom and Swiss sandwich with sliced turkey breast that made him feel nostalgic. With every bite, Gus felt like he was back home eating leftovers after watching football with his cousins.
“It was perfection,” he said.
Sirena narrowed her eyes at his empty plate. “I can do better. I’m not done yet.”
“When am I going to cook for you?” he asked. Sirena answered him with a sly grin.
On Wednesday, she handed him a domed tray. “Get ready to have your mind rocked.”
Gus lifted the dome to find a steaming plate of chicken and dumplings. His mouth watered. The rich scent of parsley, butter, and garlic wafted up from the plate of tender chicken and pillowy dumplings. Grandma Amelia made this dish whenever they came over to visit her home.
Gus sat down at his desk with the meal and immediately took a single bite. His eyes rolled into the back of his head. Food shouldn’t taste this good, but it did, and it was divine.
Showstopping. Amazing. Wonderful.
Sirena stood in the doorway, her hands pressed together. “So?”
“When can you start?” he said, shoving another forkful into his mouth. “You’re hired.”
She did a little celebration dance, waving her hands like a jellyfish on summer vacation.
As Gus watched her, his spirits kicked up. He’d spent every night with Sirena after their eventful frolic following the Harvest Maze, finding many ways to pleasure her and make her laugh. One time he couldn’t wait until work was over, so he ended up lifting her onto his desk and having her for an afternoon snack. She seemed comfortable with their friends-with-benefits arrangement, and he didn’t want to ask for more until she was ready. For real, he wasn’t quite ready to believe that Sirena was truly his kindred, even though he knew it in his soul. His brain needed to catch up with what truth his heart already recognized.
Now she had invited him over to her house for dinner, her official Lighthouse demo meal. Gus sat in the living room, checking on his phone. He got an email from Jess’s wedding planner. They needed the name of his plus-one. Oh. He’d completely forgotten to find a date for the wedding. He frowned. Sirena came out of the kitchen, wearing an apron over her sweater and jeans. Her hair was wrapped up in a messy bun, and there were flour smudges on her cheek.
Why did she have to look so cute?
She clasped her hands together absentmindedly. “Is everything okay?”
He gripped his phone. “Maybe.”
Sirena peered at him. “Can I help?”
If only. He was still feeling a little hesitant about even attending the wedding. Gus needed to get in touch with someone who knew the whole story. He didn’t want to burden Sirena with his problems before her important interview. If Sirena had the courage to push herself to achieve her best, then he could push himself to be a better man.
It was time he called Zeke. “I have to make a call.”
Sirena gestured to the porch. “It’s all yours. Dinner should be done soon.”
He kissed her forehead. Gus watched with a troubled brow as Sirena walked back into the kitchen, her shoulders slumped, muttering about roux sauce. Lately, she’d been distracted and looking off into space when it came to her cooking and her menu talk. When he asked her about it, she said she was fine and shooed him away. Make this call, then check on her immediately.
Gus walked out the front door and sat down on the porch stairs. He scrolled through his contacts until he found Zeke. Nervousness swept over him as he pressed the button. It rang for a few seconds before Zeke picked up.
His familiar voice, deep and a little snarky, came on the line. “What’s good, Dearworth? I was starting to think you were avoiding me.”
“I… was,” Gus said.
Zeke barked out a laugh. “Damn, you weren’t even going to lie.”
“You would’ve called me out,” Gus reminded.
“You’re right,” Zeke said. Suddenly, there was a roar of a crowd and the cheering of people in the background. “Hold on, Gus.”
Gus heard Zeke move and shuffle around over the phone. He overheard the noisy conversation and then heard the shutting of a door. It was quieter wherever Zeke had moved to.
“I can call back if you’re busy.”
“Nah, some of the guys recorded the Rutgers game and they’re watching on my big screen. You wanted to talk.”
Gus could always trust Zeke to be real with him. Good old Zeke. He didn’t have time for fools or thieves and always had a good sense about people.
“I heard you’re going to Jess’s wedding,” Gus said.
A jagged sigh was heard over the line. “Yeah. I figured you’d reach out to me about that soon. You didn’t hear it from me but no one from her side is coming. They all declined to go, including her parents. They think that she’s making a mistake marrying Igor.”
Gus flinched at this news. “Damn, that’s rough.”
His jaw tightened as he sat with this new information. From what he heard from Diane and saw in clips his ma liked to “accidentally” send him, Igor loved Jess, and she seemed truly happy.
“She’s torn up about it,” Zeke said plainly. “Jess asked me to send out invitations to people who’d show up for her, so I sent one to you and the family. I wanted to give you a heads-up, but I underestimated my postman.”
“That’s why you called me,” Gus figured. He hadn’t had the courage to listen to the message, but watching Sirena facing her fears encouraged him to do better with his relationships. “I made a fool of myself when I was with her.”
“Eh. Who isn’t a fool when they’re in love?” Zeke inquired.
“I didn’t like who I was with her,” he said.
“But you’ve changed,” he said confidently. Gus tried to cut in, but Zeke spoke over him. “Trust me, you have. Good-Time Gus wouldn’t have gone to a history conference without bringing, like, a dozen doves or dollar bills to toss out at people.”
“You saw the video.”
“Diane forwarded me the link. I read the comments. People are impressed with your new path,” Zeke said, a hint of pride in his voice.
Gus stirred uneasily on the stair. “I thought everyone only liked Good-Time Gus.”
Zeke gave a little cough. “It was cool when we were younger to get into bars and skip to the head of the line, but it didn’t feel like it was fun for you. Sorry for just blurting that out. I’m still getting a handle on my powers.”
Gus peered at the phone, blinking slowly. “Um… what powers?”
“I would’ve said something to you earlier, but there never seemed to be a good time. Apparently, I’m an empath.”
Gus sat back on his elbows.
Zeke filled the silence. “Yeah. It was a bit of a shock to me, too. I took one of those LegacyAndMe tests, and well… apparently, I’ve got some magic in the blood. We’ve had some interesting talks at our family reunion.”
“We host genealogy classes at the society,” Gus said.
Zeke grunted. “Bet. I’d like to hang out with Nerdy Gus. Talk about history and stuff.”
Gus laughed. “If you’re free next week, swing by my birthday party.”
“I’ll try to come by. I think it should work with my shift at the firehouse. I’ll text Di for the day and time.”
An alarm pierced the air, followed by a startled scream. Gus ended the call with Zeke and sprinted back into the house. A smoky haze was coming from the kitchen. Terror seized his system, but Gus went forward to find his Sirena.