Chapter 82
JASPER
Ineed to persuade Goldie to come on a date with me before she returns home in a couple of days.
I can’t stop thinking about her. That hair, those eyes, those small hands, and her lips—the things I want her to do with those lips should be illegal.
I shake my head and push her from my mind—for now.
I need to pull myself together and focus on my work, but it’s not easy when she’s utterly compelling, and my thoughts constantly drift back to her.
As I’m checking a tent in the market, I spot a canvas shopping bag with a crystal ball logo on it. I frown. It must be one of Maggie’s. Maybe she dropped it when she last collected her supplies.
I smile. Maggie’s loss is my gain because I now have a reason to drop by her house, and with any luck, Goldie will be there.
Plan made, I head out, walking past my cottage until I reach Maggie’s place. My prayers are answered when Goldie answers the door.
I lose the power of speech at the sight of her golden hair and sparkling blue eyes.
“Jasper? Are you okay?” she asks, pulling me from my stupor.
I clear my throat. “Uh, hi, Goldie. Yeah, I’m, uh, is Maggie in?”
Goldie frowns. “I think you should give her some space.”
“Oh, I’m not here about the house. I found something that belongs to her and wanted to return it. It won’t take long,” I say, pushing past her into the house.
“Well, in that case, come in.” Goldie’s full lips tip up in a knowing smile. “Oh, wait, you already did.”
I ignore her chiding tone, refusing to feel guilty now that she’s standing so close. She’s adorable. So elegant and dainty, like a ballerina.
“Come on.” She beckons me up the stairs. “She’s in the front room.”
I follow her up the steep staircase, trying not to stare at her rounded ass, but who am I kidding? I’d have to be dead not to notice those lush cheeks bobbing in front of my eyes.
Maggie looks up from her sewing as we enter, her dark blue eyes narrowing on me.
“You let him in, Marigold?” she demands, her gaze swinging to Goldie.
Marigold? Ah, so Goldie is her nickname. Interesting.
“I promise this isn’t about the house, Maggie,” I say, holding up a hand to stall her as her mouth opens. “I found this,” I add, stepping closer and showing her the shopping bag.
“That’s mine.” She snatches the bag from me. “But let me tell you, young man, never, ever invite yourself into a witch’s residence. This is my sacred space, and you have disrupted the harmony of my spirits for the second time. If you do it again, you will have to suffer the consequences.”
I raise an eyebrow, taking no notice of her.rudeness. “What? Not a thank you, Jasper? I’m hurt by that.” I grin and turn to Goldie. “So, Marigold—”
“Goldie is fine, thanks,” she cuts me off, returning my grin.
“Will you come for a drink with me at the Hex later?” I ask, ignoring Maggie’s fury.
Goldie tips her head to one side as if considering my offer. “I’d love to, Jasper. Thank you for asking me. What time?”
My heart feels like it might burst. “7 p.m.?”
She nods, then turns to look at Maggie. “And no spying this time. It’s rude.”
“Spying?” I frown, remembering the young woman with brown hair and familiar eyes from the Hex she doesn’t know where I live.
“How are you feeling?” she asks gently.
I squint up at her. “Goldie?”
She nods, smiling faintly.
“When did you get here?”
“Oh, just a couple of days ago.”
“No way. You mean… it was you taking care of me?”
“Yes,” she says softly. “Or at least I tried to. But you look so much better today.”
She sits on the edge of the bed, facing me, her expression warm with relief.
“What happened to me?”
“I don’t know. Maybe some infection or virus.”
“How did you even know I was sick?”
“You never came to the Hex. Elara mentioned you weren’t well and told me where your spare key was, so when you didn’t answer your door, I let myself in.” She shrugs lightly. “You obviously needed someone.”
The sight of her sends warmth spreading through my chest, easing something deeper than the pain.
I reach for her hand and hold it tightly. “It’s so good to see you. Thank you.”
“If you think you can stand, I’ll help you into the shower, then change these sheets. You’ve been sweating a lot. And… you threw up a little.”
Heat floods my face as I glance down at the bed. The sheets are a disaster—damp with sweat and stained with vomit, and worse. Mortification twists through me.
“Sorry,” I mutter hoarsely.
“Hey.” Goldie squeezes my arm. “You were sick. Don’t apologize for that.”
She helps me to my feet, and I lean against her as we slowly make our way to the bathroom. My legs feel weak and unsteady, but she stays close, one arm around my waist as if she’s prepared to catch me if I fall. This woman is unbelievable.
I’m absurdly grateful the previous tenant installed a bench in the shower. I lower myself carefully onto the wooden seat while Goldie deals with the bedding for me, I’d never have asked her but she insisted..
Somewhere between the fever, the pain, and waking to her voice beside me, I’ve fallen completely in love with her. Maybe it’s fast. Maybe it’s reckless. I don’t even care. I know it with absolute certainty now—I’m all in.
After the shower, I manage to make it back to the bedroom on my own, feeling so much better now. Goldie is standing beside the bed, wrestling with a pillowcase, muttering under her breath as the corner twists the wrong way.
I laugh softly, reaching over to cover her hand with mine.
She stills instantly and looks up at me. Her blue eyes catch mine, deep and warm, as if she’s searching my soul. For a moment, the room seems strangely quiet. Intimate.
I want to know what she’s feeling. Whether she’s fallen for me too.
Somewhere in the middle of all this, I realize my feelings truly settled into place the day I went to see Maggie and found Goldie there. Something shifted then, even if I wasn’t ready to admit it.
Goldie is still gazing at me with that dreamy softness in her expression, and now that I’m looking at her properly, my breath catches. She’s beautiful. Not just beautiful—good. Kind in a way that reaches right inside me.
“I guess we’ll have to reschedule our date,” she says with a smile.
“I guess we will,” I reply.
I slide back beneath the clean sheets, sinking into the fresh coolness, while Goldie stays beside me, looking like the best thing that’s ever happened to me.