Takeoff (Open Skies #5) - Becca Jameson Page 0,6

challenges of his own that rivaled hers. No way in hell could he burden her with his issues. Eventually, he’d have to. Eventually, he’d have to tell everyone. But not yet. Certainly not today.

Right now, the kind, sweet, caring woman in his arms needed a hug, and that was all that mattered. One day at a time.

Chapter 3

Raeann wasn’t ready to deal with the stress of her mother’s illness, but she did finally talk to Heather and Shayla about the Venatoris who were likely to track her down for heresy. The more she said it out loud, the more comical it sounded.

She did it two days later when all three were off in the morning. Over coffee at the condo.

“So, can you cast any spells?” Heather teased as they’d exhausted nearly every joke in the book.

“I don’t have a cauldron with me. Sorry. I assume you’re hoping for someone tall, dark, and handsome to sweep you off your feet?”

Heather shuddered. “God no. No men please. I’ve had a streak of bad luck. I don’t need another one.”

Shayla reached out from across the table and squeezed Heather’s hand. The two of them had both been harassed by Hawke Richman. Thank God the man finally took his own life. Now he couldn’t bother another woman. But the damage was done to several women, and Raeann knew Heather was seeing a counselor. Raeann suspected Heather’s issues ran deeper than what happened with Hawke. The woman never dated at all. But Raeann wasn’t one to pry, especially considering how many secrets she had of her own.

There was no reason to divulge her paranoia about mental illness. It wasn’t something that was directly related to the Venatoris who thought Raeann was a witch.

Heather looked at Raeann, her expression suddenly more serious. “I hate to sound absurd and there is no way to ask this without doing so, but why don’t you just dye the hair?”

Raeann smiled. “It won’t hold dye. It’s a waste of time. Believe me, I’ve tried. It lasts like a day and then it washes out. That’s if it takes at all. I’ve tried everything. Naturally, white hair really doesn’t dye well on most people.”

Heather nodded. “I guess that’s no different from the people who ask me why I don’t just straighten my hair if it bothers me so much.” She rolled her eyes. “If people had any idea how difficult that is. It would cost a fortune, take up a great deal of time every few weeks, and damage my hair all the time. Not worth it.”

Shayla clapped her hands together. “So, you’re both stuck with your hair.”

Heather groaned. “Says the woman with perfect, gorgeous, straight, dark hair with not a single curl and no white streak.”

“Yeah,” Raeann teased alongside Heather. “How did you get so lucky?”

Shayla shook her head. “Don’t get me started. You two don’t have a monopoly on harassment. For every person who thinks my skin and looks are the perfect combination of Caucasian and Thai, I’ll be happy to point out another person who can only see the Asian and treats me like a piranha.”

Raeann cringed. Shayla was right. They were each dealt their own hands. No one’s life was perfect. She sighed and met both her friends’ gazes. “Thank you for listening to me. And supporting me.”

“Of course.” Heather grabbed her hand. “If crazy lunatics want to stand outside our condo and make fools of themselves, let them.”

“Thank you,” Raeann repeated. “It means the world to me.”

“Now…” Heather narrowed her gaze. “What’s going on with Deacon?”

Raeann shrugged. “We’re talking. We’re friends.”

“Friends? Talking? That’s all?” Shayla asked.

“That’s all I can handle.” She wasn’t about to go into the specifics. Not now. Perhaps not ever. It was one thing sharing about the legends behind her white streak. She wasn’t sure she would ever want to tell anyone about her mother. It would leave her vulnerable. Worrying all the time if people were wondering if she had the signs.

She’d made Deacon swear he wouldn’t mention that fact to a single soul. He’d promised. She had to trust him. She had to trust someone, and he’d forced it out of her.

“I’ve only known Deacon for a short while myself,” Shayla said, “but I can tell he’s a genuinely good guy. You could do worse than having a friendship with him.” She smiled.

Raeann agreed. Too bad she was already struggling to hold him at arm’s length. Dropping him abruptly a month ago had been hard on her. She’d missed him even