same name as Geoff’s. Surely a weird coincidence.
I skipped ahead.
June. I am so ready to leave her, but Helena talked me out of it. Said it’s not the right time yet. Soon. At least the whore’s brat is gone.
I winced and tossed the journal to the floor. I leaned my head against the window, gazing outside.
There was movement in the trees, and I held my breath until the form emerged, dressed all in black so that only the paler countenance of his face appeared. Kane saluted me with a sword.
Back to guard me.
Funny how the thought helped me go to sleep.
11
The next morning, I came downstairs to find Geoff in the kitchen putting breakfast on the table. Scrambled eggs with cheese, bacon, fried tomato slices, and even some sausage.
“Oh, that looks amazing!” I declared. “You didn’t have to make me food, though.”
“Yeah I did. I didn’t even know you suffered a seizure by the water until Winnie told me.”
“You saw Winnie?”
“Yeah, she popped in early this morning to grab some things.”
“She’s gone again?” It shouldn’t have surprised me, but… Okay, yeah, it did. I would have thought she’d have stuck around to at least check on me.
“Don’t change the subject. Are you okay? Why didn’t anyone come tell me downstairs?”
“I’m sure Trish just forgot.”
As had Darryl. Which made me wonder why Trish would think to call Darryl before my son. I thought those two had a close relationship. Trish certainly implied it with all the details she knew of his life.
“Forgot, my ass. She’s still pissed at me.”
“Why?” I exclaimed. This was the first I’d heard of it.
“Because of something that happened with Helena.”
There was my opening. “What happened?”
“A few things.” He slid into the spot across from me, suddenly nervous.
“What’s wrong?” I tried to keep it short and simple. Didn’t want to scare him off with my eagerness to mother him.
“I wasn’t entirely truthful about why I’m here. I mean I did want to see you for Christmas, but the real reason I came is because I lost my job.”
“I’m sorry, Geoff, what happened?” Because my understanding was that he worked for some hip new startup that was going places.
“Mismanagement of the company led to them going into bankruptcy. I lost my last two paychecks as a result. With it being Christmas, no one was hiring, and since I didn’t have enough for January rent, I abandoned my apartment.”
My nosy ass couldn’t resist the opening. “What about your fiancée, Helena?”
“We are on a break.”
For a second, I flashed back to Ross on Friends. “That’s got to be hard.” A subtle nudge to see if he’d explain. Especially since he’d taken a call from her a few nights ago.
“I know you’re wondering why. I mean, on her birthday, I asked her to marry me. We were planning to get hitched in May. It’s just…” He raked his fingers through his hair. “I discovered things about her. Weird stuff that’s made me rethink things.”
“Like?” Did she lick the flavor off chips and put them back in the bag? I’d read about it in a Dear Somebody column. It was a deal breaker for some.
“She thinks she’s a witch.”
I almost choked but turned it into a cough. “A witch?” I gasped. “Oh, how, um, different.” Now was probably not the time to tell him he was descended from a long line of them, according to the book in my bedroom. Nor was I about to admit that the stupid genealogy book had his sister’s daddy listed as someone that wasn’t Martin. I’d never cheated on my husband. Ever.
“It’s more than different. She believes it. Thinks she does magic. Wants me to do stuff with her.”
“Have you?” I asked. What did my son know? Had he exhibited powers?
“’Course not. It’s bullshit,” he exclaimed, only to add, “Sorry. I don’t mean to swear, but seriously, magic? It doesn’t exist.” Geoff sounded just like me. Would he prove to be as stubborn?
“What if I said magic is real?” I ventured cautiously.
“I’d say your eyes are brown because you’re full of poop.”
My lips twitched. “They’re brown because of genetics, and FYI, since you hadn’t heard, you’re descended from a long line of witches. Or warlocks. I don’t know what the proper terminology is in our family.”
“How about crazy? Since when do you think you ride a broom?”
“One, no stick is getting wedged by my cheeks, and two, I found out about my family’s reputation only when I returned. Apparently, we’re some kind of lake guardians.” And