Jayden stared at the phone. His heart had flipped when she said she’d been hurt. Whatever mess she got herself into, she clearly needed his help, if she was going to make up crazy stories.
She was acting like his mother. Something was wrong with everyone today. Except Kimmie, the only person making sense.
Jayden returned to the booth. “Kimmie, I gotta pick up Tara. She got into some trouble.”
“What? Now?” Kimmie frowned. “We’re supposed to spend the evening together.”
“We will,” he promised. “I just need to pick her up.”
“Okay.” Kimmie was watching him closely. “You’re sure it’s just Tara? Not like … someone else?”
“What’re you talking about?” he asked. He bent down and kissed her, long and deep, until she was breathless. “Just you, baby.”
Placated, Kimmie smiled.
Jayden left her reluctantly. Sometimes, it hurt being away from Kimmie. Today was one of those days, when walking away made him ache to the point where he was tempted to call Mickey and send him to pick up Tara.
But he’d promised Tara when they entered high school that he’d always put his family first. His phone buzzed, and he glanced down.
“Coffee Loa. What on earth are you doing on that side of town, Tara?” he murmured. He programmed the address into his phone’s GPS.
He went to his car and hopped in, waiting until the interior cooled down before pulling out of the parking lot. With the guidance of the GPS voice, Jayden managed to make it to the Coffee Loa in just under thirty minutes.
He expected to see his stepsister waiting for him outside. When he didn’t, he parked as close as he could get and walked down the block to the coffee shop.
Jayden entered and breathed deeply of the scent of espresso and incense. There were two customers in the shop, both of whom looked wasted or drugged. Either way, he assessed they probably needed the huge mugs of espresso in front of them.
A pretty woman in authentic African dress sat behind the register, her eyes on the door. She smiled when he entered.
Tara wasn’t there. Irritated at being pulled away from Kimmie, Jayden crossed to the friendly looking woman at the counter.
“Hi. I’m looking for my sister. She said she was here,” he said.
“Jayden?” Tara whipped open the heavy curtain separating the coffee shop from the back. “Took you long enough.”
He looked her over, expecting to see something wrong after her phone call. She appeared to be fine.
“Come on. I left Kimmie to come get you.”
“We’re not done yet,” Tara said, glancing at the woman behind the counter. “Candace and I need to talk to you, Jay.”
“Make it quick.”
Tara waved him back behind the curtain.
“I’m Candace,” the woman in African garb said.
“Jayden.” He waited for her to duck beneath the curtain then followed.
Tara sat down at a table in the middle of an area that resembled his grandmama’s too much for him to be comfortable. A shrine to one of the gods was on one side, and veves decorated the walls and floor.
“Sit, Jay,” Tara ordered.
“Nah. Let’s just go.”
“Please, Jayden. It’s important to your sister that you sit and talk for a moment,” Candace said, her polished accent and soft voice easing his concern she’d be another crackpot like his grandmama.
He debated for a moment then sat. “What’s this about?”
“It’s about Kimmie putting curses on people,” Tara said bluntly. “She did it to Adrienne and she’s done it to you.”
“Leave Kimmie out of this,” he said firmly. “She’s the love of my life, Tara.”
“Um, no, she’s not. You broke up with her over the summer. Ask Mickey.”
He shifted, uncertain why so many people seemed to think they knew more about his life and heart than he did.
“Do you recognize her?” Tara pulled up a pic on her phone and slid it across the table to him.
Jayden glanced down then looked again, unable to pull his attention away from the angelic girl with white-blonde hair and green amethyst eyes. He knew her from somewhere. He just wasn’t certain where. She wore the cheer squad uniform from the academy, and the photo featured the girl and Tara, grinning for the camera. The picture was a self-portrait taken by Tara.
He knew all the girls on the cheer squad. Why didn’t he recognize this one?
A memory teased him, dancing just out of reach. He heard a faint ballad sung in a voice that was unfamiliar and achingly sweet, a siren song he wanted to hear more of.
“Jay?” Tara prodded.
The song slid back into the depths of his mind.
“I feel like I should know her,” he said then shook his head. “But I don’t.”
“Her name is Adrienne,” Tara said. “You were like, head over heels for her two days ago.”
“No. I’d remember that. I’ve been in love with Kimmie for years.”
Tara gave a noisy, exasperated sigh and looked to Candace expectantly.
“Do you remember these?” Candace asked, holding out the dog tags he’d been searching for Saturday.
“Of course. Grandmama Toussaint gave them to me.” He took them. “How did you get them?”
“You gave them to Adrienne,” Tara said impatiently.
He studied Adrienne’s picture again. His heart belonged to Kimmie, but if not … wow. He’d be all over the beautiful blonde.
“These have a protection spell on them. When you took them off, Kimmie’s hexes were able to take hold,” Candace explained, motioning to the tags.
“Grandmama said never to take them off.” He gazed at the necklace, puzzled as to why he did take them off. Why they ended up with a stranger he’d never met, but whom he couldn’t take his eyes off of. “I don’t believe this stuff, but would putting these back on … change anything?”
“It will prevent more hexes and the current curse from growing stronger. But they will not undo what has been done,” Candace answered. “Kimmie can lift her curse or I can help you lift it over time.”
Tara reached for her phone.
Jayden waved her hand away and pulled it closer to him, eyes on Adrienne’s photo.
“What happened to her?” he asked. “Why did she give back the dog tags?”
“Because you’re an ass, Jay,” Tara snapped. “I’ll send you the bloomin’ pic. Give me my phone.”
He rolled his eyes and slid it back to her. “So you think Kimmie what? Made me forget her?”
“Yep. And put a love spell on you so you’d go back to her.”
“That’s crazy. I’ve always loved her.” Jayden rose, uncomfortable with the talk and unhappy they were slamming Kimmie so much. “Come on, Tara, let’s go.” He turned to leave.
“Do you have any missing time? Any days where there are whole sections you simply can’t remember?” Candace asked.
Jayden froze, hand on the black curtain.
“Like where were you Saturday?” Tara added. “You left early in the morning and didn’t come back until after the party started.”
His hand dropped. He’d been thinking about it earlier today, too. Mickey asked him where he was Saturday, and so had another student from the football team.
“Okay. So I don’t know,” he admitted.
“Do you remember Friday and what Kimmie did to Adrienne?” Tara asked.
He thought hard. He remembered going to school and the football game, but there were blackouts. Like, wasn’t there a pep rally? Did he miss it for some reason?
“Here. One of the other girls sent this to me,” Tara said, handing him her phone once more. “Watch the clip.”
Jayden took it and flicked the play button. It was the pep rally.
He was there, greeting all the members of the football time that ran out of the locker room, like usual. Frustrated, he watched, unable to recall the scene at all.