“I know. But I think you should come with me anyway.”
Sighing, Jemma released her belt and climbed from the car. Her steps sluggish, she followed Clarissa to a vacant bench near the giant fountain in the middle of the park. Clarissa sat, her expression clearly implying that she expected Jemma to do the same. She’d left her will to fight back at the alliance headquarters, so she sank next to Clarissa with barely a grumble.
“I used to come here when I was a little girl. It was my favorite escape.”
She was in no mood for small talk, but she gave in anyway. “Your parents brought you here?”
“No. I came here to get away from them.” Apparently tuning in to Jemma’s silent curiosity, Clarissa turned her head, squinting against the glare of the sun. “They didn’t abuse me, if that’s what you’re wondering. They were pretty much too wrapped up in abusing each other for that.”
“I can’t even imagine living like that.”
A brief pang of some dark emotion flickered in Clarissa’s eyes before disappearing. “You’re close with your family. Griff used to tell me about the fun adventures all of you shared together.” A sad, wistful smile fluttered across Clarissa’s lips. “I used to think his motive for telling me those things was to punish me for being such a bitch at times. Now I know it was how he kept you close to him when duty called him here.”
She didn’t know what to say in the face of Clarissa’s painful yet heartfelt confession. Words didn’t somehow seem adequate.
Clarissa rubbed her palm along the worn knee of her jeans. “I’ve made a habit of living my life from the sidelines. Keeping everyone at a safe distance. It’s easier that way. But I know it hurt Griffin. More than anything, I regret not being able to change that.”
“Griff wouldn’t hold it against you.” Just thinking about the capacity of his forgiveness brought the ache rushing back. She blinked, desperately trying to defeat the deluge of tears.
“This is where I called him to me.”
The announcement managed to edge Jemma past the danger zone and she sniffled. A smile of fond remembrance lit Clarissa’s face. “I was so excited. My first familiar. I of course didn’t have a damn idea what I was doing, or what to truly expect, but he came tumbling out of those rhododendrons over there. Buck naked. Good thing it was two o’clock in the morning and no one was around.”
Some of the misery lifted from Jemma’s heart and she chuckled along with Clarissa. They sat there, oblivious of the tourists coming and going, of time passing, and simply shared their favorite memories of Griff, each in their own way keeping him close.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Five weeks. Each passing day made her die a little more inside. Still, she pulled her outfit for the day from the armoire and inspected it for wrinkles. A no-nonsense black suit. If that didn’t show the guild she meant business, nothing would. Securing her hair into a sleek chignon, she ventured downstairs. Logan met her in the entry, and she tossed him a frown. “I thought Clarissa was taking me today.”
He curled his palm around her elbow. “Sugar, we need to talk.”
“We don’t have time. I have to get there before Domino takes her lunch break.” She swiveled toward the door. “Yesterday that sneaky bitch escaped through the back entrance.”
“The guild is going on recess.”
She rolled her eyes. “Aren’t they a little old for the monkey bars?”
Logan’s mouth twitched. “Not that kind of recess. They’re all taking vacation for the next month and a half.”
She stared at him, a cramp seizing her chest. “What?”
He rubbed a hand over his goatee. “Shit, I didn’t want to be the one to tell you.”
“They’re leaving because of me, aren’t they?”
“Yes and no. They always take a recess. But usually not until winter.”
Six weeks. She’d never be able to last. Her knees wobbled and Logan caught her against him. His gentle strokes soothing over her scalp, he murmured soft platitudes as her tears soaked his T-shirt. She appreciated his kindness, but it was Griff she longed for. Needed. A strong desire to surround herself with memories of her love swelled within her until she thought her heart would burst. Wiping her eyes, she scooted out of Logan’s arms. “I’m going home.” A tiny bit of the agony dissolved at her decision.
Logan didn’t exactly look happy with her statement though. “Sugar, you shouldn’t be alone right now.”
“I won’t be. My family is there.” Just not Griff.
“I still don’t think it’s a good idea. How am I supposed to watch over you if you’re in North Carolina?”
Oh yes. Griff’s backup plan. As if anyone could keep her out of trouble the way he could. “North Carolina isn’t exactly on the other side of the world. I fully expect you to come visit me in a couple weeks, after I’ve gotten settled back in.”
“Can you at least wait until Clarissa comes back from town? In fact, why don’t I go call her right now and hurry her ass up?”
“Fine.” The minute Logan disappeared down the hall she dug in her purse for the keys to the Pathfinder. Feeling like a huge coward, she dashed out the door. She couldn’t handle goodbyes. Not anymore.
She arrived in the outskirts of Ashville by four o’clock. Downtown was still bustling with activity. Another layer of the heaviness lifted from her heart when she spotted Finnegan’s Hardware. She parked the SUV and was almost to the store’s front entrance when she remembered that half her family would be inside. Well, at least her dad and her cousins Jimmy, Drew and Marshall. Despite wanting to see them all—desperately—going in there with red-rimmed, swollen eyes wasn’t the best course of action. One look at her and her pops would be bawling, which would only lead to her own cry-a-thon. She returned to the car and pointed it in the direction of Griff’s house.
Less than twenty minutes later she pulled into the drive. A surreal sensation washed over her. Five weeks ago she’d arrived here with the intention of seducing Griff, never realizing the dramatic shift her life was about to undertake. Pulling the key from the ignition, she climbed from the Pathfinder. Inside the house, bittersweet memories leapt out at her. The granite island, where she and Griff first made love and he triggered her magic. The stovetop, where he’d prepared countless meals for them. She wandered into the master bedroom, nearly crunching a shard of mirror. They’d rushed from the house without cleaning up the mess from zombie Harold.
She backtracked to the kitchen and grabbed a broom from the pantry. Five minutes later the broken mirror pieces were discarded, and she crawled into the bed without removing her suit. The sheets carried Griff’s woodsy scent, and she buried her nose in his pillow, hugging it tight. Sleep came swift and sweet, blessedly free of nightmares.
The next morning brought reality crashing back. It started with the ringing of her cell phone on the bedside table. Groaning, she grabbed the irritating device and glanced at the caller ID. Her mom. “Oh crap. Busted.” Why else would she be calling at seven a.m. on the dot?
Biting the bullet, she punched the Talk button. “Hi, Mom.”
“Jemma Sue Finnegan, is that all you have to say? Hi, Mom?”
“Um…yeah?”
“Louise Grossfeld saw you outside the store yesterday, right before you scurried inside Griffin’s car and sped off.”
Times like this, it really sucked living in a town full of busybodies. “I’m sorry. I just wasn’t ready to see any of you guys yet.” Dead silence met her admission, and she bit the inside of her cheek. “I didn’t mean that how it sounded. I’ve missed everyone. A lot.” Her voice broke and she closed her eyes, the phone pressing into her cheek.