“Love is Grim” Brody whispered as he gently touched her face. “Why do I feel like you’re saying goodbye? What are you not telling me?”
Mina reached into her pocket and pulled out his class ring. “You offered me something that, two years ago, I would have given anything for.” She couldn’t keep the tears of regret from creeping into her eyes or her voice. “But I can’t give you what you want, because really? I lost my heart a long time ago, to a prince in a story.”
“I may never get my happily-ever-after ending,” she said, “but that doesn’t mean you can’t have yours.” Mina placed the ring in his open palm. “You’ve given up so much for me, and I can never thank you enough. You promised to protect me, but I’m asking you to do something even greater. Protect Nan.”
Brody was about to protest when Mina put her hand on his lips, stopping him. Her hand grew warm with power, and she pushed her will toward him and commanded, Find your true love.
Brody froze for a second, and Mina watched as her compulsion settled inside him. Why had she never noticed what she could do before? She was the one who couldn’t control her own desire and kept compelling him to fall for her. And if her direction worked, she’d quickly find out if her instincts were correct.
He blinked a few times and looked at her, but there wasn’t any strong emotion behind his eyes. Just trust and true friendship. Mina stood up and shivered, deeply thankful for this moment of resolution. Brody may have been able to ignore the chill of the evening, but she couldn’t. The monster trees had wasted enough of her precious time.
“Let’s go back.”
Brody got up, and hand-in-hand, they walked the last mile to her house in silence. They took comfort from one another’s touch, but it wasn’t anything romantic. Mina was extra careful now to keep her feelings and desires locked up in her heart. She didn’t want any stray thoughts to influence Brody.
When they finally made it up the hill and stood in front of her front door, it opened as if someone had been watching from inside.
Nan stood there. Her gaze dropped to their clasped hands, and her face fell.
Mina groaned inwardly. That wasn’t what she wanted. She didn’t mean to hurt her friend’s feelings. How would she explain this to Nan?
She didn’t have to. Brody took two steps forward, picked Nan up, even though he was injured and bruised, and kissed her.
Nan squealed in surprise but sure didn’t stop him from kissing her.
Ever and Charlie happened to walk by, and Charlie stuck his finger down his throat and made barfing actions. Mina carefully squeezed past Nan and Brody as they continued to kiss. She silently closed the door and let them have privacy on the porch.
“Well, I think that was the fastest breakup and get-together in history.” Ever leaned over to pull the curtain aside so she could spy.
Mina swatted her hand away. “No, he was always meant to be her prince charming. I just got in the way, and she was too good a friend to tell me her true feelings.”
“So she lied to you,” Ever said.
Mina thought about it, about all the jokes Nan made about not liking Brody Carmichael, even though their families were great friends. How she hadn’t wanted to be the one to bring the folder to his house that fateful day when he ran over Mina’s bike. Nan had liked him just as much as she did and was probably even more nervous than she was. Plus, Nan would never let herself admit to liking the same guy Mina did.
“Yeah, she lied. Not just to me, though—she lied to herself.”
Ever nodded.
“Hey, you said you had a way for us to talk without being listened to?”
“Yeah. We need to get all the mirrors.” She peeked back out the window again.
Nix walked in and noticed Ever looking outside. He pulled the curtain back and whistled at them.
Something loud slapped at the window, and Nix backed off.
“Leave them be,” Mina commanded. “We have work to do.”
Chapter 11
When the front door opened, and a red-faced Nan and a smiling Brody tried to sneak in, Ever pounced. She handed Brody a screwdriver.
“I need all of the bathroom mirrors taken down. You.” She pointed to Nan. “Tackle the hall mirror. Nix, bring every other mirror in the house to the kitchen.”
“Why?” Nan asked.
“Why must you ask why? Just trust me.” Ever made a face and rolled her eyes.
Nan started unhooking the hall mirror, and Brody headed to the downstairs bathroom.