“Good-bye, Vision.” With a light chuckle, he released me and walked away.
The pompous jerk had won our little match. But the knowledge that he could and would walk away from me left a bitter taste in my mouth. Yes, I wanted him to get on with his life, but I didn’t want it to be easy. It wouldn’t be easy for me.
Listening to Duncan’s retreating footsteps, I felt like the unfortunate recipient of one of those cheesy vacation T-shirts: I slept with a Scottish prince and all I got was this lousy breakfast. Nauseated, I put the lid back on his sweet attempt at a homemade meal.
As soon as the front door closed, the bathroom opened behind me. Certain Vee’d been eavesdropping on my encounter with Duncan, I braced for her unsolicited opinion. Rather than comment about the tray of misshapen breakfast food, she tossed Aunt Gracie’s journal on the nightstand and turned to challenge me. “Maybe you should think about staying.”
“Not gonna happen.”
Her big turquoise eyes pleaded with me to be reasonable. Well, her version of reasonable. “At least think about it.”
“I have—and if I don’t leave, I’ll be trapped here. With no Broadway, and no guarantee that it would work out with Duncan. What if I stay for him and then he imprints or something?”
“Imprints? Uh, he’s not a werewolf.”
“You know what I mean. What if he has a Calling? Then I’ll be forced to spend my very long life watching him make googly eyes at some skank that I’ve sworn to hate on sight.”
Vee’s eyes turned fierce as angry tears gathered in the corners. “Love is a risk. Even with a Calling, nothing is sure. But if you want him, you need to fight for him!”
Holy segue, Marvin Hamlisch! We were no longer talking about the absurd challenges of my love life. “So Jamie admitted that you guys have a Calling?”
She flopped onto the bed as if her bone structure was no longer capable of supporting the crushing weight of her disappointment. “Pretty much. But he’s also got a duty to his kingdom, and a fiancée.”
“Alleged fiancée,” I countered as I sat beside her. “I haven’t seen a ring on that freakishly tiny finger, have you?”
Vee propped herself up on her elbows so that I had the benefit of seeing the determined expression fueling her counterargument. “No. But Jamie’s an honorable guy. If he’s got an understanding with Sofia, he’ll keep it.”
“What about the honor in obeying his Calling?”
“Please, just stop.” She rolled away from me onto her side, signaling I had pushed enough for the moment. Vee didn’t buckle easily, so I took the cue and backed off. She was afraid of getting hurt. I got that. People had been letting her down her whole life. But if she wanted this bad enough, she still had time to make it happen.
Changing tactics, I stood and walked around to sit on the other side of the bed. “Fine. You can make like Cinderella and disappear at the stroke of twelve. But until then, I’m acting as your FG.”
“FG?”
“Fairy Godmother.” I took Vee’s hands and gently pulled her up until we were eye to eye. “I’m going to make you all fancy, then you’re going to go to the ball and party like a rock star to ensure Jamie MacCrae regrets letting you go for the rest of his very long life.”
Vee chewed her lip as she thought over my proposal. “Okay. I’ll be your cinder girl, if you do something for me.”
“Shoot.”
“Pretend you’re not turning into a pumpkin at midnight.” When I started to protest, she cut me off. “Give Duncan a real chance. Let yourself be in love with him—just until we leave.”
Could I pretend to love him? Vee gave me a slight nod of encouragement and I read her thoughts as easily as if they were my own. Even if Duncan and I hadn’t shared a Calling, I was somewhat crazy about him. I didn’t need to pretend I had feelings.
If I didn’t make the most of our last night, I would most likely regret it for the rest of my life. Giving me the final push I needed, she extended her hand. “Deal?”