“It’s not a problem,” Charlie said. “We’ll be here around lunchtime.”
“Excellent. I’ll leave the house unlocked, if that’s all right. I’ve got a meeting tomorrow and I might not be here, but I’ll be back the next day. You just get started, if that’s all right.”
“Perfect. We’ll be here.” He winked. “And maybe afterward, you and I could get a drink?”
Oh, damn.
I should have expected this when he started flirting, but stupidly, I hadn’t. And I should say yes. He was just the right kind of guy for me to go out with: fun and easy, not intense at all. I would have a good time, but I wouldn’t get totally wrapped up in him. That was exactly what I needed. The opposite of Rafe, basically.
And yet, I couldn’t say yes.
Nothing would happen between Rafe and me because he would leave. And even if he didn’t, I couldn’t get into a relationship that would end up becoming intense. Because with Rafe, it definitely would.
So why was the thought of him stopping me from saying yes to Charlie?
With horror, I realized that I’d waited too long to respond. Fortunately, Charlie took it in stride. “You think on it,” he said. “I’ll ask again after the job is done.”
His tone was so easygoing that relief surged through me. He really was perfect for me.
And yet…
The guys turned to go, and I spotted Rafe in the other room. Had he heard any of that? It was impossible to tell. But it shouldn’t matter if he heard Charlie flirting with me.
I headed toward him, unable to read his expression. Awkwardness made me barrel into the words I wanted to say next. “I’ve got good news. There are contractors lined up to work on the house starting tomorrow, and I’ve got us an appointment with the coven in Wales that’s closest to the stone circle where your miserable ex cursed you.”
“Wait, you what?” He sounded grumpy, but I ignored it.
“I’ve got us a meeting tomorrow. We’ll go meet them and ask about her, then check out the stone circle. I’m sure I’ll be able to read more about the curse if I’m in the place where it was cast.”
“You passed out last time you tried. You can’t possibly plan to try again.”
“Of course I’m going to. I wasn’t even hurt after passing out. I felt great, actually. It was the amount of magic on the island that I couldn’t handle. It had nothing to do with the curse.”
“Are you sure?”
“I’m sure of it. Anyway, it’s my decision. I need to use my magic.”
He shook his head. “We have less than a fortnight to fix up the house. You’re mad.”
I gestured at the beautiful room in which we stood. It was freshly painted, with the trim fixed and the floor refinished. I’d done that last bit, and it wasn’t impressive, but it was done. “Look around. We’re making great progress. And now that we have help, we’re in the home stretch.”
“There’s still a lot to do,” he grumped.
“And the professionals will do it. It’s not like either of us can rewire the house or replace the roof. There will still be plenty of time for you to finish the cabinets and windows and for me to do the bits and bobs.”
“But now?”
“You’ve been miserable for a decade, Rafe, and that’s killing me. Also, you’ve helped me enormously. It’s time for me to help you.”
“You don’t owe me anything.”
I decided to ignore that bit, but I wondered why his tone was so short. “Tomorrow morning is the only time the coven is available to meet this week, so we’ve got to go. We’ll leave tonight and be back by tomorrow evening. So quick you’ll hardly know we’ve done it.”
He gave me an incredulous look. “Now isn’t the time.”
I frowned, a thought popping into my mind. “Are you scared of what you might find?”
He glared at me. “No. I’m—“ He raked a hand through his hair. “Maybe, all right?”
It sure was something, to see such a big and powerful werewolf admit to being scared. It made my heart hurt for him. “Whatever we find, won’t it be better to know?”
“Definitely.” He said it without hesitation. “I just didn’t expect an answer so soon.”
“It’s been a decade, Rafe.”
“Yeah, a decade full of failure. I’d given up.”
“Well, I’m here now. And we’re going to get to the bottom of this. I’ll give you one day of trying to fix your curse in exchange for your help with the house. I owe you that much. And now that we’ve got professionals here to help us, we have the day to spare.”
“You just won’t give up on this, will you?” Annoyance echoed in his voice, but I ignored it.
“Nope. So you’d better accept it.”
Chapter
Twenty-Four
Isobel
We left the party when it ended at four and immediately got in the car to begin our drive. The coven and stone circle were located in southern Wales, near Brecon Beacons, a gorgeous natural area known for its magic.
I’d packed a small bag and arranged for two rooms at a B&B close to the coven headquarters, and Rafe offered to drive. As we set out, I started chatting about the party. Soon enough, I realized that Rafe wasn’t responding as easily or as quickly as he normally would.
We were about an hour into the five-hour trip when I shot him a sidelong glance. His jaw was tight, and I frowned.
Rafe the grump was back, but why?
This was genuine grumpiness, too, not just the fake grumpiness he put on when he didn’t want me paying attention to him. He’d been grumpy while I’d been convincing him to go on this trip.
“Are you all right?” I asked.
“Fine. Just thinking about everything to do at your house.”
That might be true, but that wasn’t all there was to it. He’d thought about the house plenty in front of me and never looked like that.
“Are you annoyed we’re going to Wales?”
“No, it’s fine.”
Huh. That was a seriously short tone of voice. Something was up with him.
I debated trying to prod it out of him, but we were trapped in the car for another four hours. What if I made a total mess of things? It would be awkward as hell—even more awkward than it was now.
And he was the one driving. He could turn the car around and take us back to Cornwall.
Yeah, it was a bad idea to poke him. I’d let him stew for a while, then maybe ask when we arrived.
“I’m going to take a nap.” I curled toward the window. “Thank you for driving.”
He just grunted, and I rolled my eyes.
I woke up when we were deep into Wales. According to the clock, we only had about thirty minutes left. The headlights cut through the darkness. I squinted out the window but was unable to see anything.
“We’re close, right?” I asked.
“We are. Nearly to the B&B.”
“Great.” I pulled a sandwich out of the bag I’d packed and passed it to him, then took one for myself.
We ate in silence, then polished off our meal with an apple each. By the time we arrived at the pretty white B&B on the outskirts of the village of Llanmarthen, I was beyond ready to get out of the car. Rafe still hadn’t spoken.