His body leaned toward her like a magnet.
The frogs and crickets and lapping water were their own kind of symphony.
They were both completely still.
She waited. For something. Anything. For him to tell her that he came back for her. That he wanted to start over or try again. That a piece of him had been missing for the last ten years.
His silence was deafening.
“I can’t believe you’re here,” she whispered, her body aching to lean into him, to feel him against her, to steal his warmth as wisps of steam curled off her body. And suddenly, something shifted in him. He stiffened and pulled away, taking his warmth with him.
“That’s what I wanted to talk to you about.” He sighed and cleared his throat uncomfortably.
Before she could answer, her phone rang. And the ringtone made her heart beat triple time.
She tore her gaze from his, frantically searching for the jacket she’d discarded when they’d arrived at the pond. The lapping waves of the water turned distant. Her hand gripped the phone so hard her knuckles hurt, and her eyes went blurry as she stared at the name and picture flashing across the screen.
She should ignore it. It would serve him right. But the thought wasn’t even fully formed before the phone was at her ear.
“What?” she spat.
“It’s Gigi,” was all he said. There was a beat of silence. She wanted to hug his voice and strangle him at the same time. “She fell. We’re on the way to the hospital. You need to get there.”
Orange Balsamic Marinade
Orange represents attraction, determination, and success. When they’re combined they help the eater to entice and catch whoever it is they’re interested in. If the intended party is already interested, which they probably are if I’m any kind of smart, then all the better.
Ingredients
? c. extra virgin olive oil
3–5 T. balsamic vinegar (depending on your taste)
2 T. Dijon mustard
? tsp. salt
? tsp. pepper
zest and juice of one orange (or ? c. orange juice)
? c. honey
Directions
1.?Combine oil, vinegar, mustard, salt, pepper, orange juice, and zest, and whisk together. Marinade chicken in mixture for a minimum of 1 hour.
2.?Pour the marinade into a saucepan with the honey, and simmer until the volume is reduced by half.
3.?Use this mixture to glaze the chicken every 5–10 minutes as it cooks.
??6??
SADIE’S INSIDES WERE IN upheaval. Every time she moved, the contents of her stomach threatened to come up. She’d sprinted back to the house with Jake at her heels, and he’d insisted on driving her straight to the hospital, twenty minutes outside of town in the slightly larger city of Aurelia. With blood thrumming in her ears, her eyes manic, she let him.
Jake parked the car, and Gigi was getting X-rays when Sadie arrived. Her heart stuttered when she saw Seth leaning against the wall in the hallway. He was only a few inches taller, but stockier, broader. The freckles across his nose washed out in the hospital lighting. It was the face of her childhood. The male version of the one she saw in the mirror every day. There were dark circles under his eyes and a secret lurking in his expression.
“When did you get back?” she asked, hugging him on autopilot.
“About forty-five minutes ago.”
Jake walked up and pressed a coffee in her hands. She looked down at the cup and was surprised to see her arms clad in his sweatshirt over her still damp dress. When had that happened? She briefly remembered him turning the heater on full blast and angling the vents toward her as they drove.
“Thanks,” she croaked, the light of her anger toward Seth dying out just as fast as it came. “But you don’t have to be here. You can go.” Her voice felt scratchy, as if the words had to claw themselves out of her throat. The smell of bitter coffee reached her and mixed with the stale hospital air.
“I’ve got nowhere else to be,” he said before bumping his shoulder into hers.
A doctor rounded the corner, his glasses slipping down his nose and his white coat bulging over his stomach.
“Revelare?” he asked. They nodded, and he motioned for them to follow him as he walked. “Looks like nothing is broken, just some bruising.” His words were short and colored with exhaustion. “Honestly, a fall like this isn’t unexpected in someone her age. Especially with her diagnosis. I’ve prescribed some eight-hundred-milligram ibuprofen, and that’s about all we can do for her. Have you considered a fall alert bracelet or button for her house? Or maybe putting her in assisted living?”
“I live with her,” Sadie said mutinously.
“Oh, well.” He shrugged. “Good then. I’ll have the nurse start her discharge paperwork. Here’s her room.”
And with that, he left.
“Fucking doctors,” Seth hissed. “And what did he mean about her diagnosis? What diagnosis?”
Before she could answer, they heard a small, familiar cough. Sadie threw open the door and rushed inside.
“I’m fine, sugar,” were the first words out of Gigi’s mouth as she held a hand out to her granddaughter. “But if those idiot nurses don’t let me out of here for a cigarette soon, I’m going to have to clock them one.”
Sadie choked out a laugh as she hurried to take Gigi’s hand, enclosing it in both of hers and sitting on the edge of the bed.
“What happened?” she asked with a quiet hiccup. “You needed a break from me so badly you decided to send yourself to the hospital for a little holiday?” she joked, trying not cry.
“It’s my damned back is all, honey. But I wish everyone would stop making such a fuss. I’m fine. I …” She started and then stopped. “I can’t remember what I was going to say. This getting old business is a real son of a bitch, let me tell you.”
“I don’t think that has anything to do with getting old,” Sadie argued with a small laugh. “I forget what I’m going to say half the time. Maybe it’s a Revelare trait.”
“Or maybe it’s the painkillers,” Seth countered from the doorway.
“Seth,” Sadie said through gritted teeth, “why don’t you do something useful and see if you can go find the nurse and charm her into getting Gigi out of here faster.”
“Jesus, Sade. Lighten up. Gigi’s a fucking pioneer, okay? A little fall is nothing.”
“I know what Gigi is,” Sadie said, rising up from the bed and rounding on him. “I know who she is. You? What do you know? You fucking left. And now you’re here like it fixes everything, and it doesn’t.”
Damn him. Damn him. For always making her say more than she meant to. For being the one who loosened her control.
“Sadie Kathryn,” Gigi warned.
“No, Gigi. He’s here now because it was an emergency. That’s all. I’m sure he’ll be gone again by morning. I mean, what more could we possibly expect from you, right?” she demanded, turning back to him.
“You’re being a child,” he said flatly, his eyes mirroring Sadie’s own in their anger.
“That’s enough out of both of you,” Gigi cut in. “Sadie, you look like a bedraggled cat. Go home and get some rest. Seth will stay here with me. I’ll be home before you know it. Stop worrying, honey. Everything’s gonna be fine.”
“You’re kidding me,” Sadie spat. Her throat started to close up, but she flat out refused to cry in front of her brother.
“Come here, toot,” Gigi said, holding out her hand again. Sadie automatically walked forward, reaching for her. “Look at me. I’m fine. I promise. I’ve got some time left.”
Sadie looked at her, really looked. The color had come back into her cheeks, her voice was steady and strong as it ever was, her grip as she held Sadie’s hand was sturdy. The overwhelming need to be in her garden, working with the herbs and spell that was going to heal Gigi almost choked her.
“Okay, fine, I’ll go. But only because it’s what you want,” she said to Gigi.
“I’ll drive you home,” Jake called from the doorway. He looked like he wanted to come in but wasn’t sure if he should.
“Get in here, you little shit ass,” Gigi said. “Take care of my baby, you hear me?”