“Terry, I can’t possibly…you can’t be serious.”
Terry’s heart-shaped face and blue eyes peeked out from behind slim jeweled spectacles. Her grayish-white hair was pulled into a severe bun. She wasn’t wearing the Happy Maid uniform of khaki pants and polo that Sara and the other employees wore. She was in a gray business skirt, white blouse, and jacket. Expensive rings covered each of her short fingers, displaying evident wealth.
She held up her hand, hushing Sara. “No. Think about it, Sara. I’m your only friend beside Mei Wong. You know that it’s either with me or the shelter, and I refuse to let my friend who just lost a family member stay at a place like that.”
Sara’s mouth opened and closed in shock before she finally nodded her head. She turned to Mina and gestured toward the white car. They had nothing to load into the trunk except for a few blankets people had given them, and of course the Grimoire.
Terry Goodmother lived on the top floor of a large, expensive apartment building. Everything in the condo was white: the carpet, furniture, walls, even down to the six poodles, each named after an extravagant gemstone. There was Jade, Turq—short for Turquoise—Diamond, Emerald, Pearl, and Ruby.
Sara slept in Terry’s only guestroom, and Mina took to sleeping on the couch. Each morning she woke with a stiff back because Turq and Ruby took it upon themselves to sleep on top of Mina. But the last few days had dragged by. Terry’s constant chatter did little to pull them out of their shocked state. Complete strangers came by with boxes of clothes and household supplies to give to the Grime family. Terry was great and organized all of the donations in her living room. It was obvious that soon they would have to find a new place to live. They couldn’t continue to survive on the goodness of Sara’s boss. But Terry was phenomenal at getting the funeral arrangements handled.
Someone touched her elbow, abruptly bringing her back to the present. Mina blinked in surprise and looked up into the striking face of her crush, Brody Carmichael. He was tanner and his blond hair had turned lighter, evidence of his summer traveling the Mediterranean. The wind whipped his hair around his face, but he ignored the torment of Mother Nature as he looked deeply into her eyes, studying her.
Mina’s heart jumped in her chest, and her mind blanked. She hadn’t expected any of her classmates to come to the funeral. Even Nan was still out of state and wouldn’t make it in time. For Brody Carmichael to be the one to show up tore at her heart. She couldn’t believe it—it showed how truly caring and special he was, and now it was making it harder for her to not fall in love with him all over again.
Her eyes began to fill up with tears, and her bottom lip quivered with emotion. She was going to make a fool of herself right in front of him. Brody still hadn’t released his grip on her elbow, and when he saw her tears start to build up, his eyes widened in concern, and he pulled her close to his chest.
She was shocked by the show of concern and melted into his warm embrace, because that’s what it was. His arms gingerly wrapped around her, and his hand gently cupped the back of her head. She refused to move or breathe, and prayed for this moment to last forever as she tried to imprint it into her memories. She was so distracted by his scent, his strong arms holding her, that she didn’t hear him whispering something to her. She tried to lift her head to hear what he was saying, but as soon as she did, he abruptly let go and took a step back.
Disappointed by how quickly he’d released her, she stared at the ground, not ready to look into his gorgeous eyes. She knew what she would see there: pity, not love. Her heart ached for him, and it was probably not reciprocated. By now, if he isn’t already, he should be in love with Nan. I mean, who wouldn’t love her? She’s beautiful, funny, and quirky. Mina hoped that the summer months and the distance between them would make the love she held for him wane, but seeing him once again and having him hold her in his arms made everything rush back like a tidal wave all at once. She still very much cared for Brody Carmichael, and every part of her wanted to throw herself into his arms and tell him to never let go of her again. But she didn’t; she stood her ground, cleared her throat, and gathered her courage to make eye contact. What she saw there made her doubt her decision.
He was struggling. She could see his inner turmoil, the battle that was being fought within him. He had tears in his eyes, and he swallowed nervously. His hands clenched into fists at his sides, and his knuckles were white with tension. He quickly turned his back to her and ran his hands through his hair in frustration. Mina was too scared to approach him and waited until he turned around again.
When he finally did, he was apologizing.
“I’m sorry. I was out of line.” He looked in pain. His eyes begged her forgiveness.
Mina was confused, until she remembered he was with Nan. Then it became clear—he was scared what her friend would think. “It’s okay, it was just a hug. I won’t tell Nan.”
Her words seemed to hurt Brody even more, because he closed his eyes and shook his head. “No, I’m not apologizing for holding you. I won’t ever regret that. I’m apologizing for what I said.”
Mina’s eyes widened, and she mentally began to berate herself for spacing out and not listening to what he’d said when he hugged her. What did he whisper to her? What could he have said that would make him so upset? Could she ask him to repeat it, or would that sound dumb? Maybe he was saying he still had feelings for her? Her mind made up a hundred different things he could have confessed to her. The mystery was killing her so much that she wanted to curl up and die.
“Don’t apologize. I feel the same way,” she lied, and instantly regretted her choice of words. He looked confused and stared at her like a stranger. Great! she thought. She did it again. Insert foot in mouth.
Brody had stepped back from Mina and was now looking around the graveyard uncomfortably. He’d probably just realized how inappropriate their conversation was, considering their location, and was looking for a quick escape. Mina felt sorry for him and decided to relieve his distress.
“So I guess I’ll see you at school, then.” Not the most eloquent moment, but it would do.
Brody looked at Mina, and he shuffled his feet uncomfortably. “Yeah, see you then.” He turned to leave, but stopped as if he’d forgotten something. He reached into his suit and pulled out a slightly crumpled rose. Heat rose to Mina’s cheeks when she realized she was probably the one who’d crushed it when she buried her face in his chest.
He walked over to Charlie’s casket and held the rose out awkwardly, as if he couldn’t bring himself to release the flower. Instead, he turned to Mina and offered the rose to her. That one action alone created another wave of silent tears. She’d sworn that she couldn’t cry anymore, but Brody was proving to be her undoing. Gently, she reached out and took the pathetically smashed flower, and she laughed softly. Charlie would be laughing hysterically if he were here to see the state of the rose. It was at one time a beautiful specimen of a rose, and unlike the ones others had brought and laid on Charlie’s casket, this one still had its thorns. It must have come from Brody’s own garden. Which made this one even more special.
“Thank you,” she whispered.
He nodded to her and walked silently down the hill to his car.
