“I’m excited to meet Zeva in person. We haven’t had any new FGs in so long. I wonder how she’s going to take the news.”
“Oh, you mean that her life as she knows it is about to feel completely obsolete? You know it’s always rough. It wasn’t for us because we were raised knowing we were going to the academy.”
“It didn’t hurt that we’re full-blooded fairies, either,” Jonquil said.
“I wish I knew why Zuri caught frog pox.”
“That should not have happened. It makes me question everything. What if we’re totally wrong?” Jonquil asked.
“About what? We’re never wrong.” Petty coughed. “I mean, at least not about matters of the heart.”
“Well, we’re the ones who told her to kiss the frog. I’ll never forgive myself if there are lasting ill effects from this.”
Petty patted her sister’s shoulder. “It’s going to be okay. I’m sure of it.”
Jonquil raised a brow.
“Really. They’re not kissing on their own. This must be the hand of fate moving them together,” Petty said.
“I suppose you’re right. Nothing but trouble comes from questioning fate.”
“Yet, even after all these years you continue to do it.” Petty shook her head.
“I can’t help myself. You know I’m the cynical one. It’s just how I’m wired,” Jonquil replied.
“Do you think Bluebonnet is lonely?” Petty suddenly asked. Jonquil leaned over the table and dipped her chin into the bowl of her hand. “I do.”
“What are we going to do about it?” Petty asked.
“Don’t we have enough to do?” Jonquil asked. “Plus, she’d kill us. She’d kill us, bring us back to life, just to kill us again.”
“She seems obsessed with the idea of matching everyone up just to, pardon my language, fuck like bunnies. I can’t help but wonder if that’s a reflection of her own feelings.”
“Don’t you think we should trust her to make her own choices?” Jonquil said, but then she laughed. “No, I’m sorry. It’s like I forgot what business we’re in.”
“She needs a vacation after wedding season. Do you think she’d like fall in Vermont? Some cute little B and B?”
“Where a suitably silver-foxed bachelor might be staying as well?” Jonquil asked.
“Oh, yes. Hmm, maybe we should each book a vacation. I do like a man with a good patina.” Petty wiggled her brows.
“Maybe hottie actor guy’s dad.”
“That’s the best idea you’ve had all year,” Petty praised.
“I have a good one now and again.” Jonquil sipped her coffee but was obviously satisfied with her contribution.
“I’d say the three of us have earned a vacation.” Petty was already planning their trip.
“I know it’s all going to work out, Pets, but . . .”
Petty smiled at her sister, knowing what she needed to hear. Jonquil frequently needed reassurance, and Petty figured it was her job to give it.
“Yes, Jonquil. It’s all going to work out.”
“Happily Ever After,” Jonquil said.
“And you said you were the cynical one.” Petty nudged her.
“I am. I just choose to believe my sister.”
Petty’s heart was full in a way that it hadn’t been in a long time. “You know, I think turning Ever After into a wedding destination was the best thing we’ve ever done.”
“I will say this only once, and never again. You can’t hold it against me,” Jonquil began. “But yes, you’re right.”
“Damn, and Bluebonnet wasn’t here to hear you say it.”
“Exactly the way I like it.” Jonquil smirked. “You can’t prove a thing.”
“And they think I’m the dangerous one.”
“Well, I’m not the one who cursed a prince to be a frog.”
“Will you ever let that die?”
“No, probably not. Neither will anyone else,” Jonquil added, ever helpful. “It’s been three hundred years. That’s a minute to hold a grudge.”
Petty cackled, unable to help herself, and not unaware how much she sounded like a wicked witch instead of a fairy godmother.
It seemed others thought so, too, because an answering cackle from the doorway startled Petty so much that she fell off her chair, and she looked up to see the Evil Queen herself.
“Looks like I’m no longer alone at the dark-side table. Our cookies taste better, anyway.”
Chapter 10
Phillip was just getting out of the shower when a gentle tap sounded on his door. He wrapped himself in a towel, but the castle seemed to have other ideas and dressed him appropriately.
Suddenly, he was wearing joggers and a T-shirt, and while it wasn’t his usual attire, he’d take it.
He opened the door to find Bluebonnet standing there, her gentle face as serious as he’d ever seen it.
“What’s wrong?”
“May I come in?” she asked.
“Oh, of course. Sorry.” He held the door wide for her. Her yellow dress was a bright, happy relief to the dark expression on her face. He especially liked how it bounced when she walked. She was always like a ray of sunshine wherever she went.
“Don’t freak,” she began.
It weirded him out how she looked like someone’s grandmother, well, was in fact someone’s grandmother, but spoke with modern slang.
“Just tell me, Bon-Bon.”
“It’s Zuri. She’s taken ill.”
“Why wasn’t I informed? Where is she? What can I do?”
“Remember when I said not to freak? Sit down, Phillip.”
It must be beyond serious if she wanted him to sit down. So he led her over to the divan and motioned for her to sit first. He did have royal manners, after all.
She sat and then patted the seat next to her. “Come along, now.”
He sat and waited for whatever bomb she was going to drop.
“She’s caught the frog pox.”
“Excuse me?”
“Frog. Pox. Phillip, she’s allergic to frogs. Or at least magical ones.”
“She’s allergic to me?”
“Please pay attention. What did I say?” Bluebonnet admonished him. “Frogs. Not you. Just . . . when you’re a frog.”
“So what is frog pox? What can I do?”
“You’ll have to kiss her, of course.”
Phillip spluttered. “I can’t do that. We’re not ready for that.”
“Well, you’d better get ready rather quickly, or she’s going to turn into a frog, too. Remember how itchy you were?”
“Does she . . . does she have the green lesions?”
“Yes. The only cure is to kiss her. While you’re you, anyway.” Bluebonnet picked up a candle, sniffed it, and obviously found it lacking, because her nose wrinkled with disdain.
“Is that really the only way?” It was too soon.
“Why? Don’t you want to kiss her?” Bluebonnet studied him.
“Of course I do. But I’ll have to tell her why.”
“A part of me says that you don’t have to tell her, but you really should. You can’t build anything together without honesty and trust.”
“She’s never going to trust me when she finds out what I did.” Phillip knew that this wasn’t about him, but he had a hard time letting go of the idea that he’d had a shot with Zuri.
Bluebonnet patted his leg in a motherly fashion. “Yes, she will. It may take some time, as all trust does, but she will. That was so long ago. If Petty and I aren’t mad about it any longer, she can’t be.”
“She was betrayed,” he began.
“So she was. You’re not Alec.” She took his hand. “And you’re not the same you that you were all those years ago, either.”
“Speaking of that, Bluebonnet.” He took a deep breath and searched for the words that would encompass all that he wanted to say.
Phillip was glad she didn’t wave him off, or tell him it was fine. She gave him the space to speak the
words that she deserved and that he needed to say.
“I have been sorry, but I haven’t apologized. I’m sorry for what I did. It was wrong. I know it’s no excuse, but I was raised to believe I could have anything I wanted. I wanted you both, and I didn’t think about how that would feel to you or Petunia. I was selfish. I was cruel. You deserved better than that.”
Bluebonnet squeezed the hand she still held, and she took a deep breath. “I see now why Petty said it had to be me who came to speak with you. I didn’t think I needed your apology. I thought your punishment was enough, but that’s all I really wanted: an apology that you meant.”
“I do mean it. And not just because I’m sorry that I’m a frog.” He gave her a half smile. Phillip wanted good things for all the fairy godmothers. Not just because of who they were to the town, but because over the years, he realized they’d become actual friends. That mattered to him.
“I forgive you. We all do. Even Jonquil, who was enraged on our behalf. She was mad about it longer than Petty or I was. Since we’re confessing, I want you to know that I believe in you. I believe you learned the lessons that you needed. I believe that you will break the curse and that Zuri is your Happily Ever After. I need you to remember that HEA may not look the way you think it should. Trust your heart. It won’t steer you wrong. Even if it breaks itself.”
Phillip listened to what she had to say, and while he didn’t like it, he knew she was right. “You’re kind of good at this fairy godmother gig, Bon-Bon.”
“Yeah, it’s sort of what I do.” She pulled out her wand and tapped it on her palm. “Okay, Prince Charming. Chop-chop. It’s time to make with the kissing. You know that’s how these things work.”
Fear knotted itself in his gut. He feared Zuri’s rejection. He couldn’t blame her if she did reject him. He would, if he were in her place. How could he expect her to do something he wouldn’t? Only there was something more dangerous in his guts than fear. It was that faint ember of hope that refused to be extinguished.
Regardless of what it meant for him, he had to help Zuri.
“Where is she?”
“Not too far. She’s resting in her rooms. Are you ready?”
He got up and walked with purpose to Zuri’s rooms, not bothering to see Bluebonnet out. She knew her way around the castle.
Phillip didn’t bother knocking, either, so when he opened the door and strode up the stairs to Zuri’s loft bedroom, he got the shock of his life when he saw a strange man sitting next to her bed.
“Who the hell are you?” The guy in the chair demanded.
Phillip was about to ask him the same, but one look at poor, beleaguered Zuri in her bed and he knew that was absolutely the wrong tack to take. “I’m her friend. Phillip Charming.”
“Charming? Are you shitting me?”
Phillip arched a brow. “I’m the owner of the castle. Care to tell me who you are and why you’re in my home?”
“Dr. Marsh. I’m here to help Zuri.”
Zuri’s eyes fluttered open, and she looked back and forth between the two of them before shaking her head and pulling the covers up into a cocoon over her face.
Realization dawned. “Dr. Alec Marsh? Or should we call you Xander? Which do you prefer?”
“That doesn’t matter now. I’m here to help her.”
How was he supposed to kiss her with this guy hanging around? The balcony doors fluttered opened and closed, as if being rattled by a slight breeze. Phillip knew it was the castle suggesting he pitch the man out into the lake. He knew the castle would help. While the idea delighted him, he knew that wasn’t the answer.
At least, not yet.
“And what exactly are you doing to help her?” Phillip asked.
Alec narrowed his eyes at him and opened his mouth to speak, but before he could say anything, the door opened and the Evil Queen stood there in all her dark glory, with the godmothers right behind her.
This Alec guy did not understand the level of shitstorm that was about to be unleashed in this room.
“All of you, out!” Alec demanded. “She needs rest.”
Ravenna was particularly unfazed. She moved forward, gliding effortlessly like a dark swan. Petunia reached out and put a hand on her arm.
“Ravenna, remember he’s a wedding guest.”
“Hmm. Isn’t that how all these things start? Either with an engagement or a birth?” Ravenna grinned, but it was more a baring of teeth than an actual smile. “Only the missed invitation isn’t mine.”
And it seemed that she’d taken Zuri under her dark wing.
Zuri peeped out from under the blankets. The poor thing was covered in green lesions, and Phillip remembered with alarming clarity exactly how much those things itched.
“Not that I don’t love you all, but what are you doing in my room?” she asked. “Wait, who are you?”
“Darling, we’ll discuss that later. We’ve come to make you better, isn’t that right, Phillip?” Ravenna arched a brow at him.
“Trying,” he mumbled.
“I really just want to dip myself in Benadryl and sleep for a week. Can I do that?”
Alec reached out but drew his hand back. “Yes, you can. I’ll make them all leave. Then we can do some tests and figure out what’s happening to you.”
“Can you make yourself leave instead?” she asked.
“There it is, dear doctor. The patient asked you to leave. I suggest you do as she says,” Ravenna said.
The godmothers fussed and fretted behind her, fairly buzzing with magic. All of them were. This was not the way to do this. Someone was going to explode and send their magic ricocheting around the room, and then where would Zuri be? Even more scared and confused.
“As far as I can tell, you don’t even have a physician in this town. Look at her! She needs medical attention.” Alec gestured to the lump on the bed.
Zuri sat up in bed. “Too bad you weren’t this concerned about my health and well-being when you lied to me for three months.”
“Zuri, I was confused. I didn’t . . .” He looked around. “Can we not do this in front of everyone?”
“You’re the one still talking.”
Ravenna nodded in agreement. “He is, isn’t he? We should make him stop.”
He wasn’t exactly sure what he could do to get Ravenna to turn it back a notch, but he had to try.
“Fine. I’m sorry, Zuri. I didn’t mean to hurt you. I’ll earn your trust again. I swear. Let’s just get through Anna and Jordan’s wedding, and then we can talk, okay?”
It seemed the godmothers must have sensed her will crumbling or something, because Petty kicked Phillip, Bluebonnet nudged him with her wand, and Jonquil just all out shoved him forward.
He stumbled and righted himself. “Not subtle,” he said to the godmothers.
“If this was the time for subtlety, Prince Charming, I wouldn’t be here.” Ravenna put her hand on her hip.
“Don’t call me that,” he said.
“Yeah, don’t call him that.” Alec frowned. “Just because he’s rich doesn’t make him better for Zuri than me.”
“There’s lots of things that make me better for Zuri than you, but that’s not up to us to decide, is it?”
“I’m going to leave you a bad review on Yelp,” Alec threatened.
“Same to you,” Phillip said.
“Oh, this is ridiculous,” Zuri cried. “Stop it.”
“Yes, it is. I’ll take you out of here. Let me take you to Springfield or Kansas City, somewhere where they have a real hospital and can take care of you. If you ever believed anything I’ve said, believe that. Please.”
Phillip actually believed that Alec wanted to help her. Only, he knew the cure wasn’t in any hospital or research facility. Not in any kind of known medicine to the outside world.
“I understand you want to help her, and I don’t want to get into a pissing contest with you—” Phillip started.
“You’d lose.”
“Oh, for fuc
k’s sake. Will you listen to me for one minute?” Speaking of losing, Phillip was about to lose his patience.
Alec snarled, but he motioned for Phillip to continue.
“Zuri has had a reaction to something local—”
“I knew he had to be one of those toxic frogs. I’m probably hallucinating all of this.” She scratched at her arm, but Ravenna slapped her hand away. “If I’m hallucinating, why does it itch? Oh, don’t tell me, I’m still out by the fountain tripping balls, and I’m getting stung to death by rabid mosquitoes that are going to drain me dry.”
“We don’t have mosquitoes in Ever After, dearie,” Petty said.
Phillip sighed. “She’s having an allergic reaction to some wildlife that is exclusive to Ever After. I can help her. My family has lived here for generations. We have a homegrown antidote, but we need you to—”
“If you think I’m going to trust her to some backwoods—”
“If you’ll let me finish, if the cure doesn’t work for her, and we’ll know pretty quickly if it will or it won’t, then you can take her, with her permission, to any hospital you choose.”
“I will not—” Alec began.
Zuri interrupted him. “This isn’t your choice to make. It’s mine.” She looked around to all the people who’d gathered in her bedroom. “I trust these people. I don’t trust you.”
“You would, if you’d let me explain.”
“I don’t know what there is to explain, Alec. Xander. Whatever your name is. You lied to me. You lied to Jenn.” She held up her hand before he could speak again. “The fact remains you didn’t tell either Jenn or me about what you were feeling. You would have married her that day without a second thought.”
“I had plenty of second thoughts,” Alec said.
“But you didn’t share them with anyone. Please, I’d like you to leave. I said we could talk, but maybe after I’m feeling better. Even though, I’m not sure what else there is to say.”
“Just that you’ll give me a chance to prove myself to you.”
“Right now, I’m really sick, and this is still about you.”
“I just need you to listen.”
Phillip recognized the plea in his voice. The need to be understood. The desperation to be told he wasn’t the one who was wrong. He had no pity for the man. He had to learn his lesson the same as Phillip had. He had to choose to be a better man.
Men Are Frogs Page 11
