Goddess, Awakened

by Cate Masters

  Joss and Annie set the food on the side tables and called everyone to eat.

  “I’ll eat later with you,” Eric said.

  “No, grab two seats and I’ll join you. After everything’s set.”

  No sooner had he filled a plate and sat down across from Lydia and Gram, the door opened. Kyle wiped his feet on the outdoor rug and came inside, unwinding the scarf from his neck.

  Joss and Annie emerged from the kitchen carrying reinforcements of rolls.

  Annie spied him first. “Kyle.”

  Meeting him as he strode toward the dining room, Joss threw her arms around him. “You’re just in time. Fill a plate and come sit.” She pulled out a chair beside her grandmother.

  Gram offered her cheek for Kyle to kiss. “Good thing you didn’t get here any later. This turkey smells too good to save any.”

  “Even for me?” he teased, and kissed Lydia.

  “Well, maybe for you.” Lydia poked him.

  He and Joss spoke good-naturedly, scooping food out of each serving dish. He took his seat, bantering with Lydia.

  In sitting, Joss briefly laid a hand on Eric’s shoulder. “How is everything?”

  “Never tasted a Thanksgiving meal more delicious.” He froze at Kyle’s stare, midway to bringing another forkful to his mouth.

  Her son glanced from him to her, his mouth a tight line.

  “Eat,” Gram urged. “Or no pie for you.”

  Stabbing his fork into the meat, he sliced, brought a morsel to his mouth and chewed.

  Joss, Gram and Lydia kept the conversation flowing, with Kyle shooting assessing glances at Eric. Shoving back his chair, Kyle stood, and lurched to the serving table.

  Flashing a smile, Joss followed. “I better set out dessert and start the coffee.”

  Approaching her son, she touched his shoulder. A questioning glance and jerk of his head told Eric what he couldn’t actually hear. Kyle wanted to know what was going on. Joss leaned closer to murmur something and kissed his cheek. Head bowed, Kyle nodded.

  Eric relaxed. It would be okay. Kyle might need time to get used to the idea, but he wouldn’t fight their relationship.

  After dinner, he helped Joss and Annie clear the table.

  Kyle came in the kitchen. “I’m headed out.” He turned to Eric. “I guess I’ll see you at Christmas?”

  “I’ll be here,” Eric said. And every Christmas after.

  “Where are you going?” Joss held out her son’s scarf.

  “Out with friends.” Kyle hugged her and yanked open the door.

  Eric hoped Kyle would soon adjust to seeing Joss with him. Time, he now knew, was too precious to waste. He and Joss had enough happiness to share.

  * * * *

  Joss went to the kitchen to prepare the containers for the Second Harvest pickup. Gram bustled in. “Do you mind if I have some tea?”

  “You don’t need to ask, Gram. Unless you want me to make it for you.”

  “I’m quite capable of helping myself, thank you.” Gram’s smile widened. “Kyle will learn to accept Eric.”

  “Eventually.” Joss smiled, towel-drying the dishes in the rack. Something had been bothering her since last summer. “When you said Eric’s memories were erased, did you mean his emotional memories too?”

  “Are you afraid his commitment to you is somehow linked to last summer?”

  “I don’t want this to be the result of some misplaced obligation, conscious or subconscious. I have to know he’d want me no matter what.”

  Gram’s face softened. “No one can erase memories of the heart, dear. They stay with us forever. If Eric held you in his heart before, it was his own doing. You needn’t worry.”

  “I need to know it’s real.” Her heart proved an unreliable navigator through the sometimes murky waters of love.

  “Your own heart can guide you. You can see it yourself.”

  She couldn’t deny the brilliance he emanated when near her, how it glowed when they made love, enveloping her in its warmth.

  “You’re a strong, wonderful woman. You have no need to fear.” Gram sipped.

  “Right. Because Iris is our ancestor.” Every day, she became more and more like a goddess in her own right. Eric’s belief enhanced her confidence.

  Gram smiled. “You would be strong and wonderful anyway.”

  “Thanks Gram.” Joss embraced her.

  The click of heels signaled Lydia’s entrance. “What’s wrong?”

  “Jocelyn needed some assurances about her relationship with Eric.”

  Joss rolled her eyes. “Gram.”

  Lydia clucked her tongue. “Why? You two are disgustingly cute.”

  “No, I have no doubt about him. I just want to be sure I’m ready.” The excuse sounded more flimsy each time she said it.

  Lydia took a bottle of wine from the fridge and filled a glass. “Don’t let him get away.”

  She had no intention of letting him. “We’re taking it slow.”

  Gram winked at Lydia. “There’ll be a wedding this spring.”

  “No.” A wisp of panic iced her skin. Spring would be too soon. “I said we’re taking it slow.”

  “Of course you did.” Gram raised her cup. “Don’t forget the lavender this time.”

  A knock on the back door absolved her of the need to respond. A wedding? Would she ever be ready to marry again?

  Only time would tell. Not Gram, or Lydia, or the grandfather clock. Joss would know when the time was right.

  * * * *

  People had stopped staring at them. They still gossiped, Eric knew. Before, it might have bothered him. Now, he could care less. A bubble of happiness insulated him from it. Being near her gave him a sense of satisfaction, excitement, contentment, eagerness. He couldn’t wait to wake up so he could see her again.

  Jogging downstairs the Saturday after Thanksgiving, he stopped short. Joss stood on a ladder against the side of the house. The sight of her sent a thrill through him. She must be hanging lights. A job he could help with.

  He took the stairs two at a time to change out of his running clothes to something more suitable for less strenuous activity. To compromise the loss of his exercise, he ran to her place.

  “Hey,” he called. “Need some help?”

  The smile she flashed warmed him more than his hooded sweatshirt.

  “Hey.” She climbed down, wrapped her arms around his neck and stood on tiptoe to kiss him. “You’re not busy?”

  “Believe it or not, no appointments today. Everyone must still be sleeping off their turkey dinner.”

  “You should take it easy then. You never take time off.”

  If things continued so well, he hoped to in the coming months. With her. “I’d rather be here with you.”

  Releasing him, she grinned. “You might be sorry you offered. I plan to go a bit crazy with decorations. I want this year to be extra special.”

  So did he. “Tell me what you need, and I’ll do it.”

  She fixed him with a stare like she didn’t quite recognize him, then spun into action. In less than two hours, the Second Empire Victorian looked like a ceramic Christmas house.

  Satisfied, he set his hands on his hips. “What do you think?”

  “I love it.” Nestling into his side, she gazed up. “Are you tired?”

  “No, why?”

  She nodded to the center window. “I plan to put the Christmas tree there.”

  “I could drive you.”

  “You wouldn’t mind?”

  He gave her a quick kiss. “I’ll go get my truck.” And the gift he’d been saving.

  In minutes, he returned to pick her up. As he expected, she knew exactly where she wanted to go. It ignited his hope she’d recognize her desire for him. No more doubts.

  * * * *

  The Christmas tree looked magical. Joss could think of no other word for it. The glass icicles, beaded snowflakes, wooden cranberry beads an
d the balls she’d collected since Kyle’s birth never looked so wonderful. She’d never before splurged on a blue spruce. Or enjoyed decorating the tree so much. Eric took the time to help make sure every ornament was positioned just right.

  They stood back to admire it.

  “Oh, and I brought you this.” He handed her a package wrapped in gold foil, with a gold tulle bow.

  She couldn’t imagine the gift inside being any more beautiful. “Christmas is weeks away.”

  “I’ll leave it under the tree. We can open it Christmas morning.”

  Reluctantly, she said, “Okay,” but the box emanated a strong presence in the room, hard to ignore. Passing through the foyer later, the gold wrapping paper glinted in the light. Curiosity got the best of her, and she opened it. Inside was a brass cricket for the fireplace. She’d mentioned it to him in passing, said she wanted one to bring her luck. She’d never imagined he’d paid attention, let alone find her one. Especially a year later.

  Lydia’s words whispered through the night. “A man will bring you a gift of luck. Wrapped in gold, as pure as his heart.”

  Carefully, she rewrapped it and set it back where he’d left it. If any doubt about Eric lingered, his gift erased it. Leaning against the chair, she watched the play of soft lights against the ceiling.

  Bare feet padded up, and Eric slid to the carpet beside her. “Dishes are done. Can I get you anything?”

  Laying her palm against his cheek, she knew the luck was not the cricket. It was Eric. “Yes. You.”

  “You already have me.” He turned serious. “I was going to wait to give you this, but…I’m tired of waiting.” Out of his pocket, he drew out a small black velvet box.

  Her breath escaped her. “What is it?”

  “I know you have lots of people who care for you. I want to take care of you. I want to be the one you want to be with. To tell your troubles to. To tell jokes to—it doesn’t matter what it is you say. I want to be the one you turn to. I want to take care of you, Joss, as well as you take care of everyone else.”

  Words choked in her throat.

  “I know this seems too sudden. Believe me, it’s not. I’ve been fighting myself since the first time I saw you because I never wanted to need anyone else again. Now I can’t imagine life without you. I hope you feel the same way.”

  “Eric—”

  He held up a hand. “I admit I have flaws. Many flaws, but hey, no one’s perfect.”

  “I’m not perfect either.” Even goddesses had flaws. Sometimes fatal ones.

  “Until I met you, I didn’t know how lonely I was. I used to just go through the motions of my life. Then I’d wake up and think, maybe I’ll see Joss today, and this incredible lightness would lift up my loneliness and I couldn’t wait to start my day because I knew you were out there.” He heaved a breath. “It’s not enough anymore. I want to wake up and see you before anything else. To hold you sleeping beside me.”

  “Eric—”

  Soft urgency filled his frustrated tone. “Stop arguing with me, Joss.”

  She grasped his hands. “I’m not.”

  Confused, he shrugged. “You’re not?”

  “No. I want the same thing.”

  “You do?”

  Sliding her arms around his neck, she looked into his eyes, steely-gray but sparkling with warmth. “Of course. I love you.” She could think of nothing better than taking care of him. Except for taking care of each other.

  Chapter 27

  As the music started, guests turned in their chairs, shielding their eyes against the sun. Joss strolled through the flower-decorated arch carrying a bouquet of iris and lavender. Sitting with Aunt Lydia, Gram dabbed at her eyes. Just beyond, waiting on the stone bridge, Eric shifted his feet. Nervous—a good sign. Smiling—a better sign.

  The lavender had begun to bloom again. So had Joss’s life.

  With each step she took, the ground hummed in contentment. In her mind, she saw the veins beneath the earth. Like molten gold—flowing, humming, alive. Every plant and tree reached its roots toward the ley line, hungry for the warmth and nourishment. The line sent its power toward her too. It no longer panicked her. She acknowledged its tingling sensation, but let it pass over her rather than absorbing it. She halted next to Eric, comfortable she could fulfill her earlier pledge. And the pledge she was about to make now.

  As she recited her vows, her heart soared over the moon. The rest of her might have followed if he hadn’t held her hands, grounding her. Promising to keep her. This time, she wanted to be kept. She’d also entwined lavender in her hair. The sacred way to retain female power, Gram said.

  Joss didn’t need a talisman for that. She would never relinquish herself again. Through both words and actions, Eric had made it plain he would never ask her to.

  Rather than struggling against one another, they were of one mind, one heart. When she told Eric she already had everything she could possibly want, he agreed they would ask guests to donate to their favorite charity rather than give gifts.

  When Aunt Lydia asked if she wanted a reading of their future, Joss told her no. She already knew it would be wonderful.

  Especially when Kyle hugged her before the ceremony, and said, “I’m happy for you.” Touching his cheek, the warmth of his spirit vibrated through her palm. His guest might have something to do with it, Joss suspected. The tender way he looked at the girl whose arm linked with his filled her heart with happiness.

  The minister declared them married, and Joss smiled up at Eric. A flash of gold shot through the air, and a gust of wind was a warm puff of breath, riffling through her hair, stirring the leaves in the trees, filling her with delight at Zephyrus’s salute.

  “Look, a rainbow. And it didn’t even rain,” someone said.

  Beyond the lavender field, along the ley line between the inn and Eric’s veterinary practice, a vivid rainbow glimmered.

  Such a gorgeous gift. “Thanks, Iris.”

  At the reception, Gram kissed her cheek. “Keep some sprigs of lavender on the bedside table.”

  Lydia touched her wrist. “And when it’s not in season, make lavender potpourri for your bedroom.”

  “Why?”

  Gram and Lydia exchanged mischievous smiles. Gram asked, “Didn’t you know?”

  Lydia finished her thought. “Lavender’s a potent aphrodisiac.”

  Joss couldn’t hold back her own mischievous smile. “I don’t foresee us needing it, but I’ll keep it in mind.”

  In the Second Empire of Jocelyn Gibson, she would rule with love.

  Cate Masters

  Multipublished, award-winning author Cate Masters has made beautiful central Pennsylvania her home, but she’ll always be a Jersey girl at heart. When not spending time with her dear hubby, she can be found in her lair, concocting a magical brew of contemporary, historical, and fantasy/paranormal stories with her cat Chairman Maiow and dog Lily as company. Look for her at www.catemasters.com, http://catemasters.blogspot.com and in strange nooks and far-flung corners of the web.

  Also by Cate Masters

  Rock Bottom

  Lyrical Press books are published by

  Kensington Publishing Corp. 119 West 40th Street New York, NY 10018

  Copyright © 2014 CATE MASTERS

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means without the prior written consent of the publisher, excepting brief quotes used in reviews.

  Lyrical Press and the L logo are trademarks of Kensington Publishing Corp.

  First Electronic Edition: JULY 2014

  ISBN-13: 978-1-61650-630-8

 

 

 
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