Joel rubbed one hand over the back of his neck. “I guess I could look for a place to rent short term. See how it goes.”
It was the chance he was waiting for to kill two birds with one stone. Joel would have a place to stay and Christine would be where she belonged. Magni smiled at his son as the pieces of his life, including the ones he didn’t realize were missing, finally fell into place.
“I think I know of a little place that might be available soon if you’re interested.”
****
“So we don’t know any more than we did before?” Jerrik’s glare moved between Hagen and Magni.
Magni leaned forward and gave his nephew a warning look. “Careful with that.” He didn’t want to have to kick Jerrik’s ass. Not right now. “You’re walking a thin line.”
“Rhea and Christine went out and something happened but they won’t tell us what’s going on.” Hagen still looked just as pissed as he did yesterday morning. “I tried to get more out of her last night and she wouldn’t give it up.” He turned to Magni. “You have any luck?”
“Didn’t try.” Magni pulled out a stick of gum and shoved it in his mouth. He needed a damn smoke. Instead of getting easier, each day was harder than the last. “Not going to either.”
“Who’s got the dick here?” Jerrik stood up from his chair. “Who’s in charge? You or your women?”
Magni leaned back in his seat as a low chuckle turned into a full laugh. Hagen’s shoulder’s shook beside him. Magni pointed at Jerrik. “You just wait. They chew you up and spit you out.” He shook his head. “The worst part is you fuckin’ like it and keep coming back for more.”
“I can’t wait to watch it.” Hagen looked up to the ceiling of Jerrik’s office. “God willing it will be a hell of a show.”
“Fuck you guys.” Jerrik walked to the door. “I’ll go find out myself.”
“I’d be careful. Last person who pissed them off shit their pants.” Hagen gave Magni a sideways glance.
“So we just let it go? Let the fucker keep killing things and who knows what else?” Jerrik shoved a hand through his blonde hair. “I can’t do that.”
“You have to.” Magni tipped his head toward the desk. “Sit back down. We’re not done talking yet.”
Jerrik lifted a brow. He looked at his brother. Hagen shrugged.
Magni waited till his youngest nephew was back in his chair. Hopefully they felt the same way he did about their cousin, otherwise he might have a fight on his hands yet. “I asked Joel to stay and help out.”
Hagen and Jerrik stared at each other for a long second. Finally Jerrik looked his way. “How did he feel about that?”
“Wanted me to clear it with you two first but as long as you were on board he thought he might hang around for a while.” Magni was more impressed with Joel each time they spoke. He was reserved in a way most Wolffsen men weren’t. “I figure he’d be great in the woods on either end. He could take out groups or be with me. Your call.”
Hagen’s head bobbed in a slow nod. “I think it’s a great idea.”
“This is where he should have been in the first place.” Jerrik scowled. “That bitch has yet to show her face in town.”
“Not true. She went into the gallery when Rhea was there. Probably because Rhea wouldn’t know who she was.” Hagen snorted. “Rhea was pissed as hell when she figured it out. I had to talk her down from trying to read every person in a ten mile radius from now on.” He shrugged his shoulders. “I can’t believe Lori hasn’t skipped town yet. I think it’s been made pretty clear she’s not welcome here.”
“She’s staying.”
Both boys looked at Magni.
“Bought a place supposedly.”
“You’re shittin’ me.” Jerrik leaned up in his seat. “Why in the fuck would she want to come back here? Especially since everyone knows what she did.”
“I think she might be crazy.” Hagen looked at Magni. “And not in the good way.”
“I think she fried too many damn brain cells smoking what she was growing.” Jerrik slid the file on his desk toward Hagen. “If you want some light reading here’s all the shit Craig and I were able to dredge up on her.”
Hagen eyed the folder. “Do I even want to know?”
“The condensed version is she went to live on a commune in California that she turned into a medicinal pot farm using an alias.” He tipped his head from side to side. “It looks like she probably didn’t operate in the legal parameters she was supposed to and the law threatened to shut her down which by sheer luck on her part coincided with Craig’s letter to her about Joel.”
“What does she know about us?” Hagen turned to Magni.
Jerrik looked up from the file. “Jesus. I didn’t even think of that.”
Magni shook his head. “I never told her anything.”
Both boys relaxed back in their seats. “Let’s just ride it out then. Hopefully she’ll lose interest and fade away.”
The door opened behind them. Christine jumped back as all three men stood up simultaneously. “Oh. Sorry. I didn’t realize you were all in here.” She stood still, looking from one man to the next. “I’ll let you get back to it then.” She started to leave.
Jerrik rounded the desk. “Did you need something Christine?”
Magni watched as her attention focused on his nephew. Christine’s eyes scanned Jerrik’s face. She reached out and grabbed his arm. Her pupils dilated for a split second before she released him and smiled. “Nothing important.”
She turned to Magni. “Are you going to be here long?”
Magni stood up, shoving his chair back with his legs.
“Nope.”
17
Christine woke to the smell of coffee and bacon. She stretched in the giant bed and slid from under the covers to creep down the hallway. Magni was in the kitchen, jeans loose around his hips as he stood in front of the stove, his back to her.
She held onto the wall and peeked around the corner, watching him. He cleaned as he went, flipping bacon and cracking eggs, making breakfast for her just as he did each of the last three mornings, letting her sleep until it was done and on the table.
This was the side of him he didn’t show the world. Before Christine thought Magni was simply the contentious grump who went around doing whatever he wanted, whenever he wanted, making no apologies to anyone for anything. He was a force to be reckoned with and didn’t let anything or anyone stand in the way of getting what he wanted.
That was the Magni she knew could be strong enough to have her. A man who could knock down her walls and barrel through, fighting his way into her heart.
But she was wrong.
Magni didn’t knock anything down. He didn’t barrel through.
But he was in her heart just the same.
Damn him. Again.
Two sides of the same man who ganged up on her and wormed their way into her life in the most contradicting of ways.
One side was the man who got up every morning to cook for her. The man who was tidy and neat. The man who was sensitive and gentle. That was the man who made her feel safe and cherished.
But he was also the man who stood up to her. Pushed back when she goaded him, made Christine feel strong enough to do things she never had any intention of doing. Like letting the visions happen again. Like letting people in her life.
Both sides were compelling, enticing, fascinating.
And together they had the power to ruin her.
It was something Christine wanted and feared at the same time. Real closeness with another person. Until now there hadn’t been a man with enough staying power to weather the constant barriers she put up, blocking any sort of serious relationship. Not until Magni.
A year ago it would have been perfect. All sunshine and rainbows. Not now.
Now the game had changed.
Before, the list of reasons she kept people at arm’s length didn’t actively include cancer. Magni might be strong enough to stand by her si
de, but that didn’t mean he deserved to suffer along with her, or worse, without her.
Not after the pain he already had to endure because of a woman.
Christine swallowed hard and blinked a few times. She couldn’t hurt him. Not like that.
Magni jumped as the bacon popped.
Christine sucked in a deep breath through her nose, and gave her head a quick shake. She pushed on a smile. “Frying bacon shirtless is never a great idea.”
Magni turned and leaned down, a loose piece of dark hair falling in his eyes as he looked through the open gap between the upper and lower cabinets. He pointed at her with the spatula in his hand, a wicked twinkle in his eye. “Are you offering yours?”
She looked down at the t-shirt she slept in. It wasn’t actually hers. Christine crossed her arms and pinched the hem of Magni’s shirt between her fingers barely clearing her thighs before he grabbed her, closing the distance between them in the blink of an eye.
“You should probably keep it on if you want to get anything done today.” He nuzzled her neck. “But if you changed your mind and wanted to stay in today...”
Christine pushed at the hard plane of his stomach. “Rhea would kill me.” She shivered as he nipped at her ear. “I promised I would bring her all the jewelry I had finished.” She wiggled free of his hold and stepped backward down the hall pointing toward the kitchen. “Go flip that bacon before it burns.”
Magni saluted her with the spatula in one hand, his blue eyes still smoky with desire as he watched her walk away. “Yes ma’am.”
Christine slipped into the bathroom and shut the door, clicking the lock into place. She took a deep breath to prepare herself and pulled his shirt up, angling her body at the mirror. Gently, she moved the soft fullness of her breast to get a better look at the spot the needle went into her skin. Thank God he didn’t let her take off the shirt. She had one hell of a bruise from the biopsy yesterday and the concealer from last night was almost completely worn off.
She huffed out a sigh and dropped the shirt back into place. What was she going to do if it came back positive? How in the world could she put Magni through something like this?
She couldn’t. There was no way she would be selfish enough to drag him down with her just so she wasn’t alone. Christine could never use him like that knowing what it would do to him if something happened to her.
But that would mean giving up on something she’d longed for her whole life and never expected to have. Understanding. Acceptance. Patience. Strength.
And it would mean lying to Magni again.
There was a soft tap on the door. “Hungry?”
Christine laid one hand on the door as she looked in the mirror at her reflection. What would be worse? Letting Magni think she didn’t want him or making him watch her suffer?
God she hoped she didn’t have to decide.
****
“How are things?” Rhea dropped Annabelle into Christine’s arms and peeked into the large storage box Christine set on the counter. “What are these?”
Rhea pulled out one of the glass pendant necklaces Christine worked up last night before Magni got back in from helping Hagen take out a night group. She held it up and gave it a gentle twist. “I always think I couldn’t possibly like anything better than the last thing you made,” she looked past the necklace at Christine, “and every time you go and prove me wrong.”
Christine cooed down at Annabelle. “You’re mommy is crazy.”
Rhea scoffed. “Learn to take a compliment lady.” She pulled out the other three necklaces. “These are gorgeous.”
“I thought maybe people would like them because they are like the lights going into the diner.” She pointed to the price tag. “They’re a little more expensive so I didn’t make too many in case they don’t sell.”
“I wouldn’t worry about them selling.” Rhea picked up the box of jewelry Christine brought with her and set it beside the display table Magni made. “I can’t keep your jewelry in stock.” She carefully draped a necklace into one of the narrow felt covered grooves in the table. “You need to bring me some of your business cards for your online business so I can put them out.”
“I could probably do that.” Christine went through boxes of the things since she sent one with each order. “I’ll need to check and see if I have a holder for them.”
“I’ll mention it to Magni.” Rhea gave her a sly grin. “I bet I’ll have a hand carved one with inlaid gold stripes by tomorrow.” She looked pointedly at Christine. “Morning.”
Christine couldn’t smother the smile his name brought to her lips even if she wanted to. And she wanted to. Just in case she...
Just in case.
“He does amazing work.” Christine wanted to keep any conversation about Magni casual because at this moment he was a touchy subject for her. One minute she was smiling because of him.
The next she cried.
Because as scary as it was to consider going through surgery, radiation and possibly more again, the threat of cancer was nothing compared to how she felt about the possibility that Magni would be out of her life.
And she would have to put him there.
“Amazing work.” Rhea rolled her eyes. “Listen. I get that you’re a private person and I get that you have reasons for being that way but for the love of God, you know I’m your friend and I would like to be an active part of your life right?”
Christine raised her eyebrows and shot Rhea a grin. “I don’t ask you about Hagen do I?”
“Probably because you’re sick to death of hearing about it after all those years.” Rhea rubbed her temples. “I can only imagine what it was like to deal with Gail after you told her about what you saw.”
“You have no idea.” Christine went quiet remembering the sight in her mind’s eye of the two of them. It was a reminder that what she did was not always bad. Only usually bad. “That was one of the clearest visions I ever had. You would have been what,” Christine did the math in her head, “three or four when I had it?”
It was just after she told Magni about what she saw happen to Lori, part of it anyway. He told his brother. His brother told Gail. They probably all had a big conversation about the little girl who was so in love with Magni that she made up a story about his wife being out of his life.
Then Lori was gone, just like Christine said she’d be and while Magni shut down, never looking her way again, Gail was shocked and fascinated. “That’s how Gail and I became friends. She was one of the few people who wasn’t terrified of what I did. With her I felt accepted.” Christine looked at Rhea. “To a fault.”
“She still thinks you’re amazing.” Rhea pointed at her. “And she’s right. But it makes me wonder why didn’t you at least tell her when you were sick last time?”
Because it was just like telling people about a vision they didn’t want to hear. Unpredictable. Messy. Taxing. “Opening up isn’t as simple as it sounds. Not for me. It was easier to say nothing than to pick and choose what you share.”
Rhea’s head snapped up to look at her, realization narrowing her brown eyes. “Did you hear from your doctor?”
Christine’s stomach clenched. Rhea was going to be hurt she waited this long to tell her. The truth was if things played out differently she would never have told anyone anything about the extra tests because old habits were hard to break.
And old fears were impossible to shake.
But now she had to tell someone. Not because she wanted to, but because she had to. You can’t drive yourself home after being sedated.
And she was tired. Tired of holding in secrets and tired of hiding the truth from everyone.
“Yes.”
If there was anyone in this world who could handle what was happening, it was Rhea. She would be like her mother was. Rhea would help her fight. Keep her strong.
Rhea stood silent for a minute. “Is it bad?”
Christine gave her a half shrug. “I don’t know yet.” She looked down at Ann
abelle, swaying just a little, trying to calm the nerves eating at her stomach. “They did a needle biopsy yesterday and I should know soon how that went.”
“Why didn’t you tell me? I would have gone with you.” Rhea stepped to her side. Her eyes dropped. “I wish I was the one meant to help you with this.” Her friend swallowed hard. This was the dark side of what they did. One of the most difficult parts was realizing and accepting the limitations of what you could do and the boundaries the universe put in place.
“Me too.” Christine bumped Rhea with her hip. “But you can’t have all the fun.” She gave her friend a smile. “Dr. Pashal is wonderful which is part of why I didn’t tell you. I had her.”
“That’s not the same and you know it.” Rhea blew out a frustrated sounding breath. “Why do you insist on pretending you can do everything alone?”
Because people didn’t like to be burdened. Not by the things she could see and certainly not by the things she couldn’t. “It’s just easier.”
“Is it?” Rhea’s eyes were sharp but soft. “Easier for who?”
“People don’t like to deal with things that aren’t what they want to hear.” Christine glanced down as Annabelle shifted in her arms. She took a deep breath and tried to speak calm and soft. “There’s no reason to get someone upset until I know what’s going on.”
“You have to tell him.”
Christine looked up as the soft feel of Rhea’s energy surrounded. “We had a deal.”
Rhea shook her head. “Deals off the table.” One brow lifted. “I love you enough to pry into your life until I know you aren’t hurting yourself under some ridiculous notion that you’re doing it to protect me.”
Christine blew out a breath. If she’d known Rhea was going to be like this she would have held back a little longer. At least until she knew for sure she was going to need a ride to the hospital. “You’re a pain in the ass.”
Rhea smiled. “I know, right?” She sobered, the line of her mouth firm but her eyes still soft. “You still have to tell him.”
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