Seasons of Love (Witches of Warren County)

by Summer Donnelly

  “How am I going to get through Thanksgiving?”

  Ashley Anna hugged her friend. “Talk to him, sweetie. Look him in the eye. Tell him the truth,” she said. “And then beg him to forgive you.”

  <<<>>>

  Jim

  Jim’s large hands handled his dad’s SUV with ease as he pulled it onto Key’s Corner Road.

  “How many people do they expect this year?” Madison asked from the passenger seat?

  Jim shrugged. “I don’t know. It’s usually a packed house.”

  “They probably only come in the hopes that Mother and Father will be there.”

  Jim frowned at his sister. He’d never considered her point. He supposed people liked the idea of catching the ear of the current mayor. “You may be right. Do you ever wish we were like everybody else?”

  His sister turned to him. “We are like everyone else, Jim,” she said, he eyes as fierce as her voice. “Sure, there are trust funds in our names, and we drive nice cars. But we’re just people. Not like we’re from outer space.”

  Jim frowned at his sister’s vehemence. “Problems with someone at school? Should I stop by the Academy after classes are back in session?”

  Madison shook her head. Her hair hid the lower curve of her face, but Jim’s quick glance told him she was blushing. “I don’t want to talk about it,” she said. “Look, there’s a parking space across the street.”

  Jim backed into the space giving him the perfect view of the Decker’s house and front porch. “How’s Bree doing these days?” he asked his sister.

  She shrugged. “She’s doing well. The winter formal is coming up in a few weeks and we’re going dress shopping on Friday.”

  Jim opened the car door for his sister. “Black Friday shopping? Sounds more like torture to me,” he said with a laugh. He opened the back seat and took out the double chocolate cake their cook made for them to bring.

  He looked up to see Bree look both ways before darting across the street. “Hey guys!” she greeted with her usual bubbly enthusiasm. Her silver-blue eyes were bright with holiday happiness. “Oh, tell me that’s Mrs. Fornel’s chocolate cake. Yum! I love Thanksgiving,” Bree gave a quick one-arm hug to Madison. “Ashley Anna is inside trying to keep Bobby from eating all the desserts. Let’s get this inside.”

  Jim frowned as his sister walked past Bree and into the house. “What’s going on with her?” he asked with a nod. An autumn breeze blew with the promise of winter. Bree’s hair blew into her face and with a smile, Jim tucked a strand behind her ear.

  She blushed and ducked her chin. He was on the verge of apologizing for his forwardness when she looked up at him with a shy but coquettish grin.

  Maybe things would work out between them just fine, Jim thought.

  Bree shook her head. “No clue. She’s being all mysterious about dating someone but she’s not talking about it much.”

  Jim took in the picture Bree made with her blue sweater and jeans. The dark blue made her silvery eyes look bluer. “You look lovely,” he said. He offered her his hand and she took it.

  “Thank you,” she said, her smile growing broader as she vibrated with happiness.

  Or cold, Jim thought. Maybe she’s just cold.

  But her hand fit within his and felt satisfying, he decided. Her small, slim hand complemented his. Like she complemented him. He smiled and for the life of him, couldn’t remember why he’d been so fascinated by Monique. He wished she had a coat on so they could have taken a walk before heading back to the house.

  They crossed the road and joined the rest of the Decker guests.

  “Jim,” Isabelle said as he approached. She hugged him as tightly as her growing baby bump would allow.

  “Hey, Iz,” Jim said, kissing Bree’s cousin on the cheek. He nodded to her husband, Nick Fox. Nick had been severely injured in the war and had only recently begun getting out into social situations. Jim wasn’t sure if it was any PTSD remnants or self-consciousness over his scars. Since there was no polite way to ask, he assumed both and did his best to watch for any subtle cues Nick needed an escape.

  “How’s school going? I’m sure you’re getting ready to finish up,” Nick commented as the crowd continued to grow.

  Jim eyed the older man. Tension rode him hard and Jim could tell he hated getting stared at by the arriving guests. “Do you want to find a quiet spot out on the back patio? If it’s not already going, we can get the fire pit going.”

  “I am all in on starting fires,” Nick said with a laugh. “Is there a quiet spot in the Decker house?”

  “Not usually, but the women tend to congregate in the kitchen while the last-minute cooking is going on. The men usually are in the den watching football. The kids are here in the living room until one of the adults decides they need to run off some steam.”

  “Patio sounds great. So, what are you studying again?”

  “Architecture,” Jim said. “My dad has some great dreams of me joining him or Uncle William in the family business, but I have my own ideas.”

  Bree

  Bree’s Jim-dar went off as he went outside with her Nick. Ugh. She wanted to hear Jim’s plans for the future, too!

  “Did you talk to him yet?” Ashley Anna said.

  “No. He just got here and then made a beeline for the backyard.”

  Ashley Anna didn’t respond. Didn’t argue. Didn’t try to convince her. Just looked at her.

  “Okay. I swear. Before Jim goes back to Rutgers, I will tell him everything. And then beg him for forgiveness.”

  “You’d better.”

  “Beg who for forgiveness?”

  “Oh, hey Madison,” Bree said, blushing hotly. “Nothing, really. Just you know. Stuff.”

  Bree had made it her policy to never lie. And considering the one time she did lie was to Jim and what a mess that was turning out to be, well. The truth was probably the best policy after all.

  “Does your mom need any help? I was looking for her, but I couldn’t seem to find her.”

  “Gabriella Teresa Decker!” The shout came from upstairs, and Bree’s jaw dropped. She hadn’t been middle named since the time in second grade when she’d given the cat a haircut.

  And no matter what her mother thought, Mrs. Whiskers had liked it.

  Julia Decker stood at the top of the stairs holding Monique’s phone.

  Bree looked up at her mother. Well. This was a plot twist she hadn’t anticipated.

  Had a thousand gallons of ice water rushed over her, Bree couldn’t have felt colder. Anxiety closed her throat and all she could do was look at her mother as she descended the stairs with the offending object.

  Just then, Nick and Jim came back into the living room. “Hey guys,” Jim called to the crowd around the latest video game. “Anyone want to head out for some football?”

  “I like baseball, instead.”

  Nick gave the little boy a high-five.

  “Your father and I gave you a phone, Gabriella. What is this one used for? To meet boys? To do drugs?”

  Bree’s jaw dropped at her mother’s implications. Self-righteous anger burned in her, and she opened her mouth to defend herself before realizing she was partially correct. She was using it to talk to boys. She felt Jim’s eyes burning a hole in the back of her head and was shocked at the undeniable desire to lie like a penny in a parking lot.

  “Oh, thank you so much for finding that for me, Mrs. Decker,” Ashley Anna said. “I must have left it here last time I spent the night and have been frantic over it.” She held her hand out for the phone, but Julia kept it in her hands. She looked from her daughter to Ashley Anna with deep suspicion.

  “Unlock it,” she said, handing it to Ashley Anna but eyeing up Bree.

  Bree was frozen in space and time and completely, utterly humiliated. She sensed Jim and her brother Drew coming up behind her.

  “What’s going on?” Drew asked.

  “Mom, do we have to do this now? We have a house full of guests.” Conversations
began to cease as she and her mother became the focus of everyone’s attention. Embarrassment washed over her like a cup of coffee. It was hot, rich, deep, and plentiful. Her cheeks burned with emotions and her mouth kept opening to say something and then closing as she reconsidered her words.

  Don’t ask her why she was in your room. Don’t ask her why she was in your room. Don’t ask…

  Bree swallowed. Asking would only be an admission of guilt.

  “Mrs. Decker, I’m sure you can understand I have personal things on my phone I don’t want to be shown to everyone in the room,” Ashley Anna said with icy, precise disdain. She slid the phone into her jean’s pocket. “The phone my parents gave me is for international calls. I wanted a phone I could use around town.”

  Julia continued to look suspicious but finally nodded. She turned to her daughter. “I was looking for your car keys so Drew could move your car for you,” Julia said. “I heard the phone go off and found it in your sock drawer.” She felt Jim tense behind her.

  Bree’s guilty conscience was screaming at her. Had Jim tried to text Monique from outside? Was the ruse over?

  Had she lost everything before it had even started?

  “Oh, that’s great,” Ashley Anna said, rolling her eyes. “You put my phone in your smelly sock drawer for safe keeping.”

  “My clean sock drawer,” she said to Ashley Anna. “And Mom, my keys are in my purse,” Bree said, struggling for equilibrium in a situation that had gone from sugar to shit within mere seconds. With a calmness she didn’t feel, she went into the mudroom off the kitchen to get them.

  “Thanks, Drew,” she said to her older brother as she handed them to him.

  Bree and Ashley Anna exchanged a long look. As soon as Julia Decker went back into the kitchen, Bree ran upstairs and Ashley Anna followed a few discrete minutes later.

  <<<>>>

  Bree lay on her bed, tears streaming down her cheeks and filling the whorls of her ears. The house was full of the warm and happy scents of Thanksgiving – turkey, stuffing, pies, and the over-arching sensation of warmth and family.

  She sat up as Ashley Anna entered the room. “You need to end this,” Ashley Anna said, tossing her the phone.

  Bree unlocked the phone and saw her suspicions were right. Jim had sent Monique a text while he’d been out on her patio. Right after she’d been flirting with her – Bree. Fresh tears welled as she considered this new betrayal.

  Ashley Anna picked up the phone and read. “I can’t play this game anymore, Monique. I’m ending it.”

  A full five seconds passed as Bree took the words in, processed them, and was able to respond. “He’s choosing me,” she said quietly.

  “They’re both you,” Ashley Anna pointed out. “But you still need to tell him.”

  Ashley Anna was right. Of course, she was right. But, still. “I do?”

  “Yes,” Ashley Anna hissed. She selected and deleted the entire chain of texts between Monique and Jim and then pressed delete. She powered the phone off and set it on the bed next to Bree. “I am going to enjoy dinner with your family. Go wash your face and let’s do this.”

  Bree stared at the phone and wondered, hardly for the first time, what had ever possessed her to begin trying to fool him.

  <<<>>>

  Bree

  In the end, Bree decided to wait until after Thanksgiving break to news to Jim. Shame and humiliation were hard pills to swallow. She wanted the ability to beat a hasty retreat to her car and go home if things went sideways.

  She took a senior school day by telling her guidance counselor she was going to visit the Rutgers University campus. It was true, as far as it went.

  Lies, she had learned, were best left to the professionals.

  Winter nipped at the heels as of her boots as she raced down Easton Avenue and scoped out possible meeting places. She briefly considered meeting back at the coffees shop Jim liked but disregarded the decision.

  If she was going to ruin everything about their relationship, she wanted to do it someplace new. A place without memories and one they could both avoid for forever.

  Jim

  Jim’s phone vibrated in his pocket. Meet me at Nuebies on Easton Ave at 4pm. Alone. Please.

  Jim stared at the screen for a long time before finally responding. It had been almost two weeks since his last contact with Monique. Her stubborn refusal to meet or respond to his requests for a face to face meeting had finally defeated him. He’d sent her a farewell text on Thanksgiving and had been done with it.

  Nuebies, he thought.

  So, whoever Monique was, she was familiar enough with the Rutgers campus to know Nuebies pizza was the place to be on a Friday night. Doubt crowded Jim’s mind. Could she really be a student here?

  “How will I recognize you?” he sent back.

  Ur smart. U’ll figure it out.

  He must know her, Jim decided. Maybe not her name, but she seemed damn familiar. Who the hell was she? He glanced at the clock on his phone. Guess he’d find out in another half an hour.

  30 minutes later

  Jim took a deep breath. He could do this, he decided. What was the worst thing that could happen? The worst thing that could happen is that Monique turned out to be real and he would have to explain to her that his heart belonged to Bree.

  He opened the door and was instantly greeted by the deliciously greasy scent of baking cheese and tomato sauce. The dining room was crowded with students and professors, each talking in a wild echo of jumbled noises that assaulted his ears after the relative quiet of the street.

  He scanned the room, looking for a familiar face — but hopefully not too familiar. He dreaded Monique turning into someone he actually knew. He scanned the room one more time but no one stood out in the crowded room.

  “Looking for me?” came a too familiar soft voice at his elbow.

  “Bree?” Jim said, frowning and turning to look at her. “What —” Realization dawned and his mouth opened with shocked horror and more than a little bit of hurt. “What are you doing here?”

  It couldn’t be true. What was going on in his head could simply not be true. Not Bree. He’d trusted her. Over everyone else in his life, he had trusted Bree.

  She shrugged and looked down at her worn sneakers.

  “Let’s go talk,” she invited. “I have a booth over there.” She took Jim’s hand in her own and led him to his seat.

  “I don’t want to stay here,” Jim said. Everything in him screamed to leave the scene. Of all the possibilities that had occurred to him, this one hadn’t been anywhere on his radar.

  “We need to talk.”

  He supposed they did.

  “You’re Monique, aren’t you?” He had to be sure. Had to hear her say it.

  Bree bowed her head and nodded. “Yes.”

  It all slid into place. The ease with which they could talk. The sense of familiarity. How close they got so soon.

  “You… lied to me? You…betrayed me?”

  Afraid his knees would give out, he slid into the booth and picked up the soda she’d ordered for him. She looked crestfallen but Jim’s mind and thoughts were spinning like a dervish.

  Pain pushed into him. Through him. Demanded release.

  “Most people think being a Harper must be wonderful,” Jim said. He wanted to get this out. Needed to put his thoughts into words. “Trust funds and family vacations to the nicest places. Good cars and an excellent education. And it is wonderful. But don’t think for a minute it doesn’t come with a cost.”

  She nodded, mute.

  His hazel eyes met hers with fierce determination. “Part of the problem is we can’t trust if people like us for ourselves or if they want access to a fortune. If they want to use us to get ahead or if they share our ideas and genuinely like us. Do you have any idea what that’s like? To go through the world not trusting anyone?”

  She shook her head, still refusing to meet his angry green gaze.

  “The sad thing is, I trusted you,
Bree. I trusted you. I never thought you’d lie to me. Never thought you’d do me like this.”

  Bree

  Breath caught in Bree’s throat and clogged it. She stared at him for a long moment without saying anything at all, wondering if she would stop breathing on the spot and die.

  Jim wasn’t angry with her at all. He was hurt! Tears welled in her silvery-blue eyes as she realized the breadth and width her small lie had taken on. “I was so lonely,” she said, her voice small and forlorn. “I needed you, but there was always this wall between us. How was I supposed to get past it? I thought if we were meeting for the first time you’d stop seeing me as twelve-year-old Bree and instead see me as an adult.” She sniffled. “As an almost adult.”

  Because if this experience had taught her anything, she was clearly not ready for adulthood. She pulled a wad of napkins out of the red plastic napkin holder and wiped her cheeks and blew her nose.

  “You have two brothers, two best friends, me. You have your mom and dad. Cousins. Why were you lonely?”

  Bree played with the hem of her shirt and wiped at the tears that continue to free fall down her cheeks. He was right. She had a ton of friends and family. Even Bobby, but at ten, he didn’t really count. She swallowed, aware she’d have to admit to a truth that haunted her in its intensity. Knowledge, once shared, which could not be ignored.

  “It wasn’t any of them I wanted to talk to,” she wailed. Hiccup. “It was you. But when Jim and Bree talked it was always about school or homework or reminding me to be careful. You wind up helping me with my homework or asking about college.” Hiccup. “I wanted it to just be about hopes and dreams. Feelings. Real stuff. The stuff we always have problems with.”

  “Look at me,” Jim said.

  Tears trembling on her lashes, Bree looked up at Jim. She bit her lip to keep it from quivering. “I’m so sorry. Except I’m not. I have learned so much more about you now than you ever let me see before.” A sob tore through her chest. “I had no idea you hated going to Harper Academy. No idea that you blamed yourself for your mom getting sick. You were my rock. My touchstone. I mean, when we first moved to Harper’s Mill, you were the first person to be nice to us. The first person Drew brought over.