events.
“Good to see you, Jack.” Holly smiled.
I bristled, unsure how Jack would take seeing her again. She was the one who had stripped him of his memory, something he already seemed to have forgotten over the past few hours. Well, that was until he was face-to-face with her.
“Holly.” He nodded at her. “I’m not going to shake your hand, but know it’s because I want to keep the memories, not because I’m being a rude ass.”
“Oh, of course. Totally understandable.”
I sighed. That went better than expected.
Jack pulled up two chairs, one for me, one for him. I sat next to him.
“Ok, so back to what I was going to suggest.” Ian broke the awkward silence. “I think we need a Locality Spell .”
I looked at him. “Who are we trying to find? I don’t even know who the cloaked men are. We don’t have names.”
My brother’s voice softened. “Ivy, we need to find Finn.”
Holly gasped. She probably didn’t mean to, but I was glad someone could express what I was feeling.
“Finn?” I stuttered his name. It didn’t seem right to say it with Jack in the room, especially not after what we just talked about.
“Who’s that?” Jack asked.
Ian seemed to be the calmest of the group. I let him take the lead. “He’s my friend, another detective on the SGPD.”
“And he’s missing?” Sometimes I forgot how Jack could zip into reporter mode.
Holly chimed in. “Not missing so much as he’s on a vacation.”
Jack arched one eyebrow. “Vacation? And we need him? He’s one of you, I’m guessing.”
My heart was in my stomach. I thought I might be sick right here in front of everyone. I ran to the bathroom and slammed the door behind me. I turned on the cold water and splashed my face. Get control, Ivy. Control this.
I hadn’t thought any of this through. Jack’s passion hit me like a boulder, and I had stupidly almost completely given in to a crush I had burned for three years. What was I thinking? I patted a cold washcloth on my neck. I stopped it, I reminded myself. I stopped it.
“Honey, you ok?” Holly called through the door.
I cracked it to let her in. I shook my head.
“Hold on.” She pushed me toward the tub and pointed at the door. “Barrier.” She called the spell, and I saw the sound barrier form along the bathroom wall. “We don’t need anyone to hear this. We can talk. What happened?”
I let the floodgates open, and the tears pour from my eyes. “I kissed him. Like an idiot.”
“Oh, that’s exciting.” Her voice said one thing and her eyes something entirely different.
“Yeah, it would have been exciting if I had just let my hormones take over. People’s lives are at stake. His life.” I pointed to the door. “And Finn’s. Oh my God, what have I done?” I buried my face in my hands. “Now he’s mad and confused. It’s a disaster.”
“Ivy, you have had a thing for Jack for years. Stop beating yourself up. Besides, we don’t have time for you to wallow in regret. We need you.” She shook my shoulders.
“But did I cheat on Finn? Because right now, I feel like a big cheater. Like the kind that should wear a scarlet letter.”
“No! You did not cheat. Besides, since when is kissing and making out cheating? Finn’s been gone for nine months. He left you for that quest. You are officially on the biggest break, so you can do whoever you want.” She smiled. “And I have to say, nice choice.”
I smacked her arm. “Hey.”
“You know what I mean. If you’re going to be with someone else, why not the guy you’ve crushed on forever? It seems perfectly normal to me. You dated Evan and you didn’t seem to have this kind of guilt over it.”
“True, but I think that was different from the beginning. Jack is Jack. He’s my— I don’t even know how to describe him.”
She sighed. “He’s your human. That’s what he is.”
Holly would always support me, but deep down, I knew she was pulling for Finn to finish his quest and get home.
“Good to see you, Jack.” Holly smiled.
I bristled, unsure how Jack would take seeing her again. She was the one who had stripped him of his memory, something he already seemed to have forgotten over the past few hours. Well, that was until he was face-to-face with her.
“Holly.” He nodded at her. “I’m not going to shake your hand, but know it’s because I want to keep the memories, not because I’m being a rude ass.”
“Oh, of course. Totally understandable.”
I sighed. That went better than expected.
Jack pulled up two chairs, one for me, one for him. I sat next to him.
“Ok, so back to what I was going to suggest.” Ian broke the awkward silence. “I think we need a Locality Spell .”
I looked at him. “Who are we trying to find? I don’t even know who the cloaked men are. We don’t have names.”
My brother’s voice softened. “Ivy, we need to find Finn.”
Holly gasped. She probably didn’t mean to, but I was glad someone could express what I was feeling.
“Finn?” I stuttered his name. It didn’t seem right to say it with Jack in the room, especially not after what we just talked about.
“Who’s that?” Jack asked.
Ian seemed to be the calmest of the group. I let him take the lead. “He’s my friend, another detective on the SGPD.”
“And he’s missing?” Sometimes I forgot how Jack could zip into reporter mode.
Holly chimed in. “Not missing so much as he’s on a vacation.”
Jack arched one eyebrow. “Vacation? And we need him? He’s one of you, I’m guessing.”
My heart was in my stomach. I thought I might be sick right here in front of everyone. I ran to the bathroom and slammed the door behind me. I turned on the cold water and splashed my face. Get control, Ivy. Control this.
I hadn’t thought any of this through. Jack’s passion hit me like a boulder, and I had stupidly almost completely given in to a crush I had burned for three years. What was I thinking? I patted a cold washcloth on my neck. I stopped it, I reminded myself. I stopped it.
“Honey, you ok?” Holly called through the door.
I cracked it to let her in. I shook my head.
“Hold on.” She pushed me toward the tub and pointed at the door. “Barrier.” She called the spell, and I saw the sound barrier form along the bathroom wall. “We don’t need anyone to hear this. We can talk. What happened?”
I let the floodgates open, and the tears pour from my eyes. “I kissed him. Like an idiot.”
“Oh, that’s exciting.” Her voice said one thing and her eyes something entirely different.
“Yeah, it would have been exciting if I had just let my hormones take over. People’s lives are at stake. His life.” I pointed to the door. “And Finn’s. Oh my God, what have I done?” I buried my face in my hands. “Now he’s mad and confused. It’s a disaster.”
“Ivy, you have had a thing for Jack for years. Stop beating yourself up. Besides, we don’t have time for you to wallow in regret. We need you.” She shook my shoulders.
“But did I cheat on Finn? Because right now, I feel like a big cheater. Like the kind that should wear a scarlet letter.”
“No! You did not cheat. Besides, since when is kissing and making out cheating? Finn’s been gone for nine months. He left you for that quest. You are officially on the biggest break, so you can do whoever you want.” She smiled. “And I have to say, nice choice.”
I smacked her arm. “Hey.”
“You know what I mean. If you’re going to be with someone else, why not the guy you’ve crushed on forever? It seems perfectly normal to me. You dated Evan and you didn’t seem to have this kind of guilt over it.”
“True, but I think that was different from the beginning. Jack is Jack. He’s my— I don’t even know how to describe him.”
She sighed. “He’s your human. That’s what he is.”
Holly would always support me, but deep down, I knew she was pulling for Finn to finish his quest and get home.
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