Page 63 of Bargains with Benefits
The bed of moonflowers, tucked against the southern side of the building, bloomed with our approach. I paused, not wanting to disturb them.
Vincent’s hands rested on my hips as he stood behind me. “I think they know you’re here.” His lips pressed against my neck.
I reached inside for that quiet place. The moonflowers always bloomed for me, but there was also a lingering warmth beneath my skin as they did. I felt it now, so I stepped away from Vincent and fell to my knees before the flowerbed. My fingers pressed into the dirt, which, as I was beginning to suspect, was damp.
“I think I water them without realizing it.”
Vincent’s head tilted to the side when I glanced over my shoulder. “You used magic?”
“I think so,” I said hesitantly. “Maybe unconsciously.”
He fell to his knees beside me, his hand reaching for the soil. He sniffed the air. “Yes, of course. Moonflower and juniper is the scent of your magic.” He searched the area around us as if it would give us clues as to what provoked the scent.
I glanced up. My fingers found their way to the pendant he’d given me—the moon’s phases. Then, I met his gaze. “I know what it is.”
I felt his eyes on me even as my face lifted to the moon’s light—the caveat to my magic. “I love being out at night. As a child, it was always my favorite to stay out late enough for the moon and stars to shine. Here, it’s one of my favorite times of the day.” I hesitated. “I only have one negative memory in the moonlight. The night Darius saved me from drowning.” I canted my head in thought. Like so many with my father, that memory needed to be re-examined in a new light. It had never made sense to me why he’d been on that beach. It had also been the only night I’d stayed at the inn. I feared what else I would learn from the memory holding the door shut.
“On one of my last trips here with my mom, we went to the water late at night. The current was strong,” I recounted. “It pulled me from her. I only remember waking in the center of the cyclone near the beach I first took you to.”
Recognition flashed in his gaze. “I suspected that beach meant something to you. Sorry, I didn’t know.”
I shook my head. “It was important for me to remember. Darius pulled me from the water. I always assumed I’d gotten lucky, that his water magic had saved me. Now I wonder...if I saved myself.”
“Maybe we should go check it out?” Vincent suggested.
I shook my head. “No. Let’s go to the locked room.”
He took my hand and followed me to the door that stood between me and saving the property I loved.
After our visit to Pierce House tonight, I knew my father would give me more time for the inn if needed. We hadn’t had time to discuss it, but something had triggered him to try and establish our relationship now. Mom had been gone for a few years. I didn’t know why he chose now—maybe because Byrd had quit—but I knew if I told him my progress, he’d give me the time I needed to fix the inn.
But I felt so close.
I wanted to do it now.
I knelt before the locked door with the moonlight streaming in through the window at the end of the hallway. Vincent stood a step away to let me work. The calm was there—quiet and comforting. It rumbled to a low roar at my command, like a rushing wave ready to crash over the shore. I pushed away the fears. Tonight, I’d learned so much and hadn’t let the weight of it crush me. Whatever the memory, I could face it. My water magic surged. I wrapped my hand around the doorknob and twisted.
I wasn’tsure what I was seeing, exactly. Like many others I’d cleaned over the last few weeks, the room was just a room. What confused me the most was that my parents stood in it. They looked muted, toned down from the vibrancy of life. This was a memory. I wasn’t yet sure whose.
“Why did you bring her here?” Mom asked, hands on her hips. She was soaking wet and spitting mad. The plummeting feeling in my stomach told me I could no longer avoid admitting that I knew exactly when this was. My gaze raked the room, and I noticed a figure shifting under the covers. She was small and tucked in tight like someone had taken the time toswaddle her in as many blankets as they could find, but her blond streaks were visible from here.
It was me. asleep in the large bed.
“I didn’t know where you were. My priority was getting her dry and making her feel safe,” Darius whisper-hissed at Mom. “When were you going to tell me, by the way,” he asked sardonically, “that she has magic?”
Mom stepped back, eyes widening at his words. “She doesn’t.”
“I think she does, Meredith,” he said pointedly. “And it saved her life.”
“Don’t say things like that,” Mom hissed.
Darius leaned into her space. “I found her in the water on the other side of the cliff. She had created a whirlpool and set herself at its center.” He held her gaze. “I don’t even want to think about what would have happened if she hadn’t.” He ran his hand through his hair. “What were you thinking?”
Mom exploded. “I won’t have you questioning my parenting. You wouldn’t survive one full day with her on your own?—”
“You never gave me the chance!” Darius cut in. “I will happily take as many as I can have!”
“That’s not the point,” Mom said. “She doesn’t belong with you. She belongs with me.”
