Page 101 of Too Cursed To Kiss
Whoa.
I dashed into the bathroom. The tiny scratch on my cheek was bleeding—BLUE blood.
Not human.
That echoed in my head. So things weren’t quite basic new-normal. I was Eim descended? Or changed by Agatha? Or different in this timeline?
Back in the main room, I surveyed my decorating. I liked the new vibe of the place. Cozy. I eyed the phone, wondering what Gentry’s situation was. First, I changed my clothes, cringing when I put on the ugly red Save-Mor shirt. Why couldn’t an alternate Harlan have found another decent job? I grabbed the phone, then picked up my leather jacket off the chair. On the seat was the family album.
I rummaged in the jacket pockets and the shock of pulling out the ring was like the best birthday and the worst Christmas gift all in one. The uncracked red stone was dull and lifeless. Was that good? Goddamn it. Now I was thekeeper of two artifacts? The marble would be gone forever now, but where was Wald?
That I would figure out after work. If I was later than fifteen minutes, my boss would start deducting it from my paycheck. No matter how much had improved, I still lived here—which meant I wasn’t rolling in money yet.
With the phone squished between shoulder and ear, I called Gentry, while setting out fresh food for Clove in the immaculate kitchen.
The call connected. “Auntie Harlan, it’s about time.”Auntie?Gentry’s gruff voice filtered through me like bubbly wine. I mean I hated the bastard, but I’d never wanted him dead.
“You sound happy. How’s theMollytonight?” I asked, playing along.
“You know I don’t touch that stuff anymore. Just get your butt over here. I have a job for you.” A baby cried in the distance.
My heart sang. The visit to Britannia’s past must have paid off. “I’m late for work. Is your sweetie there?” I had no idea if they’d gotten married.
“You mean Brit? She’s at the hairdresser.”
“Any idea where her brother is?” My heart did hopeful push-ups.
“Why?” he asked, and I could hear the suspicious narrowing of his eyes through the phone.
“I had a question for him. I’ll ask Brit later. Will you tell her to call me?”
“Why? You hate Brit.”
Crap. “You didn’t hear we made up?” Okay, so apparently we weren’t best buds. This was not that surprising. “How about you meet me at The Signet at ten tonight?”
“You know I don’t work for Tyre, but fine. I could use aboys’ night out. Wear something sexy,” he replied and hung up. Apparently, some aspects of Gentry hadn’t changed.
There was a damn good reason I wanted to go to the Signet. A dangerous, hairy, and sex-god reason. The chances of Wald being there were tiny, but it was a place to start looking, and a little part of me wanted to see Gentry in person to make sure he was really alive.
I leafed through the mail on the kitchen counter, piling the bills and discarding the junk mail. The return address of a letter from the Provisional Licensing office stopped my heart. In my alternate timeline, I must have sent in the application to become a private investigator. Quivering, I ripped the envelope open.
The application had been denied because of a complaint on file from a clinic.Nine hells. Britannia had screwed me. Tears burned behind my eyes. Fuck her.
My phone rang again. It was my boss, Meredith. I grabbed my purse as I answered, “Hey there, I was about to call you.”
“Where are you, Harlan?”
“I’m really, really sorry. The car wouldn’t start, and my phone was dead. Got a friend to jump it and borrowed a cable. Be there in ten.”
“You’d better be, or you’ll be looking for a new job,” she growled and hung up. She wouldn’t fire me yet. Compared to my other shift-mates, I was the reliable one.
I opened the door and stumbled over a six-pack of full beer cans topped off with a note.“You’re so sweet, H. Can’t thank you enough.”I stared at the six-pack like it was rigged to explode.
Maybe it was poisoned? Or had everything really changed? I set them inside my apartment to deal with later.
When I looked for keys, I discovered Agatha’s tarot cards in my purse. The Lovers was on top of the deck.
The tears came back, and I swiped them away, opening the cut on my cheek again. Damn it, I didn’t have time for this crap.
