Page 83 of Lady of Darkness
Cecelia and Gemma.
They’re both sitting on the couch in the living room, staring at me.
“Hi,” I say softly, suddenly overcome with all of the emotions from the past few weeks. I hardly ever cry, but right now… it doesn’t stop.
Gemma rushes forward and pulls me onto the couch with her. Cecelia pours me some tea from the pot they’ve been sharing, and Gemma–bless her–knows to add sugar and milk. She stirs it around and hands it to me.
“I’ve been told that British people offer tea when you’re sad,” she says matter-of-factly, smiling at Cecelia.
I swipe under my eyes as I sniff, trying to compose myself. “I’m not sad. Just overwhelmed.”
They look between each other as Gemma rubs my back. “We also have cookies.”
“Biscuits,” Cecelia corrects, smirking.
We all laugh.
I take a few sips of tea, feeling so much better already. Both of them are looking at me expectantly, and I don’t even know where to start. I just shake my head and set my teacup down on the saucer.
“I think… I think I love them,” I say glumly.
“That’s usually a good thing, right?” Gemma asks.
“Not always,” Cecelia adds.
I notice then that they’re both wearing pajamas. “You’re both up late.”
Cecelia shrugs. “Archie woke up, and once I settled him back down, I couldn’t go back to sleep.” She gestures at the baby monitor on the coffee table. “Gemma was down here reading, and we got to talking.”
I nod. “That’s nice.”
“I was telling her about Luka,” Gemma says.
“And we’ve concluded he’s an arsehole,” Cecelia interjects, looking at Gemma pointedly.
Gemma shrugs. “He’s an arsehole.”
I smile. “You should stay. Here, I mean.”
Gemma rolls her lower lip between her teeth and sighs. “I wish I could. But classes start soon, and I have to find another apartment to rent, since my roomie is abandoning me.”
I grimace. “I’m sorry.”
Gemma’s brown eyes study my face for a minute before she responds. “It’s okay. I see now what you mean–about this being your calling. You sparkle more here than you ever did in New York. It’s like you came alive,” she adds, shaking her head. “I’ll miss you, but now that you’re rich, you can fly me out every Christmas.”
I snort. Pulling her into a hug, I don’t let go for several seconds. “Always. You’re always welcome.” As I look over at Cecelia, I add, “You’re always welcome, too. I know this is officially my house now, but it was your home for five years. You can stay if you want to.”
Cecelia gives me a warm smile and takes my hand. “That’s very kind of you. But I think…” she trails off, furrowing her brows. “I think I need to carve out a place of my own. I was so close to my family growing up, and then Charles and I started dating, and I went from one house to the next without really thinking about whatIwanted.”
“Have you talked to your father?” I ask her gently.
She shakes her head. “No. I can’t forgive him, Harlow. Not after everything he did. And… I’m so mad at Charles. I know what we had was real–so whether or not he did it because he loved me, I don’t know.” She looks at me with watery eyes. “I always had a crush on him, you know.”
“Really?”
Cecelia nods. “Our families go way back, and I’d seen him around when I was in secondary school. He was older, of course. And then when I was twenty-seven, we both attended a party at some swanky nightclub, and he confessed he’d always loved me. But now I’m left questioning if it was real, or if my father orchestrated the whole thing.”
I nod. “I’m sorry. I can’t imagine how that must feel.”
