Cursed (10 page)

“I need your help.”

“What’s going on?” Randy asked.

“Avalyn agreed to let me explain what happened. I cannot botch this up. It took her damn near a month and a half to even listen to me.”

“What do you need?” Hunter said. His brother’s face was more serious than Colton remembered it ever being, and Randy’s eyes were full of guilt and regret.

“You know whatever you need from me, I’m there.” Everything about Randy had changed since the curse had been removed. It had given him hope for the future, something that had been sorely lacking as he’d fought over who got what during his divorce. Colton had blamed him for a while, for his own unhappiness, but after a knock-down, drag-out fight that took Hunter and his father to break up, he realized it didn’t really matter. The end result was the same: Avalyn wanted nothing to do with him.

“I need to get both our families to work together if this is ever going to work.”

“Whoa! You want to approach the witches! Bad idea, brother. We just got the curse removed, remember?” Hunter said.

“I didn’t ask you to help me rob their house, just talk to them, get them to listen to me.”

“I don’t know, man,” Hunter shook his head.

“I didn’t ask you to go with me, you big baby.” Colton sniggered at the sigh of relief Hunter released. “I was just stating what I’ve come to know to be a fact. If I want to win her over, it starts at home.”

“What are you going to do?”

“I’m going to talk to the head of her family.”

“The broom-beater?” Randy asked.

Colton nodded.

“Well, good luck with that,” Hunter said.

“I have jobs for you two. Her favorite flowers are pink oriental lilies. Go to all the local shops and the next town over if you need to and place an order for as many as you can, to be picked up Saturday morning.”

“Consider it done,” Randy said.

“Good.” He turned to leave.

“Wait! Where are you going now?”

“To do some more shopping. I only have a few days to pull this thing together.”

He exited the office building, grateful they were between jobs for the rest of the week.

He knew the store’s schedule by heart. This was the perfect time to speak to Betty, because she’d be alone while Avalyn took lunch. He wiped his sweaty palms on his jeans and exited his truck before he talked himself out of what he was about to do. As he stepped inside the shop, he sent a silent prayer to God he wouldn’t be fried on the spot. The older woman looked up from behind the cash register.

“Something I can do for you, Edgeworth? Avalyn isn’t here.”

“I know, ma’am. I came to see you.”

“In that case, you might as well flip that OPEN sign to close because I imagine this may take a while.”

He did as she asked, and she walked toward the back room, gesturing for him to follow with a wave of her hand. His legs ate up the floor as his long strides led him to where she stood by the square table sitting against the back wall.

“Have a seat.”

He sank down in the chair across from where she stood.

“Would you like some coffee or tea?”

“No, thank you, ma’am.”

He placed his hands in his lap. Her kindness confused him. He knew better than to look a gift horse in the mouth, yet he couldn’t help but be wary.

“Do you want to tell me why you’re here?”

“What Avalyn walked in on was me arguing with my brother, Randy, about the curse. I didn’t want her to think that was why I entered into a relationship with her.”

“It wasn’t?”

“No, ma’am, your granddaughter’s the most amazing woman I’ve ever met. She’s witty, intelligent, and beautiful.”

“Hmm, go on.”

“I know why she’d get the wrong impression. I was being sarcastic.”

“Why should any of us believe you?”

“Because the curse is gone. What reason do I have to stick around?”

“That’s what I’m trying to determine. Why are you here talking with me?”

“For things to ever really be right between me and Avalyn, our families need to enter into a truce. She’d always be torn between us, and I don’t want that. She deserves better.”

“Impressive words.”

“Not just words, ma’am. I mean them. I’m here to ask for your blessing.”

“And if I say no?"

“With all due respect, Ms. Voiles, I’m asking for it. I don’t need it.”

“You got guts, boy. I’ll say that for you.” She leaned back in her chair and studied him. The silence grew uncomfortable, and he struggled against the urge to fidget as her amber-colored gaze bore into him. “What do you plan on doing if I give you this blessing?”

“I want to include you in my plan.”

“Plan?”

“Yes, ma’am, to win Avalyn back.”

“I’m liking you more every second. Go on.”

“I want to take her back to a place that’s special to us both for a moonlight dinner. If you made the meal, she’d know I meant business.”

“That she would.” Betty narrowed her eyes. “I like the measure of you. I might have been wrong to assume the worst in the beginning, but we both know our families don’t have the best track record. I think you can make my granddaughter happy, so I’m going to go along with this clever scheme of yours.”

“Thank you, ma’am.”

“Don’t thank me yet, son. You’re the one who still has to win her over.” She chuckled. “Now tell me more about this plan of yours so I can help you tweak it. I know you don’t have any womenfolk, so I’ll be willing to fill in, as my first gesture of goodwill.”

***

“Because I want to look my best Saturday.”

A smirk lined Charlotte’s lips, and she rolled her eyes. “Why, if you’re just going to tell him to stick it where the sun don’t shine? Come on, Av, admit it. You’re still in love with Colton.”

“Unfortunately, love and trust are two different things. I don’t know if I can take him back after what happened.”

“Why don’t you hold off on judgment until he speaks his piece?”

“I can’t start thinking like that, Lotte. I have to remain objective or I’ll fall right back into his trap.” Avalyn sifted through the array of clothing on the nearest rack. She paused, eyeing a simple black dress and holding it up to the light.
No. Too plain.

“I wish you’d tell me what happened between the two of you.”

I wish I could tell you.
“It’s not worth talking about in detail. It was spillover from the bad blood between our families. I thought we could overcome it… Guess I was wrong.” Avalyn shrugged, wishing she felt as nonchalant as she was making herself appear. The sadness came and went, but the anger she focused on was a constant burning ember in the pit of her stomach.

“Maybe not. I just want you to go into this thing tomorrow with an open mind.”

“Hmm.”

They continued to browse through the racks when Charlotte gasped. “This is the dress.”

Avalyn looked up and instantly fell in love. The cranberry-colored sweater dress had a scoop neck and a wide black belt to accent the waist line. She reached her hand out to caress the soft cashmere material. It’d set her back a pretty penny, but it’d be worth it to see the look of awe on Colton’s face. She had the perfect pair of three-inch heel boots to go with it too.

“I think you’re right, Charlotte.” Avalyn took the dress from her hands. “I’m going to try it on.”

One hundred dollars later, they were on their way home from the mall, and Avalyn wasn’t certain if sending Colton packing a second time would be so easy.

The parking lot of the Botanical Gardens was barren, save for Colton’s black truck. It made her jittery. Where was everyone? What did Colton have planned? Her footsteps seemed to echo through the empty space as she made her way to the Butterfly House. She saw a few of the lights were on in the building, but not all. She hesitated at the door, knocking.

“Come on in!”

Colton’s voice called from somewhere toward the center of the building. She pulled the door open and stepped inside. The low lighting was enough to see the pathway had been covered by pink rose petals. Her jaw dropped, and she covered her mouth with her hands.
I can’t believe he did this!
As she followed the rose-colored trail, she saw a square table covered by an elegant cream linen table cloth. It was surrounded by bouquets of pink oriental lilies arranged on three-tiered plant stands. It created a spot of exotic beauty. The table itself had two white candles in crystal holders. Two silver domes covered the plates set on pink linen placemats that sat on either side of the table. The tantalizing scent filling the air was heavenly and familiar, though she couldn’t quite place it.

“Do you like it?” His voice came from behind her, and as she turned to him, her stomach flipped. He was clad in a tailored charcoal suit with a white shirt and a skinny black tie. The fine material emphasized his lean build.
Damn, he’s pulling out all
the stops.

“It’s lovely.”

“It doesn’t hold a candle to you.”

His eyes were filled with admiration and what she suspected was hope.
Focus, Avalyn, don’t forget why you’re here.
She cleared her throat when he walked over to pull out her chair.

“I know we need to talk, but I thought this way would be a lot more pleasant.”

She took her seat and allowed him to push her in. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.”

When he was positioned in the chair across from her, she spoke, “I appreciate all the trouble you went through, but it’s going to take a lot more than flowers and candles to make things right.”

“Trust me, I know.”

She opened her mouth to respond, but he held up a hand. “Please, give me a chance to talk, okay?”

She nodded her agreement and placed her hands in her lap to hide her anxiety.

“I know you thought I was mocking you behind your back, but I was telling Randy how ridiculous he sounded. I’d never say anything like that about you or to you. I respect you too much. You know, I’ve never said “I love you” to any other woman. Hell, I never wanted to. I saw you, and it was like lightning struck. You were so beautiful, and then I heard you talk, and you had this killer personality and wicked sense of humor. My first instinct was a desire to take you right there on the floor. But then you spoke, and I actually enjoyed our conversation, and I genuinely wanted to learn more. You were fascinating. I was intrigued and maybe even a bit smitten. It was something that’d never really happened to me before, that longing to get closer to someone for more than the need to scratch an itch. I know that sounds bad, but you have to understand, for me the curse was a major inhibitor. I could go through the motions of a relationship and caring for another woman, but I could not experience it firsthand.”

The description painted the picture of a very hollow and unfulfilled existence. She almost felt bad for him…almost.

“When I started to feel things for you, I was torn between my duty to my brothers and what I felt was my only chance at true happiness. I was selfish, so I tried to have both. I put off Hunter and Randy for as long as I could, promising them I’d talk to you when the time was right. Somehow, the time was never right. How the hell could I bring up the curse without seeming like a total jackass?”

“It couldn’t have been much worse than what actually happened.”

“True.”

A bashful look skittered across his face, and she frowned at her natural response to his charm. It was like the curse had been reversed instead of lifted. Was she unable to resist him now?
You couldn’t before, why should that change?

“Even if what you said was taken out of context, can we really overcome our past? Our families despise one another, and we both know they’re a huge part of our lives. I don’t want to have to fight them at every turn.” She sighed.

“Lift up the lid.”

“What?”

“Humor me.”

She rolled her eyes, but complied with his request. The block she’d placed on her heart broke, and a damn of emotions flooded through. It was her gran’s fried chicken, mashed potatoes, and sweet cornbread. The only way he could’ve done this was to go and make peace with her grandmother.

“How?” she whispered. His face wavered in front of her as her eyes filled with tears.

“I went and talked to her. She gave us her blessing. She might not love the idea of us together, but she knows we’re happy and I’m sincere.”

“I-I don’t know what to say.” She shook her head as she sniffed and blinked to hold back the tears.

“Say you’ll give us another chance, a real one. This time there won’t be anything between us. We can go as fast or as slow as you want.” He reached across the table and took her hand in his own. “What we have is special, Avalyn. We’d be fools to just throw it away.”

Her throat grew dry and constricted. Had she always been this terrified of commitment to Colton? Maybe their blow-out was more about the potential for failure and less about his callous words.
Amazing, how hindsight is always fifty-fifty.
“I- don’t know.”

“Yes, you do. I see it in your eyes. You’re still just as in love with me as I am you.”

She moved her gaze away from his penetrating green eyes.

If you walk away from this now, you will always regret it. It’s not like you to be scared. Don’t let that emotion rule you
now.

She opened her mouth to tell him yes, and a chill crept down her spine. If Viola was around, it was possible Joseph still lingered too. Irritated by the thought of the scoundrel who’d caused both of their families pain, she squeezed his hand.

“You’re right. I want this to work, Colton. I do. Only, I’m scared. I’ve never gone into a relationship where the other person knows what I am; except for the time I tried to date a warlock.” She shuddered at the memory. “It didn’t end well. The truth is my reaction wasn’t right. I shouldn’t have assumed the worse and stormed off. Of course your family was ready for the curse to end. I think we all were. After I heard you on the phone with Randy, I was just so caught up in the notion that you played me I couldn’t think straight. That was selfish as hell, and I’m sorry.” She glanced down, embarrassed by how swiftly she’d forgotten her vow to heal. I should be asking if you could forgive me for my bad behavior.”