Eighteen

Holly stepped into the house and paused, her gaze shifting to the closed living room door as a trill of laughter sounded. It was girly and flirty and nothing like the normally husky sound that usually came from Gia. At least Holly had never heard her laugh like that before this last week as she’d taken care of and looked after James while Holly attended her classes and went to work.

Holly closed the door, a smile curving her lips as Gia laughed again, joined this time by James’s much deeper chuckle. He had woken up on Sunday while she was still sleeping in the guest room. By the time she’d got up James was untaped, bathed, dressed and Gia had explained everything to him. He’d taken the knowledge that he was a vampire rather well. Better than she had, certainly, and he hadn’t blamed her for any of it.

Holly moved into the kitchen and opened the refrigerator door to consider what to make for supper.

“No need to make dinner, you’re going out,” Gia announced cheerfully, leading James into the kitchen. “How was school?”

“Good,” Holly assured her.

“And work?” James asked.

“Not as good, but okay,” she said with a smile and then raised her eyebrows. “Why are we going out to dinner?” She tilted her head and raised her eyebrows. “What’s up?”

James and Gia exchanged a glance and then James shook his head. “You’ll find out. Come on. I’m hungry.”

Holly fell into step behind him, following him to the door until she realized Gia wasn’t behind her. Slowing, she glanced over her shoulder. “Isn’t Gia coming?”

“Nope. Just you and me, Holly,” James said, and added, “We need to talk.”

Holly raised her eyebrows, but followed him out to the car and let him see her into the passenger seat. She wasn’t sure what James wanted to talk about, but she had an idea and she didn’t want to discuss it in a restaurant.

“I know,” she said as James slid behind the steering wheel and pulled his door closed.

He peered at her warily. “What?”

“Gia can’t read or control you. You’re a possible life mate to her,” she said solemnly.

James peered out the front window, biting his lip. “How did you know?”

“She’s eating, James,” Holly pointed out. “Old immortals who are unmated lose interest in food and regain it when they meet a possible life mate. Gia didn’t eat once the entire time I was in Southern California. But she has been eating ever since you woke up from the turn.”

“I didn’t know that,” he admitted. “About her not eating before this, I mean.”

Holly shrugged. “So . . .”

“So?” he asked.

“So you want a divorce to be with her.” It wasn’t a question.

“How did you—­”

“Why else would you want to talk to me alone?” she interrupted dryly, managing not to roll her eyes. Honestly, men thought women were so dense.

James eyed her uncertainly and then asked, “Are you upset?”

“Surprisingly enough, no,” Holly admitted with a faint smile and then shook her head with a sort of bewilderment. “I knew what was happening the minute she put the first bite of food in her mouth. I listened to you guys laugh and joke. I even saw the moony eyes you made at each other, and I just kept waiting to feel the jealousy, even a little of it. But it never came, and that’s when I realized . . .”

“That while you love me, it isn’t like it is with Justin,” James suggested with understanding.

“She told you about him?” Holly asked.

James nodded. “She didn’t betray any confidences, Holly. But she told me why Justin turned you. She also told me that you were determined to be true to your marriage vows. I appreciate that,” he added. “And I was too . . . mostly.”

Her eyebrows rose. “Mostly?”

“I never touched her,” he said quickly, and then grimaced and added, “Not while I was awake.”

“Ah, the shared dreams,” Holly said with amusement. “Pretty powerful stuff, huh?”

“You had them with Justin?” he asked with surprise and she realized that Gia really hadn’t betrayed any confidences.

“Yes, I had them,” was all she said.

James was silent for a minute and then said, “They are pretty powerful stuff.”

“Go ahead and say it,” Holly urged.

“What?” he asked warily.

“That we never had half the passion of those dreams. That what we’ve had was more like . . .”

“The love and affection between siblings,” he said when she hesitated.

She nodded. “I suppose that shouldn’t surprise us since we grew up together.”

“Yeah, but you were the hottest girl around,” he assured her.

She chuckled at the teasing words he’d often said to her and gave her usual response, “I was the only girl around.”

“That too,” he agreed, and then took her hand. “Holly, I don’t want to lose our friendship. You’ve been a part of my life almost since I was born. You’re family to me.”

“And I always will be,” she assured him, squeezing his hand gently.

“Good.” He smiled with relief and then admitted, “You’re taking this better than I expected. When Gia said you were so determined to stick to your marriage vows, I . . .”

“I married you in good faith, James,” she said quietly. “I do love you, and if we were both mortal still, we might even have made it as a ­couple. The cozy home, children, growing old together and all that stuff we both dreamed of while growing up.”

“But circumstances have changed,” he said.

Holly nodded. “There’s a reason we edit what we say. Once words are spoken, they cannot be unheard. Unfortunately, the same is true of thoughts if you can read them.”

“I apologize for anything you may have heard me think that might have hurt you,” James said quickly. “And really, the Elaine thing—­”

“Don’t even go there,” Holly said with dry amusement. “You shouldn’t even have to go there. Your thoughts should be your own, James, not something you need to apologize for.” She grinned and added, “And with Gia, they will be.”

James nodded and relaxed, then reached for the door handle. “Come on. Gia was worried sick about how you’d take this. She’s afraid you’ll be mad at her and she really likes you. Let’s go give her the good news and then all three of us can go out to dinner to celebrate.”

“You go ahead and tell her alone,” Holly suggested. “I’ll just wait here.”

When he frowned at the suggestion, concern entering his expression, she pointed out, “She might feel weird about kissing you in front of me and you two are gonna want to kiss.”

“You’re right,” James said on a laugh and slid out of the car.

Holly watched him go and then got out of the front seat and moved to the backseat instead, leaving the front for Gia. She then sat staring at the house she and James had bought together after they’d married. They’d planned to sell and move to a larger place when they were ready to have kids, but it was a good starter home.

The house suddenly blurred in her vision, and Holly blinked, and then raised her fingers to dash tears from her eyes. They were unexpected. She hadn’t thought this would upset her. She really was happy for Gia and James and hadn’t felt a moment’s jealousy, which was just wrong. In fact, more than anything, all she’d felt was relief. Those two weeks before the accident had been impossible. She couldn’t imagine trying to struggle through a lifetime of that, even a mortal lifetime. And now she didn’t have to.

Still, Holly supposed she was grieving what had been. The dreams she’d had as Mrs. James Bosley. And maybe she was also crying a little because she wasn’t sure of her own future. She had turned Justin away, repeatedly rejected him. What if he now did the same to her? And if he didn’t, how could she be sure they could work? Until very recently, she’d been certain she and James could and that had been wrong. With Justin, she wasn’t certain of anything.

“Piccola!”

Holly glanced around with surprise when Gia slipped into the backseat beside her.