Page 18 of Ruled By Fate

If he believed it would be fine, she would trust him.

If there was ever a time for a leap of faith…

She sighed and gave her magically-repaired phone a nervous glance. She wanted to call Sherry to assure her that she was okay, but she hadn’t the faintest idea what to say. How was she going to explain her delay? How was she going to explain the celestial Ralph Lauren model rolling her window up and down in the passenger seat with a look of complete enchantment?

Sherry had seen her through the bulk of her therapy in the months following her mother’s death. She’d held her friend together with both hands, wiped all her tears, and listened to all her breathless raving. She’d never uttered a word of complaint. She’d never asked for anything in return.

But Sherry would not understand this.

As if the premise itself wasn’t enough to dizzy the mind, the woman absolutely hated anything “spooky” or supernatural. She avoided it like the plague. She wouldn’t even read her horoscope.

Might have something to do with the fact that her best friend spent a solid six months insisting her mother had been killed by shadow monsters in the woods.

Brie couldn’t think of a single thing she wanted more than to tell Sherry about these new and bizarre developments in her life. She also couldn’t think of anything that would devastate her more. She had to keep this to herself. It was the least she could do to protect her friend, who had spent so much time, love, and energy protecting her. That made her solution rather simple.

She needed to lie. Convincingly.

Super. Absolutely my strong suit.

She dialed and took a deep breath.

A moment later, Sherry picked up with a screech. “Where the hell have you been? I was this close to calling the National Guard!”

Cameron looked over, trying not to laugh.

“I’m so sorry, Sher. It was unavoidable. I’m on my way now.”

“Did you have car trouble or something? Or…” Sherry let out something between a gasp and a shriek of condemnation. “Did you see another fox? I keep telling you, they’re wild animals, Brie. They don’t want to be adopted, and you can’t chase feral creatures through the forest. No matter how fluffy their tails are.”

Cameron glanced over again, but this time, she determinedly avoided his gaze.

“It wasn’t a fox,” she muttered, sliding a few inches lower in her seat. “I promise to tell you all about it when I get into town in just another few hours. Can you call my dad and let him know I’m okay?”

“Fine, but… are you okay? You sound weird.”

“I’m fine, don’t worry.”

Not a lie. I am fine.

Her eyes flashed to the angel in the front seat.

Totally fine.

She could practically hear Sherry roll her eyes. “Text me the moment you get to your new place. Also, drinks tomorrow night after your first day. That is not a request. I’ll send you the address. I can’t wait for you to meet Mike! You’re gonna love him.”

“I can’t wait to meet him, too. I love you. See you soon.”

“Drive safely, you fiend. Love you, bye!”

Brie hung up with a sigh of relief.

Then she turned with the greatest hesitation to the angel sitting beside her. Verdict?

He pursed his lips, trying to control his expression. “Foxes, eh?” A flash of mischief danced in his eyes, almost completely obscured by centuries of composure. “They are wild animals, Brianna, and not to be trusted. I happen to know this for a fact.”

Her knuckles whitened on the steering wheel. “Okay, for one thing, there was a perfectly reasonable explanation for the—”

“I like your friend.”

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