Page 12 of Castings & Curses

Fabian snorted at that, his sentimentality fading quickly. “Matt’s got a whole barrel of other problems.” But the thought stuck with him. Growing up among demons, the idea of forever love hit a little different. It probably explained why Matt favoured casual relationships over meaningful connections. Until the connection had struck him regardless.

“It wasn’t easy,” Hanne admitted. “To be honest, I had many dark years.” Her gaze trailed to the window. “I wanted to leave the world with him.”

“But you waited,” Mikaela said softly. Carefully, she extended her hand.

Hanne watched the fingers with bated breath until they settled on her hand and caressed her knuckles. Only then, she allowed herself a small smile. “Because you’re worth it.”

Next to Fabian, Lucille sighed, a wistful smile on her lips. Fabian held in an entirely different sigh. As successful as their meddling appeared to be going, they weren’t a single step further in making a decision about Hanne.

They sat with Hanne and Mikaela for a little bit longer before excusing themselves. Outside, Fabian took a big breath of fresh air. He wanted to believe in them, but was that his natural cowardice or true faith?

“Wasn’t this the most romantic thing you’ve ever heard?” Lucille was clearly still enamoured with Hanne and Mikaela.

Fabian held back his doubts and agreed. “They’re cute, sure, but we didn’t find out a whole lot. Only that I can’t imagine Hanne ever ripping off heads.”

Lucille pulled a face. “Don’t remind me. Perhaps we can invite them to watch a movie tomorrow.”

“Or maybe you could organise their wedding while you’re at it.”

“Don’t be like that. It’s all part of the plan, remember? At least they’re staying for now.” Lucille hooked her arm into his and smiled up at him. “So, what’s the plan for us two today? You want to go to the pool again?”

Fabian sighed. “I promised Dad to help him in the workshop since Ben is away. It’s all a big mess at the moment.”

“Everyone’s working these holidays,” Lucille complained.

“That’s life when you haven’t been born in golden nappies.”

Lucille chuckled. “But they looked good on me.”

The gloom lifted off Fabian as he burst out laughing. “Probably.”

“Can’t you come up with an excuse? It’s summer!”

He wished he could. Hanging out with Lucille sounded a lot more fun than fixing cars in this heat. “It’s really not going well at the moment. Do you remember how Greenvalley almost got sucked into Hell?”

“How could I forget that?”

“Most of the people in town have.” Though how, Fabian couldn’t fathom. He still had nightmares of the city sinking around him.

Lucille clicked her tongue. “True.”

“Well, Dad and Ben lost a whole lot of their tools during the attack, but even worse, one of the cars slid into Hell. Now, how do you explain to the insurance that a car just vanished from your workshop? Especially because Dad has no clue about the real reason.”

“Oh dear, did the police knock on their door?”

Fabian shook his head. “No. I mean, yes, but since so many tools went missing as well, they ruled it a break-in. That front is covered, but the insurance isn’t too happy. They paid for the car, but they’re not forking out for the tools, so Ben and Dad had to invest a whole lot of money, which is now missing elsewhere. They even had to let go of their trainee.”

“And that’s where you come into play,” Lucille mused.

“At least during the summer holidays, yes. We’ll have to see what’s gonna happen in September.” Judging by the tense mood at home, nothing good.

“Well, let me know if I can help.”

It sounded sincere but unless Lucille was planning to invest in workshops, Fabian couldn’t fathom how. “I suppose you don’t want to donate to the Bendtfeld family?

She laughed at that. “No, that would be weird. But if you need a break, I can shout you some… entertainment, perhaps. You’ve got my number.”

Fabian’s mouth felt dry as he thought of the possibilities. Could Lucille be offering more than her friendship to him, or was he imagining things? It was a bit early in the day for a heatstroke. “You know, if you want, you can join me. You could do some of the admin stuff or keep me entertained.” Using the same word felt weirdly suggestive.

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