Page 21 of Begin Again

The rawness in her voice catches me off guard. “Aubrey, I don’t think you’re cursed,” I say gently.

She lets out a bitter laugh, shaking her head. “You might not say that if you knew the whole story.”

I lean forward slightly, my drink forgotten about, my curiosity piqued. “What do you mean?”

Aubrey takes a deep breath as if steeling herself. “Have you heard about what happened to my first husband, George?”

“Maybe,” I say as I slowly shake my head. “But all I can remember is that he passed away.”

Her lips press into a thin line, and for a moment she seems lost in a memory. “We were young, in love, and foolish,” she begins. “Or at least I thought we were in love. I thought a lot of things back then… I thought I was marrying the love of my life. After we said our vows the photographer took me away for a bit to take some wedding portraits—” she cuts herself off and drags in a shaky breath. After she takes a few moments to compose herself she continues. “He went missing and I found him and my best friend Cassie alone together in the bathroom.” Her voice breaks at the last word.

“That’s… awful. I am so sorry.”

Aubrey shrugs, her expression tight. “It was. George had her pressed up against the wall and her dress was up around her waist. I was devastated. He was supposed to be the love of my life. We had this huge fight, and he got drunk— so drunk he could barely stand. I was still angry the next morning, but we had plans to go skiing, and… Well, I had hoped he had sobered up and a morning on the slopes would make things better. Our wedding was at the hotel we honeymooned at, and I didn’t want to cancel the honeymoon just because he was a cheating bastard.”

I reach across the table and grab her trembling hands in mine, waiting for what I know is coming next.

Voice trembling she continued, “We went out on the slopes and he just wasn’t himself. He was reckless. He lost control and hit a tree… Just like that, he was gone and I was a widow before the ink on our marriage license was dry.”

“Aubrey, you know that wasn’t your fault… Right?”

She gives a humorless laugh, “Wasn’t it? If I hadn’t pushed him to go skiing, if I hadn’t fought with him after I found him with Cassie…” She trails off staring down into her tea as a tear tracks down her laugh-lined cheeks.

I squeeze her hands, “You couldn’t have known. It was an accident, he was the one being reckless, not you.”

Aubrey’s glassy eyes meet mine. “Maybe. But when I got back after the honeymoon and moved into what was supposed to be our marital home, Cassie came over one day. She was so hateful and confrontational. She demanded to know how such an experienced skier could be reckless enough to hit a tree the way he did. She blamed me for it and started a rumor around town that I was responsible.” She pauses. “Maybe that’s where a bit of the guilt comes from. Of course, the police did an investigation, and I was obviously cleared of any wrongdoing, but it still shattered any piece of me that wanted to continue our friendship. Because of her accusations, she almost got the entire town to turn on me. I’m ashamed to admit it but I ran away for a while—to get my head back on straight.”

Aubrey’s glassy eyes meet mine, “Then there was my Gabe. My person. The only person that ever truly understood me. And now he’s gone. How do I not blame myself for that? He wasn’t feeling well and was coming home to me.”

The weight of Aubrey’s grief hangs heavy between the two of us, I can’t think of anything to say.

How do you tell a new widow that everything will be okay? It’s not like these deaths happened close together, they were at least twenty, maybe thirty, years apart. She’s not cursed.

She sighs, forcing a weak smile, “It’s because of that I’ve decided I’m not going to let anyone else get caught in the crossfires of my bad luck—my curse. No more relationships, no more men in my life. I am going to die alone, I’ve made peace with that.”

I open my mouth to ask more about Gabe, but any illusion of privacy and any other secrets that might’ve been shared—shatter when the door from the kitchen flies open. Theo bursts into the room with a tray of muffins in his hands singing, “This is the worthwhile fight, love is a ruthless game!” The last part goes up an octave as he suddenly notices us sitting at the booth in front of him.

Blinking in surprise, caught between secondhand embarrassment and amusement, I let out a chuckle. Red faced he starts putting the muffins in the display.

Aubrey raises an unimpressed eyebrow, “Really, Teddy?” she asks dryly. “You’re a grown man.”

Fully recovered from his own embarrassment he shoots her a sly grin, “What? It’s a bop!”

I let out a laugh, “Is that what the kids are calling it these days? Whatever it’s called, it was a bold choice for a grand entrance, Hot Shot.”

Theo bows at the waist and straightens with a devilish smile and a wink. “Thank you, Selene.” He shoots a playful glare at his aunt. “At least someone appreciates my artistic genius.”

Aubrey shakes her head, her expression torn between amusement and exasperation. “I thought you weren’t coming in today.”

Theo shrugs, glancing at her before focusing on arranging the muffins. “Yeah, well, you’ve been picking up the slack a lot lately, and I figured you could use the break. Mo and I finished earlier than I expected.” He flashes her a grin, but it seems slightly off about it—like he’s forcing it a little too much.

Aubrey narrows her eyes, arms crossing as she leans against the counter. “Okay. What’s going on with you?”

He frowns. “What do you mean?”

She gestures vaguely in his direction. “You’ve been acting weird the past few days. First, you barely answer my texts. Then you say you’re taking today off, and now you just show up out of nowhere? I know you, kid. You’re hiding something.”

Theo laughs, a little too quickly. “Damn, maybe I just missed my favorite aunt?”

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