Page 48 of Bewitched & Bewildered
“It is. Don’t get me wrong; I’m honored…but as confused as you are.”
“It was the divorce talk,” I say. “It makes you more relatable.”
“Yikes.”
“Sorry.”
“It is what it is.” He shrugs. “If you tried harder, you would have found me relatable before.”
“Oh yeah? Did you want to be a bartender too?”
“No,” he says, “but I struggled to find something that makes me happy.”
“Is that why…”
I stop myself. I can’t ask why he left his wife or even assume he was the one to leaveher.
He shakes his head and offers no more. If I ask for more information, I’ll become one of the gossips in Starbrook.
“Doesyourshop make you happy?” I ask instead.
It’s a concept I can’t wrap my head around. Maple’s work makes her happy, even if it’s stressful and draining. Rowan enjoys what she does, and she’s good at it. Laurel is finding joy in her tarot readings.
When will I find something like that?
“So far?” he shrugs. “It does. I’ve worked in business for almost a decade, but never for something I built from the ground up. It’s different.”
“Maybe that’s what I’m missing.” I smile wryly.
“Maybe. But there’s still time to make it your own—like we discussed last time.”
“I can’t obliterate everything she built. I won’t give up on it yet.”
“You don’t have to give up on it. Just add a littleyouin it. Your mom loved you; she would love for you to make your mark on the old place.”
We stop in front of my home. Our eyes meet, and my heart races, as if wishing to run from the conversation.
“Ozan…” I swallow thickly. “I never know what you’re talking about.”
“That’s fine.” He chuckles. “I don’t know either.”
I lift a shoulder and turn away. “Get home safe. Watch out for wolves.”
“You too.”
When I reach the front door, a turn of my head tells me he’s still standing there. In the moonlight, Ozan doesn’t look so bad. A flickering streetlight shines onto his face.
He lifts a hand. I lift one back. He leaves.
It’s nothing—but it’s more than I’ve done in months. He’s the first person I talked to my mother about. Maybe that’s why my heart aches when I watch him leave.
OZAN
I was looking forward to dinner with my parents—until I ran into Juniper. It’s not her fault, but bringing Vanessa up is a surefire way to kill my mood.
Someday, I will be able to talk about her without my energy taking a nosedive. Today is not that day.
My family's home is a time capsule. Pictures of me with braces and in sports gear still hang in the hallways, and my mother hasn’t redecorated since the 90s. The floor is still a godsawful blue tile.
