Page 66 of Bewitched & Bewildered
“I’ve been worried about you,” she says. “Your mom told me you’re running this little shop, and… that’s not you. I want you to come back to Boston.”
When I look away, I realize Otis is gone. What a coward.
“Seriously?” I let out a bitter laugh.
“We can’t be what keeps you from the place you love,” she says. “Come home.”
Iamhome. The thought hits me out of nowhere. I don’t love Boston anymore. I hate it. Starbrook has always been my home. I didn’t feel like that when I was a teenager, but after spending a few weeks here…
I’m more comfortable in Starbrook than I ever was in Boston. The magic of the town will always pull me back in. Knowing my neighbors, supporting the local shops, and reconnecting with old friends…
This is where I want to be.
Vanessa won’t understand, and I don’t owe her an explanation. She shouldn’t even be here.
“I’m happy in Starbrook,” I say. “I don’twantto go back to Boston. You aren’t keeping me from anything.”
I don’t want her to think she’s controlling my life in any way. She isn’t. This is all for me.
“You can’t possibly be happy here. I brought you away from this nowhere town… just for you to come back?”
“Ilikethisnowhere town. I thought you liked it, too.”
“It’s a fun place to visit, but living here…it isn’t you.”
“Stop. You don’t know me anymore.”
I can’t deny that she used to know me, but I’m not who I was when we were together. Beingthat person again doesn’t appeal to me. Obsessing over work and barely having time to practice my magic…
I was unhappy. I couldn’t see it then, but distance has made me realize how much happier I can be. Even though I’m alone, I’m happier than I was with her. She must feel the same. You don’t cheat on someone if you’re satisfied with them.
I could have done more to make her happy and avoid all of this, but I can’t go back in time, and I don’t want to.
Vanessa hasn’t changed as much as I have. I wish it were different. I wish we could be friends and realize where things went wrong, but we can’t.
I saw her through rose-colored glasses for a long time, and then I took them off. Her encouragement was pushy. She molded me into another person to fit who she wanted me to be. Shewantedme to be successful and hardworking—but ran off to someone else when I spent too much time in the office.
Why can’t she like me like this?
“Excuse me.” Juniper’s sultry tone hits my ear, and I turn to look at her with shock etched across my features.
Vanessa blinks. “Can we have a moment? This is a private conversation.”
“But it isn’t,” Juniper says. “You’re arguing in a crowded festival. You can’t blame me for overhearing.”
I’m at a loss for words. I shake my head at Juniper.
Vanessa bristles. “I’ll try to keep it down,” she says coolly.
“Too late,” Juniper says. “It’s fine. I came here to inform you that Ozan runs one of the most successful shops in Starbrook. You may think it’s cute to belittle his accomplishments, but people from all over Maine are here forhimtoday. Not you. Everyone in his life is proud of him. He built this business all by himself, and he runs it alone. Do you know how hard it is to run a business alone? Let that sink in.”
Vanessa seems to be at a loss for words, too.
Juniper is a perfect reflection of the goddess she worships. Persephone Praxidice: the face of justice and vengeance. Her gaze is sharp and strong, as is her presence. There is no more powerful vision than a witch reflecting their deity. Lust stirs in me.
I swallow thickly.
“And apparently, we have visitors from Boston too.” Juniper tosses her hair over her shoulder. “If you don’t want to be here, the exit is that way. Let me know if you need a map.”
