Page 83 of Unhinged Magic
I waited patiently for her to continue.
She drew in a breath, fiddling with the edge of the sheet. “She thinks there may be something more to the photo that appeared at the house. That maybe this is all linked somehow.”
Confusion wrinkled my nose. “That’s some theory,” I murmured, struggling to see how this could all be more than a coincidence. “I guess it’s worth looking into, though.”
“Yeah. She’s taken the photo to see if there’s anything she can find out about it.”
“That’s really kind of her. What’s the other idea?”
“Something Scar mentioned about a death notice to help Landon pass over.” She looked down to where she rolled her ring around her thumb, as if she weren’t sure she should say his name. “I guess we need to go back to the library and track down the old newspaper records to find it.”
Landon’s death notice? I didn’t see how a paper clipping could help a ghost pass on, but I wasn’t the expert in that department, so kept my thoughts to myself.
I straightened, realizing this would be simpler than she thought. “I can help with that. The death notice, I mean; I might know where it is.”
Skye shook her head, not understanding. “It needs to be the original. Don’t ask me why, but apparently a copy and paste version won’t cut it.”
I pulled my knees to my chest, trying to recall the last time I’d seen what I needed to find. “Yeah, I think I can help.” I turned to look at Skye, who stared at me with interest. “Mom had this box. I haven’t seen it in years, but I’m sure it can’t be too hard to find.”
Her brows lifted. “You really think you could find it?”
I shrugged. “Maybe.” I rested my hand on her knee over the top of the covers. “Would you come with me?”
I didn’t know what possessed me to ask that question, taking her to the house I grew up in as a child, introducing her to my mother as my girlfriend. It all seemed too much too fast, but so right all at the same time.
“It’s been years since I’ve seen your mom,” she mused.
A warm feeling spread through my chest, imagining the look on Mom’s face when Skye stepped inside her house beside me. She had no idea how much I wanted to introduce her to my mother as my partner. To the entire world. Nerves skated through me, unsure if I was asking too much. If so, I would forget it. The last thing I wanted to do was make her feel uncomfortable.
“You don’t have to.” My thumb hooked into my fist, and I fought the urge to release the tension in my knuckles. “If it’s too much, I can go on my own.”
I hoped she would say yes but never expected the words to fall from her lips.
“I would love to,” she whispered, twirling her ring around her thumb. A cautious smile brightened her face, causing the dimple I hadn’t seen in a long while to indent her left cheek.
Climbing off the bed, she disappeared into the ensuite to shower. I wished I could join her, wash her hair, soak her skin. I knew this wouldn’t be easy, that I would need to earn her trust again. But small steps in the right direction were something. And right now, something was better than nothing. Even if it took years to earn her love again, I would be here, waiting for that day.
***
A mid-morning wind stirred up the leaves at our ankles, seconds before lifting off into the air again. Skye’s hand wrapped around mine, gripping it tighter as we walked up the footpath leading to the home that held many childhood memories for me. Nerves rushed through me as we stood hand-in-hand on the front step of the single-story house I had called home for years, knowing what was ahead of me. Mom would be pissed after I disappeared so suddenly. I had flicked her a message before coming to the house. I owed her that at least so she could prepare herself.
The front door swung wide in haste, causing the wind chimes hanging off to the side to chime louder.
“Wesley.” Her dark hair sat cropped to the shoulders in her usual bob, her normally friendly eyes filled with fury. When she noticed Skye at my side, her gaze dropped to our hands, and she straightened suddenly, her expression instantly masking her earlier disgruntlement.
“Hi Mom,” I quipped.
She looked between the two of us before extending her hand to Skye. “Hello dear, I’m Faye.”
I quirked a brow. Dear? I had never heard her address anyone with the word dear in my life.
Skye offered her a smile, capturing Mom’s hand in hers. “Hi Faye, it’s nice to see you again, it’s me, Skye”
Mom turned her head to mine, question marks embedded in her features. “Skye? Why, I haven’t seen you since you were this high.” Her hand hovered to her shoulders, and I had to stop myself from rolling my eyes. “Oh my, the years have been kind to you.”
Skye pressed her lips together before speaking. “Thank you, and to you.”
An awkward silence fell between the three of us. Skye cast me a sidelong glance as Mom smoothed over the apron she wore over the top of her pants.
