Page 50 of A Touch Enchanted

“Buy us time. Gives me a chance to bring Audrey down to see those gates. She might not know what they’re about any more than you do, but she’s got good instincts and I’d like to see if she has any theories.”

It wasn’t a bad idea. Maybe seeing the gates would trigger something in Audrey’s mind, something her grandma had mentioned in passing that neither of them thought much about at the time. Even a theory was better than nothing.

Wes took a drink and gave me a long stare. “You’re going to make me ask, aren’t you?”

“Ask what?” But I had a feeling I already knew.

He swore under his breath. “What happened with Violet? Why didn’t she sit with us at the meeting? Did you already fuck that up?”

“Why is the assumption that I fucked up?”

He gave me a bland stare.

I rolled my eyes. “I assure you, this one wasn’t on me.” I told him everything I’d overheard her telling her parents about laying low and not taking a side. “We’ve got the whole town looking at us like we’re stealing food out of their babies’ mouths and when we need people standing with us now more than ever, she’s telling them not to bother.”

Wes raised his bottle to his lips and shook his head. “You’re an idiot.”

“Excuse me? How in the fuck did I become the one who screwed up in this scenario?”

“Because.” Wes set his bottle on my railing with a clink. “Why aren’t you laying into me for changing plans on us without discussion and only asking for a two-day shutdown?”

I could see what he was doing, and I didn’t like it one bit. “That’s different.”

“The hell it is. Violet could see the writing on the wall as well as I could. We don’t have the support of the town right now. If we can’t get at least half the town to back us in a shutdown, it ain’t happening. What good would it do Violet’s parents to jump on a sinking ship?”

“The Fischers are respected in town. Their opinion could have sway.”

“Bullshit.” When Wes used that tone, he looked so much like our dad whenever we pushed him to the brink with our antics as kids, it almost shamed me. “Violet is respected, but her parents are pitied, and that’s not the same thing. It would’ve been suicide for their shop if they’d gone against the town that supports them when they fall on hard times.”

He was right. I knew he was right. And because he was right, it pissed me off even more. “She still could’ve been honest with me, told me she didn’t want her parents involved.”

“Why? So you could act like this?”

“Goddamn it.” I glared at him. “Quit fucking talking for a minute.”

“Am I making too much sense? Are you mad because you’re all hopped up on your self-righteous high horse and you just realized you’re the one being an asshole?”

“Fuck.” I picked up my empty beer bottle and threw it at my fence, wanting to smash something. It bounced in the grass and Sandy went chasing after it like a ball.

Wes smirked. When I swung my gaze to him, he held out his hands and took a step back. “I’m just here trying to save you from yourself. Go work this out.”

I hated it when Wes was right. He wouldn’t hesitate to remind me of that fact the next time we disagreed about something. I never should’ve walked away from Violet. She probably thought this was just a replay of what we went through weeks ago.

I said I’d given her my trust, but had I really? What did walking away say about me? About my commitment to this relationship? Nothing good, that was for damn sure.

“I’ll talk to her.” Violet was quick to forgive, but how many chances would she continue to give me? “First thing tomorrow.”

Wes gave me a short nod. “See that you do. Then call me after you’ve kissed and made up, because we’ve only got two days to handle business and I’d like to get a look at those gates sooner rather than later.”

“You can always go down there without us.”

“Audrey isn’t willing to go into the heart of the forest unless we’ve got you with us. The animals can sense danger before we get ourselves in a situation we can’t get out of.”

Like being shot through the heart with another arrow.

I shuddered at the memory. “Good point.”

“Alright.” Wes slapped me on the shoulder. “We’ll see you tomorrow, then.”

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