Page 27 of Extra Witchy

“You can’t,” he said bluntly.

“What?”

“You can’tmakeher forgive you. Have you apologized for your actions?”

Junie nodded. “Lots of times, for all the good it does.”

“See, that’s the thing. If you’re apologizing because you’re lonely and you want her to fill the void in your life, then your sorry won’t come across as sincere. Because itisn’t. You’re still thinking about yourself, not how she feels. It’s a different flavor of self-absorption, but if you only care about your desires, even now, then you haven’t learned anything.”

She pressed a hand to her mouth, eyes wide and teary, but Trev didn’t feel even a flicker of sympathy. He folded his arms and waited.

“That is really harsh,” Junie sniffed.

“It’s accurate. Take some time and put yourself in Leanne’s position. Do you have any idea about what she wants from life? Have you ever asked? What I’m hearing from you is that you want a relationship with her, but you’d rather not put in the work. If you care, you’ll stick around and get to know her.”

“Wow.” Her eyes overflowed, and she stared at her feet for a long moment.

He suspected she’d relied on this “pitiful little girl” routine for most of her life, but it was strange seeing it in a woman old enough to be his mother. And his loyalty was to Leanne anyway, so he waited to see how she’d respond.

The silence built, and finally, Junie whispered, “She’s lucky to have you. I’ll…take my bags from here.”

This time, he didn’t argue. Maybe he should’ve pulled his punches a little, but he could see how Leanne tensed when Junie was around. That meant this woman had hurt her a lot over the years, and if he could stand as the wall that kept it from happening again, he’d damn well do so. He watched as she crossed the parking lot and got into a beat-up, blue Dodge Daytona. The thing was so old that it qualified for the “classic” car label, but it looked like it had been driven hard all those years. It must’ve been sporty and fun in the nineties, but like Junie, it showed all the miles of hard road.

When she put the car in gear, she didn’t wave as she drove by, and he turned back toward the elevator. He felt weird heading back up. Leanne wasn’t his girlfriend, but “roommate” didn’t seem quite right either. Their relationship frankly defied definition, and he hesitated outside the door, staring at the keypad. Finally, he input the code and stepped in. When he came in, she was still on the couch, curled up with her feet tucked to the side.

“Do you like this show?” she asked, nodding toward the TV.

“I’ve never watched it. Just let me clean the kitchen, and I’ll check out an episode.”

“Need any help?”

Trev shook his head then realized she couldn’t see him. “No, it’s fine. This is part of my job description.”

Leanne angled her body enough to flash him a grin. “That’s good because I was just asking to be nice. I had no intention of getting up.”

He laughed. “You shouldn’t offer to do things you don’t want to do. When people take you up on it, then you’re stuck and feeling resentful. That’s no way to live.”

She paused the show and popped up on her knees, her pretty face bright with surprise and enthusiasm. “See, that’s exactly how I feel. Normally, Idon’toffer. Politeness is for chumps. Who wants to live like a martyr, constantly helping others but wishing they didn’t feel obligated? Bad enough I have to put up with that shit at work. It’s so not for me. I’d rather save my energy for stuff I truly want to do. That way people know I mean it when I suggest pitching in.”

“I’ll remember that,” he said, getting into a rhythm rinsing cups and plates.

It didn’t take long to put everything that fit in the dishwasher and scrub the sheet pan by hand. He went the extra mile and wiped down all the counters and appliances then joined her in the living room. Since he wasn’t sure about the rules, he chose the other end of the sofa.

Leanne cut him a sideways look. “Are you drawing lines, warning me not to cross?”

“No, I just—”

“Good, because I’mreallybad at following the rules. I mean, if you tell me no, obviously, I’ll back off, but I’d prefer to keep it fluid between us.”

He had no idea what to say and finally settled on, “I’m fine with that. We don’t need labels. It’s enough that we enjoy…hanging out together.”

That seemed like the wrong thing to say, but she didn’t take offense. Instead, she said, “Awesome,” and slid toward him, pulling his arm around her shoulder. “We’re watching TV tonight, and later, there will be ice cream.”

“Will there?”

“Absolutely. You got rid of Junie in less than a week. That’s a new record.”

“She’s still in town, you know.”

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