Page 30 of Heal Me

“At least tell me you and Damion are together together now that he’s back in his body,” I tease, changing the subject away from Gabe. I still haven’t told Aubry about me and Gabe spending time together. I’m not sure why. Yes I am. She’ll ask what it means and I don’t know what it means. Okay, I do know what I want it to mean, if only I can get out of my own head.

“You’ve been spending too much time around Vivian,” she huffs, pulling me from my thoughts. “Yes, Damion and I are together now that we’re not together.” She pauses. “That sounded way too complicated.”

“Is it complicated?”

“Guess I’ll find out. Welcome to Memphis Magic,” she calls. “A customer just walked in. I’ll see you tonight,”

“Bye.”

Pulling into the strip mall that’s home to my mom’s bakery, I exit my car and walk inside. Immediately, I’m greeted by the scrumptious smells and tempting sugary confections in the glass display case. I resist placing my hands on the glass to get a better look, as I know Mom has to clean fingerprints off the display case multiple times a day for that very reason.

“And there’s my baby girl,” Debbie Baker says, joining me from the back. I walk behind the counter and give her a hug, wiping some flour from her cheek. “Follow me, you’re just in time,” she says.

I do as I’m told, and we enter her small industrial kitchen where her famous brown butter chocolate chip cookies are cooling on wire racks. “You should bottle up that smell and sell it,” I say, grabbing a warm cookie and taking a bite. “These are sinful.”

“That’s why they’re my number one seller.” She takes off her apron and tosses it on the counter. “So tell me what you’ve been up to? I feel like I haven’t seen you in forever. You’ve been avoiding my calls.”

“All one thousand of them?”

“I’m sorry, but you know I worry.”

“Mom,” I say, feeling guilty but knowing I also need to establish boundaries. “I love you, and I appreciate your concern, but smothering me won’t change what happened.”

“I know,” she says, dabbing her eyes.

Giving her another hug, I say, “You’ve got to stop with the fifty texts and calls a day, and then freaking out when I don’t immediately get back with you.”

“Not fifty. More like forty-nine.”

“Mom,” I start.

“I will try to rein it in.” She holds up her hands in defeat.

“That’s all I’m asking.”

“So how’s my baby girl?”

“I’m doing really well. I’ve been busy with school and at the hospital.”

“Anything else?”

What else? Ah, just that my new best friend was kidnapped, and I was the bait to lure the crazy angel out of a protective circle so a scary angel could capture him with a flaming sword, and then I threw myself at a sexy Nephilim. Now my best friend is no longer possessed by a demon, and Gabe and I are stuck in relationship limbo. “I’ve been hanging out with Aubry. She and I have become close.” That’s the easier explanation.

“Good. I like Aubry.” She gives me a look. “Why do I have the feeling there’s also a guy involved?”

“What makes you say that?” I sidestep.

“Are you back with William?”

“No, we’re just friends. Besides, he has a girlfriend.” At least he did when I ran into him at the bar that night. William texted me after he heard about the kidnapping to make sure I was okay. He’s a good guy, just not my guy.

“Good.”

“I thought you liked William?”

“Who doesn’t like William? I just didn’t like William for you. Your dad was more of a William fan than I was, anyway, because of his friendship with William Senior. So who is the new mystery man?”

A smile spreads across my face even though I don’t want it to. Traitorous mouth. “Gabe’s just a friend.”

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