Page 57 of Heal Me

“You know what, that four a.m. flight isn’t sounding so bad,” I plead to Gabe.

“It’s going to be fine,” he says, his eyes doing the weird flickering.

“Still doesn’t work on me,” I remind him as I take Sam’s outstretched hand.

“Turek is going to want a crack at her.” Sam smirks.

“I’m sorry?” I ask, but the next thing I know, Sam and I are standing at a different back door. It takes me a moment to orient myself, like I’ve been spinning in circles on a merry-go-round, the ride having abruptly come to a stop.

Gabe appears beside us, and I quickly drop my hand from Sam’s rough one. Taking in our surroundings, we’re standing before a lovely shingle-style home likely to be hundreds of years old. Surveying the small backyard, I see a firepit with a cozy seating area surrounded by a tall privacy fence. The distant sound of the waves crashing and the unmistakable smell of salt air tells me we’re close to an ocean.

“Thanks, Sam,” Gabe says.

“What, no invite inside? Fine, I can take a hint.”

“Can you?” Gabe asks, deadpan.

“Charlotte, I’ll be seeing you around,” Sam says to me and vanishes. I’m not sure from his tone if it was a pleasantry or a threat.

Gabe produces a large skeleton key that’s actually in the shape of a skeleton. “Where are we? And whose house is this?” I ask as he uses the key and we step inside. There’s a wood-burning fireplace in the living room I want to put to use as soon as possible.

“Salem. Hecate owns this property.”

“Hecate? As in the goddess of witchcraft?”

“She fancies herself a goddess,” he chuckles.

“How do you know her?” I ask, hoping I don’t sound as irrationally jealous as I’m feeling.

“She’s a demon friend who owes me a favor, and so she’s letting us use her place.”

“What kind of favor?” More irrational jealousy.

“Work favor.”

“Anything else I need to know about your life?”

“Only that it’s so much better now that you’re in it.”

I stand on my tiptoes, pulling him down by his shirt and giving him a kiss. “Show me around this amazing house.” I walk to the patio and open the sliding doors. “Never mind, I’ll be out here if you need me,” I say, taking in the spectacular Atlantic Ocean view.

“Not so fast; we’re on a tight schedule.”

“What schedule? We’re not meeting my dad until tomorrow morning.”

“Vivian’s schedule.” He’s holding a piece of paper entitled Team Gabelette’s Romantic Weekend Itinerary.

“We’ve upgraded to team status?” Vivian loves the reality show House Guest and is “coaching” Aubry and Damion for the upcoming casting call. It doesn’t matter they’re not really going to audition, but hey, Aubry can work that out with her grandma.

“Team Gabelette does have a nice ring to it,” Gabe agrees.

I take a look at the list. “Not a bad itinerary. But I want to go to a seafood market and cook something here for dinner instead of going out to eat. Oh, and let’s skip the haunted ghost tour this evening. I’d rather take a walk on the beach and watch the sunset.”

Gabe produces a pen and marks out the restaurant recommendation and ghost tour.

“You know we could just ignore this list altogether and wing it.”

He scoops me up in his arms and carries me to the bedroom. “What are you doing?” I laugh. “This isn’t on the itinerary.”

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