The garden hadn’t produced many flowers. My attention had been elsewhere from mid-July on. A patch of perennial dahlias kept showing up, and this year the blooms were variegated and plentiful. I snipped two—one a deep burgundy and the other a fruity shade of orange—and pinched off the leaves in order to wedge the stems into the vase.
Back in my room, I rearranged the crowded bureau top as L’Runa suggested. The dolls seemed pleased with the treats. I was happy to surround them with meaningful objects, though my circlet, worn once at my ritual of initiation in August, needed attention. I straightened the stems of its delicate metal leaves, polished the tiny round mirrors, and lowered it over the dolls.
I so wanted them to speak to each other. And to me. My throat tightened. I had gone more than three decades without my mother and this was one of those moments when my allotment of memories felt woefully stingy.
“Are you okay?” Tanner swung his legs off the bed and sat up. His gaze met mine in between the spidery cracks blooming across the old mirror’s crackled silver backing.
I gripped the corners of the bureau. Shook my head and closed my eyes, putting me in immediate contact with House and my land and our shared sense of waiting.
“What do you need me to do?” he asked.
“Help me find the missing links and pieces?” I ran my fingertips over the head of one doll, then the other. “Help me put the past to rest? Reassure me I’m doing the right thing by letting the boys go this weekend?” I shrugged. I was relieved the teens would be away from the island and away from danger for the next three days. Which wasn’t much time to double down on Odilon and Clan Vigne.
Tanner settled himself behind me as I spoke. Leaning into the solid support of his torso, I sighed. Working investigations as a team was becoming a theme in our developing relationship. Adding Odilon to our ongoing search of the properties on the island wouldn’t leave us much time for romance.
My druid gently guided me to face him. “I’m sorry I can’t be with Harper and Thatcher this first time. I trust Wes with my own life, and I know he’ll keep his eyes on your sons.”
“I know there’s no rational reason for me to worry. Christoph’s going, too, and he’s been mentoring teens for decades.” I relinquished my stalwart spine and let Tanner pull me in closer. “The girls are excited. I almost wish I could go. Learning magic as an adult is hard,” I added. I faked a pout.
“I’ve been doing this for so many years, Calliope, that I sometimes lose track of how new it is to you.”
I snuggled my curves into Tanner, wrapped my arms around the back of his waist, and let myself accept his offer of support. He softened first and I followed, until the rhythm of our breathing matched. Leading me into a lazy box step, he danced us between the closet and the bureau until the sounds and smells of food preparation filtered in.
Suddenly, I had an appetite. “Let’s go see what everyone’s up to.”
After the dining table had been cleared, after the dishes were cleaned, dried, and put away, a plate was piled high with fresh-baked cookies. I chose a treat for myself, waved the teenagers off, and settled onto the couch-sized swing on the back deck.
Strains of the theme music that introduced the boys’ favorite video game floated out the open upstairs windows. I closed my eyes, let my toes skim the decking, and sent my awareness coiling around the bones of my house and along the periphery of the property. Feelers came back drowsy with a sated peacefulness, and I rocked the remains of the day out of my system.
I must have fallen asleep. An arm slipped under the backs of my knees, another behind my shoulders. The faint scent of mint told me the arms sliding beneath me belonged to Tanner. I was lifted up, carried through the house, and deposited on my bed.
“I need to brush my teeth,” I mumbled, pushing up to sitting. I almost fell over to the other side. “Are you sleeping in here?”
“What’s your preference?” Tanner sat beside me. “All five of the kids are in the bunkhouse right now, but I’m not sure who’s sleeping where. Christoph’s snoring on the futon in your office. I can sleep on the couch.”
“I’m not ready for us to sleep together when the boys are home, now that they know you’re here,” I said, snuggling against his side. “Last night was a special exception.”
Tanner slid a finger under my chin and lifted. I could barely open my eyes. His kiss assured me that, eyes open or closed, his lips would be on my mind all night long.
I slept the sleep of the emotionally drained, and when I unstuck my eyes, it felt like the house had come alive earlier than usual. Stumbling between my bedroom and the bathroom, I waved Wes in as he approached the front door. He toed off his boots and went right to my old office to speak with Christoph. Sallie and Azura were next, perky and chirpy as the morning’s birdsong.
The teens hauled everything edible from the kitchen to the table. At least, it seemed that way. And after they’d devoured cereal and platters of toast and scrambled eggs, they raced to see who could pack fastest.
Christoph reminded his charges to clean up, and once everyone had used the bathrooms and washed their dishes, Tanner and I followed the sextet to the Old One for last-minute hugs and promises to have fun. This trip to Vancouver marked Thatcher’s first time traveling via the portal system. I resisted voicing the evergreen
