Chapter 7

7

"This," Florence held out a plain black t-shirt, barely touching it with her fingertips, "must be yours."

"Thanks." Erin snatched it from her and shoved it into her suitcase. The reality of daylight was proving to be far less pleasant than the night.

At some point in the very early hours of the morning, she'd woken up and rolled over into a wall of man. It'd startled her momentarily, considering all she was used to sharing a bed with were pillows and blankets, but in his sleep, he'd wrapped his arms around her and pulled her in tight. Erin had snuggled into his chest and breathed in his scent. She'd instantly relaxed, both her bobcat and human in utter bliss .

He'd been gone when she'd fully woken up for the day. Though she'd missed him, she hadn't been upset by his absence. He was in charge of the whole vessel they were on, after all. It'd been kind of nice that he'd let her sleep in, trusting her to stay in his quarters while he went about his workday.

All that luxurious delight had evaporated as soon as she'd returned to her cabin. Florence was there, and Erin had been hoping she'd be alone. The only good news was that the waifish woman was packing and informed Erin that they were returning to shore.

As Erin double-checked the drawers and closet on her side of the cabin, she knew there was nothing she wanted more than to get off this damn boat. She'd had enough of guilt-tripping herself over the wedding, and being where all that happened wasn't helping. Erin hadn't felt comfortable there in the first place, with all of Gretchen's awful friends, but it was even worse now. Running into any of them only earned her hostile looks and outright sneers. Blaire and Hadley were polite enough to at least giggle behind their hands, but they didn't bother to turn the volume down. The one time she'd accidentally run into Hugo—whom she'd been avoiding at all costs—she could practically feel the lasers of rage emitting from his eyes. She'd talk to Gretchen if she could, but so far, she hadn't been able to.

There was only one reason she wanted to stay there: Jace. Erin had absolutely no doubt now that he was her mate, but they were still so new to each other. It wasn't fair that she finally found him, but now she'd have to give him up again. She'd already used the map app on her phone to calculate the driving distance between Salem and Truro. Almost three hours. How the hell were they going to navigate that?

The sound of the engines had changed, and Erin peeked out the window. The harbor was within reach, and they were slowly chugging toward it. "Looks like we're just about there."

Florence zipped her suitcase. She took a look in the mirror, just long enough to run her fingers through her hair, and left the cabin. No goodbye. Nothing.

Great. "Nice bunking with you, too," Erin mumbled when the door had closed behind her.

She sat on the end of the bed. Everyone else was probably waiting on deck, eager to sprint off the yacht at the first possible moment, but she would just stay there. Let the rest of them get off the boat first with their fancy luggage and designer clothes. Then Erin could slip away without having to deal with them. The only one she wanted to see was Jace, but again, she wasn't sure what to do about that.

A knock on the cabin door surprised her. Erin jumped off the bed and pulled it open, half expecting Jace. It wasn't. "Gretchen. Hi."

Her friend's face was twisted into a foul look that displayed her mood as she charged into the room. "I need to talk to you."

"Of course. I've been wanting to talk to you, too." Erin closed the door, glad she'd finally have a chance to explain herself. She knew if they had time to talk, she could get her oldest friend to understand where she'd been coming from. Erin took a deep breath. "I know all of this has to be so hard on you, and I really am sorry for what I did. You see?—"

"I really don't want to hear it." Gretchen had walked in with her shoulders hunched and her arms folded across her chest, but now she swirled around with the fire of anger in her eyes. "This is exactly why it took me so long to finally come and talk to you. I knew all you'd want to do is apologize and explain yourself."

"Well, yes?—"

"And there's really no explanation that can make this better," Gretchen snapped. "There was absolutely no excuse for what you did, Erin. I asked you to come to my wedding because it only made sense to have my oldest friend by my side while I tied the knot. I thought, of all people, you would be the one to support me."

Erin waited for a moment in the heavy pause that followed. She decided to try again, not knowing when she might have another chance. Once they got off this yacht, would they ever see each other again? "I'm sorry I hurt you, Gretchen, and I'm also sorry that my apologies aren't enough right now. I understand why they're not. After I saw Hugo and Blaire in the storage closet, I just couldn't bear the thought of you being with someone who could disrespect you like that. It wasn't right."

"Ugh." Gretchen snarled her annoyance and rolled her eyes. "You really don't get it."

"I think I do, though," Erin countered. She knew Gretchen was hurt in so many ways and had every right to be. Apologizing wasn't going to undo what'd been done, but she desperately wanted Gretchen to understand that she knew how much she'd wronged her. "I should've told you right away. I should've pulled you aside, even if it was the morning of the wedding—something, I don't know—and told you in private. Then you would've had a chance to talk to Hugo calmly and make your own decision. Though I can't take any of the blame for what Hugo and Blaire did, my timing and my choices rest firmly on my shoulders."

That earned her another eyeroll from Gretchen. "No, Erin. You really don't get it. It's kind of funny that you're all dark humor and alternative lifestyle, yet you're the soft and sensitive one."

That didn't make any sense at all. Erin sensed that something was very wrong. She often relied on her intuition, but it was failing her right now. "I don't understand."

"Well, obviously!" Gretchen flicked her hair over her shoulder, causing the deeply colored gem in her right-hand ring to shimmer slightly in the light.

Erin's eyes automatically darted to Gretchen's left hand out of curiosity. The big, ugly diamond ring was gone. She knew Gretchen couldn't be pleased about that, but Erin felt a sense of relief. Women didn't always have the confidence to leave a man who mistreated them, but Gretchen and Hugo must've broken it off immediately after the botched wedding.

"I already knew about Hugo with Blaire." Gretchen's words were sharp and crisp, and she narrowed her eyes at Erin as though it was her fault for not knowing. "In fact, he's slept with plenty of other women, too."

This wasn't at all what she expected. "Excuse me?"

"He's an extremely wealthy man, Erin. He gets what he wants, and that's just how it is. Yachts, cars, women, whatever. I understood all of that, which is exactly why he was willing to marry me. And I," Gretchen lifted her chin proudly, "was about to have a ticket to a lavish lifestyle. I'd never have to worry about earning another paycheck in my life. I was going to spend my days lying by the pool, or shopping with his credit card, or jetting off to Borneo. Whatever."

Erin had opened her mouth to reply, but words refused to come out at first. It was hard for her to truly grasp what Gretchen was telling her. "You were marrying him just for his money?" This was something that deeply conflicted with her own convictions. She'd waited forever to find the right person and would've continued to wait for as long as it took rather than settle down with the wrong person.

They really were different people.

"Of course!" Gretchen snapped. "Why the hell do you think wealthy people get married at all? It's not like they need a second source of income. It's purely for the look. A guy running a big company needs to have a certain aesthetic to his life. It's social appeal and little more."

"So, you were using each other?" The conclusion was a hard one to swallow. How was that a marriage? How was that love and happiness? How was that any way to live? Erin simply couldn't envision a relationship like that continuing for any length of time without some sort of resentment building up.

"Until you ruined it." A bit of spit came flying out of Gretchen's lips. "Your little charade embarrassed the hell out of him, and Hugo isn't the kind of man who takes that well. He wants the dignity and respect that a man of his stature has earned. He's not going to pretend to grovel to me just for appearances. Yes, we had an agreement, but it was a private one."

"I see," Erin said quietly. She didn't know what else to say.

"If you say so, but I doubt it. This was my life to live the way I wanted it, and you just shit all over it." Gretchen hurried past her and out of the cabin, slamming the door behind her.

Erin sat for a moment in silence. She really couldn't understand why Gretchen would want that for herself, but it hadn't been her place to judge. Erin could try to lay the blame at Gretchen's feet for not explaining it all to her in the first place, but it was far too late for that now. Guilt swept over her once again. What a horrible trip this had turned out to be!

The engines had cut completely now, and a quick glance out the window told Erin that they'd docked. She gripped the handle of her suitcase and waited. If they all hated her anyway, she'd give them space to leave before she stepped out.

She wished that things were still the way they used to be with Gretchen. Even once their lives had turned in opposite directions, Erin had been able to spill her heart out to her friend. She longed to tell Gretchen what was happening between herself and Jace and ask her for advice. They weren't young kids with their whole lives ahead of them. She had a life, a shop, and a coven in Salem. He had a home, a job, and a son in Truro. Neither of them could be expected just to drop all of that. But there would be no asking Gretchen about that today, and maybe not ever.

After a few minutes, she carefully opened the door and glanced left and right down the hall. No one was in sight. With her suitcase bobbling along behind her, Erin made her way up the stairs to the deck. She stood right where she'd been when her stupid overnight bag had split open and embarrassed her. That should've been the first sign that this trip was going to be a bad one. Frowning at the deck boards, she hurried across them.

"You're not sneaking off, are you?" a deep voice said behind her.

Erin jumped. She dropped the handle of her suitcase, and it fell to the deck with a bang. She cringed, waiting for it to explode and cause a whole new scene, but it lay silent.

Jace grabbed the handle and righted the suitcase, but he didn't hand it back to her. "I didn't mean to startle you. I just wanted a chance to talk to you."

"That's fine. Perfectly fine." She fought to catch her breath. Anxiety over Gretchen had already made her lungs a bit uncooperative, but running into Jace had completely driven the air out of them. "I'm glad you stopped me, actually. I was too focused on avoiding everyone else."

He tipped his head as he watched the other passengers hurry down the pier to where their vehicles waited for them. "I think you're safe."

She felt safe. Something about him made her all soft inside, a cozy feeling she'd never had with anyone else. It was one of the reasons she knew they belonged together, but the knowledge once again reminded her of the difficulties that lay ahead. "I wanted to talk to you, too. I had a nice time with you last night." It was a start.

"So did I," Jace said with a nod. "I was actually wondering if you'd like to continue having a nice time."

"How is that?" She found a smile growing across her face, one that reflected his. How could she be smiling at all after that conversation with Gretchen? She didn't know, but she pushed all that negativity away.

His shoulder rolled slightly under his epaulet as he gave a reserved shrug. "I've got some extra time on my hands now that we've docked earlier than expected."

That was a nice way of putting it.

"We're not all that far from where I live, and I thought I'd see if you wanted to spend the rest of the week with me." The sunlight picked out all the little flecks of color in his hazel eyes.

"I, um, I'd have to see if I can get a hotel." The logical part of her brain was fighting with her instinct to just jump into his arms.

"No. You can stay with me at my place. If you'd like," he added.

Oh, yes. Erin's bobcat shuddered with pleasure. A handsome man who resonated with her soul, who looked at her as though she were the only woman in the world, who knew precisely how to please her in bed, wanted to spend more time with her? "That sounds nice."

Erin still didn't know how they'd manage to continue on after this week, but that would be a problem for another day.