34. Cary

34

Cary

T o our surprise, there was no evidence that the nasty entity was anywhere in the manor. I had no idea where the other spirits had hidden him, but try as we might, we found nothing. While the evil old man being gone even temporarily should’ve been welcome news, it left me feeling uneasy. The fact that the health inspector had opened the door to the basement on the full moon, of all days, only added to my suspicion.

Al and I suspected the evil entity had influenced the inspector, who I highly doubt was aware of anything strange being underfoot. Had it not been for the other spirits, it would’ve ended badly for him and likely for Evan and Christine as well… very, very badly.

With no evidence of harm, we called and told Christie and Evan the coast was clear to return. “So,” Al said after hanging up with her wife, “…wanna tell me about this new development?”

I chuckled. The seriousness of our morning’s search was the only thing that’d kept the conversation at bay.

“There’s not much to tell, just that Evan is a great guy, as I’m sure you already know. Why?”

Al shook her head. “You know it’s more than that, but if you’re trying to pretend what you’ve got going with him is just a no-strings hookup, far be it from me to interfere.”

I sighed and plopped down on the comfortable but ratty furniture in the sitting room. “I’m not pretending. I know it’s loaded, with him owning the estate and now going into business with you and Christie.”

“With Christie,” she corrected, and I laughed.

“Now who’s pretending?”

Al gave me a look, but smiled, then ignored that line of questioning altogether.

“Have you talked about it? Because you know he’ll be your boss when your contract with Hallock is up. That’s assuming you want to stay on working here, which I imagine is the case.”

“We will talk, but that’s not my biggest concern, at least not yet. Evan is struggling with some deep shit. Bad self-esteem stuff that I’m not going to go into, but I think needs priority right now. Had I known, I would’ve taken things slower. A man can’t love someone else when he doesn’t love himself. Advice my grandma used to give.”

Al chuckled. “That sounds like your grandma. She wasn’t wrong, but sometimes the easiest way to learn to love yourself is by seeing it reflected in someone else’s eyes.”

I looked over at my friend and mentor. I didn’t know all her history, but I knew she’d survived a hateful upbringing. Her parents had been strict Evangelicals when her powers began manifesting themselves. Needless to say, they thought she was a demon and kicked her out.

She’d stayed with her mom’s family until she was old enough to move out and came straight to the magical communities on the Oregon coast. Al was one of the most self-balanced people I knew, but she had told me it’d taken years for her to get there.

“Thanks, Al, that helps to hear. I like him. I like him a lot, and all my senses say he could be… well, I know it’s a cliché, but he could be the one.”

“Then don’t resist it. Christie had to use every skill at her disposal to keep me from running away. I wasn’t easy to love, but she never gave up. If you feel the same for him, I recommend digging in and preparing for the storms to come, because if he’s struggling as you say, there will definitely be storms.”

I nodded. “Yeah, I anticipated that.” Al wasn’t a hugger. She was usually an iron rod, but she stood up and pulled me into an embrace, shocking me.

“I’m glad things are working out this way. Both Christie and I like the guy. A lot, in fact. If he survives the storms we mentioned before, this will make a good home for the both of you, despite the powers moving against him.”

Al looked over her shoulder toward the kitchen and basement, and I knew she meant more than emotional storms. There was a nasty entity that wanted to do Evan harm; it might be subdued for now, but these things never stayed quiet. He’d have to face the demons of his ancestral past eventually. The metaphor for standing by him through the storms worked well. I was in this for him. I just hoped he would let me be that for him.