Chapter 7

Parker pokedhis head out of the kitchen and into the front of the diner. "Hey, there you are, Eli. I didn't see you come in."

"Oh. Hi." Eli let his gaze rest on Parker briefly before it flitted away.

He'd purposely snuck in and hurried past the office as fast as he could when he'd arrived for the lunch shift. Last night's fantasies were indeed making it hard to face Parker. Eli had hoped—ridiculously—to somehow make it through the day without seeing the guy.

"Do you mind popping back here? I have a favor to ask." Parker held the kitchen door open expectantly.

"Sure." Eli looked at the ground as he left Luna to finish filling the salt shakers by herself.

"It's not really a favor. It's work-related," Parker explained as he led Eli to the storage room at the back. "Not exactly a normal part of a server's duties, but I was wondering if you could make a delivery for me?"

Eli stopped in the storeroom doorway. "A delivery?"

Parker turned to face him, placing a hand on a box on a nearby shelf. "Yeah, it's a long story, but the diner's agreed to deliver bulk groceries to Storm House every month. Luna's car has been giving her trouble so she asked if she could pass the task on to someone else."

Eli eyed the box next to Parker. It was full of bags of sugar, flour, and canned food. The request was almost strange enough for him to forget his embarrassment. "Why would we be delivering food to Storm House?"

The old manor north of Moonlight Falls was notorious for its creepiness. It sat isolated from the rest of the town, and no one disputed the fact that the place was haunted.

"The guy living there doesn't come into town." Parker shrugged. "He pays us well to drive out there, so you'll get a bit extra in your paycheck for your trouble."

Eli met Parker's gaze. His embarrassment was completely gone now and replaced with heavier feelings. "I haven't driven up that way in years."

"Of course." Parker ran a hand through his short hair. "Shit, Eli. I didn't think."

"It's okay." Eli crossed and uncrossed his arms, his flustered state having nothing to do with Parker for once. "It's probably not the healthiest thing for me to avoid a whole section of road just because my parents died out that way."

It had been fourteen years since his parents had died in a car crash, and Eli had been up North Road in that time. But he hadn't gone near the place since he'd left for college and didn't know what emotions driving out that way might stir up after so long.

"If you want to avoid the road, I won't tell you not to. I can find someone else to go." Parker sounded nothing but understanding.

The simple lack of judgment was more comforting than Eli had expected. He reconsidered the favor and made himself think beyond his gut reaction to North Road.

"No," he said carefully. "I think I should do it." Looking into Parker's warm brown eyes gave him a boost in confidence. "I'd rather not have it looming over me. What if I need to head up that way for my study?"

Parker nodded, his mouth set in a serious line. "You're pretty amazing, Eli. You know that, right?"

Eli's cheeks flushed. "For driving up a perfectly normal road?" He couldn't hide his skepticism.

"No. For facing things that aren't easy. For not letting things get in the way of what you want. I know being here is hard for you, but you're here anyway because nothing can dim your passion for understanding magic."

Eli was mesmerized by the look of pride on Parker's face. He hadn't realized how well Parker understood him or how much Parker had truly seen him. And from the tenderness in the big man's gaze, Eli figured Parker liked what he saw.

Eli had never expected that.

"Being here isn't so bad," he found himself saying.

"Careful." Parker smiled. "If James hears you talking like that, he'll try to get you back here after you finish your degree."

Eli rolled his eyes. But it was true. James would jump at any hint that Eli might want to come home.

Parker's serious demeanor returned. "You're sure you're good to head out to Storm House? The owner will be expecting you soon."

"Yeah, all good." Eli nodded.

Parker clapped a hand on his shoulder and squeezed. He didn't let go right away, and before Eli knew it, Parker was pulling him into a hug. Parker's embrace was warm and held him firmly, giving Eli a sense of security. He hugged back, burying his face in Parker's chest for just a second.

The physical contact sent electric tingles through his body, but not the heat of arousal. It was something deeper, making Eli forget the awkwardness brought on by last night's fantasy. The hug was pure comfort. This man understood and cared about him, and everything about that felt wonderful.

Eli drove out of town,trunk laden with boxes and a cherry pie on his passenger seat. The man living out at Storm House always ordered a pie, apparently.

It was weird that anyone lived out there, though Eli was pretty sure the house had always been occupied. The creepy property was the kind of place he and the other kids had dared each other to sneak onto when they were teens. The energy there repelled people, which Eli supposed was ideal for its reclusive owner.

As soon as Eli passed the last of Moonlight's houses, the road began to wind through the looming trees. Eli found this whole section of woods eerie, though that was his own experience clouding his judgment. There was nothing wrong with the trees. It didn't matter if it was darker up here, with less light penetrating the canopy. He only felt unsettled because he knew his parents had died out here.

But that wasn't the forest's fault. It wasn't Moonlight Falls's fault that Eli had experienced so much loss here, and in the end, driving along the road didn't upset him as much as he'd feared it would. There was a bit of sadness in his gut, but it wasn't anything he couldn't face.

Maybe he should try to deal with his loss more actively. If he could drive out here for the diner and admit it was just a place, could he see Moonlight Falls for all the good it offered rather than all the bad things it reminded him of?

He'd barely heard from his friends down south and hadn't gotten much in the way of replies when he'd asked how things were going with them. People were busy, he understood that, but being in Moonlight Falls reminded him what real community felt like. It was overwhelming but ultimately nice to be surrounded by people who cared about him and were genuinely invested in what he was doing.

The town would always remind Eli of the parents who never got to see him grow up, of his grandfather who'd died barely a year after his mom and dad, and his grandmother who'd loved him and James fiercely until she too passed away. But for the first time, Eli wanted to move on. He wanted to be comfortable with his grief instead of scared of it. Avoiding all the reminders of his loss didn't make any more sense than avoiding North Road.

Eli pulled up to Storm House. A stone wall surrounded the property, and Eli vaguely recognized the large wrought iron gate at the end of the driveway.

The gate stood open, a man leaning against it, waiting for him. Eli blinked in surprise. He'd assumed the person living here was old, assumed it was the same man who'd been living here when Eli was a kid. He'd been wrong, and what was more, he recognized the guy.

"Hello, Elijah Gray," the man called, not moving from his spot against the bars of the open gate.

"Sebastian." Eli shut his car door and stared. He'd gone to high school with Sebastian Storm, though Sebastian had been a couple of years ahead of him.

Sebastian was tall and slim, with a tumble of red curls framing his face. He sported a sly grin, his eyes narrowing as he inspected Eli. "Since when do you work at the diner?"

"It hasn't been long." Eli couldn't shake his surprise. Parker had said they did this delivery because the guy was a recluse who wouldn't come into town. But then again, Eli remembered Sebastian as a loner, and the idea that he didn't leave his property or want to socialize with anyone in town made sense.

"You have a pie for me?" Sebastian asked.

"Oh." Eli hurried around to the other side of his car to get the pie and walked it over to Sebastian. "Here."

Sebastian took it without saying thank you and opened the lid. Eli unloaded the boxes, leaving them at the base of the driveway as Parker had instructed. He wouldn't mind carrying them to the house, except for the haunted, wrong feeling that seemed to hang over the property.

Eli was glad to avoid getting any closer. He eyed the large structure looming in the background. It was dark and unfriendly, with peeling green paint. It looked almost abandoned.

Sebastian stared at Eli silently as he unloaded the boxes, eyes drilling into him as if Sebastian was analyzing him. "So, will you be delivering my food now?"

"Yeah, I think so. For a few months anyway. I'm only staying with James temporarily. I'll be leaving Moonlight Falls in a few months."

Sebastian wrinkled his nose. "Makes sense. I don't know why anyone would want to spend time in that town."

Eli didn't know why anyone would want to spend time at Storm House. The shadows around the property seemed deeper, darker than normal. Nothing about the place was pleasant.

"You said you're living with James?"

"Hm?" Eli was startled. He'd been distracted looking at the looming trees.

Sebastian gave him a look like he thought Eli was clueless. "You mentioned your brother. Is he here temporarily too?"

"Oh yeah. I mean, no. He's got his shop: Gray Electrical. I can't imagine James ever leaving the business behind. Running it is pretty much his dream. He's here to stay."

Sebastian nodded. "Right." He didn't sound particularly interested even though he'd asked. "As great as this has been, I'm going to go." He picked up one of the boxes and turned away, not waiting for a response.

Eli got back in his car. Sebastian was kind of rude, but what else could he expect from someone hiding out in a haunted house, avoiding people?

As Eli started his car, movement caught in the corner of his vision. Eyes appeared in the shadows along the base of the stone wall. Was that a shade? Out during the day? True, the sky was gray, and with all the trees, there were plenty of shadows to draw from, but Eli had never seen one out before dark.

He drove away, leaving Storm House behind. The shades out there weren't his problem.