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Before the waterworks could continue, Jax thanked us both, then wrapped up his duties, and went home.
Between the two of us, Yara and I were complete messes, but we managed to work through our emotions until it was time for closing. Since the place was practically empty all night, we spent more time cleaning than anything else.
By the time the place was spotless, and we were locking up, I was both emotionally and physically drained.
Yara gave me one last squeeze and murmured, “I’m going to miss our constant singing and dancing behind the bar.”
“Me too,” I returned gently, taking in how genuine the hug felt. “Don’t be a stranger. Come by Willow’s if you want to catch up.”
With a soft smile, Yara nodded, and then we said our farewells for the night. I knew it wouldn’t be long before she either called or texted me again. My bet was on less than twenty-four hours.
The walk home felt incredibly sad yet hopefully simultaneously. Like I was leaving something amazing behind to spread my wings and discover more of myself.
Such a big change was intimidating, but I also knew it was my emotions talking.
Despite leaving the Roadbar and all the friendly faces, I was excited for what was to come. I couldn’t let myself focus on the gloominess of shedding the old, and I needed to stay optimistic. Especially since I had the chance to work with another close friend of mine and a coven sister at that.
With my shoes padding against the sidewalk, I thought about how great of an opportunity it was to connect with my craft again. To fine-tune my abilities and feel more aligned.
Willow’s shop had felt like a beacon of magic ever since it opened, and being surrounded by all those witchy items would no doubt give me the boost I needed.
Just as I reached my front yard, I stopped.
The neighbor’s garbage bin was on its side, and its contents were spilled across their driveway and onto my lawn. It was obvious the raccoons had already gotten into it.
With a sigh, my pensive attitude faltered into irritation, which seemed more frequent as of late.
Ever since the two packs made peace, my new neighbor hadn’t been the stand-up citizen I had hoped for. He has been a pain in the neck since he moved in, and his cold demeanor didn’t help.
Each time something came up, I had to deal with it. He seemed to do everything within his power to get on my nerves, and the sight of his trash spread across my lawn didn’t help the matter.
Pushing back the irritation, I leaned down to pick up the bin just as a familiar screen door slammed shut.
Glancing up, I caught his scowl first.
“What are you doing?”
At my full height again, I pulled a curt smile and gestured to the bin. “I just came home to find the garbage everywhere. I was about to clean it up.”
Griffin scoffed. “Don’t worry yourself about it.”
What had been slight optimism slipped away from me just as quickly as it arrived, and I was met with that usual disappointment. It was always impossible for him to be cordial.
I sighed. “Do you at least have a bungee cord or something? It’ll help keep the wildlife from getting inside it.”
Griffin gave me an annoyed glance as he reached down and recovered as much trash from the lawn as he could manage. “I don’t need to bother. I’m a shifter, remember? I don’t need to spare any thoughts for a few raccoons.”
Furrowing my brows, I wasn’t sure what that was supposed to imply, since him being a shifter hadn’t stopped said raccoons from dumping his garbage all over my property.
Deciding to be the bigger person, I grabbed a few items that were closer to me and
helped put them in the bin. He might’ve been a colossal jerk, but that didn’t mean I had to be one too.
“I might have a spare one you could use,” I offered, hoping any morsel of kindness might help smooth his rough edges.
But he only took a spare item from my hand and narrowed those grey eyes at me, as if he didn’t believe my offer was genuine. “Keep it. You will probably need it.”
Taken aback by the comment, I didn’t have the chance to say anything else or to question what he meant by it.
