“Oh, I will,” I said.“Count on it.”
I turned to Owen.“Can you take me home?I’m not sure I should be driving.”
“Sure.No problem.”
We said goodbye and stepped back out into the store, then into the bright afternoon.The drive to Snapdragon Drive was quiet, the air between us thick with everything unsaid.
“I heard what my dad told you,” Owen said finally, eyes on the road.
“What?”I asked, though I already knew.
“He said your aunt was a witch.”
A slow, shaky breath slipped out of me.“Yes.”The word came out thin and cold.
“Do you believe him?”he asked.
“I don’t know.Do you?”I studied his profile, the tight line of his jaw, the way his fingers tightened on the wheel.
“Maybe,” he said.“Probably.”
“I’m sorry he didn’t tell you,” I said.“No one told me, either.”
He huffed out a humorless laugh.“I guess we’re both in the dark.Just… different dark.”
“Me more than you,” I said softly.“I feel like I’m standing in a room with the lights off, and things keep moving that I can’t see.”
“I’m still willing to help you,” he said.
“I know.”And I did.“Thank you.I appreciate that.When I know what I’m doing, maybe you can.”
Because whether I understood any of it or not, the tree was dying.Alice was dead.And Hickory Hollow was somehow mine now in a way I had never asked for and could no longer pretend didn’t matter.
He pulled into my driveway and shifted into park.I rested my hand on the door handle, then paused to look at him.
“Thanks, Owen.For everything.”
Our gazes caught and held.Now that I knew he liked me—had always liked me—I felt painfully aware of him.Of the warmth in his eyes.Of the air between us that felt charged, like right before a storm.
“You’re welcome,” he said quietly.
Before I could overthink it, I leaned across the console and pressed a quick kiss to his cheek.His skin was warm and faintly rough with stubble.
I didn’t wait for his reaction.I bolted out of the car, heart racing, and climbed the porch steps.Only once I was inside did I dare peek through the window.
He was still sitting there, one hand on his cheek, as if he wasn’t sure what had hit him.I didn’t move away until I saw his truck finally back out of the drive and disappear down the road.
A pang of longing caught me off guard, sharp and startling.
Guardian.Witch.Ley lines.Demons.
And Owen McAllister, who had always liked me.
Welcome home, Piper.Whether I was ready for it or not.
Chapter Six
Ispenttherestof the afternoon—and well into the evening—unpacking the last of my clothes.
