Page 121 of Trick or Tease

“Come on, Granny,” I said, helping her into the passenger seat. “Let’s get you home.”

As I started the engine, I caught sight of Garrett in my rearview mirror. He was standing near the barn. When he spotted my truck, he took a few steps toward us, raising his hand like he wanted me to stop.

I gunned the engine and drove past him without slowing down. In a moment of pure spite, I rolled down my window and flipped him off as we passed.

Granny Mae let out a delighted cackle from the passenger seat. “Lord almighty, child. You really are your mother’s daughter. Full of piss and vinegar.”

I kept my eyes on the road ahead, refusing to look back. Whatever Garrett wanted to say to me, I wasn’t ready to hear it. Maybe I never would be.

“Stubborn as the day is long,” Granny Mae muttered, still chuckling to herself. “That boy has got his work cut out for him if he wants to win you back.”

“He’s not going to win me back,” I said firmly. “Because I’m not for sale.”

Granny Mae just smiled and patted my arm. “We’ll see about that, honey. We’ll see about that.”

I snorted because there was no way I was going to wait around for that man to apologize. I didn’t trust him, and I never would. He was a jerk. Just because he didn’t sell the farm today didn’t mean he wouldn’t do it tomorrow or when he figured out he didn’t like working for a living.

I helped Granny inside and promised to be by the following day. Then I went home and cleaned off the witch makeup. It had been an exhausting day. An exhausting month.

I was going to sleep for at least twelve hours. Garrett was a problem for tomorrow.

46

GARRETT

Sabrina’s parting message was pretty fucking clear. She wanted nothing to do with me, and honestly, I couldn’t blame her. I screwed up so badly I wasn’t sure there was any coming back from it.

The cleanup was winding down around me. Most of the volunteers had already headed home, leaving just family and the core group to handle the heavy lifting.

I spotted Lucy near the food vendor booths, stacking empty boxes and folding up tables. Her fairy wings were long gone, and her hair was pulled back in a messy ponytail, but she still had that glow of someone who just pulled off something amazing.

I walked over to her with my hands shoved deep in my pockets. “Lucy?”

She looked up, and I saw her expression shift from tired satisfaction to something more guarded. Not hostile like Sabrina but definitely cautious.

“Hey, Garrett. Hell of a night, huh?”

“Yeah. Listen, I was wondering, did you talk to Sabrina at all? After everything that happened with Ron?”

Lucy straightened up, brushing dust off her hands. She studied my face for a moment, and I could see her weighing how much to tell me.

“I did,” she said finally.

“And?”

Lucy sighed. The sound was full of sympathy that somehow made me feel worse. “I’m sorry, Garrett. I really am. But I think it might be a lost cause.”

The words hurt, even though they weren’t entirely unexpected. “She’s that pissed?”

“She’s hurt,” Lucy corrected. “And yeah, she’s pissed too. Really pissed. She feels like you betrayed her trust, and for Sabrina, trust isn’t something she gives easily, especially once it’s broken.” She gave a helpless shrug.

I scrubbed a hand over my face. “I fucked up, Lucy. I know that. But what happened with Ron, tearing up that contract—doesn’t that count for anything?”

“It should,” she said gently. “And maybe someday it will. She thinks you were manipulating her while you planned to sell the farm the whole time.”

“That’s not what happened,” I said desperately. “I wanted to know how much the farm was worth, but that had nothing to do with all the help I did around here. I wasn’t manipulating anyone. I genuinely wanted you all to succeed.”

“I know. You asked, I told you.”