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“Oh yeah. I just made more of them. Give me one second.”

I went to the back where my station was. It was a mess of different glass bottles of scents and wax. I had a massive wax heater shoved into a corner, and the thing was on its last leg, but it worked. On top of that, I had incense and crystals in various boxes, all ready to go on the floor when I had the space.

“This place is a mess,” I muttered before finding where I’d put the candles. Maybe when I needed to avoid everyone, I could blast music and get this place cleaned out. I knew I’d want to hide soon.

But for now, I needed to get what Atticus had asked for. I grabbed them and brought them out. “Here you go,” I said.

Atticus nodded and walked over to the register. I opened my mouth to start a conversation, but shut it immediately. Was there anything else to talk about other than Gabriel?

He glanced at me and I wondered if he was waiting to see if I would snap at him. When I was young and stupid, I took out my anger over Gabriel leaving on him. After a while, I saw the light and apologized.

“I have something for you,” he eventually said. “I hear your neighbors are loud.”

I blinked when he pushed a set of noise-canceling headphones across the counter.

“Really?”

“Uh, yeah. Hopefully it helps.” Atticus wasn’t a man of many words, but I knew he felt bad for what went down between Gabriel and me.

“I’ll be all right.”

He shrugged. “Still. You need your beauty rest.”

With a sigh, I took them. “Thank you, but you really didn’t have to.” He got his card out and that should’ve been the end of our conversation. I couldn’t help but speak up. “So, how are things?” I asked with a tight smile.

“They’re different. I’m sure you know why.”

“I bet it’s a lot. None of us knew you had grandkids.” I wanted it to come out normally. But the bitterness crept in.

Atticus sighed. “Jade⁠—”

“Sorry. I’m not trying to put you in the middle of it. But still. The grandkids? That seems like something we should have known.”

“It’s a . . . complicated situation.”

I knew what that meant. Gabriel didn’t want us to know.

He didn’t want me to know. Not until I had to.

“Do you know why he came back? He said he was out of options.”

“Will it change anything?”

“Please tell me.”

Atticus had the backbone of a jellyfish. He gave in with any kind of pushing.

“The kids started a fire, and he’s waiting for his apartment to be repaired.”

“I’m not surprised, that tracks for them.” I shook my head. “So, he’s going back when it’s done?”

“Yeah. He needs a bit to get things more settled with them and help for when they escape.”

“What is he gonna do when he’s alone again?”

Atticus only shrugged. “Hopefully, this is temporary.”

“Were they always like this?”