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No one was hurt. The mirror is gone. End of story.
Jackson leads me to his car.
“Oh, and by the way, I don’t kiss on the first date.” Which is a silly thing to say because he’s already kissed me.
But still. It’s the principle.
Jack laughs and swings out into traffic. “I remember.”
* * *
“The mirrors are over here,” I say as we walk into the shop. I flip on some lights, and my heels clip on the old hardwood floor. “I have the perfect one in mind. I wanted to buy it as soon as it arrived, but I didn’t have anywhere to put it.”
“But now you do,” Jack adds with a smile.
“Now, I do.”
Dinner was easy. That’s the best way to describe it. There was no weirdness—nothing uncomfortable at all. We had plenty of delicious food and a little wine. Our conversation was light. I didn’t want to dig into the past or ask a bunch of questions when we were sitting in the middle of a restaurant full of people.
“Have I mentioned that you look amazing?” he asks as he slips up behind me and rubs my shoulders.
I’m shocked that I don’t purr like a kitten.
“You said something a time or two. Now, focus. Mirror.”
“Which one do you want?” he asks but doesn’t stop kneading my shoulders.
“That one.” I point to an oval mirror with a gold frame.
“Are you sure you don’t want that black one?” he asks and points to a mirror below the one I have my heart set on.
“I definitely don’t want the black one.”
“Why not?”
“A man in New York owned it,” I explain and turn to watch his face as I tell him the story. “He was in the mob.”
Jack’s eyebrow lifts. “Really? Like, the real mob?”
“Yeah.”
I think back to the first time I touched that mirror and the little jolt it gave me. I didn’t expect that.
“I thought you said you send bad juju things back.”
“Oh, I do. It’s not that this one has bad juju, as you put it. In fact, the guy was a lover, not a fighter. And let me tell you, when I say lover, I mean lover. The man had more sex than that basketball guy who slept with like twenty thousand women.”
“Wilt Chamberlain?”
“Yeah, that guy. I’m not one to judge, but he had too much sex. And I don’t want that in my house. Now, this oval mirror.” I point to the one I want to take home.
“Let me guess. Another little old lady?”
“No.” I laugh and shake my head. “It belonged to a nurse, actually. She was tired, overworked, underpaid, and struggling. Single mom. But she was also fierce and determined. And happy. So, I want it. Plus, the gold matches my shower curtain.”
Jack laughs as he lifts the mirror off the wall.
“What’s so funny?”
“Only you would choose a mirror because it matches your shower curtain.”
“I like that shower curtain, thank you very much.”
Just as we step back, I catch something move in one of the other mirrors.
“What was that?”
I spin, frantically looking around, but there’s nothing there.
“What’s wrong?” he asks.
“I swear I thought I saw something move in the reflection.”
I turn back to him and see my father standing behind me in the mirror. The smile on his face immediately makes me physically sick.
“Oh, shit.”
“Daph?”
“Oh, fuck, Jack.”
“Talk to me, baby.”
I can’t take my eyes off my dad and that horrible smile.
“What do you see, Daphne?”
“My father,” I whisper and feel my hands start to shake. “He’s standing over my left shoulder.”
“Look at me.”
I shake my head slowly.
“Damn it, Daphne, look at me. Right now.”
My eyes find his, and I feel a little better.
“Your father isn’t here, sweets. It’s not possible. I promise you.”
I return my attention to the mirror and see nothing behind me. It’s only the contents of my shop. “I want to go home.”
“Let’s go.”
Jack loads the mirror into the back of his car, and once I shut off the lights and lock the back door, we head out once more toward my apartment.
It’s a nice evening. Not too hot. I roll the window down and enjoy the way the breeze feels. I don’t even care if it messes up my hair. It feels too good.
Before long, Jack pulls up in front of my place and carries the mirror up behind me.
“While you hang that, I’m going to change and pour some wine,” I inform him. After what happened earlier, I need the entire bottle.
Maybe two.
“Good idea. This won’t take long.”
He hurries back to his car and returns with a hammer and a handful of nails.
“Why did you have those in your car?”
He licks his lips. “Because I saw this happen, and I wanted to be prepared.”
I blink at him and then shift my feet. “When did you see it?”
“A few days ago, I guess.” He walks to the bathroom, and I make my way into the bedroom to change my clothes. I love dressing up. But almost as much as that, I adore how it feels to take off the fancy clothes. My leggings and loose sweatshirt feel nice.
