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“You’ve tried to break the curse?”
She sighed deep. “Dozens of times, but so far nothing seems to work. I’ve just experienced a few setbacks. There must be another way.” Brooke refused to give up hope. She couldn’t lose Nico, not now, not when she’d just found him.
“I do have something of hers, but don’t count on it to break the curse. I should know. I’ve tried.” Her mother’s voice filled with sadness.
“I need to try this for myself, Mom. Please, I’m begging you.” Brooke’s voice grew thick with unshed tears.
“I don’t want to see you suffer the same fate.” Her eyes softened. “But I can see you’re determined. I’ll be right back.”
While her mother got up from the table and went into the side door of the house, Brooke lifted her chin, soaking up the last remnants of afternoon sunshine. Her gaze swept over the garden. A tree stump adorned with flowers, candles and bundles of herbs caught her eye. Why did her mom have an altar out here?
The back door opened and closed, and then her mother reappeared, holding a stack of envelopes tied with tattered ribbons. The edges of the paper had yellowed and frayed. “These belonged to Melinda. They’re her correspondence with Lucas.”
Brooke’s heart fluttered in her chest as she took the stack from her mother’s outstretched hands. “Melinda’s love letters? How in the world did you get these?”
“They were passed down from generation to generation. I got them from your grandmother.”
“How come you never showed them to me before?”
“You never asked.” Her mother touched her arm. “I don’t think you’ve ever been in love before, not like this anyway. I see it in your eyes. But I warn you to be cautious. Love will only bring you down and destroy you. Trust me, I speak from experience.”
“Please, don’t.” Brooke held up her hand. “I’m not giving up because of what happened to you or our family.”
“I understand your conviction better than anyone, but even if you find some type of magick to counter the curse, it will manifest in another way,” her mother said, shaking her head. “I’m sorry for being cynical, but if you truly love this man then you need to let him go. Otherwise, you’re not being fair to him.”
A sick misery spread through her limbs. “I have to go.” Brooke would find a way to break the cycle for everyone’s sake. She refused to give up.
They walked to the edge of the grass, and her mom pointed to the altar in the garden. “I do an offering of my flowers to the goddess every day to clear my karma and to ask for forgiveness from everyone I’ve hurt. I want to ask it from you, Brooke. I’d like to mend our relationship.”
“Some things are too broken to mend.” Then Brooke remembered Nico’s analogy about drinking poison and expecting someone else to die. “But holding onto anger and resentment is no way to live. How about this, I’ll give it some thought. Thank you for these.” She pressed the letters to her chest and crossed the yard. Her thoughts scattered in a million different directions.
Her mother’s words had stirred up her worst fears. The moment Brooke hopped into her car and shut the door, she let the tears fall.
CHAPTER13
NICO
An uneasy sensation followed Nico throughout the day. Maybe it was this impending storm he kept hearing about on the news, but everything seemed to go wrong from the second he stepped into the restaurant. The dishwasher never showed. Their fresh mozzarella delivery got delayed. A party of eight showed up with fifteen people demanding a table. They were slammed with reservations and short-staffed.
Only the thought of seeing Brooke after closing got him through the chaos. Last night when she told him about the curse, she looked wrecked. Her strength and vulnerability shook him to his core. Every time his mind drifted to her, this insatiable need to talk to her—and make love to her, tugged at his head and his heart.
How could he convince her that he wanted something long-term? He didn’t know how to console her or convince her that his feelings were real and not about to change from the power of some ancient hex. Then it hit Nico right between the eyes, blindsiding him with the force of the revelation. He was deeply, madly in love with Brooke Howe.
* * *
BROOKE
The banging on her bedroom door barely registered. Brooke had been sprawled out on her bed with the letters and a magnifying glass from the moment she’d gotten home. She’d spent hours reading about Lucas and Melinda’s ill-fated love affair. Her heart bled for them.
Another bang sounded.
Nico!Jolting out of bed, she rushed to the door. She’d gotten so caught up in reading the letters, she’d lost track of time. She opened the door and found him standing on the other side, his stance tense.
“You haven’t answered my calls or my texts. We were supposed to meet at my place an hour ago. I got worried. I wanted to make sure you were okay.” The way he looked at her with such reverence made her throat dry.
“I’m so sorry, Nico. I got distracted.” Brooke ushered him inside her room and shut the door, motioning to the letters. “I paid a visit to my mom today.” She grabbed his hand and led him to the edge of her bed. The mattress dipped as he sat down on the end.
“Let me guess, love letters from your high school boyfriend?” Rubbing his hands up and down her arms, he placed a long, deep kiss on her lips, leaving her breathless. When he pulled back, an emotion she couldn’t identify burned in his eyes.
