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Fresh fury roiled through her as she tapped to end the call. Mira’s coven must think Iris was a bitch on wheels for flouncing away from their kindness, but she couldn’t let Eli fix her problems, period. Even if she knew what was going on with him, she still wouldn’t be okay with any of this.
A bit later, Sally was at the door, tapping gently. “Iris? I just heard something strange from Ethel. Can I come in?”
Wow, the witchy hotline is faster than the speed of light.
There was no point in delaying the inevitable. “Sure. Door’s unlocked.”
The older woman noticed her swollen eyes and stained cheeks at once, gazing at her with open concern. “You’ve been crying.”
Before asking anything else, Sally opened her arms, and Iris practically tumbled into them. The tears started again, this time so hard she couldn’t even breathe. Sally just held her and rubbed her back, making comforting noises. This crying jag left Iris feeling light-headed, like she might actually pass out.
“Can you tell me what’s wrong? Ethel shared the gist of what you said to Clem. But I’m confused; why are you upset that Eli’s willing to help?”
Iris couldn’t get the words out right, but she tried, explaining her reaction in fits and starts. Then she showed Sally just how freaking successful Eli was, the apps he’d developed and sold, the profiles and the Wiki page, and suddenly, she saw comprehension dawn in Sally’s expression.
“That’s why,” Iris mumbled.
“Oh. I see. He’s out of your league then?”
“Freaking obviously. Why would he hide this? And why the hell is he living here? And how dare he just…buy me peace of mind? This ismyhouse. I want to solve my own problems. I’m not looking for a Prince Charming or a white knight, dammit.”
“No, I quite understand that part, dear. But I think you might be leaping to conclusions. I’m sure he didn’t have bad reasons for keeping those things from you. Eli is a gentle soul, I’m sure of it.”
“He’s aliar,” Iris snapped.
A bag thudded to the ground at the base of the stairs, toppling what sounded like boxes onto the floor. She didn’t get up to investigate. Iris waited with her arms folded until Eli appeared in thedoorway of her studio, standing there with an anguished look. And she didn’t have it in her to speak because she’d used up most of her voice crying. Now there were just jagged edges of her dashed hopes, scraping up her insides.
“I’m sorry,” he said. “I never meant to hurt you.”
Shit. You asshole.That apology might be what wounded her most of all.
It’s over.
Eli saw that from the dead look in Iris’s reddened eyes, echoed in the tear tracks down her face. The defensive posture spoke volumes as well, warning him not to get any closer.I really fucked things up, didn’t I?Of course he’d known she would be upset, but not…not heartbroken.I did this, extinguished the light in her eyes. What her shitty family couldn’t accomplish, I did.
Sally cleared her throat. “I’ll leave you two to talk.”
He didn’t blame her for retreating because the time had finally come to clarify matters, but Iris didn’t wait for him to speak. “Who the hell are you?”
“Eli Reese.”
She clenched her jaw, speaking through her teeth. “You don’t flip houses. You don’t do websites. You’re an apps entrepreneur. You have a financial advisor, own multiple properties, attorney on call—a friend, my ass—and a damn Wiki page.”
He took a breath, trying to pretend he wasn’t more rattled than he’d ever been. “Okay. You looked into me. That makesthings easier. No, I didn’t need to rent a room when we ran into each other at the coffee shop.”
“You mean when we met,” she corrected.
Eli shook his head. “No. That wasn’t the first time. We knew each other a long time ago.” Eli dug into his pocket and drew out the little bracelet; he carried it like a good luck charm and often touched it when he felt nervous. Like now. “Do you recognize this?”
“No. Why?” Then Iris took a closer look, stepping nearer in the process. “Wait, I think I had one like that a long time ago.”
Despite the circumstances, he smiled. “It’s not like yours. Itisyours. When I was ten, you stepped in when I was being bullied. I was a lot smaller then and very timid.”
How am I supposed to tell her the rest without her concluding I’m a stalker or a creep or both?
She hesitated, her scowl wavering. “I don’t remember that at all. But…can I see the bracelet?” After examining it, she seemed more baffled than ever. “It’s really mine. It has my initials on the inside.”
“That’s right. You dropped it when you were walking away, and I was too shy to return it.”
