Page 112 of Hexed & Hazy

Donnie walks behind me, not exactly helping, but here for moral support.

“Holy hells,” he mutters under his breath.

I toss the bag into the dumpster and turn to face him. “What? How much is it?”

He shakes his head. “Someone donated a grand. I’ll need to contact them to see if they did that on purpose. The last thing we need is a chargeback.”

“A grand?” My eyes widen.

That alone would be enough to get us started, but having more is even better. We can focus on a bigger greenhouse, a little more land, and all the other things we have to figure out.

He nods. “And they’re anonymous. The name they left was… AthenaDevotee.”

My mouth goes dry. Instantly, I know who it is. The Hawthornes are already giving a lot to us from their booth, but this…

This was Rowan.

She still cares. Of course, she still cares—she’s waiting for me, and after everything, I think I’m ready. This time. I am.

“I have to see her,” I say.

Donnie lifts an eyebrow. “See who?”

I’m already walking away.

“Don’t leave me waiting,” Donnie yells with humor in his voice. “Perhaps I’d like to see her as well.”

“I’ll—I’ll tell you another time!”

I can’t wait. We’ve waited long enough. There have been times when I thought the hex was gone, when I thought I was free to be with her, but I’m sure now. Farrah and I are on good terms, and maybe that matters more than the hex.

We can be together. I can keep her safe. I need to see her.

Even though I drive home, I’m out of breath by the time I bang on the Hawthornes’ front door. It’s too late to be this loud. Juniper will probably yell at me, but I don’t care⁠—

“Seth?”

Rowan’s voice comes from over my shoulder, and I turn to find her sitting on my front porch with magical balls of light floating around her.

I cross the street in an instant, meeting her halfway. Night is so quiet around us. A streetlight flickers—it’s been flickering for years. I can’t stop myself from touching her. Holding her elbows. It’s simple.

“What’s wrong?” she whispers.

“I needed to see you.”

A smile slips onto her lips, perfectly in place. “Then what took you so long?”

Her magic dances around us, pushing us closer, and she’s pure starlight. She shines for everyone, but just this once, I want to shine for her.

“I know—the donation,” I say. “I know it was you.”

She shrugs, so flippant, as if she didn’t make my damn dreams come true. “It was for a good cause.”

I wet my lips. “But it was for me, wasn’t it? Because you support me?”

“Always, but don’t underestimate how much I support this little community of ours. It was an altruistic move, I assure you.”

I let out a laugh, and for reasons I don’t understand, tears spring to my eyes. When one slides down my cheek, she wipes it away with her warm thumb.