Page 61 of Sight of Fate

Macklin: Teague told me you had a vision. Are you keeping the lodestone with you? Why are you at the office?

Getting up, I make my coffee, then settle back on the couch. Is it too early to text them back? I bite my lip, hesitating for a long minute, then give in.

Charli: Hi. Sorry it’s not a phone call but didn’t want to wake you. I’m up. Drinking a peppermint white chocolate mocha. (See, I can branch out) Glad you found Mavros. I’ll see you Wednesday. Be careful.

I tap send before I can overthink it. It’s not clingy. Or mushy. It’s simple. Too simple? I blow out a breath, then send a quick one to Macklin.

Charli: Good morning. I’ve been wearing the lodestone around my neck. It helps. A LOT. And why didn’t you tell me about the little bakery on Main Street? I’m obsessed.

Getting up, I finish my coffee and snack on a piece of banana bread as I stare at the rack of clothes. What would I wear if I were going to keep them? Something besides black pants. I finger a gorgeous corduroy skirt in charcoal grey. Definitely this. With the black boots I wore on my date with Teague. And this gorgeous fuchsia blouse. Ooh, and this long black wool dress coat.

Damn, it’s tempting. I felt so good Saturday. Sexy. Confident. The exact opposite of how I felt my entire life. Moving to the mirror, I hold the blouse up to my body. Accepting a gift like this means accepting this is permanent. Teague keeps telling me it is, but I’m so afraid to believe him.

Hanging the blouse back up, I head into the bedroom and pull on my usual black pants, but today I pair them with my favorite light green sweater, the one that matches my eyes. This is perfectly fine, I tell myself.

Finishing up, I realize I wasted too much time staring at the rack of clothes and won’t be able to go by the bakery.

I pick up my phone and find they’ve both texted me back.

Teague: Wish I was sharing coffee with you. Have I told you how much I like going into the office every day with you? I don’t like being so far away.

Macklin: I haven’t been to that bakery in forever. How about breakfast on Saturday? You can show me your favorites.

I’m smiling when I walk into work, but it quickly fades when I realize how much there is to do with Teague gone. Everybody needs an answer or approval from him. I pick up the schematics and put them on the top of the pile, then arrange everything else from least to most urgent below them.

At noon, I grab the sandwich I brought with me and head toward the conference room. My stomach’s in knots as I get closer, wondering if Andros is going to be in the meeting. When I get there, I see the contract is on the screen, and his picture is in the small box on the bottom right. He’s on video call. I quietly let out the breath I’m holding and take a seat.

As he walks the team through the final proposed contracts, with my suggestions added in, I can’t help but think he looks tired. Do vampires get tired? Do they sleep? A million other questions pop into my mind that I don’t know the answer to, but I shove my curiosity down deep. Look what happened the last time.

“Charli, I’m going to need you to send me Teague’s changes tonight. Then, I’ll⁠—”

I clear my throat. “Teague won’t be back until tomorrow.”

He frowns. “I didn’t realize he was still gone. What time tomorrow?”

“I’m not sure, but I can mark this as a priority for him to review on Thursday,” I offer. Silence fills the conference room.

“I’ll change the contract date to Friday,” he concedes a moment later. “That will be all.”

Returning to my desk, I print a copy of the contract and put it second on the pile. He’ll likely review it online, but it helps me keep everything organized.

There’s a quick knock on the door, and I look up to see Susan standing there with a red envelope in her hand. “Mind if I drop this on his desk?”

I shake my head and point to the pile. “He’s got a list of things that need his review or approval. Do you need me to add that to my list?”

“No, he asked me to get him some personal information,” she murmurs, looking a little uncomfortable. She puts it on his laptop. “Sam called me this morning. Told me to tell you they’ve got a plan to save Covey.” She shakes her head. “Hard to think of her in that situation. She was always so vibrant and full of life.”

“I didn’t realize you knew her. Did she grow up here?”

“She and Amara were thick as thieves when they were younger. Covey and her mom, Sam’s sister, used to visit every summer. Then her mom died when she was twelve,” she replies, her mouth set in a grim line. “Unfortunately, her dad was human, and once he lost his mate, he couldn’t enter Greystone. And he refused to let Covey visit by herself. So Sam would go see her, but we never saw her again.”

Raine had said something similar about humans. Some of my anxiety about Hank finding me here eases. “She’s going to need a lot of support.”

“She’ll have it,” Susan states in a confident tone. “Got to run.”

After she’s gone, I think about the power Covey’s boyfriend wielded over her every move. The abuse. The gaslighting. He manipulated her into defending his actions. Who knows how much damage he’s done? I don’t even know her, and it breaks my heart.

I glance at the time. Five o’clock. Still early. When Teague’s here, the office is alive with his energy. Tonight, it’s quiet. Too quiet. Not wanting to sit here any longer, I shut down my laptop and grab my coat. If I head out now, I can get dinner at the little café on the other side of downtown.