Brad set the pencil down. Then he stood and walked over to Ellis and leaned against the other side of the doorway, his thumbs hooked in the front belt loops on his jeans. “I want you to open your mind and your heart. I want you to see that the only thing missing in our lives is right there for the taking. I want you to believe and have faith and trust in me, in her. In yourself, even if you don’t have answers. Answers are irrelevant.”
He tried to keep his voice steady. “It’s not that easy for me, buddy.”
“Are you afraid you can’t share her with me? Are you jealous of me?”
“I…no.” He frowned as the realization hit him. His gaze dropped to the floor. “No,” he mumbled.
Brad reached out and touched his upper arm, not letting go until Ellis finally looked up and met his gaze. “Remember when we were kids? We used to say we’d marry the same girl so we could always be together?”
Ellis dropped his gaze again, his face heating. Yes, he did remember that. He also remembered how his parents shutting that innocent childhood fantasy down made him shut it down in his heart as well. “Yeah.”
“We’re adults,” Brad said. “We don’t need parental approval to have a relationship that we define. She’s in a lot of pain, too. So much that I don’t know if one man could handle it, or her, alone. It’d be a hell of a lot to deal with. Let’s be fricking honest with each other. Do you seriously think we’ll ever find two women who could tolerate the relationship you and I have? Who wouldn’t resent the other? Who would be able to accept us and the other man’s woman? Really?
“You and I are already like an old married couple. We bicker, we love each other, and we never have sex. One woman, yes. A second woman? She’d be the ultimate fifth wheel even if there were only four of us.”
Ellis nodded as he toed at the floor. “Probably wouldn’t,” he mumbled.
Brad didn’t speak for a long moment. Ellis finally looked up again. “Believe,” Brad said. “That’s all I’m asking. Just…believe.”
“She probably hates me now.”
“No, she doesn’t hate you. She’s angry and upset over what happened, yes. But you heard it for yourself. She forgives you. She might not forgive you doing it again. You need to stop fighting this and let it happen and see where it leads. Can you do that? If not for yourself, for me and her.”
“But I don’t believe in all that witchy stuff—”
“Do you believe in me?” he calmly asked.
Ellis studied his friend’s face. In all their years together, he’d never sensed Brad be so…serious or determined about anything in his life.
“Yes. I believe in you.”
“Then that’s all you have to believe. Just believe in me. Ignore or discount everything else if you want, but believe in me and let me show you how good this could be. I’m tired of sleeping alone every night. Aren’t you?”
He nodded.
He pulled Ellis in for a hug. “I know we’re straight. But I love you. You’re my brother. I can easily see myself spending the rest of my life with you and her, together. Julie was like a sister to Mandaline. Think of how much pain she must be in. Think of what you’d feel like if I’d died. Just imagine how much love and joy we could bring back to her life. She’s willing to be open-minded. But you’re going to have to earn her trust back before we can move forward.”
“I’ll try.”
“That’s all I ask.”
Brad waited to shut the attic door until Ellis returned downstairs. He needed time alone. He’d felt pretty good all morning and afternoon until coming up here. Now his head already felt fuzzy, musty, clouded.
He left the sketch pad where it was and turned on the TV. Then he stretched out on the sofa. He didn’t feel like doing any work on the house today, and based on the things beginning to rumble around in his brain, he really didn’t want to do any more sketching.
He wasn’t sure he wanted to see the images trying to birth themselves from his subconscious.
Julie had also gone quiet again.
He just wanted to close his eyes and wish the bad away and relive the feel of Mandaline’s mouth on his cock right there on that very couch.
That brought a smile to his face.
Well, that memory made him smile, in addition to knowing that maybe tonight he might be able to make Ellis finally see the light regarding what was going on with Mandaline.
If he doesn’t screw it up. Again.
They would meet Mandaline at the store and pick her up there and do the driving. He couldn’t wait to see her again.
Since work was out of the question, he headed down to the bathroom for a shower. Just that seemed to help clear his head. He felt a lot better after getting out. He heard Ellis moving around downstairs. “Hey, I’m going to take a nap. Wake me up if I’m not up by five, please?”
“Will do.”
Wasn’t the only thing he had in mind. He closed the bedroom door and stretched out in bed, naked, to rub one out, with Mandaline on his mind.
Mandaline drove back to the shop with her mind and heart in turmoil. Giving Ellis another chance seemed like a good idea at the time with Brad’s sweet eyes boring holes through her defenses.
Alone in the Element, she wondered now if maybe she hadn’t made a bad mistake.
A billboard just north of the city limits caught her eye. For one of the churches in town, it proclaimed BELIEVE IN CHRIST! HE BELIEVES IN YOU!
She nearly choked on her laughter. “Okay!” she yelled inside the car. “Julie, knock it off. I’m going to give him another chance.” She let out a snort. “Ellis, I mean. Not JC.”
Sachi gave Mandaline an upraised eyebrow when she returned. She followed Mandaline into the office. “Weeellll? You don’t look freshly fucked.”
“Down, girl. They’re taking me out to dinner.” She coughed. “Then they’re coming tonight.”
She grinned. “They’re…” Her smile faded. “Oh. You mean the literal form of coming, as in coming to coven?”
“Yes.”
She scrunched up her lips. “I only reloaded three boxes of shells last night, and I’m shooting three rounds of skeet at five with the gang. I could buy a couple of boxes from—”
“Stop.” Mandaline glared at her.
“I can’t commence wit da shoosting?”
She let out a snort. “No shoosting, no snoot-pounding, no tossing out of doors. And absolutely no hexing.”
Sachi jammed her hands on her slim hips and stomped a foot. “Darn it, Mom! You never let me have any fun!” She spun on her heel and stormed out of the office, leaving a laughing Mandaline in her wake.
She knew Sachi had to be hurting almost as badly as she was. Even though she hadn’t known Julie as long and wasn’t as close to her as Mandaline had been, she’d looked up to Julie. Loved her. Yet other than a few brief times, Sachi had tightly bound her grief away, instead looking after all her friends, especially Mandaline.
She also knew Sachi would rather let someone pull all her teeth without the benefit of anesthesia than impose her grief on her friends when she thought they needed her more. She would keep a ramrod up her spine, a smile on her face, and a comforting shoulder at the ready.
And a handy joke or snarky comment to incite a smile or laugh.
But she wouldn’t break. Not publicly.
Not Sachi.
I need help with her, Julie, Mandaline silently entreated. Help me help her heal.
Sachi had a lot of emotional junk in her trunk. Rightfully so, considering some of the things she’d been through in her life. Mandaline actually felt relieved that Sachi was going out shooting today. Blasting clay pigeons out of the sky was a healthy way for Sachi to get some of her grief and anger out of her system.