As Jenna readied herself for bed, Deimos flashed into the room with a dozen red roses and a small tub of mint chocolate fudge ice cream, with two spoons.
"You know, I think I might keep you." Jenna smiled at him.
"I wish I could take the credit. But, it's all a peace offering from Phobos."
Jenna laughed while she opened the ice cream and started to dig in. "I am seriously tempted to set those two up on a date."
Deimos's jaw dropped. "Are you kidding? It would become a full on natural disaster with the way those two go at it." He pulled Jenna toward the oversized chair off to the side of their bedroom and scooped her into his lap. They shared the ice cream together while he massaged her shoulders.
"I really don't think it would get that bad. Their auras and emotions were going crazy when they were going at it. They are attracted to each other and neither wants to fully admit it. Essie shared a little of Stef's history, I get where she is coming from. If she can start to see that Phobos is not like the men that he reminds her of, they might get somewhere. I really think she needs him."
With a deep sigh. "So, what can I do to help."
Jenna smiled and kissed her husband. "I need you to cheat."
He broke out into a wide grin. "That's my girl."
"So…?" Essie questioned Stef over the phone.
"So… what?" Stef retorted.
"Come on. You would not talk to me the entire drive home. Now dish! What is going on with you and Phobos?"
Stef rolled her eyes. "Nothing. Couldn't you tell that he can't stand me?"
"Not from where I was watching from. You two have a connection. Otherwise you wouldn't be able to get to each other so deeply or so fast."
Stef seriously wished Essie was right and that scared her even more. How could she want anything to do with such a dominating man?
"So, what, now you can read auras and tell fortunes like your sisters?" Stef teased, trying to deflect the interrogation.
Esmeralda had a large family of sisters who were all a bit out there on the cooky gypsy magic side of things. One of them, Tabitha, even claimed to be a vampire slayer. Way too much Buffy as a child. Then there was Karma with all of her demonic magic talk. Selena, who ran a gypsy fortune telling shop out on Jackson Square. Amanda who apparently was the straight and narrow one in the family, but somehow got married and ended up buying into the whole mumbo jumbo. There was also Yasmina, Petra, Ekatarina each with their own eccentricities. Finally, there was Tiyana the voodoo priestess who was murdered a few years back. Her loss was still felt by the family.
The worst part was that Essie did not warn Stef about them. So, that was her job interview for her internship, dinner with the Deveraux clan in all of their crazy glory. Essie would not agree to hire her unless she could handle the family. Talk about dumping someone in the deep end of the ocean without a floatation device. Geez!
"Look Essie. I appreciate your friendship. But, when it comes to men, it is best that I just avoid them." Stef said.
"Stef, you shouldn't hide away from the world. Trust someone. You might get hurt, but then you learn and the next time might be better. It is too hard to fight alone all of your life."
"Spoken by the middle aged single woman who has never married. I tried it and got burned." Stef pushed back.
"Forget about Justin, you never loved him. Trust me, this is different. Besides, I did fall in love. I know what it is like to live with that kind of all powerful love that binds two people and nurtures your soul. You deserve that kind of peace Stef."
Stef felt guilty at having pushed that button. Essie did know love and life without it. When Essie was Stef's age, she was engaged to be married. However, her fiance died in a freak accident that no one in the family likes to talk about. Essie has never gotten over that.
It was a low blow for Stef to throw that in her face.
"I am sorry Essie."
"Don't be. Just don't give up on yourself."
The two women wrapped up their conversation for the night and hung up.
It was so hard for Stef not to give up. Her life had always been hard, she had fought for everything she had. Now, it was all crumbling. She just did not have time or energy to put into contemplating relationships on top of it all. If she tried to open up to Phobos and he hurt her, she was not sure she would survive.
No matter how yummy looking Phobos was, or how much Jenna and Essie trusted him, she could not risk another rug being pulled out from under her. Not now.
Getting ready for bed, Stef pulled up a pendant from where it hung between her breasts, close to her heart. It was a beautiful white gold dream catcher with a small moonstone bead set into the strings. This was the one thing that never let her down. Her charm always worked at keeping the nightmares away. It was the one thing she trusted through the years. With a kiss on the pendent, Stef laid down to sleep with the pendant clutched in her hand.