Charmed: Let Gorgons Be Gorgons (5 page)

BOOK: Charmed: Let Gorgons Be Gorgons
2.38Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub
ads

Her husband’s smile widened. “Goodbye, Coop.”

“Our names are pretty similar too,” Cole said in response.

Phoebe let out an exasperated grunt as she grabbed her husband, roughly, by the arm. “Time to go.”

Coop gave a little salute to Cole before he and Phoebe beamed away from the Nexus.

Chapter 5

Having a husband that could beam around town was convenient, especially in San Francisco with its notoriously parking-challenged neighborhoods. Phoebe and Coop materialized behind a tree on a street where they would have spent a fair amount of time searching for a spot if they’d taken a more traditional mode of transportation.

The first couple on Mika’s list lived in Bernal Heights, where houses were stacked like dominoes on some of the steepest hills in the city. Phoebe did not envy the movers with their truck parked at the foot of the long wooden staircase that went up to the first address on her list. The moving truck was facing down the sloping hill, presenting a difficult challenge for the vehicle’s parking brake. It was going to be hard for the movers to stabilize the furniture in there.

The truck itself was a good sign. It would be hard to organize a move like this in just a week. If Phoebe had learned anything from the letters she got from her readers going through a divorce, deciding who got what furniture, knickknacks, and unlikely family heirlooms often took weeks of legal negotiations. Maybe this particular breakdown of a marriage had been in the planning stages for a while.

Much as she hated to admit it, Phoebe hoped that the Jordans had been having issues for a long time and it was only coincidence that they began divorce proceedings this week. That was the kind of problem an advice columnist could address. Other concerns might require a witch with an assist from a Cupid.

Phoebe and Coop waited as a pair of movers carried a love seat down the long wooden staircase. This was another bonus to having magical family members. When Phoebe had moved out of the Manor, her larger items went in the blink of an orb. It saved on moving fees and a fair amount of wear and tear. She felt bad for these movers as they strained to go down the long staircase and hoped that they were being well compensated for their effort.

Once the love seat was clear, Phoebe took Coop by the arm and led him up the path the furniture had just taken down. A woman’s voice carried out the open door so that they heard her from halfway down the long staircase. “Unbelievable! I told you I wanted the candlesticks. Why aren’t they on the mantle like they’ve been since we moved into this stupid house at the top of the world?”

Phoebe could feel the hate manifesting from the woman before they even reached the door. She didn’t need to rely on her empathic powers to tell her how the screaming woman felt. She could read the mood in her tone. But Phoebe didn’t have any choice. She felt something far more intense than simple anger inside the house. As they approached the front door it only intensified.

“This must be the place.” Phoebe knocked on the doorframe as she tried to push back the negative feelings that were assaulting her. “Helllloooo? Anybody home?”

Coop looked at his wife. “Anybody home? Is that even a question with that screaming?”

Phoebe shrugged.

The woman had her back to them as she spoke to the air. She was completely alone in the in the half-empty living room, but Phoebe and Coop could see a Bluetooth device hooked to her ear. “Someone’s at the door. I’m going now. But I want those candlesticks back on the mantle by tomorrow morning!” She pressed a button on the device without saying goodbye and kept the headset in her ear as she spun toward the door. “Who the—Phoebe Halliwell? What are you doing here?”

Phoebe forced a cheery smile as she stepped into the house, taking the less-than-enthusiastic greeting as an invitation. The woman’s rage dissipated the moment she hung up the phone. Now when Phoebe reached out with her empathic abilities she felt nothing. There was no anger or rage. No sadness or happiness either. It was like staring into a void.

“You spoke with one of my coworkers this morning,” Phoebe said, ignoring the sudden lack of emotions for the moment. “She mentioned that you and your husband hit a difficult patch. I was in the neighborhood and I thought maybe it might help to talk.”

The woman looked confused. “What is this? Drive-by couples’ counseling? Who’s the bodyguard?”

Phoebe laughed more than the comments required. “I’m sorry. This is my husband, Coop. He’s… another expert on matters of the heart. We were hoping maybe you and your husband had a few minutes to talk.”

“I have no interest in being part of that follow up article that woman mentioned on the phone.”

“This isn’t for the paper,” Phoebe said. “I take a personal interest in my readers. In certain extreme situations I like to offer my assistance if possible.”

Mrs. Jordan looked around the partially empty living room. “I’d say it’s a little too late for help.”

“In my experience, it’s never too late,” Coop said. “I take it this separation has been in the works for a while now?”

Mrs. Jordan didn’t seem interested in talking about her problems. Phoebe could almost see the internal battle waging in the woman’s mind, but still felt nothing from her emotions. She had to be a big fan of Phoebe’s column to want to get married in a group photo op in the park. That wasn’t something the casual reader would probably want to do. Phoebe had become something of a minor celebrity through that column. Maybe there was a way to work that to her advantage. “Look, Mrs. Jordan—”

“Brianna,” she said. “Call me Bri.”

Phoebe took the woman’s hand hoping to pull a premonition, but she read nothing from that power either. “Bri, I get that this is a little unusual… and certainly unexpected. But you’d really be helping me out. Mika told me that it was my advice that brought you and your husband together in the first place. It would help to understand what led to this decision. It might help me when I respond to future readers.”

While Bri considered her answer, the movers came back and started for the couch.

“Hold on a second, fellas,” Bri said. “Why don’t you move to the dining room for now? Go ahead and take it all. We won’t be long.”

The movers shrugged and continued into the other room without another word.

Bri motioned to the couch. “I can spare a few minutes, but I don’t know that what I have to tell you is going to be all that helpful.”

“Any insight into your relationship could go a long way toward helping me diagnose the problem.” Phoebe was referring to more than just the Jordans’ personal issues as she and Coop sat down on the couch. “I take it that was Mr. Jordan on the phone when we came in? We were hoping to speak with him too.”

“Keon’s at work right now,” Bri said. “I took the day off. Figured it was best to do this when he’s not around. We can’t really stand the sight of each other these days.”

“So this has been building for a while?” Phoebe asked with hope, echoing Coop’s earlier question. A long, natural build up to this divorce would be a welcome response.

Bri shook her head. “That’s the crazy thing. I just woke up one morning and it was like… everything he’d ever done that bothered me suddenly intensified by a million. I couldn’t take it anymore. I mean… I threw a tube of toothpaste at his head because he forgot to put the cap back on. Again.”

“I’m guessing this caught your husband off guard?” Coop asked.

“The toothpaste did,” Bri said with a slight smile. “But he felt it too. It was like after all this time together something just clicked. It happened fast. We went to Vegas last month and had a great time. Even thought about renewing our vows at one of those cheesy Elvis wedding chapels. The photos alone would have been worth it. His mother would have been horrified. Even more scandalized than she was when we told her we’d gotten married by an advice columnist. No offense.”

Phoebe smiled. She liked this woman. “None taken.”

Bri moved over to the mantle. A picture of the couple sat next to an empty spot where those missing candlesticks probably used to be. “I’m glad that we have the memories from that trip to go out on, because the day-to-day stuff just got overwhelming.”

The movers came through the living room with a china cabinet. It provided silent commentary on the conversation as all three heads turned to watch their progress as the men carefully tilted it through the doorway.

“When did it happen?” Phoebe asked once they were gone. “The thing with the toothpaste?”

“Over the weekend,” Bri replied, catching the glance that Phoebe and Coop shared. “You’re wondering about the move?”

“It is kind of fast,” Phoebe said.

“I manage some properties around the city,” Bri explained. “I already had a condo available that I always wanted for myself. Great view of the bay. Close to friends. Not on top of one of the biggest damn hills in the city. He gets the house and I take everything else. We worked that out before we even filed the paperwork. Except the candlesticks. Those seem to still be under negotiation.”

“That’s not what I meant,” Phoebe said. “What if this is just a phase? Don’t you even want to try working it out? I mean, if the separation is already so amicable—”

“Amicable?” Bri said. “You heard us on the phone when you came in, didn’t you?”

“I say things in the heat of emotion sometimes,” Phoebe replied. “I don’t always mean them.”

“If you can agree on something as sentimental as your personal belongings, who knows what else you could accept if you talked it out more,” Coop added.

Bri placed the picture face-down on the mantle, as if looking at the memory of happier times was causing her pain. And yet, Phoebe didn’t feel anything from her. No emotions at all. Bri just faded into the woodwork. “Keon and I are both pretty set in our ways. We know what we want and we make it happen. Neither of us wastes time dithering over decisions. It’s what attracted us to one another in the first place. That’s why your advice was so valuable.”

Phoebe searched her memory, but she had no clue what that advice had been. She must have responded to hundreds readers since Bri had written her letter. She squeezed Coop’s hand and flashed him a smile, hoping that he would continue her line of thought.

“What was it Phoebe said that helped you two?” he asked, picking up on his wife’s signals.

Bri smiled wistfully as she sat in a metal folding chair across from the couch. “It’s funny, actually. It’s kind of the reverse of what we’re going through now. Keon and I met and fell in love so quickly. He proposed after the third date. I accepted before he even got the question out.” She held up a hand before they could say anything. “Crazy, I know, but like I said, we’re decisive people. We knew what we wanted and didn’t want to repeat the stupid games we’d been through before with others. It wasn’t until our families started hitting us with questions that I had second thoughts. I was questioning my decision, which is not like me. Once my mind is made up, it’s usually set.”

“That’s when you wrote in to Phoebe?” Coop asked.

Bri’s wistful smile turned into a resigned laugh. “That wasn’t like me either. It was my sister’s doing. She knew I read your column and convinced me to write in.”

If Phoebe had a dollar for every time one of her readers said something like that, she could have retired early. Everyone freely admitted to enjoying her column, but they were always surprised that they’d ever need her advice personally.

“I figured, why not?” Bri continued. “It was just a quick little email. I never imagined I’d see my problem in the newspaper. But there it was, like a week after I sent it. Your wife actually used you as an example of why I shouldn’t second guess myself.”

Phoebe squeezed Coop’s hand again. This time the message she was hoping to pass along was one that didn’t require any action on his part. She remembered Bri’s letter now. It was one of the first ones Phoebe had answered after her own wedding. “I told her there was such a thing as love at first sight. That I experienced it with you. I just didn’t realize it at the time.”

“She wrote about protecting myself by being cautious and not rushing into things,” Bri added. “But she also said that when you know, you know. And we knew it was right back then. Just like we know it’s over now.”

“If I remember correctly,” Phoebe said, “I also suggested you should have a long engagement to make sure that it was a genuine connection. So why not a trial separation? Take the time to be certain that this is what you both want?”

“Phoebe, I appreciate your advice.” Bri got up from her folding chair. “And I’m thrilled that you came in person to talk to me. I really love that you respect your readers like that. But it’s over. There’s nothing more to say.”

Phoebe rose as well and Coop followed suit. “Are you sure I can’t—”

“I’m certain,” Bri said as the movers came back into the house. “We’ve really got a lot to do here before lunch. I’m afraid Keon might swing by to keep an eye on things. Maybe have some second thoughts about letting me take what I want. If you’ll excuse me?”

“Certainly,” Coop said, shaking her hand. “Do you mind if we speak with Keon too?”

Bri shrugged. “You’d be wasting your time, but do what you want. He can talk to whoever he wants. That’s not my problem anymore.”

“Thank you anyway,” Phoebe said, slipping a business card into Bri’s hand. “If you change your mind and want to talk some more, call me. My personal cell phone number is there. I’ll be happy to lend whatever support I can.”

“Sure,” Bri said in a way that implied Phoebe should not expect that call to come anytime soon.

“Just one more thing,” Coop said. “Have you met anyone in the past week that stood out for any particular reason? Had anything unusual happen? I mean, before the toothpaste incident.”

“This isn’t about another person,” Bri said. “No one cheated on anyone.”

“That’s not what I mean,” Coop said. “I just… sometimes changes in life bring about other changes. Seemingly unrelated events can affect you in completely unexpected ways.”

“Yeah, well, nothing new going on here,” Bri said as she walked them to the front door. “Thanks for stopping by.” Phoebe and Coop took their cue and slipped out before the movers blocked their path with the couch.

“That went well,” Phoebe said as she and Coop descended the tall staircase. “Sometimes changes in life bring other changes?”

“Better than asking if she ran into any broken-hearted demons in the past week,” Coop replied. “At least it wasn’t a total waste. I’m leaning toward some kind of supernatural involvement here. They had a romantic weekend a month ago and she never gave us a real reason for them to be breaking up now.”

BOOK: Charmed: Let Gorgons Be Gorgons
2.38Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub
ads

Other books

Bite Me by Elaine Markowicz
Things Made Right by Tymber Dalton
Mr Campion's Fault by Mike Ripley
The Counterfeit Heiress by Tasha Alexander
The Pain Chronicles by Melanie Thernstrom
Taking Her There by Olivia Brynn
The Art of Murder by Louis Shalako
How Hard Can It Be? by Robyn Peterman