Free Under His Spell by Kelly Favor

then you realized that they’d kept
something from you,” Nicole said, “and that made you wonder if all your
assumptions about your life were based on lies.”
    “I couldn’t have said it better myself,”
Kennedy smiled.
    They sat in silence for a while, but
Kennedy was surprised to find that it wasn’t an uncomfortable silence.   It was so natural, as if they’d been
meeting like this for years.
    “I’m sorry I judged you so harshly,”
Nicole said, out of the blue.
    Kennedy sat back in her chair.   “It’s okay.   I don’t blame you.   What I did was pretty crazy.”
    “Yeah, it was,” Nicole laughed.   “But still, I wasn’t fair to you.   I didn’t put myself in your shoes.   I was too upset that you’d come along
and spoiled the fantasy I had about Mom and Dad.”
    “I’m sorry I hurt you.   I never intended—“
    “It’s okay,” Nicole said.   “You didn’t do anything wrong.   None of this is your fault.”
    “Thanks for saying that.”
    “Just promise me that you’ll be more
honest with me from now on, not hide things until you feel like letting the cat
out of the bag.   Okay?” Nicole said.
    A guilty pang shot through Kennedy’s
stomach as she thought about Easton, and the fact that they were pretending to
keep a professional relationship when it was nothing of the sort.
    Should she now tell Nicole?   What effect would that have on Easton’s
career?
    “I’m sorry I didn’t just tell you right
off the bat that I’m your sister,” Kennedy said, not knowing how else to
respond.
    Nicole smiled at her.   “Well, you made life interesting for a
bit, but everything’s okay now.   It’s just a matter of adjusting.   And I’m great at adjusting, luckily for you.”
    They got up and walked back to Kennedy’s
car together.  
    “Let’s do this again,” Nicole said.
    “Really?” Kennedy asked, her heart so
happy she thought it might burst.
    “Yes, really,” Nicole said.   “I had fun.   I want to see more of you, Kennedy.”
    And then Kennedy couldn’t help
herself.   She threw her arms around
her sister and gave her a hug and didn’t let go for a long while.   Finally, she let Nicole go, and this
time it was Nicole who had leaky eyes.
    “Should I call you?” Kennedy asked.
    “I’ll call you.   But let’s do something this coming week,
okay?”
    “Okay,” Kennedy replied, her smile so
wide her cheeks hurt.
    Nicole started off, then turned around
briefly and called out to Kennedy.   “Hey!” she yelled.
    “Yeah?” Kennedy yelled back.
    “I’m glad I have a sister!” Nicole cried
out, and then she turned around again and continued walking away.

 
    ***

 
    Why
are you doing this?
    Kennedy had been asking herself that
question ever since she’d gotten back in her car and started driving.  
    You
have no right.   This isn’t going to
help anything.
    The thoughts were like warning signs,
flashing neon in her mind, telling her over and over that she was making yet
another gigantic mistake.
    But for some unexplainable reason,
Kennedy felt compelled to continue on.   She drove all the way out to Jersey, eventually parking in the large lot
behind Dean’s sport’s bar, Half-Time Johnny’s.
    It was a decent-sized building, with big
tinted windows and a billboard out front announcing their twenty-five cent buffalo
wings special on Wednesday nights.
    She made sure to park behind a large
pickup truck, giving herself some cover, while at the same time having a view
of the comings and goings inside the bar.
    Kennedy didn’t even want to go
inside.   Something told her to just
sit in her car and watch from a distance.
    Why?
    She didn’t exactly know.   Ever since Dean’s wife had visited the
office, Kennedy had become convinced that something bad was
happening—something that Easton wasn’t aware of.
    Kennedy felt protective of Easton.   Despite the fact that he was powerful
and strong and smart, she sensed that he had deep vulnerabilities,