“What?You need a coven, and I’d rather get dinner out than eat that kibble shit you bought.”
Cheese and crackers.This cat.
I clear my throat and make myself smile up at Tara, standing slowly and draining my too-hot coffee.Again.
“Well, I suppose I’ll see you there.Just let me know when and if it’s okay if I bring a cat.”
“How dare you—” Prudence starts, then she vaults off the chair, darting for where the spider must have touched down on the floor.
I swear I hear something about crunchy snacks under her breath, but I quickly decide not to think too hard about that.
“Good.Do the protection spells.It’s going to be alright, you’ll see.”
For some reason, maybe the coffee and kolache fortification, or maybe the warm, genuine way she smiles at me—I believe her.
Maybe itwillall be alright.
Evil spirits and wholesale book orders will just have to deal with my newfound positive attitude.
13
Aiden
No matter how hard I try to concentrate on the budget spreadsheet Jack and I are going over together, my thoughts keep slipping back to another business.
Another business that is thoroughly not my business, owned by a woman that, most likely, is the reason I keep thinking about books at all.
“Dude, are you listening to anything I’ve been saying?”Jack sits back, clearly exasperated.With me.
I can’t even blame him.
“Sorry, I slept like shit last night.”It’s mostly true.“The thunder woke me up, and then I just couldn’t seem to get back to sleep.”
I frown, the memory of last night strange—I could have sworn I heard the bookstore owner who’s all tangled up in my mind today calling my name.
“Weird dreams, too,” I mutter.That’s all it had to be.Weird dreams.
When I opened my eyes, as thunder cracked and rain poured down, I was by myself, in my bed, no Sylvie in it, or even nearby.
A weird thing to wake up wanting, when I’ve been fine with my bachelorhood for years.Also, I make it a rule not to fuck around with the women in this small town—Sylvie is new, but she lives here, so there’s no way I’m messing with her.
I must just be worried about her.
Like a friend.Or, even more likely, I’m invested in her business success because I helped her.
Yeah, that’s it.
“I get it,” Jack finally says, still giving me a long, assessing stare.Em’s done wonders on my high-strung friend, and I make a mental note to thank her all over again for chilling him the fuck out.
Talk about a power couple.With Em’s boutique hotel putting this town on the map and our brewery helping revitalize the downtown, they’re quite a pair.
“I met with the new bookstore owner yesterday,” I tell him.
“I didn’t know you were into books.”
“Remember the council initiative to welcome new business owners here?It was part of that.”I don’t mention the fact that I worked for free for several hours to help her set up her website backend.
He doesn’t need to know that.
