“It’s not pathetic,” Maisie said. “When you’re into someone, you want to be around them, like, constantly.”
“I can’t wait to see him tomorrow, but I’m also worried about the sleeping thing. He refuses to keep his door locked, and I can’t stop my magic when I’m sleeping. I can’t keep sleeping in his bed while he sleeps on the damn floor,” Cece said.
“Maybe you could, I don’t know, use a potion or something to stop your magic from carrying you into his bedroom,” Kinsley said.
Cece stared at her. “Holy shit. Magic. Why didn’t I think of that? I’m so bad at being a witch.”
Kinsley laughed. “No, you’re not. You’re just in a ‘can’t see the trees because of the forest’ situation.”
“So, would a potion work?” Maisie asked.
“Not a potion, but a barrier spell would,” Cece said. “I can place a spell around my bed to stop the plants.”
“Cool,” Maisie said.
“Very cool,” Kinsley said.
Cece pulled her phone out of her pocket. “I just need to find the right spell, and hopefully it’s one that I can actually do. If not, maybe I can -”
The front door opened, and excitement crowded into her chest when she heard Briggs’s voice.
“Cece? Where are you?”
“Briggs?” Cece immediately abandoned her friends, nearly running to the living room door and then having to pull up short when Briggs stopped in the doorway.
“Holy shit,” Maisie breathed quietly. “He’s so damn big.”
Cece barely heard her. She stared at Briggs, excitement and trepidation in her belly. “What’s wrong? Are you okay?”
“I’m good,” he said. “Are you?”
“Fine,” she said. “I thought something was wrong because it’s your day off and…”
“And you’re here again.” Tori appeared, giving Briggs a teasing grin. “You’re starting to give me a complex, big guy.”
Briggs, his cheeks already turning an adorable shade of red, cleared his throat. “I’m here because -”
“Because I called him and asked for his help to replace the door.” Judd joined them, carrying a small Pomeranian. “Hey, Tori-girl.”
“My bear.” Tori reached up and cupped his face, pulling him down to kiss him. “I thought you weren’t going to be here until later.”
“Woke up early.” Judd turned to Cece. “You okay if I let Linda run around? She’s house-trained.”
“Yes, that’s fine,” Cece said.
Judd set the dog down, and she immediately ran into the living room, sniffing the floor, then made a beeline for Kinsley and Maisie when Maisie made a kissy sound and held out her hand.
Cece smiled at Judd. “What do you mean by fix the door?”
“Tori didn’t tell you?” Judd glanced at Tori, who shrugged.
“Figured it could be a fun surprise.”
Judd laughed. “I used to work construction, building new houses, shit like that. I picked up a new door to replace that bullshit one you have now.”
He clapped Briggs on the back. “And this guy’s gonna help. He’ll look real pretty handing me my tools.”
Briggs rolled his eyes as Tori took Judd’s hand. “Before you start on the door, can you come to the kitchen and grab me the tea from the top shelf of the cupboard?”
