“You weren’t upset that Levi wasn’t being put into coven management?” Mia asked, watching Thomas’s face.
This time he laughed before he answered the question. “Levi? My ski instructor-EMT driver Levi? That boy likes change way too much. He lives on the chaos. He would die in a desk role.”
Christina met Mia’s gaze. “That’s true. Levi has never expressed a desire to be part of management. In fact, he said he was happy that Trent took on running the grocery store. He would have hated it.”
“If I wasn’t looking for a place for my son in coven management, why would I worry about a kitchen witch taking a spot? Besides, I know you don’t want to join the coven, even if they offered you Maxwell’s job. You like cooking and feeding people. That’s your gift. Not managing a group of people who don’t want to be managed and attending the parties that the coven holds.” Thomas pointed at Christina’s phone. “Whoever did that made it seem like I didn’t approve of you and Trent’s relationship, which isn’t true at all. Trent loves you. Any fool can see that.”
Blushing, Mia pushed the statement away. “We’re not here to talk about my relationship with your son.”
“Are you sure? Because that memo could have caused a fight. A fight someone wanted to happen. Maybe between you and Trent. Maybe between me and Abigail. Someone is playing us. And the National Office. Did you find more of these complaints?” Thomas leaned back in his chair, his fingers steepled to his lips.
“A lot. Some I questioned, like yours and Blake’s, my boss. She swears she’s trying to keep off the coven’s radar, so why would she file a formal complaint and out herself over my rating?” Mia said.
“Anyone else stand out?”
Mia answered. “Brandon Maxwell. He’s been welcoming and pushing me to join because of my rating. Why would he complain? Doesn’t it make Magic Springs special to have higher-rated witches as part of the coven? I asked him if he knew who had complained, and he made it seem like he never knew about the complaints. The research room showed us a whole pile.”
“Maybe he was hiding his complaint in plain sight. If enough were submitted, Nationals would be forced to send a new tester.” Thomas tapped his fingers against his lips.
“There’s one more thing. I asked Brandon pointblank if he knew who had requested a house training for Cerby. He said he had no clue, yet he was the one who sent the formal request. Was he lying, or was he unaware the request went out under his signature?”
“This all seems so random, but I’m sure there is some type of pattern here.” He leaned forward and glanced at his watch. “I’ve got some work to do before I go home. Do me a favor and tell the others about this.I think keeping everyone in the loop is smart right now. Lack of information tends to lead to mistakes, and then bad decisions happen. We need open communication between us. I think it’s the only way we’re going to keep us all safe. You should talk Trent into relocating into the academy for a while. Until we find the person behind all of this.”
“It’s going to put back Cerby and Tempest’s training. We can get through this. They only have three weeks plus a little more.”
“Mia, a lot can happen in a short amount of time. I want Cerby trained as much as you do, but we have to protect one another. We can’t protect Trent or Sarah or the baby when they’re so far away.” Thomas met her gaze, and she broke the connection first.
“Fine, but I’m telling him it was your idea. What he does with that is up to him and Sarah.” Mia felt like she was losing the game.
Thomas stood and swept his arm to the doorway. “Ladies first. And Mia, this isn’t a game. Not by a long shot. No matter what’s going on, I’m going to be on your side, as will the rest of the Majors family. We take care of our own.”
When Christina and Mia got back in the car, Christina fiddled with the heater controls, delaying their departure. “Do you think he was being honest?”
Mia thought about the question, staring into the windows of Majors Grocery. Thomas was talking to the woman at the counter again. “If he was a stranger, I’d say he was lying through his teeth, but I think this is just Thomas. He tells you what he believes, without any filtering. He doesn’t say much, but his values andbeliefs always stand behind his decisions. I need to talk to Trent.”
“Are you calling him or do you want me to drive you to his house?” Christina still hadn’t moved the car. She stared at Mia.
“Let’s go to the house. If Sonja throws a fit, we’ll know where we stand.” Mia shrugged. “Then it will be up to Trent and Sarah to make the decision. Besides, I haven’t seen Cerby in two weeks. I’m missing some puppy hugs.”
Christina put the car in motion and they started toward the outskirts of town, where Trent had a ranch house on several acres that butted up against National Forest land. If you were going to have a dragon, his house would be perfect. Mia wondered if Suzanne Parker had time between the threat and her death to notify Nationals about Buddy. No matter what, she wasn’t going to go to a zoo. She and Cerby were bonded. Not to mention she treated Trent and Mia as part of her pack as well.
“What are you thinking about?” Christina asked as they turned onto the road that would take them to Trent’s.
“Buddy. How long did it take for me to fall in love with that little dragon? Minutes? Days? I have to accept that my life here will never be normal. I’m drinking the Kool-Aid, so to speak.” Mia turned to Christina. “Maybe you should rethink your decision to stay. You’ll be in the Abby Normal world too. Just like inYoung Frankenstein.”
Christina chuckled. “I’m already there. It’s going tobe my world, because we’ve decided to start looking at houses at the first of the year.”
“Are you serious? What about Portland?” Mia knew they were thinking about staying for the babies, but buying a house here sounded longer.
Christina shrugged. “It’s all on hold until I make a final decision. My boss was pretty sure she could make a case for me working remote due to the circumstances. Mom’s furious. She wanted me out of here and into a larger city where she and Dad could visit.”
“And Levi?” Mia asked.
“He was following me. He said he can be happy anywhere as long as I’m there. Isn’t he the best?” Christina wiped a tear from her eye. “Man, are there wildfires somewhere? The smoke is bad here.”
“It’s not wildfire season.” Mia frowned and looked around. “But something’s burning.” They pulled into the lane that led to Trent’s and saw the fire.
Trent’s house was burning. Or at least the left wing of it. Buddy, Cerby, and Tempest were crowded around a baby car seat. Sonja had a water hose, and Trent and Sarah were using magic to douse the flames and rebuild the house.
