Page 5 of Violet

“I know, dear.” Five points. And a blush I can’t quite hide, because somehow, calling Nole dear makes me feel the furthest thing from old. “It wasn’t your fault.”

“Why are you always so nice to me, Violet?” he asks softly. He sounds sad—which gets me every time—and I suddenly feel this overwhelming need to make him happy.

“I think I know how you can get your brothers back,” I say before I can think better of it. Way to act old, Violet.

Except Nole instantly perks up, so I can’t bring myself to regret it. Plus, there are plenty of ways I can help him and sound old at the same time.

“Back in my day...” Ten points. No, twenty. No one my age—my real age, that is—would ever utter those words aloud. “We used to play this prank...”

“On the other skunk shifters?” Nole asks, because that is, in fact, what I am—a skunk shifter. Obviously not the real, chameleon twenty-year-old me—but this body, me. Old Lady Violet, eighty-year-old librarian skunk shifter, at your service.

“Yes, on the other skunk shifters.” I nod. Not like I can tell him the prank’s from my college days—the very few college days I had before I went on the run.

Come to think of it, I can’t remember there being a single skunk shifter on campus. Not any that I knew of, anyway. Being a chameleon doesn’t make telling shifters apart easy.

“What was the prank?” Nole prods, and I realize I’ve actually managed to get lost in thought without trying to. I glance over at him and see that he’s stopped scanning in books and is now just standing there and staring at me. “Violet?”

“Right... where was I?” I don’t give myself any points. Not when the reason for my distraction is hot as hell and staring right at me. “Oh yes. Hair growth formula.”

“Hair growth formula?” Nole’s eyebrows furrow adorably.

“Yes, hair growth formula,” I say, getting excited at the thought of him using it on his brothers. “Did you know when witches brew the stuff, it’s extra potent? And the hair grows really fast?”

“Well, sure, but...” Nole trails off when a patron approaches our desk with a stack of books. She hands Nole her library card, and they make polite small talk while he checks out her book. Once she’s happily on her way, he turns back to me.

“So, hair growth formula?” He runs a hand through his gorgeous, thick hair self-consciously.

“Not for you!” I barely manage to suppress a giggle. “I meant for your brothers. When I was a girl, we used to mix hair growth formula with... soap.” Phew, I almost said body wash. Or did they already have body wash back when Old Violet was growing up? I’ll have to find out when I get home.

“I could give them hairy hands,” Nole says thoughtfully.

“Or you could mix it with their body wash,” I suggest instead.

“That’s brilliant!” He snorts. “But it is temporary, right?”

“I think so? Or maybe there was a counter spell?” It wasn’t as if I ever asked those frat guys how they stopped looking like hairy apes. “I’m sure one of the books in the Supe section could tell us how the spell works.”

“Or I could just run over to Highway to Spells and ask Willow. She’s always up for a good prank,” Nole says, eyes bright.

For a split second, I feel a wave of jealousy, even though I have no right to. “She gave you those energy drinks that made your brothers sound like chipmunks, right?”

“Yup. And the fart spell.”

I snort. “I wish I’d been there. Not for the fart spell, but definitely for the chipmunks.”

“Me too. You definitely didn’t want to have been there for the fart spell.” Nole grins and plugs his nose. “Hey, how about I have you over for dinner once the hair growth formula kicks in?”

My pulse spikes. It almost sounds like a date, at least for the split second before I remember I’m old. So old that Nole is probably trying to set me up with one of his grandfathers.

“Please, Vi? I’d love for you to meet my family.” He gives me those innocent, honey-brown puppy dog eyes, and I just can’t say no.

Except I should say no, shouldn’t I? I’ve already said no whenever he invited me for dinner in the past. When I first moved here, I was terrified every little thing would give me away. And when Nole invited me over for Christmas dinner, I already had plans.

What would be the harm in eating one meal with his family? Especially when I might have to pack up and leave soon, anyway? I should just make the most of the time I have left.

“What do you say?” Nole presses.

“Yes. Yes, I’d love to.” Especially since I really, really want to see the hair growth formula at work.