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“Right, and that’s not close to Marty’s house.”
“Hmm.”
He nodded. “There was just something off about her.” He shrugged, uncomfortable. “Maybe she just has a crush on Marty, so she’s saying weird things.”
I’d picked up a weird connection between them at the Half-Moon, but I’d been so uncomfortable at the moment that I hadn’t really thought about it. And I’d never gotten a chance to apologize to Lacey.
“Hey, Mom?”
The quiet question pulled my attention away from last minute touches, and I turned to face Finn. “Yeah, honey?”
“I’m really glad you’re going out tonight with Andre.”
I blinked, surprised. “You are?”
“Yeah.” He wouldn’t look at me, focusing instead on picking at a loose thread on my comforter. “I like Marty, of course, and I always will, but I think you made the right choice, you know? I want you to be happy and follow your heart. And if that wasn’t leading you to Marty, then that’s okay.”
I couldn’t cry. If I cried, I’d have to redo most of my makeup. So, I blinked rapidly, trying to keep the tears I could feel burning at the corners of my eyes from falling. “Well, I’m really... glad to hear you say that.”
Finn squirmed a little, a flush staining his cheeks bright pink. “I just don’t want you to put your happiness on hold because you’re worried about hurting Marty. He’s a big boy, he’s moving on, and you should to.”
I didn’t even know what to say, so I just focused on breathing around the hot lump that had formed in my throat.
After a quick glance up at my face, Finn went back to staring at his feet. “And, I mean, Andre might not wait around forever, right? So, I’m glad you’re going out with him tonight.”
And that was my limit. I took two big steps forward, and wrapped my son up in the biggest hug. “Thank you, Finn. That means a lot to me.”
He hugged me back, but squirmed out of my hold when I sniffled. “Don’t cry, you’ll mess up your makeup.”
“I’m trying,” I laughed, and sniffled again.
He grinned at me, and bounced up off the bed to go grab his bag in the hall. “Have fun tonight!”
“Try not to get turned into a frog,” I called after him, but he was already thundering down the stairs.
Finn was spending the evening at the coven house with Wanda and the others. They’d agreed to try and help him with his magical practice, basic protections, that sort of thing. Wanda didn’t like that Finn had drained himself to the point of fainting, so she and Olga were going to see what they could come up with. It wasn’t a sure thing that witch magic and practice would work for him, since witch magic and Magician magic were pretty different flavors.
I just wanted him to be safe. I wasn’t interested in holding Finn back, but that didn’t mean I was okay with him hurting himself, either.
And that was enough of those thoughts for one night. Any more, and I’d be talking myself out of going out at all so I could stay home and make sure Finn was safe, which would just make him angry with me.
With one last look in the mirror, I smoothed my hair back and was on my way. Meanwhile, anticipation fizzed in my chest like champagne bubbles.
Chapter Nine
The drive to the restaurant was longer than I thought it would be, but Andre assured me that the place was worth the trip.
I was willing to go along with it, even when he pulled up outside a squat, cinderblock of a building with a deep red awning and a wooden sign proclaiming the place to be ‘Melted Bliss’.
I gave him a questioning look, but he smiled and threaded our arms together before leading me to the door. And, yes, I got a sort of giddiness at his touch and the thought that this was potentially a real, proper date. Unless it wasn’t—in which case, I was fairly sure I’d be disappointed.
Friendship could be the better route,I reminded myself, and tried to believe my own words.
We stepped through the creaky door, into a beautiful foyer all done in black tile, with a gorgeous little waterfall built right into the wall. The basin was lit up with soft light, making the small room feel soft and intimate.
A middle-aged man in a dark vest and slacks escorted us to our table, which had some strange attachments off the side. I glanced around the dining room, half convinced the place must be magical, because it was enormous. It looked so much bigger on the inside than it had outside, with huge high ceilings, soft lights, and a chrome bar gleaming like mercury.
Even though there were quite a few other diners, the lighting, the soft music and the space between the tables made everything feel like we were the only people in the place. A curious look at the nearest table allowed me to figure out exactly what those little metal pieces off to the side were.
