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“Neither one of you is welcome. Susan, you’ve been warned before. If I see you across the property line again, I’m filing for a restraining order.” He flipped open his phone with a purposeful snick. “Do I need to report you two officially?”
Not that he’d actually call the cops. They might side with Susan and Rutherford, but fortunately, they didn’t call his bluff.
“Look forward to my next move,” Susan said.
Rutherford followed her across the yard, and that didn’t sit right either. Hell knew what they’d be colluding while he frantically tried to fix things. Eli understood that he was contradicting himself because he’d registered how much Iris wanted to be independent and that she didn’t want to rely on others.But she said I’m her boyfriend. That gives me the right to look after her.
At least, that was what he told himself as he jogged to his truck and drove toward the business district.
Downtown St. Claire was busy this time of day, lots of cars jockeying for limited parking spots. He circled once and optedto park on a side street and walk five blocks. No big deal, as it wasn’t raining, though he sometimes wished shifting was more convenient. If he changed, he’d show up naked, and thatreallydidn’t work.
St. Claire was more charming than he remembered with shops painted in whimsical hues. Brick and wood buildings broke up the visual monotony, and he passed the little bakery Gamma had mentioned.I should get cinnamon rolls on my way back.But his goal was Fix-It Witches first.
The sign literally had two witches on it, so he marveled over the fact that this pair had kept their true nature a secret before the big announcement a few years back. Inside, it was meticulously clean with an array of vintage appliances and electronics displayed for purchase. The pretty woman behind the glass case glanced up and smiled as the bell jangled to announce his arrival.
“Welcome! How can I help you today?”
He thought he recognized her, but admittedly he’d been paying far more attention to Iris the day they’d stopped by the shop. “Are you Danica Waterhouse?”
“Uh-oh. You’re not trying to serve me a subpoena, are you?”
Eli laughed, showing that he had nothing up his sleeve. “Not even slightly.”
“Then yes, I’m Danica Waterhouse. I didn’t change my name when I got married.”
“Congratulations. That’s a beautiful ring.” He felt pretty sure it wasn’t his imagination that she’d held her hand gesture a little too long.
Definitely inviting a compliment on the jewelry.Normally,he noticed such details and didn’t play along, but today, he was trying to make a good impression.
“Thank you,” she said.
“I came to talk to you because you’re considering an offer to help with a big spell over at my girlfriend’s house.”
“Oh, you’re Sally’s housemate!” Danica brightened, her faint wariness evolving into a genuinely pleased expression.
“That’s me, Eli Reese. I just wanted to tell you something that might impact your decision. I realize that this is literally your livelihood and you might not be inclined to accept work with a deferred payment schedule.”
“It’s not wholly the money,” Danica said quickly. “Sure, that’s a factor for Clem and me, but the whole coven has to agree. Typically, we’d only do joint spells for one of our own members, but Sally’s dating Ethel, so…”
Eli nodded. “It’s a gray area, understood.”
“What did you want to tell me?” It was a gentle prompt but a nudge nonetheless.
“Cost doesn’t matter. I can cover it. I can wire the full amount right now, and if you need to charge more than usual since the spell is so broad in scope, that’s fine.”
“That would be…seven times our usual fee. You’re really fine with that?”
Since the money had hit his account yesterday from the sale of What’s Cooking?, he could answer with assurance, “Yes, completely. Price is no object.”
“Deep pockets,” Danica murmured with a surprised twitch of her brow. “You don’t look like you have that kind of money.”
“Do you need to see proof of funds?” he asked.
She shook her head. “That won’t be necessary.”
“Does that change anything?”
The tech witch laughed. “I hate to say it, but probably. The others don’t have any emotional investment, unlike Ethel. So Clem was a no, Kerry was a no. I was undecided until now, as were Margie, Leanne, and Vanessa. You had Ethel in your corner. And Priya, of course. She’s such a sweetheart.”
