Page 102 of The Witch is Back

“She may be wrong about that. I’m happy to answer any questions you have.”

She beamed at him, and he could definitely see how Emma fell for the human. “We can have milkshakes as well.”

“Now you’re talking my language. I’ll answer anything for a milkshake.”

“Me, too! Emma always gets boring old vanilla.”

Bastian shook his head. “Chocolate’s the only way to go.”

“Right? She says I must have a cast-iron stomach since I never vomit.”

“You’re either born with it or you’re not.”

“But she says it’ll come in handy when we go traveling.” Animation leaped into her face. “Emma says we can go wherever we want, but she’s saving ’cause airplanes cost money. Which is stupid since...” She stopped talking and then shrugged again.

Very expressive, those shrugs. But he thought he’d finally stumbled onto why Emma hadn’t traveled, at least recently. It was...unbearably sweet that she wanted to take a young girl who she’d met through volunteering around the world. Almost like giving herself a second chance at it through Sloane.

“Where do you want to go?” he asked and was treated to a laundry list of places Sloane had seen in movies.

Seeing as he’d been to a few, they managed to have a decent conversation, which stopped abruptly when Emma hurried back over. She looked pink, like she did when—

Not suitable around a child, he reminded himself. Even if seeing one more side of her giving, caring nature made him crazy.

“What’re you guys talking about?” she asked, out of breath. “Sloane, Leah’s gonna want those.”

Bastian helped Sloane up with the boxes. “We were talking about Rome,” he said.

Sloane turned to Emma, eyes shining. “Bastian says he’s been to the very top of the Vatican. There’s a staircase that turns around and around and around and you feel like you’re going to hurl.”

“Lovely.” Emma nudged her. “Go to Leah.”

“’Kay.” Sloane hesitated, shooting a quick look at Emma, before saying, “It was cool, like, meeting you.”

“Same.” Bastian watched her go and with a grin, turned back to Emma. “She’s great.”

“You guys were talking for a while.”

“Just getting to know your little sister.” He laughed as she shot him a half-frozen glance. “I know; when she said it, swear to the Goddess, my head just kind of went thick. But Sloane explained about the volunteering group.”

“Right.” Emma nodded, looking down the hallway where Sloane had disappeared. He thought he saw her eyes narrow. “Right.”

Emotion lapped at his feet like a gentle wave. “It’s nice you do it. She clearly worships you.”

“She’s great, like you said.”

“She reminds me of you, a bit.”

Emma did a weird laugh and folded her arms around her middle. “Why would you say that?”

“She’s shy with strangers, but once you get her talking, she won’t shut up.” A shot of telekinesis where he was most ticklish made him jump. “Play nice, Emma.”

“How about we go home and I’ll show you nice?”

All thoughts of Sloane disappeared. “Let’s sign what I need to sign and get out of here.”

CHAPTER 21

A few days later, Emma clinked glasses with her friends and Sloane in the bridal boutique owned by one of Tamsin’s contacts. The wedding planner had marched off in search of the perfect dress for Emma, leaving the four of them to drink the free champagne (and OJ for Sloane) and pretend to be happy about the upcoming wedding. Well, Leah wasn’t pretending, Emma didn’t think. If this was a ball game, she’d have a big foam finger and would’ve cheered anytime Bastian came onto the field. Was it a field in baseball?

---