Page 57 of My Blind Date is a Demon

“That’s putting it mildly,” she says. “I heard you were absolutely smitten with the girl.”

“Tamzin is…special.”

“Aww, how sweet. I didn’t think it was possible for you to fall in love.”

“I wouldn’t say the L word just yet. But I certainly want to protect her from all this. I can’t have her tortured.”

“That’s not up to you, is it?”

“That’s what I’m trying to figure out. Where did you send the goons?”

“I said you were digging up dino bones in Mongolia, which is where you should be, mind you.”

“I know, I know,” I say with a sigh. Who would have thought that the hottest thing in antiques right now would be dinosaur bones? “I just need to get things figured out here. If the goons come back, call on Eisheth to help you.”

“I don’t know about that. She seems as annoyed as the rest of them that you are taking so long to finish this job.”

“She’s just a messenger,” I say. “She’s not a threat. At a time like this, she’s the closest thing I have to a friend.”

“You might need to branch out in the future,” she says, and I see Tamzin coming out of the gym.

“Will do,” I say. “Talk to you later.”

“Ciao.”

“Hey,” Tamzin says as she flops into her seat. “I hope you weren’t too bored.”

“No, just checking in with Bianca. There was a little mishap at the shop.”

“Oh, dear. Anything I can help with?”

“No, don’t worry about it. But ending this curse so I can get back to my day job would be great.”

“Yeah. I’m sorry it’s taking so long.”

“It’s not your fault,” I say, driving us home. “I mean, you are the totally innocent party in all this. If we could just figure out who cursed you…”

“I know,” she says, rubbing her forehead. “I think about it all the time. I mean, it’s worked out for the best, right?” She puts her hand on top of mine and I kiss the back of it.

“Of course.”

“But this can’t be what the person who sent you after me had planned, right? There is no way someone sent a demon after me to make me happy. You were sent to make me miserable. So, who would have done such a thing.”

“I don’t know, but we need to find out soon. We both have lives we need to be living.”

It has somehow become my job to put Bella to bed at night. She just loves my stories. I keep telling her they aren’t really stories, but true events in my very long life, but she doesn’t believe me. After she has fallen asleep, I quietly close her door and go to find Tamzin. She’s curled up on the couch with a glass of wine, watching some trash show. Tonight is Love After Lockup.

“Ugh,” I can’t help but grimace out loud as a beautiful woman explains that she is in love with a scrawny man with meth teeth, tattoos, and a bad crew cut. I plop onto the couch next to Tamzin and put her feet in my lap, rubbing her calves.

“I know, right? If Bella came home with a dude like that, I’d probably have a heart attack.”

“Well, to be honest, I’m much more terrifying than any of the guys on this show. I could easily scare away any potential partner of Bella that you don’t approve of.”

“Good to know,” she says. She takes another sip and lets out a sigh. “You know, I don’t know what it is, but I have been so less stressed this week. I’ve gotten work done. Bella’s gotten to school on time. I feel so…light.”

“Well, you did notice who has been making dinner all week, right?”

“Of course,” she says. “I said thank you. It means a lot to me.”

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