Page 122 of The Blood Witch

She smiled at him, scooting forward and unfolding her legs fromunderneath her to let them dangle off the edge of the table. A few crumbs slipped out of her mouth, falling to the floor, when she grinned.

“What in the world are you eating?” Jasper asked. He stepped forward and plucked one from the open box on her lap, frowning at it. Some sort of… purple round thing? He gave it a sniff.

Vivian smiled at him. “They’re called macarons. And they’re delicious.”

He’d never even heard of a “macaron” before.

“Where did you even get these?”

“None of your business,” Viv told him. She reached up as though to snatch the cookie back from him, but Jasper quickly popped it into his mouth and chewed it with a smile.

It was… odd. A little too sweet. He wasn’t sure he liked it. And the taste…

“What is that flavor?” he asked, frowning.

“Lavender,” Vivian told him smugly.

Jasper blinked. “That’s a smell. Not a flavor.”

“Well, rich people think it’s a flavor, and I think it’s nice, okay?”

Jasper sighed. Rich people, huh?

“Viv… did you steal these?” he asked, exasperated.

Vivian snorted and kicked her legs. She didn’t answer.

Okay, time for some tough love.

“Viv?” Jasper repeated, voice harder.

“No, I did not steal them,” Vivian said. But she looked away a little too quickly. “Not technically, anyway.”

“And what does that mean, ‘not technically’?”

“I was told I could have as many as I wanted, whenever I wanted, alright?” Vivian insisted. “Just because no one was around when I took this particular batch doesn’t mean it was stealing. I had permission.”

He wasn’t sure he could argue with that one, so he let it slide. Triumphant, Vivian popped another cookie in her mouth.

“Hey, I’m glad you’re here,” Jasper said, rubbing at the back of his neck. “I’ve been wanting to talk to you. Have you been…uh…. How are you doing?”

Goddess, he wasn’t good at this.

Vivian chewed her cookie, cocking an eyebrow at him. “What do you mean, Uncle Jas?”

“I’m just…” Jasper ran a hand through his hair, suddenly awkward. “I spoke to Nan today.” Viv froze for a moment, then began chewing more quickly, a sure sign she was hiding something. She was a terrible liar. Just like her mom.

Jasper took a breath. “She hasn’t been seeing you around much. And she seems to think you’ve been spending your time here.”

“Well.” Vivian swallowed her bite. “You know Nan, Uncle Jas. She gets confused, doesn’t she? Half the time she doesn’t even remember where I’m supposed to be. Or even what time it is.”

Jasper thinned his lips. “I’m not looking for an excuse, Viv. Or even an explanation. I’m just… I’m worried about you, okay?” He gave her a smile. “I just want to make sure that you’re doing alright.”

“Just alright?” Vivian repeated, smiling broadly at him.

His smile grew to match hers.

“More than just alright,” he assured her. “I want to make sure you’re happy. Healthy.”

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