Page 42 of The Accidental Witch

They’d decided to sneak in to visit Josh at night, when the activity of family time had subsided and the floor Josh was on was quiet. His mother, Eva, usually went to grab dinner around this time, leaving her about ten minutes to slip in and out.

“I think so.”

Nina came up behind her and punched her arm playfully. “You’ve been working your fucking ass off. You got this, kiddo. I know you do.”

On impulse, she threw her arms around Nina’s neck. They’d all been supportive since she’d met them, welcoming her without knowing very much about her, embracing her and all her fears.

She planted a kiss on Nina’s cheek. “Thank you, Vampire. Everybody calls you a crusty bitch, but we both know that’s not true, don’t we, Marshmallow?”

Nina pulled Robbie in tight before she set her away from her. “Which one of these damn ninnies called me crusty?”

“We all did, silly,” Wanda said with a giggle, pulling Robbie into a hug. “C’mere, you.” She squeezed her tight. “Go get ’em, sweetie. We’ll be here when you’re done, okay? Arch promised lamb roast with warm mint jelly, cauliflower jubilee and scalloped potatoes for dinner when we get home. He knows it’s your favorite.”

Archwas rapidly becoming one of her favorites. He coddled her, encouraged her, made her the kind of meals a foodie dreams of, and all without asking for anything in return.

Arch was good people, and he and Tottington had struck up a friendship that, while not unlikely due to their jobs, had been incredibly heartwarming to watch develop.

They cooked, they traded advice on manservant duties, they shared stories about their pasts—Arch’s past being far morestoriedand exciting than Tottington’s, considering he’d once been a vampire and was now a troll.

“Go team witch!” Darnell cheered, scooping her up and swinging her around. “You got this, Robbie. The bosses are right. You a bad mamma jamma.”

“Group hug!” Marty called.

They all gathered around her, chanting words of encouragement, hugging her hard. Hervé nestled in between the women and sighed with pleasure. “Ah, ze sweet sight of beautiful women.”

Robbie tweaked his handle. “Behave, mister, or it’s the broom closet for you,” she teased.

They all laughed, hugging her harder.

Taking one last deep breath, she disentangled herself from all the love showered on her and nodded. “I’m ready. Let’s do this.”

Greer smiled, his cologne wafting to her nose on the chilled wind, reminding her that he would be with her. “Okay, so envision the form you want to cloak yourself in. In your casea doctor, and in mine, an intern. Now, do you remember the words, Robbie?”

Shit. Did she? Closing her eyes, she thought of SAP. Say it, Apply it, Point it. Nodding, Robbie whispered, “Cloak us in disguise, hide our true beings, protect our identities…” Crap. What came next?

Panic tingled in her hand until Nina grabbed her and whispered in her ear, “Keep people from seeing.”

“Keep people from seeing!” Robbie shouted, and this time, she remembered to point at both of them instead of pointing at the suit of armor and turning it into a ballerina like she had this afternoon in the murder basement.

The moment she pointed, she felt that light tingle, sizzling from her toes to the tip of her head. The now familiar warm feeling she got every time she used a spell.

When she popped her eyes open and looked down, she saw the happy pink scrubs all the doctors wore. A hand to her head revealed a scrub cap. Next, her fingers went to her face as she looked in the SUV’s rear window. “Oh!” she whispered.

She didn’t look anything like herself. Her hair was dark and short, cut just to her jaw with swooping waves. Her eyes more almond-shaped than round, and a deep blue. Her nose, minus her freckles, was shorter and perter, and her frame at least three inches taller.

In fact, she looked exactly like the model she’d seen on her Facebook timeline this morning, advertising pest control.

“You did it, Miss!” Tottington cheered with a pump of his fist.

When she looked at Greer, she realized she had. He had on a white lab coat with a stethoscope around his neck. They didn’t need to disguise his face, but she’d tweaked his hair color and features enough so that if they showed up on camera, no one would know it was him.

Squaring her shoulders, Robbie lifted her chin. Realizing this was a selfish act, strictly for her own personal peace of mind, she prayed nothing went wrong. She’d never want Josh hurt, but somehow, she hoped he’d recognize it was her, even if she looked nothing like the Miss Robbie he knew. It was a silly notion, but she hoped for it just the same.

For the first time since they’d begun this journey, Robbie heldherhand out to Greer. “All in?”

He smiled, taking her hand, that safe feeling she’d been exploring alive and well. “All in.”

Chapter

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