Page 77 of The Most Wanted Witch

Zab shook his head.

Bibbi, lips still pressed together, had owl eyes as she slowly shook her head, warning me off.

“I have to handle this.” Hawk got up and walked out of the room.

I hadn’t wanted to go after Gillian, but that didn’t stop the burning in my chest as I watched Hawk go instead. It was ridiculous, really. Hadn’t I suggested he sit beside her?

Maybe the problem was that when she was upset, he felt theneedto go to her. When I got attacked, battered and bruised, the only need he felt was to tell me how I’d failed. Who wouldn’t want to hit him over the head?

The only upside was that I could eat in peace, because this dinner was the best I’d had in a month. I added another serving to my plate.

“What’s going on with them? They having a lover’s spat or something?” I grabbed another roll to sop up the gravy.

No one said anything as they all looked at each other.

“If this is a secret, it’s not a good one, since everybody appears to know but me.” I took a huge bite, not really caring if they took half the night to come out with it, since I might be eating for that long. This meal wasthatgood.

Bibbi looked at everyone else, waiting to see who would break first. It was clear she couldn’t hold out much longer. I could see a little gap forming between her lips.

“What is it?” I asked.

That was all she needed, one last prod. Her lips burst open like she’d been holding back the entire Hoover Dam. “Hawk declared for you.” Her eyes lit up as she bounced in her seat.

Oscar seemed quite pleased as well, in a more resigned fashion.

“What the hell are you talking about? Declared what?” Had Hawk gone back on his word to me and was going to try to kick me out of Xest again?

Bibbi flattened both palms on the table and said, “He declared hisintentions.” She watched me, waiting for a reaction.

“What intentions?” That son of a bitch. He had. He was going back on his words and intended to get rid of me.

“His interest. That he wants to be with you.” Bibbi’s voice rose.

I dropped my fork and leaned back, squinting in her direction.

She rolled her head. “You know, that you’re the one? How many more ways can I say it?”

She watched and waited, staring at me as if a light bulb would turn on.

Bibbi had been waiting for this so long that she was losing her mind. “Are you sure you know what you’re talking about?” I said. “I think you might’ve misconstrued something. Hawk and I aren’t… It’s not… Let’s just keep it simple and say there’s no way you’ve got that right.” I went back to eating now that I didn’t have to worry about packing my bags and finding a new place to live.

“Tippi, I know what I saw.”

Bertha turned to Bibbi. “Maybe I should take a crack at this?”

Bibbi shrugged, relenting to Bertha, who would surely make more sense. Bibbi was so set on the way she wanted things to be that she was getting a little crazier than normal.

Bertha smiled at me and then said, “When Hawk shared his wine with you, it wasn’t typical. He had you drink from his glass. That means he’s declaring for you, and it’s very significant. Like Bibbi said, it means he’s interested and is declaring that interest. If someone else was interested, they’d have to say something to him, perhaps fight him. He’s pretty much called dibs on you.”

Bibbi was giving me thenow do you believe me?look.

Zab occasionally glanced up and shared a look with Musso before the two of them went back to eating.

Oscar laughed softly to himself, nodding in Bibbi’s direction as if they’d won a hard battle together.

“How can he declare for me if he’s dating Gillian?” I dropped my fork and looked around the table.

“Oh, he’s not dating her,” Bertha said, shaking her head. “She wants him to, but he’s not interested. We all know it. Musso tried to tell her that no good will come from it, but she wouldn’t listen. Didn’t want to hear the truth.”

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