Page 80 of The Most Wanted Witch

“You are so smart in some ways and so stupid in others that it nearly kills me sometimes.” Bibbi threw up her hands, shaking her fist.

Gillian, the woman of the hour, walked in. We both fell silent. I scrambled to fill the dead air so we didn’t look as guilty as we were.

“I really don’t think we’re getting a storm.” I should’ve come up with a more believable topic, because I was the last person in Xest who could predict weather, and everyone knew it.

My efforts didn’t have the effect I’d hoped for. Gillian walked over and took her cocoa off the counter. She smiled at Bibbi but barely tilted her head in my direction before heading back out of the room.

“Is she mad at me?” I kept staring at the door, wondering how I’d ended up onherbad side. “I think she is.”

“Because I’m right and Hawkdiddeclare for you. You weren’t straight with her, and she figured it out last night.” Bibbi hopped up on to the table and grabbed one of Bertha’s pastries off the plate next to her.

Zab walked in, slumping into a chair. “Gillian is on the warpath. I had to get out of there quickly. You should’ve told her something was going on with you and Hawk.”

“Nothing is going on with us, so there was nothing to tell.” I was getting tired of no one believing me.

Zab huffed out a half laugh and shook his head.

“What’s she doing?” I took a peek toward the door but wasn’t close enough to see anything. From the glare I’d gotten a minute ago, I’d rather wait it out in the back room.

Zab sighed really loud. “You don’t know the attitude she’s dishing out. She walked in the office and started saying how she was leaving as soon as she got her things, that she’d been thinking about it all morning and we didn’t deserve her, the whole time glaring at Hawk. And you know what’s coming next, don’t you?” He stared at the two of us.

I had a hunch, but I wasn’t going to be the messenger. I’d quit the bad news delivery team. Bibbi seemed to have resigned as well.

“I’m going to get stuck walking her back to her place while she’s in the middle of a fit.”

Yep, that was what I figured. I sipped my tea, grateful it wasn’t going to be me. I spared a look at Bibbi, who was trying not to grin.

“Zab,” Hawk called from the other room.

Zab stood, cursing and kicking at the air before he walked out.

Hawk walked in a few moments later and made himself a tea. “Gillian moved out and there won’t be cocoa for a while. She doesn’t want any of us in the Sweet Shop.”

“What makes you think that?” I asked.

“Because on her way out the door, she said, ‘Keep all your assholes out of my store.’” He raised an eyebrow at us.

Hawk shrugged and walked back out to the main room.

A few minutes later, Zab strolled into the back room again, shaking his head and looking even worse than he had before he left.

“That bad?” I was almost afraid to ask.

“Worse. We got halfway there, and I was so close to being rid of her when she decided she wasn’t leaving after all. She’s back.” Zab groaned as if in real pain.

“She’s back?” Bibbi said.

“Yes. Says her life is too valuable to be left unattended.” He leaned forward, running a hand through his hair.

“So close,” Bibbi said, and then groaned. I joined her.

“So very close,” Zab agreed.

Gillian had gone back to her shop, so I was down to having to ignore two people. I still couldn’t look Hawk in the eye, and Bibbi had been added to the list. Heryou’re being so stupidlooks were a bit much.

At least I had an appointment this afternoon to take my mind off other things. That was a busy day, the way things were going.

When the door opened, I expected it to be Cassie, a low-level Middling and a fairly well-rounded witch who would still report for work. It was Mertie. Her coming here without a summons was strange enough. Her walking in with a bag thrown over her shoulder was the kind of thing that stole the air from your lungs. Or my lungs, anyway, because I was the only one who understood what was happening.

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