Page 97 of Infernal Hearts

A car door shuts, and footfalls approach. The door opens, and Andrew’s face appears, beaming as soon as he sees me. “Hi, Jason!” He closes the door behind him. “I came as quickly as I could.”

Levi’s foot seductively rubs my leg under the desk, trying to drag my mind back into the gutter. I kick him back. This isn’t the time.

“Hey, Andrew.” I motion at the chair next to me. “Thanks. Have a seat. There’s something I wanted to talk to you about.”

His face and shoulders fall. “Am I fired? Did I do something wrong?”

I shake my head. “Not at all. Just some big changes going on that I need to talk through with you.”

He walks around the counter and sits down. He looks at me expectantly. “Then it’s good news?”

“I think so.” I nod. I take a deep breath. “So you may have noticed some…strange things that were going on around here the last week we were open.”

He shrugs. “You mean how you guys kept having all those conversations when you thought I couldn’t hear?”

“And you never thought something was off?” I didn’t give him nearly as much credit as I should have.

“I figured you’d tell me, eventually. Is that what we’re talking about?”

I sigh. “Yes.” I reach over and grab Levi’s hand, looking up at his face. He smiles as he closes his eyes, and a purple glow emits from his chest.

Andrew’s eyes grow wide. “Oh my god. I knew magic was real!”

My head snaps back to him. I really didn’t give him enough credit whatsoever.

He continues, the speed of his words picking up. “I had a feeling it was something like this, but I wasn’t sure how to ask like I wasn’t a crazy person, but there was all this stuff going on that I couldn’t explain, so I did some research online and it all started to make sense—”

I cut him off. “So you’re not freaked out?”

“Not at all! This is amazing!”

A relaxed smile crosses my face before I cover it with my hand. This is going way better than I could have ever hoped. I honestly thought he was going to completely panic and Levi would need to charm away his memory again, but it was worth the risk.

“Now that I know you’re taking this so well, I need to move onto what happens next.” I take a deep breath and brace myself. I haven’t said these words out loud enough to get used to them. “I’m closing the practice.”

Andrew frowns and looks down. “So I am out of a job.”

“Not exactly. Do you remember Michael? My ex?”

“Yeah.” He thinks for a moment. “Does he know about magic, too?”

I nod. “Yes. And he’s starting his own magical practice in this very building. And he needs an assistant.”

It was hard to talk to Michael about what happened to my dad. He was devastated and didn’t believe me at first, but after hearing the whole story with Valerie and bringing him to the crypt, he started to accept it. He was shocked when he saw what remained of the cabin but was kind enough to clean everything up, so I didn’t have to return. I couldn’t bring myself to go back.

He wasn’t sure what he was going to do, but I convinced him to pick up in my dad’s footsteps. He had the knowledge, just lacked confidence. But with my dad’s entire library of information, it set him up with everything he needed. The decision was easy to make after that.

I put my hand on Andrew’s shoulder. “So? What do you say?”

He smiles reluctantly. “I think I’d be up for the job.”

I grin back at him. “And I think you’ll do wonderfully.”

His eyebrows twist with concern. “But what’s going to happen to you? What are you going to do?”

“We’re moving. I need a change of scenery after losing my dad. This place isn’t the same for me anymore. Too much has gone on here.”

Truer words were never spoken. Everything in this town reminds me of him, and everything that reminds me of him reminds me of that night. It’s a pain that’s eased over the last couple of weeks, but I don’t think it’ll ever fully go away. What Levi and I decided was that a fresh start was what we both needed.

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