Page 6 of Hexes and Exes

“Get my emails and then come into my office,” Barty snaps and leaves my desk without another word.

I print off today’s round of emails and head to my boss’s office. It always smells like farts in here. I don’t know if Barty has stomach issues–no judgment there–but there’s a funk in this room that never fully goes away. Leaving the door open, I place the stack of emails on his desk.

I’m already turned around and headed back to the door when he speaks up. “You’re going to be reassigned for the next few months.”

I pause in the threshold, unsure what that means. “Reassigned?”

“Yes. As you know, the coven is planning an event for Lupercalia. I volunteered your time for the event planning.”

I slowly turn around and try not to gape. Barty is reading through the email printouts, making notes on some while throwing others in the garbage. He doesn’t even recycle them. The man is a dinosaur.

“What will I be doing?”

“Come now, Ava. You don’t strike me as a type of woman who needs to fish for compliments. I’m not going to list off how you can be useful to your coven.”

I beg to differ. Nobody gives me compliments. I suppose if I really wanted them, I would have to ask. But I certainly wouldn’t be asking Barty. Besides, that’s not remotely what I was asking him.

“I mean, what is the task I’m to take on?”

He rips a slip of paper from a pad on his desk and holds it out to me with an impatient flap. “To go here and begin planning. There’s no need to come into work until after the party.”

“Won’t you need someone in the office?”

I may not like my job, but I need it. If I’m gone for the next two months, Barty won’t remember me. I’ll come back into this office, and he’ll look at me like a stranger. He’ll shout, “Who the hell are you?” and call the cops on me. Not to mention, there’s a lot of shit I do here that needs attention. Also, how long does it take to plan a party?

“You can come in after hours to do your work. Don’t act like your job is rocket science. Surely, you can do two things at once.” Barty isn’t even looking at me. He’s chuckling at one of the emails.

Don’t hit your boss. Don’t hit your boss. I chant in my head and focus on my breathing. I know my job isn’t saving lives or changing the world. That doesn’t mean I don’t take pride in what I do. That I’m not good at my job. The implication that it can easily be done in an hour in the evening is insulting. What choice do I have, though?

“Of course,” I say as I back out of the room.

Barty grunts something that doesn’t come close to a goodbye as I slip into the hallway.

Turning off my computer, I tug on my coat. I pick up my still hot coffee from my desk. I wasn’t even here long enough for it to cool down. The piece of paper is clutched in my hand. I flatten it and look at the address, written in a tidy scroll.

Is that… The Grand Mystic Resort?

I pull out my phone and call my brother as I step outside. At this time of day, it’s a crap shoot. He might be free or he could have a student in his office. He’s a school counselor at the local, non-magical high school. I once asked him if he likes gettingharassed by dickish teenagers all day and he informed me that he’s too cool for that. He’s definitely lying.

“Yellow,” Stellan answers, and I roll my eyes. Right, far too cool.

“Hey, are you busy?” I dodge a man walking down the sidewalk who evidently doesn’t see me and step into a pile of dirty snow. I hiss as it cascades into my boot.

“I’m just doing some paperwork. What’s up?”

Stellan is my sounding board. He’s my biggest supporter but isn’t afraid to tell me the hard truths. My parents refused to see me after I moved in with my ex, Jamie, but Stellan would never cut ties with me. I’ve been living in his spare bedroom for the past few months, trying to figure my shit out.

“My boss basically just loaned me out like an old paperback.” I unlock my car and get in. It turns over with a sad cough before chugging to life.

“What did Farty Barty do now?”

“He’s assigned me to work on the big coven party. Then he graciously let me know I can come in after hours to do my real work until the event is over.”

Stellan hums, and I hear the sound of his chair creaking through the phone. I imagine him leaning back and putting his feet up on his desk. “You do have experience in event planning, but who wants to do shit for the coven?”

I sigh, cranking up my heat and willing my car to warm up faster. “Maybe I should tell him to fuck off. By the time I get back to the office, he won’t remember who I am anyway.”

“Oh, I like this idea. Go give him an end of movie, starting my life over speech, where you flip him off and tell him good luck finding shit without you there.”

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