Page 75 of Once Upon a Curse for True Love
“I see,” Riley said carefully.“And this restructuring would benefit the department how?”
“It would allow us to recruit the best possible candidate for the director position,” Sarah Michelle replied smoothly.
“By ‘best possible candidate,’ you mean yourself, Miss Swan?”Riley turned his gaze to Andromeda.
She met his eyes.“Yes, sir.I believe my expertise makes me uniquely qualified for the role.”
Riley was about to say he would consider the proposal—which, despite everyone’s assumptions about his inflexibility, he would have considered even without his wife’s presence—when another knock sounded at his door.
“Come in,” he called, wondering what fresh hell awaited him now.
Detective Donatello Malatesta strode in, his usual confidence faltering when he spotted the gathering of witches in Riley’s office.He was holding a transfer request form in his hands.
Malatesta’s eyes met Riley’s, and something like male solidarity—or perhaps pity—passed between them.Then the detective’s gaze fell on Andromeda, and his jaw tensed.
“Hi,” Malatesta said, his tone clipped.
“Hi,” Andromeda replied, equally curt, the tension between them electric.
“Look at those two,” Mila commented in Riley’s mind.“That’s some smoldering eye contact.”
Riley resisted the urge to roll his eyes at his wife’s assessment, no matter how accurate.
“Are you here to accept the job?”Malatesta accused.
“No,” she replied evenly.“I wanted to make sure I don’t have to give you upifI take the job.”She tilted her head.“Why are you here?”
Malatesta shifted, moving the form behind his back like a child caught with his hands in the cookie jar.“No reason.”
With a snap of her fingers, Andromeda sent the paper flying from Malatesta’s grasp into her waiting hand.Her eyes scanned the document, widening as she read.
“You’re putting in a transfer request to New Orleans?”she gasped.“You’re moving away from me?”
“No,” Malatesta said quickly, stepping forward.“I’m transferring jurisdictions so we can date.”
Andromeda’s brow furrowed.“While you live in New Orleans?”
“While I work in New Orleans,” Malatesta corrected, moving closer to her.“I’ll commute.”
“Every day?”Andromeda’s voice rose with incredulity.
A touch of Malatesta’s trademark cockiness returned as he shrugged.“Yes, Swan, every day.If only we had powers that allowed us to teleport.”
Andromeda’s eyes widened with understanding.“Teleporting so far so often would be taxing on you,” she protested, her expression softening.
“Less taxing than living without you,” Malatesta replied simply.“Or knowing you’re unhappy because you had to give up your dream job.”
In a motion that surprised everyone—perhaps even Andromeda herself—she launched herself at him.“You’d do that for me?”she asked, her voice thick with emotion.“Transfer from the best department in the country?”
Malatesta’s arms wound around her waist.“I’d do anything for you,” he proclaimed, and then they were kissing, oblivious to their audience.
“Aww,” Mila cooed in Riley’s mind.“You have to find a way for these two to be together.”
Riley cleared his throat, interrupting the display of affection in his office.When the two broke apart, he fixed Malatesta with a stern scowl.
“I’m not losing one of my best detectives to New Orleans,” he declared, rising from his chair.“We’ll make the new division work with Miss Swan at the head and no conflict of interest.”He gestured toward the door.“Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’d like to have my office back.”
As everyone filed out, tossing variations of “Thank you, Chief” over their shoulders, Mila got up from her perch, too.
