Page 40 of Witch Please

“Respond to her texts. I’m not advocating some bullshit push-pull nonsense. Make sure she knows you’re happy to hear from her and spend time with her, but definitely don’t tell her that you’re already dreaming about marriage and babies.”

Despite himself, Titus grinned. “You sure? Maybe I ought to be ring shopping by now. After all, we’ve had dinner. Gone bowling. Eaten lunch twice. What else is there?”

“You’re such a dork,” she said fondly.

“Since you’re related to me, that makes you dork-adjacent.”

She threw her napkin at him as he went to the kitchen to slice the buttermilk pie. They watched some TV, and later, he took Doris for a run, played with her in the backyard afterward. When he came in, Maya was heavily texting someone, so into it that she didn’t even seem to notice that he was in the room. Lately she’d been like that, and sometimes she went to her room to voice chat. He heard the murmur of conversation if not the actual words. So far she hadn’t told him what it was about. Doubtless she would when she was ready.

Hopefully she wasn’t planning to visit Dad in Arizona when she’d made it clear she didn’t want to.If he’s pressuring her…

Titus got mad just thinking about it, but he couldn’t call his old man to ask.

Instead, he texted Trevor, who acted like he was twenty-two instead of thirty-two most of the time. Maybe this wouldn’t do any good, but it would be better than stewing. The guy was always around, unlike everyone else, and Trevor knew the situation with his dad, so he only had to tell him about the baby and how it was impacting Maya.

He ended with,Do you think my dad’s giving her a hard time about the visit?

I’ll give her a hard time. Your sister’s hot.

Fucking Trevor. Titus glared at his phone for a full minute before sendingStay away from Maya. Seriously. I will literally kill you.

I think you mean figuratively,Trevor sent back.Kidding! Sisters are off-limits. I just like the eggplant emoji. Anyway, I guess it’s possible, but if she wanted to talk to you about it, she would. Just keep being a good dude.

That was…surprisingly not a terrible suggestion, coming from someone who earned his money by cutting other people’s grass using his dad’s lawnmower. Trevor thought being responsible was a contagious disease, and if he wasn’t stoned, he considered the day a complete loss. His parents had basically given up on the idea that he’d ever move out or get married, so they focused all their attention on his older brother.

Thanks,Titus answered.

You should come over. We can play and smoke, just like old times.

Titus had to laugh. In Trevor’s head, those had been the glory days, but he had no desire to go hang out in Trevor’s basement when he had a whole house. Besides, like always, he had to get up early. Maybe one day, when the bakery was paid for, he could afford to hire another baker and relax a bit. Until then, the profits went toward paying the loan, and he had to work like an Australian cattle dog.

A little voice whispered that the long hours would be worth it if his efforts went toward building a life with someone special.

Someone like Danica.

Chapter 12

Danica full-on dodged her problems for the rest of the day.

After she finished giggling with Clem over the eligibles Gram had forwarded, she refused to hear another word about Titus, her family, or haywire magic. Thankfully, her cousin took the hint, and they binged a bunch of goofy romantic movies, ones that always ended happily, no matter how messy it seemed in the middle. This was exactly the way Danica liked her fiction too. Sometimes she branched out to other genres, but those books often left her with a deep sense of trepidation, reading without the assurance that characters she cared about could survive until the end.

Hell, if I wanted to feel shitty, I’d watch the news.

A knock sounded at the door, and she found her grandmother waiting, wearing an impatient look. She hadn’t seen the older woman since that disastrous dinner, and judging by her frown, Gram wasn’t here for a pleasant chat. She raised both brows as she took Danica in and stepped inside without waiting for an invitation.

“I see that you’re alive after all,” she said with a sniff. “You didn’t even look at the Bindr profiles I sent. Honestly, Danica, you’re not eventryingto get over Darryl.”

She stifled a sigh.Not remotely ready for this.“Want a cup of coffee?”

“It’s too late for that.” Those words sounded unaccountably ominous. “I’ll get heartburn and I won’t get to sleep if I have coffee at this hour.”

Right, she’s talking about caffeinated beverages. That wasn’t a warning.

“Chamomile tea then?”

“Sounds good.”

Tension boiled in the silence, louder than the burble of the kettle. “Here you go. Do you want something to nibble along with it?”

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