Page 34 of Witch Please

“Thanks for the cookies,” she cut in.

Danica walked to the door pointedly and opened it, waiting for him to leave with a tense air. After Titus stepped out, she flipped the sign to closed and locked it behind him. While he didn’t blame her for being freaked, it did seem like she’d hurried him out, like he was to blame for her shop’s wiring issues. Come to think of it, the juicer had shorted when he was there too. It would be just his luck if his curse was getting worse, spreading from relationships to appliances.

That would explain why my oven broke.

Dispirited, he walked a block to where he’d parked his Leaf and drove home. At least Doris would be happy to see him. Maya was there when he got back—she’d spent the previous evening with a friend so he could host poker night. He had put the house back in order first thing, so his sister was in a good mood as she chopped vegetables for a salad.

“You’re back early. It didn’t go well?”

“The shop needs repair work.” For some reason, he opted not to share all the details. Maya might be willing to dissect the encounter, but he preferred not to scrutinize it too closely. “I think she’s got some family issues as well.”

His sister sighed, setting the knife on the cutting board. “Don’t we all. Have you talked to Dad recently?”

“Not since…” He hesitated.

“You can say it. Not since he told us about the baby?”

“Yeah.”

“Well, I spoke to him a few days ago. He’s asking us to visit again, before Susan gets ‘too pregnant to be social,’ whatever that means.”

“Do you want to?” Titus asked.

For his own part, he’d rather clean the gutters and dredge the septic tank than fly to Arizona to “bond” with his father’s new family, but he shouldn’t infect Maya with his bias if she didn’t share it. Patiently he waited for his sister to gather her thoughts. She traced circles on the cutting board, her eyes sad and shadowed. Finally he stopped her when she began moving bell pepper seeds into abstract patterns.

“No. And I feel bad about it. But Susan makes me feel like an intruder, and her kids…”

“Lucy isn’t so bad. Jared is—”

“A perv,” Maya finished.

A chill settled over him. “Did something happen? I saw him hitting on you, but if he touched you, I’ll beat his ass.”

She shook her head. “He just says gross, inappropriate things.”

“That’s still way over the line. We won’t go. Dad has his own life now, and we’re not part of it. But I’ll always be here for you, Mini.”

When Maya hugged him, Titus almost forgot the weirdness at the shop and his highly illogical fear that Danica was about to bolt.

Chapter 10

As Danica tidied up the shop, she worked to center herself.

What should I do?

She hadn’t expected Titus to drop by and get her all excited. The situation was dire, no doubt about it. Somehow, she controlled herself as she cleaned, fixed the wiring she’d overloaded, and replaced all the bulbs. By the time she finished, she was calm, more able to think clearly about the problem. Clem was right on both counts. If possible, it was time to use the special spellbook, and this afternoon offered the perfect opportunity since Kerry and Priya were coming over. Having two skilled witches on deck could only help when she deployed the book of spells Gram had created as a gift. The old woman had poured most of her magic into it to prepare Danica for the future, as she feared for the stability of Danica’s powers, given that she had a mundane father. Clem had no such disadvantage since her father came from respectable witch lineage.

With her resolve firm, Danica biked home from the shop and was sipping chamomile tea in the kitchen when Kerry sounded her signature “Shave and a Haircut” knock. Clem went to answer, and she heard her cousin laying out the situation succinctly as she ushered the other two inside. Priya came straight in and gave Danica a hug from behind. Danica leaned her head back against the other woman’s shoulder and closed her eyes, taking comfort in the softness and the gentle brush of Priya’s hand against her hair.

This… This is what I’m giving up if I choose a life like Mom’s.

Minerva had chosen romantic, mundane love over the bonds of sisterhood. She seemed to have become a standard PTA mom, participating in bake sales and food drives, doing what any average wife would do. And her magic had dwindled.

Mom must have found herself in my situation, irresistibly drawn to Dad.

And she’d made the decision to let it happen. To lose part of herself as the price of gaining a life with Laurence Yaeger. She’d honored tradition only far enough to keep her maiden name, as Waterhouse witches had done for centuries, but otherwise, she lived as a mundane, and she’d irreparably damaged her relationship with Gram. Possibly, Danica had been unduly influenced by her grandmother over the years, but it was impossible not to see her mom as a bit…weak. Like at dinner the other night, she never argued with Gram. She bent over backward to keep the peace, and she didn’t even defend herself.

The idea of walking away from Margie and Ethel, Vanessa and Leanne, Kerry and Priya, made her heart ache. Danica loved these women every bit as much as she could love a life partner. In their way, they all mattered as much, and she had to stop this obsession before it took over her life.I’m not willing to sacrifice my relationship with them. Not ever.

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