Page 63 of Witch Please

“Here we go,” said Trevor.

“Hey,” Titus said to Rhys and then made quick introductions.

“What’re we drinking?” Rhys asked. “I’ve got the next round.”

“Bud is cheap and plentiful.” His friend raised his mug.

Honestly, Titus had never much cared for the stuff, and from the way Rhys twisted his mouth, he agreed. “I’ll see what they’ve got in bottles.”

Shortly Rhys returned to the table with Sam Adams Boston Lager. “Hell if this isn’t the best they could do. Cheers, lads.”

With a shrug, Titus took the free beer. He knocked back a swallow, relaxing a fraction. This dude didn’t seem to be after anything in particular. Maybe he could take the goodwill offer at face value.

“Thanks,” Titus said.

“What’s there to do for fun in this town?”

“You’re looking at it,” Trev said. “Oh, there’s bowling, I guess. Or a dollar movie? If you’re feeling reckless, you could visit one of our eight churches.”

Rhys laughed. “Seriously? Eight?”

“You’re not from around here, but we’re Bible-Belt adjacent,” Titus said.

“Right, I’ll pass on the religion, but…” He trailed off, and Titus followed his gaze to the front door, where Danica’s cousin Clem stood, dressed to kill in a red dress. “If I’m lucky, maybe I’ll see God before I go.”

Trevor had been finishing his burger with single-minded attention, and he swiveled in the booth to see what was drawing both their eyes. “Damn. I didn’t know there was anybodythathot in the whole town.”

Irrationally, Titus felt like bragging about Danica, but it would probably be a dick move to do that when they were admiring her cousin. With effort, he kept his mouth shut. “I guess you’re taking off?” he said to Rhys.

“Correct. I’ve a prior engagement, and I wouldn’t want to disappoint someone so eager for my company. Bought the beer like I promised. No hard feelings?”

“We’re good,” Titus said.

He and Trevor shot the shit while nursing their beers, finishing their burgers and onion rings. After that, they played a few rounds of pool, lingering a couple of hours to make sure those beers metabolized. Liquor wasn’t his preferred vice, Trev’s either, so they headed out without ordering more, and Titus felt fine, good to drive.

“That was surprisingly chill,” Trev said as he slid into the Leaf.

“Yeah, we should hang out more often.”

“I’m glad you didn’t get your ass kicked.”

Titus laughed. “Same.”

After dropping his friend off, he drove home thoughtfully, wondering if Danica knew about her cousin’s new love interest. It wasn’t his place to meddle, though, even if the guy had seemed slightly unstable at first.Maybe I should mention it.He didn’t know if Clem had noticed him since she’d been on Rhys like red paint on a barn, but if she had, Danica might wonder why he didn’t mention seeing her cousin tonight.

Damn, I’m overthinking again.

As soon as he pulled into the driveway, he fired off a quick text.Saw Clem at O’Reilly’s. With the guy who broke the register. Miss you.

Maybe the last line was too much? Ah well, no point in regrets now. He’d already hit send. Doris greeted him at the door as if he’d been gone for days, and he crouched to rub her from head to toe, getting so much love that he could wallow in it.

“You’re back?” Maya called.

Something about her voice alarmed him. Giving the dog a pat, he stood and strode into the living room, where his sister was sitting mostly in the dark, hugging a pillow to her chest like she did when she was upset. It was a defensive habit, one she’d learned as a little kid. The TV wasn’t even on, not a good sign.

“What happened?” he asked. “Did Dad call again?”

Since he wasn’t supposed to know that Maya had a girlfriend, he couldn’t ask if they’d had a fight. It was more probable that the old man was causing trouble, guilting her and making unreasonable demands. Gently he put a hand on her shoulder.

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