Page 26 of Boss Witch

He opened it with caution and found a small, wire cage with a solid yellow floor. There were shavings and shreds of tissue and a gnawed-­on toilet paper tube, along with a wheel, a water bottle, and a little house with a ramp leading up to it. This had to be a rodent habitat of some kind, but he saw no sign of the little chap, even after he settled on the floor by the cage.

“I got you a pet,” Clem said in a rush. “He’s probably nervous since mice don’t like being moved. If you’re patient, once he calms down, he’ll come out and let you have a look at him. Since you’re here for a month, that ought to be long enough for you to bond with him, then he won’t be so stressed when you travel, and maybe you won’t be so lonely.”

Before Gavin could respond, a wee white mouse with black button eyes popped his head out of the mouse house, his pink nose twitching, and a wave of tenderness deluged him—­for Clem, for the mouse—­and damned if he didn’t nearly tear up.

“Thank you,” he said. “I shall call him Benson.”

Chapter 8

“That’s an adorable name,” Clem said. “What’s your inspiration?”

“You’ll laugh if I tell you.”

“Now you have to.” She settled on the floor next to Gavin, careful not to make a lot of noise or any sudden motions that could frighten Benson.

“The gumball machine from theRegular Show.”

By compressing her lips, she contained her amusement. “I loved that show. Was Benson your favorite?”

Gavin hesitated and eventually said, “Honestly, the character reminds me of my father. Love the name, though.”

Clem nodded, watching the little mouse edge toward the ramp. He had probably been hiding since she boxed him up, and he must be hungry and thirsty. She could only imagine how terrifying it must be to be hauled around and strapped to a motorcycle, even if she’d done her best to tone down the frightening aspects.

“I did a little reading, and it’s easier to bond with him if you offer treats. Sunflower seeds and millet are good options. Everything I bought to set up the cage is in the box, along with food and treats. Make sure he has tissues for nesting and cardboard to chew. The habitat will need to be cleaned periodically, but don’t betoothorough or he’ll get upset, as mice mark their territory.”

“I’ll do my own research, then, don’t worry.”

“Does that mean you’re keeping him?” Clem asked.

“Absolutely. I might need to look into a travel kit for him, as I wouldn’t feel good about treating him like luggage for a long ride, but the habitat is quite portable.” Leaning forward, he kissed the tip of her nose. “Thank you…from the bottom of my heart.”

She went gooey inside and cleared her throat to hide that reaction. “We should leave him be for a bit, so he can move around and eat. Does your Netflix work?”

“It does. I’ll pick something, shall I?” Without waiting for her to respond, he queued up a show on the TV.

She migrated to the sofa, and as Clem settled into the crook of Gavin’s arm, she was surprised to find he’d chosen a Turkish show about a guy who was apparently a guardian who had to defeat an immortal to save the city. “I’ve been looking at this one!”

Gavin shot her a surprised look. “I thought most Americans didn’t like subtitles.”

“Generalities are dangerous,” she said. “And I’ll have you know that watching international entertainment is a great way to train your ear in different languages. Plus, you get to learn cool stuff about other cultures.”

“Are you trying to learn a second language?” he asked.

“I have several on my language app. I’m not the most dedicated, but I’m pecking away at Russian, Mandarin, and Korean right now. My Spanish is conversational. I forget my tenses sometimes, and it’s tough for me to remember what gender inanimate objects are. There may be a pattern, but I’m not finding one. So the sun is a dude, and the moon is a lady, which sort of tracks in mythological terms.”

“I thought if words end in ‘a,’ they’re feminine,” Gavin said.

Clem noticed he was looking at her more than the show. Since she was doing the same, she couldn’t say much. “It’s not that simple. Words like ‘agua’ throw everything into disarray. It’s ‘el problema’ and ‘el agua,’ making life difficult for me.”

He laughed. “That’s unfortunate, isn’t it?”

“Still easier than English as a second language. I’m sure you’re familiar with the ‘fish’ spelled G-­H-­O-­T-­I example.”

Gavin shifted to face her, seeming fascinated. “I am. What made you start studying languages? There can’t be too much use for it in your work.”

“One day I’d like to travel,” she confessed. “Take a year and visit as many countries as I can, live out of a single suitcase. And I don’t want to be an annoying visitor who doesn’t even try to communicate, demanding everyone else speak English or whatever.”

“They speak those languages in the countries you want to visit?”

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