Page 57 of Boss Witch

Now Clem had a day of work to look forward to, and afterward, she was meeting up with Mom and Gram.That ought to be a fucking riot.

Just before 2:00 p.m., Danica blew in, all wind-­blown and flushed, glowing from head to toe. Clem fought the urge to roll her eyes. “Are you still coming tonight?”

“Wouldn’t miss it,” her cousin said in a monotone. Then she broke up laughing. “Seriously, you had my back when Mom and Gram had dinner at our place. And let’s not even mention all the shifts you’ve covered for me lately.”

“You already apologized.” She knew she sounded a bit grudging.

Yeah, I forgave her silly ass. That doesn’t mean I’m glad about it.

“Okay, so…” Danica propped her elbows on the front counter, in no hurry to get to the backlog of appliances waiting for repairs. “I’m not sure how much you caught at the party, but did you know Leanne hooked up with Trevor in our downstairs bathroom?”

Clem laughed. “Everyone at the party knew. Damn, Hazel Jeffords probably does too.”

“How did you know she showed up? You’d already ducked out by the time she came over to complain about the noise!” Danica seemed to be amazed by Clem’s acuity.

“Duh, you cleaned for hours, whining about that ginger cat the whole time.”

“Can you blame me? You took me for an allergy shot the day I petted him, remember?”

“True enough.” It felt good to chat with her cousin like they used to, before needy, try-­hard bakers and smoking-­hot, bike-­riding witch hunters complicated both their lives.

That’s not even mentioning the family stuff that just won’t fucking leave us alone.

Like Danica could follow along with her silent thoughts, she took Clem’s hand. “I saw Uncle Barney last night. You okay?”

She choked on a laugh. Nothing pissed off Barnabas Balfour more than being called Uncle Barney. Already, she pictured his frozen smile and the muscle tic in his jaw. That was part of why Danica would never desist, a petty revenge and one Clem approved of entirely.

“The fan has been sighted and we are in the vicinity of shit.”

Danica giggled. “I love how you put things. You think Gram’s up to something?”

“Hell if I know. It honestly wouldn’t surprise me if she’s scheming to get my mom and Barnabas back together.”

Danica blinked. “After all these years? That’s highly ill-­

advised.”

“My thoughts exactly. And she didn’t have to live with all the screaming, crying, and occasionally telekinetic manipulation of small appliances.” One time, her mom had launched a freaking toaster at her dad’s head when yet another of his affairs was revealed.

Danica came around the counter to hug her. “I was there for some of it, but you must’ve been so scared when you were little and it was just the three of you.”

“Ugh.” Briskly Clem squeezed her cousin then stepped back. “I don’t want to talk about ancient family drama. I’d rather unload a coven scoop on you instead.” She even made use of a dramatic pause.

“No way! How did you get the deets before me?” Danica sounded positively aggrieved.

Clem indulged herself with a self-­satisfied smirk, knowing it bothered her cousin something fierce. Of the two of them, Danica was by far the most social, always in their coven group chat and trying to stir up some in-­person hangouts. While Clem enjoyed chilling, she preferred smaller groups, even within the coven, so when she had her first choice, she rotated who she spent time with. Margie was great for marathoning dance movies, while Ethel was her favorite auntie. Leanne was always down for girls’ night out, and Vanessa still liked to go clubbing. Kerry and Priya were natural for Netflix nights in, and Danica…

Yeah, she’s still my best friend. Even if she drives me out of my mind sometimes.

We’re still family.

Sisters for life.

This time, the thought didn’t form grudgingly. She let go of the lingering resentment. That pact would never have worked for Danica; she got attached a lot easier than Clem.

Her cousin stomped her foot. “Seriously?! You’re just gonna stand there and smile? Tell me already!”

She grinned. “You might’ve been busy at the time, but I caught Margie making out with Dante. I don’t know if anybody else saw, and I kept it quiet until now.”

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