Page 94 of Boss Witch

Fine. But this better be important.Barnabas sounded snotty even in text form.

Danica replied with a thumbs-­up emoji.

Clem had chosen six thirty to ensure her cousin would have time to close and get home if she hurried. Danica ought to be there, because Clem needed the moral support big-­time. They’d already had two blowouts with Gram this summer. Seemed like Clem needed to deal the whole family in on some comeuppance, though Gram was largely responsible for all the chaos.

Hell, it’s like she feeds on it.

Finally, Allegra answered,See you then.

Mom couldn’t be looking forward to another confrontation with Barnabas, but it had to happen for everyone to be on the same page. Clem had some words for her parents as well as her grandmother, ones she’d been saving for a long-­ass time, swallowing them for far too long.

I’m done hurting myself so other people don’t feel bad.

For witches, it was especially harmful to suppress emotions, as it often resulted in wild, unpredictable magic.I can either sort out my baggage or accidentally curse a small town.

Time I handled this.

The next day and a half dragged as she missed Gavin, focused on work, and dreaded what was coming in a few hours. They had a backlog at the shop again, thanks to being closed for a few days, and Clem toiled nonstop to catch up on those orders.

Danica showed up early, another summer miracle. She seemed happy these days, dividing her time between their house and Titus’s. Slowly Clem was getting over her bias against the guy, belatedly realizing some of Gram’s prejudice against mundanes must’ve rubbed off, and she didn’t feel great about that. She’d been telling herself,It’s not that he’s a mundane, it’s because rebounds never work out, but she had to face her own bullshit. Her cousin had been nice enough not to call her out, and thankfully, she hadn’t been a complete asshole to Titus.

I extended an olive branch at the party. It’s fine, right?She couldn’t apologize to him for disapproving because he wasn’t a witch, so treating him better going forward had to suffice.

As Danica set her purse on the counter, she wore a bright expression, eyes dancing. “You want the hot gossip?”

“How do you find everything out before me?” Generally, she acted like she didn’t care, but it was kind of maddening how in-­the-­know her cousin always was. Like the deal with Leanne, for example.

“People like me,” Danica said blithely, like that wasn’t a poke at Clem’s social skills.

She scowled. “Excuse you, I’m personable. Charming, even.”

Danica paused, seeming not to know how to respond. “Yeah, okay.Anyway, I picked Leanne up from the airport—­”

“I know you weren’t about to steal my thunder,” Leanne said, tip-­tapping into the shop in her ubiquitous heels.

Clem had no clue how she ran around in those all day. “Then you tell me!”

“Ta-­da!” Leanne flourished the ring finger on her left hand. “I got married! Third time’s the charm, right?”

Clem blinked. “Uh, what?”

“I took Trevor to Vegas. Swore Danica to secrecy, she owed me one.”

“Congratulations?” Probably that shouldn’t have come out as a question—­fortunately, Leanne didn’t seem to notice.

“Thanks! I’m getting Trev moved into my place today, so I’m off.” In a swirl of expensive perfume and sparkling, magical vibes, Leanne left as quick as she’d dashed in.

“How are we supposed to feel about this?” Clem asked. “She’s known him how long?”

Danica shrugged, a rueful smile forming. “Let’s be supportive. We can always console her if it doesn’t work out.”

“If,” Clem mumbled. “Well, whatever. I’m off. I’ll get a charcuterie platter for tonight’s intervention.”

“Ooh, fancy. I’d offer to bring cinnamon rolls from Sugar Daddy’s, but Gram doesn’t deserve them.”

Clem grinned, trying to pretend she was fine, her heart wasn’t aching, and she wasn’t tense as hell about this situation. “True. And you know I enjoy saying ‘charcuterie.’”

“It’s an awesome word. See you later!” Her cousin headed toward the back.

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