Page 29 of Extra Witchy

Suddenly, Anderson’s manner became jovial, and he sat forward in his seat. “Fair enough. If I can’t talk you out of this, then I’ll congratulate you on deciding to take such a momentous step. You’re a smart, capable woman. Dan will have his work cut out for him.”

Leanne could tell from his half smile that Anderson didn’t think she had a chance in hell of pulling this off. Her mouth compressed before she blurted something she’d regret. “Do you want to choose my successor? If you decide before my notice is up, I’ll do my best to prepare them and hand all the work over in the most efficient manner possible.”

“I’ll leave that up to you,” the mayor said.

Leanne blinked. “You want me to hire my own replacement?”

“That would be ideal. You know the job, as well as my expectations. Hopefully, it won’t prove too much of a challenge.”

In addition to my actual work.She couldn’t believe he was handing off this responsibility as well. Then again, it was par for the course, and maybe it was the final obstacle he could chuck in her path, all in solidarity with his deep-pocketed pal, Dan.But sure, whatever. This is the last time you get to screw me over, Mayor Asshat.

“I’ll get right on it.”

“Excellent. And don’t forget about…” The mayor listed a bunch of stuff that technically didn’t fall within her purview. Hopefully, Leanne’s successor would do better at enforcing boundaries. She tuned him out for a while and only started paying attention when he added, “You know…Dan’s wife, Molly, is just invaluable. You’re divorced, aren’t you?”

You son of a bitch.

“Good luck with the interview later today,” she said.

They’d recently sent her a list of amended questions, but right then and there, she decided not to share them. Passive-aggressive? Absolutely. Listening to Mayor Anderson flounder should prove an excellent distraction. She whirled and stepped smartly out, returning to her own office with a spike of rage so profound that she couldfeelthe magic gathering, just itching for her to turn it on him.

I shouldn’t. Dammit, I don’t care.

After locking her office door, Leanne checked her schedule, and yeah, she had time for this. This hex didn’t require too much preparation, and she could cast it in her sleep. She pulled a few herb pouches from her briefcase and arranged them on the desk. Candles would help strengthen the spell, but she didn’t have any, so her resentment had to do the job.

She swirled the herbs around and fed the working with the certainty of her intent. “When a man can’t tell truth from lies, there should be an awful prize. Whenever he attempts to deceive, a terrible itch he shall receive.” The spell itself sounded like a nursery rhyme, but it popped off with the force of a cork launched from a champagne bottle, and she sensed it arrowing directly to Mayor Anderson.

Perfect. Now when he tries to bullshit the interviewer over those new questions, he’s going to look like a lice-infested chimpanzee.She waited a few beats for the guilt to kick in, and when it didn’t, she shrugged and got to work.It’s good to be a witch.

Some assholes had it coming.

***

Am I…happy?

Trev asked himself that as he set out the ingredients to make dinner. In the past two weeks, there had been no passive-aggressive comments, nobody asking what the hell he was doing with his life. He’d even gotten a few friendly texts from Mom. There was only radio silence from the old man, and he’d never been close with Tanner, so lack of contact from his father and brother didn’t surprise him. He suspected they had a family chat that excluded him, but he’d never asked because his brother would take satisfaction in confirming it.

Happy. Yeah, I think I am.

It had been a long-ass time since the word applied, and while he still had days when he woke wondering why he was still breathing air and taking up space, they were a little less now, and he didn’t need to be baked constantly to withstand the endless march of days. A whisper in the back of his mind suggested he needed more than a change of scene, but he closed his eyes and shook his head.

I’m okay.

If he repeated that enough, it might even be true. Cooking was like meditation; the repetitive motions of chopping vegetables for soup soothed his mind. He was making classic chicken noodle soup with chunks of carrot, celery, and onion. The chicken was already simmering in broth, and he added the vegetables, scraping the knife across the cutting board. This wasn’t what he wanted to do with his life, however, and he’d gotten no further than entertaining the question.

Forty minutes later, Leanne let herself in, and he heard the click of her heels on the tiles in the foyer. He popped out of the kitchen and smiled at seeing her face. Even after a long day of work, she was a marvel, brilliant red hair flowing smoothly past her shoulders. Her lipstick matched, and her skin was flawless, highlighting the brightness of her eyes.

“Welcome home,” he said. “It seems like you have news.”

“I do. Let me get changed, and I’ll tell you.”

Trev paused her with a light touch on the shoulder and kissed her cheek. “I’ll be waiting.”

Leanne grinned. “Why are you so cute?”

Shortly thereafter, she came to the kitchen with her hair up in a ponytail, wearing lemon-yellow yoga pants and a green T-shirt that read BIG WITCH ENERGY. Even barefoot and dressed down, she was the most gorgeous person he’d ever seen. She leaned against the counter, watching as he blew on a spoonful of soup then tasted it.

“Dinner’s ready. Talk while we eat?”

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