Page 55 of Extra Witchy

As expected, Junie was twenty minutes late, and she ran into the café wearing what appeared to be a man’s overcoat and two different socks. Her hair looked like she had slept in the braid, and Trev pretended not to notice her disarray, standing up to greet her because he did have manners when he bothered to trot them out. Normally, he didn’t waste his energy, but however scattered Junie might be, she’d produced a treasure like Leanne. Looking at her mom, he seriously couldn’t imagine how Leanne had become so organized and ambitious.

Maybe it’s a form of rebellion?

Breathless, Junie plopped down at the table in a swirl of patchouli. “Sorry, I overslept.”

That made him smile because he’d done the same. People with a regular schedule didn’t stay up all night and go to sleep when the horizon got bright and the birds started singing, but before moving in with Leanne, he’d been quite a night owl. Not because of his circadian rhythm, but because it didn’t matter when or evenifhe went to bed.

“It’s fine. I feel awkward about doing this, but—”

“No, you’re right. It’s better if I do a test run with you. And if you think I should wait until after the election to tell her, I will. But…this is time sensitive, so…” She trailed off. “Well, let’s grab some food, then I’ll fill you in.”

“I’ll get it. What would you like to eat?”

“Oh, anything’s fine. A sandwich and a drink—why don’t you surprise me?”

With a nod, he got in line and waited his turn then ordered two turkey and Swiss, one green tea lime twist, and an iced latte for himself. To deal with this crisis, he felt like a fair amount of caffeine would be required. Soon, their food was ready, and he went back to the table.

“Hope this is okay,” he said, passing Junie’s meal to her.

“It looks great, thank you.” The older woman took a breath and flipped her unraveling braid over her shoulder. “So let’s get down to it. How much do you know about LeLe?”

“Uh.” That wasn’t how he imagined this would go.

Fortunately, Junie misunderstood his hesitation. “I guess she’s told you a lot if you’re worried about hurting my feelings. Whatever she said, I deserve it. But how surprising…she doesn’t ordinarily enjoy shining any light on the dark places.”

“She did marry me,” he said, hoping a blanket statement would cover all the gaps.

“Fair point. Then, do you know anything about her father?” she asked.

“She hasn’t said much.” Not a lie.

“That’s because I told her I didn’t know who he was,” Junie announced.

“Like,Mamma Miastyle?”

“No, there won’t be four ashen ferrets showing up to vie for the privilege of being LeLe’s dad at this stage in her life.”

Trev burst out laughing. “Do you mean silver foxes?” Come to think of it, there might only be three potential dads inMamma Mia, but he wasn’t an expert and he didn’t care enough to correct her.

Junie shook her head. “No, I heard my friend’s son say ‘ashen ferret,’ and it made me laugh, so I use it now myself.”

“It’s funny,” he admitted. “Have you considered ‘titanium tanuki’ for strong candidates?”

“I will now. Tanukis are Japanese raccoon dogs, right?”

“Yep.”

Deliberately, Junie unwrapped her sandwich and took a bite. “I appreciate you giving me time to put my thoughts in order, but it really won’t help. I’m always like this.”

“I’m listening, whenever you’re ready.” He tried to keep his expression neutral.

“The situation is this. When I was young, I had an affair with a married man. He… I was a toy to him, a flavor of the month, I guess. I told him about LeLe, and he said to get rid of her. He had no use for either of us. I wanted her, though. And I tried my best to raise her on my own, but…I wasn’t great at it.”

“I see why you lied,” Trev said tightly.

Imagine being that much of a bag of dicks.

“Yeah. It was the right decision then, but the situation has changed.”

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