Page 86 of Extra Witchy

Junie sighed. “Sometimes I wonder how it would have gone if I hadn’t disappeared and cut all contact with Dennis.”

“Why did you do that?”

“I was afraid…” Junie broke up abruptly, her expression suddenly stricken.

“Let me guess, you were afraid he’d make you get rid of me.”

“I wasn’t supposed to tell you that.”

That had to be Trev’s handiwork, trying to protect her feelings. But Dennis Seaton had clearly been a selfish prick in his heyday, so it didn’t come as any surprise. Some part of her realized she should be shocked and/or hurt by all of this, but it felt like these revelations were about someone else. She’d never had any illusions about her father, even when she’d believed he was a shiftless mundane. The biggest surprise was that the man was willing to pony up assets to try and make amends at the end.

“How do sloppy joes sound?” Trev called.

“Delicious!” Junie shouted back.

In half an hour, he had dinner done: sloppy joes and salad. The man was a wonder, and Leanne took a moment to admire him in the silly apron before she sat at the kitchen island. There were three stools at the counter, so they ate there instead of setting the table properly. Junie cleaned her plate with relish, rambling on about how much she liked her roommate.

After the meal, Leanne said, “Okay, so if you’re planning to stay in St. Claire, we need ground rules. Iwillreturn your calls and texts, but you don’t get to decide how fast I do it. No more showing up unannounced. We’ll make plans in advance, and youwillhonor my schedule. I refuse to be the bad person if I have other stuff to do. I understand you want to work on our relationship, but I need time…and space. Does that sound fair?”

“Extremely fair,” Junie said. “I need to stop and think before I act on impulse.”

“You should get that tattooed on your arm,” Trev suggested.

Based on Junie’s expression, she was considering it. “Maybe in cursive, in a pretty font?”

He nodded. “Exactly.”

“Is there a good tattoo place in St. Claire?” Junie asked.

Trev glanced at Leanne as if gauging her reaction to this conversation. “There are a couple of options. I’ll check with Calvin and find out where he gets his done.”

Soon after, Junie left. Apparently, she’d mainly been curious if Leanne had gotten a letter from the law firm handling the Seaton estate. Once she was gone, Leanne showed the paperwork to Trev, who stared like he couldn’t believe his eyes.

“Is this for real?”

“I guess so. It hasn’t really sunk in yet.”

“If only you’d known,” he joked. “You didn’t even have me sign a prenup.”

She stood and kissed his nose. “The solution is simple.”

“Oh yeah?”

“I’m never letting you divorce me. But I hope Garrett and Malcolm don’t find out about this. They might sue me for alimony.”

Trev paused in stacking their dinner plates in the dishwasher. “Are you serious?”

“Sort of. Malcolm was definitely that kind of guy. Maybe not Garrett. He was pretty hurt that I couldn’t trust him while he was on the road.”

“Why couldn’t you?” he asked.

“Do you really want to talk about my ex?”

He made a face. “Not per se, but Iamcurious about your relationship. I’m looking to avoid their mistakes.”

She thought about it briefly. “Well, for one thing, Garrett was ridiculously good-looking. Like, even when I waswithhim, people would hit on him and try to give him their numbers. So, if they were doing that in front of me…” Sighing, she shook her head. “Basically, the more I fretted about what he was doing while he traveled, the more we fought when he came home. Eventually, the fighting got overwhelming, and I left. But it doesn’t help to re-tread that ground.”

“Yeah, well, I guess I’m not so hot that I make you nervous,” Trev said.

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