100% That Witch - Celia Kyle Page 0,8

change her mind.

“Oh, man.” With one major hurdle out of the way, she slumped against the counter and puffed out a sigh of true relief. “I can’t tell you what this means, Kiki. I’ll be able to afford to keep eating.”

“Hopefully a little more than that,” Kiki said with a wink. “We may not offer killer benefits, but at least you can count on a steady check. So,” she rapped out a cheerful little tattoo on the counter, “what other problems can I solve for you today?”

“Well,” Tiffany said with a loose, breathy laugh, “if you could sort out boy trouble, I’d have it made.”

“Oh, god. Who’s the culprit?” Everything about her smacked of big sister, and Tiffany let herself spill the other things keeping her in knots.

“It’s Rhys Rhonelle.”

“Oooh! Best friend’s brother. Textbook.”

“I’m serious,” Tiffany said, giggling lightly at the obviousness of her situation. “I think he’s just about as dreamy as they come, but it’s like we’re on different planets.”

“Not to be harsh, but you kind of are.” Kiki’s tone caught Tiffany’s ear, and she looked up to find concern on her friend’s face. “I mean, really, Tiff? A witch of light and joy hooking up with a necromancer?”

“Haven’t you heard of opposites attract? Both my roommates ended up with mates way outside what some might consider normal.”

Kiki studied her for a moment—saying more with her silence than she ever could have with words—and then shrugged. “Hey, who am I to say? Tell me about Rhys. What’s happening there.”

“Ugh. Nothing yet.”

“He hasn’t made a move?”

“No!” Tiffany laughed and wailed at the same time. “I’ve been dropping hints like crazy. More than hints, even. I’ve practically thrown myself at the morbid jerk, and he hasn’t seemed to pick up on any of it.”

“To hell with it,” Kiki said with decisive finality. “Text him right now.”

“Wait, what?”

“Quit waiting around for some guy to pull his head out of his ass and ask him out!”

Kiki’s optimism was infectious and Tiffany felt it break over her like a wave. Maybe this was the right thing to do. Taking life by the horns and calling her own shots. Why wait for good things to come when you could just reach out and show the world where you stood?

“You know what? I’m gonna do it.”

Whipping out her phone, she scrolled until she found his number. She’d made doubly sure to put it in her contacts when she saw it on the guest list the other day.

Hey Rhys, it’s Tiffany! Want to go out sometime? :-)

As soon as it was sent, she started second guessing every bit of it.

“Did I really need that exclamation point? I sound desperate.”

“It’s fine,” Kiki assured her. “Shows him you’re interested.”

“What about the smiley face? He’s gonna think I’m twelve.”

“Um, Tiff? Look around.”

Unbeknownst to her, Tiffany had infested the place with all manner of adorable creatures—the usual pink kittens romped with purple bunnies and green puppies while a small bevy of pure white doves flitted overhead.

“Oops.”

“Yeah, I think a smiley face is pretty well on brand for you.”

“Oh, my god! Look!”

Those three telltale dots started to dance on her screen. He was writing back! They both huddled over the counter, their eyes glued to the glowing screen, eager for his reply.

The screen went dim, and Tiffany tapped it with her thumb to keep it from going dark. The guy was taking his time to reply. Maybe he was composing something really grand. After all this time, it would be richly satisfying to see a healthy chunk of text pop into view, confessing all the things Tiffany had been longing to hear.

But as seconds wore into minutes, anticipation began to sour. The guy would have to be writing a work of magnificent literature. When a bubble of text finally popped up, it had been so long that most of Tiffany’s magical pets had disappeared into the ether from whence they’d come.

OK

“Huh.” Kiki’s brow furrowed at the terse response.

Tiffany felt bile rising in her throat and it took a monumental effort to swallow it back down. “At least it’s a yes.” She looked up at Kiki with hope that it wasn’t as bad as it looked. From the look on Kiki’s face, it was.

“I suppose…” Again, her friend sounded unconvinced, but Tiffany decided to remain undaunted. She’d waited so long for this day to come, she wasn’t going to spoil her win with worries.

“You know what? I’ll take it!”

Four

“Get down from there.”

Tiffany clucked her tongue and lifted a freshly apparated tie-dyed squirrel