an old house. We warned him we were going to find unexpected things.
I give him a call from my truck, explaining the problems and potential solutions, and the costs. “Those are your three options,” I finish. “Do you want to think about it?”
Please, no. We’re running behind schedule and sure as hell don’t need more delays.
“I’ll get back to you tomorrow,” he tells me in a grouchy tone.
“Okay, great.”
I’m meeting Garrett for lunch, and it’s just about that time, so I drive to a sports bar on West Wrightwood. I freakin’ love their pulled pork sandwich. I have managed to almost exactly duplicate it at home without even using magic.
Garrett’s already there at a high table against the wall. I head over and slide onto the bright red metal stool. I set my phone on the table.
“Hey. How’s it going?”
“Good. New haircut?”
He runs a hand over the shorter style of his dark blond hair. “Yeah.”
“You look like you’re twelve.”
“Thanks, asshole. How are you doing?”
“Eh.”
“That doesn’t sound positive.”
“I’m distracted.”
“By a cute new witch?”
“Ha.” Then I grimace. “Yeah.”
“I can’t believe she turned out to be Joe’s daughter.”
I’ve told him the whole nutty story. “Same. I started tutoring her for her WED.”
“Convenient. You get to spend more time with her.”
“I don’t want to spend more time with her.” It’s a lie. “I also don’t want to spend a bunch of time teaching magic. Magic’s been useless to me.” I hear the bitter tone in my own voice.
“Sure.” Garrett knows me too well. “She’s only half witch though, right? Is she going to be able to pass the WED?”
“I don’t know.” I see the waitress approaching, so I stop talking. We order sandwiches and Cokes. “I think her powers are strong. But she’s not committing to it.”
“I guess that’ll be part of your mentoring. Convincing her that it’s real.”
“It’s not so much that. I feel like she’s holding back. Maybe it’s a lack of confidence.”
“Maybe you need to show her some sexual magic.”
“Ha. Getting involved with Joe’s daughter? Not a good idea.” Except I can’t stop thinking about it.
“Hmmm. I know you see Felise and Magan as sisters, but somehow I don’t think you see Romy that way.”
He’s right. I moved in with Joe and Cassie when I was sixteen, a hormonal teenager with a huge chip on my shoulder. But never did I think of Felise and Magan as anything but kid sisters. Never would I have betrayed Joe and Cassie’s care of me. Romy, on the other hand… Well, those kisses were definitely not sisterly. But that would just make things complicated, and I’ve already made things complicated enough for that family. I owe them better than that.
“It can’t happen.” I wave a hand.
“Okay.” He still seems unconvinced but disinclined to argue with me. “How’s business?”
Garrett is an architect. He designs big buildings, not houses, so we don’t work together, but we understand each other’s professions. We talk business as we eat our lunch, and he tells me about Julie’s sister’s new baby and how now Julie is getting antsy about having kids.
“You’re not ready?” I ask. “You’re thirty years old. You may look twelve, but you’re not getting any younger.”
“Thanks.” He rolls his eyes. “It’s a big decision.”
“True.” I can’t even imagine it. I doubt I’ll ever have kids. But Garrett’s been married for four years. “Huge lifestyle change. Diapers. No sleep. No going out with the boys.”
“Exactly.” He makes a face.
“Kids are kind of cute though. I have enough of them in my life that I don’t feel a need for my own.”
“Good thing, since you don’t even have a woman in your life. Hey, since things didn’t work out with Amy, Julie says she has a cousin she can set you up with.”
“Fuck off. I’m not doing that again. I don’t need a woman in my life. With all these ‘sisters,’ that’s another thing I don’t feel a need for.”
“You just need giggity giggity.”
“Don’t ever use that word with me again.”
He laughs. “Sorry. I had to say it.”
I roll my eyes. “Asshole.”
When we leave, I discover the waitress left me her name and number on my receipt. Garrett cracks up laughing. “There you go. Giggity!”
I shake my head, shoving the receipt into my wallet. “I’m not going to call her.”
I have enough on my mind with Romy’s potential powers and me having to teach her how to use them.
13
Romy
Joe and I are meeting for lunch today. He’s coming to the Loop, and I walk a couple of blocks to