Lex had come out and was probably a little sad that the vision she had for her daughter was never going to be reality. But she’d said all the right things, told Lex she loved her no matter what and that all she wanted was for her daughter to be happy. Likely, whatever prompted this fight had been a misunderstanding. Though if Alyssa was talking wistfully about Lex and Jackson getting married… The idea made Grace wince. That wasn’t cool. “Want to tell me what happened?”
Lex closed her eyes and sucked in a deep breath. “I had a job interview today with a new restaurant in town.”
Grace nodded, remembering Lex had landed a meeting with the owner and head chef of Premonition Pointe’s hottest eatery. “Witches’ Garden, right?”
“Yep. They need a front of house manager. Anyway, it went well, but Frankie Moar came in right after me, so I’m not super hopeful.”
Frankie Moar was a successful former restaurant owner who’d sold her place two years ago to a franchise operation. She’d be stiff competition for anyone, much less an applicant fresh out of college. “Don’t give up so fast. You never know how people are going to mesh.”
“You’re right. But that’s not what I’m upset about.” Lex waved a hand, dismissing that subject. “When I got home, Charlie was there. He wanted to know when Bronwyn was coming over. When I said I wasn’t sure, he started talking about what a nice ass she has and how she should show off her rack more.”
A sick feeling coiled in Grace’s stomach. “He did?”
Lex’s pale eyes darkened, and she pressed her lips together in a tight line as she nodded. “It’s not the first time he’s made inappropriate comments about her. I try to ignore him, but Bron told me he made comments to her about our sex life. Something about how hot it must be. He completely creeped her out, and now she doesn’t want to come over when he’s there.”
“I can’t blame her. Does your mom know he’s said these things?”
“Yes. I told her, but she just chuckled and said he didn’t mean anything by it.”
“Holy hell, Lex. I’m sorry.” Son of a… What was wrong with her sister? She couldn’t possibly be so blind that she didn’t recognize harassment, could she?
“It gets worse.” Lex sat on one of the stools and buried her face in her hands.
Grace waited patiently, knowing her niece would talk when she was ready. Though it didn’t stop her fingers from itching to dial her sister and give her a piece of her mind. She wouldn’t talk negatively about Alyssa in front of Lex, but she wouldn’t hesitate to speak her mind to her sister. Charlie lived in Alyssa’s house and was being so inappropriate that both Grace and Bronwyn were uncomfortable.
Lex raised her head. “Charlie told me that Mom still cries sometimes over the fact that I’ve chosen this ‘alternative lifestyle’ and that if I was a good daughter, I’d stop being so selfish and finally settle down with Jackson like nature intended.”
“Charlie said that?” Grace asked incredulously. It wasn’t much of a secret that Grace and Charlie didn’t get along. For the sake of her sister, Grace tried to remain civil, but after what Lex had just said, pure unadulterated rage churned in her gut. The tumultuous reaction sent her magic straight to her hands, making her palms tingle. It was the natural inclination to hex someone. She pushed off the counter and started to pace the kitchen just to try to use up some of the energy that fueled her need to retaliate.
“Aunt Grace?” Lex said.
“Yeah, sweetie?” The magic was crawling over her arms now. She knew she looked like evil had taken over and as if she was going to lose her shit on someone at any moment.
“I think you might need some salted caramel.” Lex smiled gently at her and reached into a nearby jar, producing the piece of caramel that would neutralize Grace’s reaction.
“You’re right about that.” She held out her hand. Lex dropped it into her palm, and Grace popped the sweet into her mouth. After only a few seconds, the visible magic disappeared and Grace started to feel like her normal self again. “Thanks.”
Lex gave her aunt a small smile. “Thank you.”
“For what?” Grace strode over to the wine rack and selected a bottle of Merlot.
“For getting so worked up you lost control of your magic.”
Grace huffed and then pulled the cork. As she poured them both