gaze to his empty shake, absently plucking at the straw. “As you might have guessed, my parents were not often involved in my day-to-day affairs as a child.” A pensive expression crosses his features before he contains it, swiftly sweeping it beneath the proverbial rug. I don’t know why that bothers me as much as it does. I can’t fathom why I would ever want Lucas to be open and honest with me emotionally. Wouldn’t it just make my revenge scheme that much harder? “They often sent me away to a nanny.”
“You had a nanny?” I don’t know why I’m even surprised. Isn’t that something all rich people have? Nannies? Or is that only in the movies?
“I did,” he admits with a soft smile. “Martha.”
“Martha,” I snort. “What a stereotypical nanny name.”
His grin widens, but otherwise, he ignores my comment. “A lot of times, we would go to her house. She had two kids of her own, both of which already graduated high school, but she kept all of their toys from when they were younger. It’s actually a few blocks away from here.” He stares out the window, almost as if he can see past the brick buildings and dirty windows to his old nanny’s house. “She would take me to eat here once a week. I still remember the first time she brought me. I tried to cut my hamburger with a fork and knife, but she clicked her tongue and instructed me to use my hands like a real boy, not a stuck-up, pompous prick.”
“She sounds fun,” I observe, watching as his face lights up at the mention of her. It’s apparent that he treasures this woman immensely, and my heart flutters dangerously. I like seeing him happy…and that realization scares the shit out of me. “What happened to her?”
Lucas wags his finger in front of my face disapprovingly. “Nope. The coin.” He once more throws it into the air, smirking when it lands on tails.
“Now, what is a coven?” he questions eagerly.
“It’s like…” I bite on my lip, thinking of the best way to describe it. “It’s like a magical family. A community. Some are smaller, maybe about one hundred members, but others, like the one I left behind in California, encompass an entire town.”
“Did you switch covens when you moved from Michigan to California five years ago?” he questions, always quick on the uptake.
“I did.” I stare down at one of my golden fries. “Mom got offered the position as leader at the California one.”
“So she just left? What about coven loyalty?” Lucas asks, sounding aghast, and I can’t help but smile.
“I thought the same thing,” I admit with a shrug. But the last thing I’m going to do is talk to Lucas about my mommy issues. “You know…I’m surprised you’re taking this so well. I mean, I half expect you to break into laughter and say that you always knew I was insane. Maybe there are even doctors standing nearby.”
There aren’t. I checked.
“Now, I just answered three questions,” I point out with forced lightness. “It’s only fair if you answer one of mine.”
“Very well.” He dabs daintily at his lips with his napkin before setting it back in his lap. I can tell he’s nervous by his fidgeting hands, though his face remains expressionless. “You want to know about my nanny, correct?” He doesn’t wait for me to respond, forging on ahead like a semi-truck approaching a brick wall at one hundred miles per hour. “Nothing tragic happened, if that’s what you’re thinking. She didn’t die or anything. It’s quite simple. One night, I got scared of the dark and cried for Martha to protect me. Mother got jealous and fired my nanny immediately, instructing her to never contact me again or risk criminal charges. I knew Martha cared for me, but I was also well aware that I wasn’t her biological son. She had two other children to think about, and Mom offered to write them glowing recommendations to the college of their choice. Obviously, most colleges would be thrilled to have students recommended by Heidi Scott, queen of the perfume industry.” His tone turns bitter, scathing, and my heart breaks for him before I remember to harden it.
“Thank you for telling me.” I take another sip of my shake to give my mouth something to do. “I know it couldn’t be easy.”
He laughs, the sound low and chilling. “You told me you were a goddamn witch. The least I could do was