the door with a shiny red leather boot. "Come on in. Coast is clear - it's just Lauren and me here today. Not too many people house shopping right before Christmas."
Oddly soothed by the flow of words, Beth stepped through the door, appreciating the relative quiet as she stepped off the street. Cool greens and blues greeted her eyes, and a pop of color from a fiery painting on the wall.
Lizard followed the direction of her gaze. "You like that?"
Beth never liked art. Too imprecise. "Yes. Who painted it?"
"A friend." Lizard smiled and juggled takeout boxes. "Maybe you'll get to meet her."
Beth hadn't come looking for friends. She opened her mouth to ask for Lauren, and then shut it again as footsteps sounded in the hallway.
Lauren entered the front room with a smile and three forks. "Hello, Beth. Nice to see you again. You arrived just in time for some of the best food in California."
"I don't eat a lot of pasta. Too many carbs." Which wasn't exactly a polite introduction. Beth cursed her inadequacies with small talk. "But I am hungry, so something to eat would be appreciated."
She didn't miss the glances exchanged between the two other women, but as usual, she had no idea what they meant. And she was travel-weary enough not to care.
"Come sit at the desk here." Lizard dropped boxes on a clean surface and grabbed a fork. "I have paperwork spread out all over the kitchen. Sorry, didn't know we were expecting you."
"You weren't." Beth took the proffered fork. "I didn't notify anyone I was coming." She hadn't been entirely sure she would make it. And now she sounded like some kind of robot. "I'm sorry, this isn't going quite how I imagined."
"Never does." Lizard grinned. "Sit, eat, discover food heaven. The rest can wait."
Beth looked at the tiny woman who looked nothing like Liri - and somehow felt comforted.
-o0o-
Lizard clomped down the street in her new red boots, contemplated the woman walking on her left, and wondered why it was that she ended up with all the messed-up fire witches.
And then decided it didn't matter. It wasn't magic that had her marching down the street to Caro's townhouse. It was the general stamp of strange that coated Beth's outer mind.
Beth saw herself as weird. As other.
As someone who didn't belong.
And that had pushed buttons deep in Lizard's juvenile-delinquent soul. She looked over at her tall companion. "How come you came to Witch Central?" Conversation over linguine had been minimal.
Beth's mind tucked further behind some invisible wall. "I need training."
Well, it was better than being on parole. "It can be kind of weird here. Don't let them freak you out."
"Okay." And half a block later, "Thanks."
Lizard kept walking, satisfied. She knew what it was to keep most of your words hidden inside. And Caro's townhouse would be a good place to hide. Once again, her boss was a smart cookie.
She turned into the walkway, thumped up the steps, and dropped Beth's shoulder bag on the porch. "I think you'll like it here. Way better than a hotel."
Mute eyes just watched her hand on the door.
Cripes. Sometimes this real-estate gig was harder than it looked. Lizard breathed a sigh of relief as Caro rounded the corner, a set of keys in her hand. Saved by the landlord.
Brought me another live one, did you?
Something like that. She's been through a lot today. I think she just needs some space. Peace and quiet.
Caro nodded briskly at the inhabitants of the porch, unlocked the door to the townhouse, and stood to the side.
Beth walked in, and Lizard heard her quiet intake of air. When their new arrival reached out to touch an orange wall in mute relief, she knew she'd made a sale. And she knew it was time to go. In lockstep with Caro, she quietly backed out the door.
"She'll do just fine," said the no-nonsense woman who had become Lizard's honorary den mother. "We'll let her get settled a bit, and then I'll take over some bread. Nice boots."
Lizard rolled her eyes. "They're good for walking. And she doesn't do bread. Too many carbs."