Don't Hex and Drive (Stay a Spell #2) - Juliette Cross Page 0,29
from the rest of us. But I did not want to be the butt of the joke for them for the next month. Violet could be merciless with embarrassing things like our neighbor vamp receiving my vibrator by mistake.
“No,” I said quickly. “I’ll come by after work and pick it up.”
“What time do you get off?”
“I’ll finish about four o’clock today. Clara usually closes unless she needs me to.”
“Good. Four o’clock.” He smiled. “It’s a date.”
“Devraj.” I snorted a laugh, unable to suppress it. “Me knocking on your door and standing on your porch is not a date.”
He backed away, holding my gaze. “I look forward to seeing you soon.”
“You’re ridiculous.”
“I think you mean marvelous.”
“Oh. I have plenty of other names for you.”
“I look forward to hearing all of them this afternoon.” He winked, flashing his charming smile. “Four o’clock.” Then he turned and strode down Magazine.
“What’s going on there?”
I jumped and gasped at the same time. Violet held the door to the Cauldron open, watching me watch Devraj walk away. Why was I watching him?
“Nothing,” I said, squeezing past her and zipping through the bar to get mine and Clara’s lunch so I could get the hell out of there and away from him as fast as possible.
Chapter 7
~ISADORA~
The rest of the day crawled by. I didn’t like my new precious in the hands of that freaking vampire. I mean, I didn’t think he was actually playing with it or anything, but his attempts to get under my skin were working. I didn’t embarrass all that easily, but remembering his complete amusement at my expense had my cheeks flushing with heat yet again.
I spent the afternoon working on the books, but that didn’t take long enough. I finished with too much time on my hands. So I started on payroll, even though payday wasn’t until Monday. After that, I strolled back to the inventory closet and decided that the organization needed readjusting.
I mean, honestly, how can we mix the Tarot cards on the same shelf as the Oracle? They’re two entirely different things. Well, not entirely, but it’s best not to get them confused. And the new shipment of geodes were stacked in boxes next to the crystals. If for some reason Livvy decided to fill shelf space in Clara’s absence, she’d more than likely just toss anything out there without thinking. Don’t get me wrong. Livvy was brilliant—at marketing, promotion, and anything techy that we needed. But don’t let her get near the products she sells so well.
By the time I finished, it was still only three o’clock. I decided to dust the shelves, much to Z’s disgust. He found a table to hide under while Clara cozied up to an elderly woman in need of some pain healing. Clara brought her over to the packets of teas, the ones I’d made specifically to help with muscle and arthritic pain.
At five minutes to four, I opened the cabinet under the register, getting ready to tear out of there when the shop door swung open and in stepped three boisterous young women.
“Oh. My. God. Would you look at this place?” A statuesque blonde clapped her hands together loudly.
“Too adorbs,” said the pretty brunette in a halter top. “Like it’s real witchy stuff and everything.”
I had a quick flashback to high school where groups of girlfriends like this found it so easy to move and talk freely in social situations. Whereas I would just break out into a sweat, trying to find the right words to say. Fortunately, I always had my sisters to lean on when I’d clam up.
The third one wearing the halter top picked up a very expensive crystal ball. “Brittany, you could totally tell my future.”
“No need,” replied the blonde. “You’ll be slutting it up with Jared again this weekend,” she said, lifting a geode of purple crystals. “There’s your fortune.”
“Bitch,” mumbled Halter Top girl. “You’re just jealous.”
They congregated around the crystals, picking up and touching them. Like all of them.
“Maybe,” said the blonde, “but I told you he was bad news.”
“I don’t care if he’s bad news,” responded her friend, picking up a deck of Oracle cards. “As long as he’s good in bed.” Then she knocked over several decks of cards on a standing display. “Oops.”
They dissolved into giggles. I glanced over at Clara where she was still talking to the older woman near our selection of teas, then sighed heavily.
I’d backed up behind the register almost to the short hall where my office