“That little rat bastard is gearing up to ask me, the other me, out. Apparently, I’m the cherry he’s been after.”
“Easy, Joey. You look about ready to burst a blood vessel.”
He was right. My hands were clenched into fists and my whole body shook from rage. A lifetime of being cursed, taking dead-end jobs, and feeling like a failure all because I had attracted the attention of some ego-driven jock.
Robin had already zipped up his lightweight jacket and reached for the zipper on mine. “Do you want me to enthrall him?”
“You can do that?”
The corner of his mouth kicked up. “You know I can.”
I actually considered it for a beat. If Robin put Bill in that trance-like state and walked him out of the building, there would be no way he could even ask the younger me out, never mind pick her up.
But that was wrong, wasn’t it? Taking away Bill Tucker’s free will, even if only for a little while.
I thought about his list, his words cherry on top, and blew out a breath. “You wouldn’t like, keep him enthralled forever, would you?”
“Thralls only last for a year and a day,” Robin said. “It’s how people have been taken by the fae for millennia.”
A year and a day of Bill Tucker’s life in exchange for what?
I looked up into Robin’s avid gaze. “And what will it cost me?”
His sapphire irises glittered with that predatory light. “How about that kiss?”
Chapter 11
“The way to a man’s heart is straight between the second and third rib.”
-Notable quotable from Grammy B.
My heart was battering my ribcage like a prisoner who desperately wanted out. There was no worming around this one. No peanut butter and jelly sandwich to save my bacon. If I wanted to get Bill temporarily out of the picture, long enough to get my butt to nationals and qualify for the US team, I’d have to do it.
“But what about Bill? He’s the star quarterback. He can’t just disappear in the middle of the football season. People would miss him.”
“I can order him to resume his normal activities. The lights will be on, but nobody will be at home. Just like I did when I had you drive that gas-guzzling monstrosity. Remember?”
“And you could set him free, too right? The same way you did with me?”
He shook his head. “I won’t give immunity to anyone else in this town. And you’re stalling, Joey.”
He was right. I was. My lips parted but before I could speak, the smart clicking of heels heading in our direction grabbed my attention.
Principal Mott, the whipcord lean woman who could rival my mother for her title as a tough-as-nails feminist approached the two of us. She wore plum colored slacks and a black silk shirt and her prematurely gray hair was spun up in an elegant twist. The look was timeless and classic. She’d stopped in for lunch at the café a week ago and other than a few more lines around her eyes and mouth, looked exactly the same.
She folded her arms, lifted her chin, and asked, “May I help you?”
For a moment I flashed back to how I always cringed beneath that piercing gray-eyed stare. Even when she was ordering a cobb salad. Then I recalled that I wasn’t her pupil or even former pupil. As far as Principal Mott was concerned, I was some random woman.
Looping my arm through Robin’s I pasted on a friendly smile. “Hi there. I’m Joey and this is my husband, Robin.”
I felt him stiffen beside me but powered through with my BS. “We’re thinking of buying a house in the area and wanted to check out the local schools before we commit. Isn’t that right, honey?”
My fingers clawed into his arm with steady pressure. He didn’t confirm my cover story, but at least he didn’t deny it. In fact, he just stood mutely by my side, his theatrics nowhere in sight.
Her gaze was sharp as she assessed the two of us. Robin dressed well in his suit jacket and me in my classic mom get up. Him handsome and me, frumpy. Yes, we were a mismatched pair, but she was too much a professional to doubt my claim. “Well, I have a few moments if you would like a quick tour. I’m Principal Dana Mott.”
She offered her hand and I let go of my half affectionate, half restraining hold on Robin to clasp her outstretched palm. After an uncomfortable moment similar to the one we’d had with Georgia, he