same outfit I’d gone into the forest with, minus the jacket, hat, gloves, and boots. I wasn’t sure how long we’d lain in the snow, or how I’d gotten into bed.
I walked into the office at noon the next day, after sleeping what had to have been a very long time. My legs felt weak and my hands were shaking like I hadn’t eaten in days. If half a page had done that to me, how was I ever going to make it through multiple pages? That feeling last night, the delusional one that must’ve come from Hawk, where I’d thought I could actually do what he needed, was flopping all over the place like a half-dead fish on a pier.
Sometimes the faith Hawk had in me made me feel like I was this special person. Then shit like last night happened and I remembered who I was and knew we were both doomed. Yesterday had proven that. Hawk and I were going to have to have yet another talk. After last night, even he’d have to realize I wasn’t capable of what he believed. Maybe I could assist with the spell, but I couldn’t take lead.
“Sorry I’m late,” I said to Zab as I passed by. He gave me a half wave and a smile then went back to dealing with his client.
I ignored Belinda’s glare, which seemed to be jacked up to a ten today. Considering it was usually at least an eight, I wasn’t overly worried.
Showing up late went against the grain for me. I’d opened up the shop for Loris since a week after I’d started. After I’d seen someone talk her into discounting some herbs by fifty percent, I’d begun showing up early. I wasn’t a slacker. I was a caretaker, like I had been for my mother and for Loris. Skulking in at noon felt wrong.
There was a white bag with purple squiggles on my table that I recognized immediately. It was that weird meat sandwich with the purple sauce I loved. I was still missing Rabbit, but thank God for Zab.
Musso’s client got up and left, and I took the opportunity to lean toward his side of the office.
“Sorry I’m late, Musso.”
“Don’t worry about it, kid. Knew you had a rough night.”
“You did?” Did everything that happened in Xest spread like wildfire?
“Yeah, Hawk told us when he dropped off the sandwich and said you might be sleeping in. He didn’t want anyone to wake you.”
He’d left them orders not to wake me? Now I knew why Belinda was at a ten. That must’ve made her morning perfect. If the bag wasn’t taped up, I might’ve feared she’d slipped something in my food. And how had Hawk known I loved these sandwiches? Zab must’ve told him.
Zab’s client left, and as soon as the office was empty, Musso asked, “Well, what happened last night?”
Zab was listening now too, waiting to hear more about my long night.
Belinda looked up from her desk. “Yes, what happened? What was so exhausting?” Her glare scale, which used to go up to ten, had now broken through the ceiling and was definitely closer to fifteen.
As much as I wanted to hate her, I still couldn’t quite do it. If I’d been dating Hawk, him being with another woman all night wouldn’t sit well with me either. Forget about the fact that I’d passed out on him and he’d obviously put me to bed. Innocent or not, it wasn’t going to go over well. But she didn’t need to know about that.
“Nothing much. Practicing. Pretty boring stuff,” I said, directing my answer at Zab and Musso.
Her lips pressed into a flat line. There was no pleasing this woman.
Luckily, I was saved from further interrogation by more clients walking in. A young brunette walked up to Musso, saying something about getting his call.
Another two women, with about a twenty-year age gap separating otherwise identical faces, made their way in and took a seat at Belinda’s desk.
“Hi, Bonnie. Hi, Gil,” Belinda said, shooting a last glare at me that made it clear she wasn’t done with me.
“Do you have any jobs for us?” the older woman asked as they both took seats at her desk.
“Any particular genre or religion?” Belinda asked.
“No. We need the work. We’ll take whatever you have.”
Belinda flipped through the papers on her desk, plucked one up, and held it out. “This looks interesting. She’s Greek and asking Dionysus for a good crop for her wine. Says she’ll give up