The Whimsy Witch Who Wasn't - Donna Augustine Page 0,65

to kick him.

Since he wasn’t moving, listening seemed the only alternative.

“What do you have to say? Go ahead.” It seemed there was no choice in the matter but to listen to him. Listen, listen, listen. Do this, do that.

“I had to negotiate for you. If I’d given in easily, if Marvin had any idea what I really would’ve paid to get you, I would’ve bled coin.”

I stood before him, letting his words flow over me. Had to say, if I was going to be bought, it was nice to know he’d have bled. That had a really nice ring to it, if it were true.

“Really?” I watched, waiting for his reply.

“Yes.” He tilted his chin down and made a point of meeting my gaze straight on, not that he’d ever shirked from eye contact.

I’d never been a good liar, but I’d been a decent lie detector. So far, he was passing with flying colors.

I turned a little bit, looking over my shoulder in the direction we’d been walking, debating if I could perhaps continue with our little field trip.

“I would’ve sold Helen to get you,” he said.

I was glad I was still turned away from him so he couldn’t see my cheeks warm. Helen, more formally known as the Helexorgomay that took up the entire back wall of the office, was the heart of his business. She had to have cost a pretty penny.

That all sounded good and well, except maybe my lie-detecting skills weren’t so adept, because there was a huge flaw with what he’d just said. Now I had zero problems turning around and staring him down.

“If that’s true, why are you so willing to step aside if I want to go work for Raydam?” I crossed my arms, tilted my head, and gave him my best skeptical look.

“Because if you did make that choice, which I don’t think you will, you’re not the person I need anyway. And you’d have been right. This was a mistake.” Neither his words nor his attitude were meant to be biting. He was telling me his beliefs, plain and simple.

And yet to hear him say it was a mistake, even when I believed it myself, seemed to feel like someone gutting me. He was the one who believed in me, no matter what, right? Maybe not so much.

Although he had said he didn’t believe I’d make that choice…

“So, where are we going?” I asked, turning and walking again.

“There,” he said, pointing down the way to a shop I’d never been in, not that I’d been in many. The sign Potions, Powders and Perfumes hung on the shingle.

He took the lead again but was only walking slightly ahead, maybe less than a foot. It was progress.

“You don’t make your own stuff? I don’t know why, but I figured you did. Or at least had a hookup with all the people that come in and out of the brokerage house. You do get a ton of traffic, after all.”

“We aren’t shopping there.”

My pace slowed for a second before I caught back up. “Then why are we going?”

“Introductions. It’s time you met some people,” he said, walking with determination even as I faltered.

What? No wonder I was constantly confused. The man had lost his mind. Did he have any idea what he was doing? Was there no plan at all? Was he winging it on a day-to-day basis?

“I thought I wasn’t supposed to meet anyone? Wasn’t that the deal?”

“Yes, but that was before your coming-out party tonight.”

Before I could ask more questions, he had the door open, waiting for me, and damned if he hadn’t done that on purpose.

There was a nice-looking older lady standing behind the counter with a tuft of white hair piled a good three feet high on her head.

“Hawk, what a surprise.” The woman could’ve been an opera singer or a pop star with a voice that beautiful. Still, even with the beautiful tone, the dropped “nice” from that sentence and the way she stared at him and then me, made it all clear.

I stood still, not quite sure I should bother getting comfortable, since we might be kicked out in the next second. What kind of visit was this? Why introduce me to someone who clearly hated him? And would now hate me by association. Her sneer made me think I’d already been added to her shit list. Like I didn’t have enough problems.

“Varima, thought I’d stop by and introduce you to my friend Tippi. Not sure if you’ve