Wicked Wings (Lizzie Grace #5) - Keri Arthur Page 0,54
the glow of expectation was somewhat diminished when the surprise date turned out to be a meeting with his mother.”
“Who obviously wasn’t happy about your position in Aiden’s life and who told you so in no uncertain terms.” She crossed her arms and leaned against the doorframe. “What was Aiden’s response?”
“That his relationships are none of her business.”
“Then you’ve nothing to worry about.” Her gaze narrowed. “But you’re not actually worrying about that, are you?”
“No.” I told her what Katie had said. “I’ve always known it would end, but having her basically tell him to look to the future was something of a kick.”
“Did she give any indication whether said future love was days, weeks, or months away?”
“Well, no—”
“Then stop worrying about it. Just enjoy being with the man while you can.”
“Oh, I intend to. I’m just wallowing in a moment of self-pity.”
“Will another drink help with the wallowing?”
I grinned and held up my empty glass. “Another drink never goes astray.”
She plucked the glass from my hand and headed out. I climbed out of the bath and, once I was dry, grabbed my robe and followed her into the small kitchen. “How was the date with Kash?”
“Disappointing.” Her tone was gloomy. “He’s totally focused on transcribing the damn books. I think I could have run around naked and shaken my maracas in front of his nose and he still wouldn’t have noticed.”
“The man’s insane. Your maracas are magnificent.”
“I know, right?” She handed me my glass, then took a drink from her own. “I’ve come to the conclusion he’s simply more interested in the books than me.”
“He definitely needs his head read.”
“Yeah. I might stop going over there for a few days, just to see if he starts thinking with the little head again.” Her gaze was troubled. “In truth, his interest in the books is getting a little too intent for my liking.”
I frowned. Kash wasn’t a witch, but that didn’t mean there couldn’t be a nefarious reason for his sudden interest. History was, after all, littered with the burned remnants of those without magical nous attempting witchcraft. “Do you think he might be tempted to use or sell the information?”
She hesitated. “Even if he was, I’ve now placed a block to prevent him either using the books or contacting anyone about them.”
“What books have you been giving him?”
“A few of her earlier spell books, but mostly her notes on supernatural beings. I thought—given what’s been happening here—they were probably the most urgent.”
“At least it’s nothing major.” I accepted my drink with a nod of thanks. “But if you’re uneasy, then I think we need to find another means of transcribing the books.”
“I agree. But rather than finding someone new, what if I investigated a means of doing it ourselves?”
“Wouldn’t that be expensive?” The café was now making a little profit, but we still had to be careful, given our savings balance remained on the low side of things.
“If we got a system like his, yes, but we could buy a much simpler book scanner for under a thousand.” She hesitated. “Of course, we’d also need another computer, given ours is devoted to ordering and wages. That’ll add to the cost.”
“It could still be a worthwhile investment, given just how rare your gran’s books are.”
“True. I’ll do some more investigating.”
“And Kash?”
She shrugged. “If he can’t get his shit together, he’s out the door. There’s plenty of other fish in the sea.”
“And one of them is named Monty—”
She swiped at me, and I jumped back with a laugh. “Do not mention his name and sex in the same sentence. Seriously, are you trying to give me nightmares?”
I grinned. “Hey, his physical prowess might be even better than his magic.”
“I do not want to think about that. Ever.” She downed her drink in several gulps. “I’m off for a shower—are you staying up?”
I shook my head. “I’m heading over to Aiden’s tomorrow night, so I’d best get an early night.”
“At least one of us is getting some action,” she replied gloomily.
“Hey, plenty of fish, remember?” I tossed back the rest of my drink. The heated whiskey burned all the way down to my belly and sent a warm glow humming through the rest of me.
“Yes, but it would be nice to have a relationship that lasts more than a few weeks.”
“Well, there’s always—” I broke the sentence off with a yelp as she lunged for me, and then ran for my bedroom, laughing all the way.