Chapter 2
As she walked to her car, Mia called Blake Sandburg, her boss at the Lodge, to explain her inability to be at the office until this testing fiasco was dealt with.
After Mia finished telling her about the new examiner coming into town, Blake let out a big sigh.
“The coven does what it wants to and the rest of us are just pawns. I still need you to be available by phone at all times. I’m sure you can video chat with your staff in the planning processes.
We have holiday parties scheduled throughout the month.
I’ll tell everyone you have the measles. ”
“They’re going to believe that?” Mia had been vaccinated against all of the normal human childhood diseases as a kid and the witchy ailments, like dragon breath, this year.
Grans hadn’t insisted that Mia’s mother do the extra immunizations because at that time, everyone thought her mom would be the next kitchen witch.
Except, Mia thought, Gloria. She’d known long before her mother had broken the news to Grans that she was abdicating. Mia wondered if her mom thought she might turn away from the craft as well. Especially when Mia had her own life and goals to work in food service.
She tuned back into Blake’s reciting of all the parties in the next month, even though Mia knew the schedule because she’d been the one to develop it.
“Blake, I’ll do all I can from home. I just can’t step in and fix something on-site.
I’ll need you or one of the other department heads to deal with any emergencies that needs someone in person to fix. ”
“Okay, I guess we’ll just have to deal with it, won’t we? You’re lucky I understand how fickle being part of the coven can be when you’re trying to be as normal as possible. Most members either work for a coven-owned business or are self-employed.”
Mia could hear Blake typing as they talked.
She was already in her car and pulling up to the academy.
As she got closer, she could feel the protective wards surrounding her.
She hadn’t noticed her angst until she arrived home and it started to ease.
“One more thing, my retesting is Friday, so I’ll be unavailable by phone that day. ”
A loud sigh came over the phone’s speaker.
“Fine, I’ll cancel my weekend plans for the spa treatments in Sun Valley. I should have guessed that something like this would happen. I never get time to just relax,” Blake said before ending the call.
As Mia tucked her phone into her tote and headed to the academy building, she heard chirping in the tree behind her. She looked back and saw Buddy watching her.
“Hey, I thought you all were stuck at home.” Mia walked over and reached out to rub the baby dragon on the nose. He leaned into the affection, then held out a bouquet of flowers with a note attached. Several of the blooms had been crushed, but it was the thought that counted, right?
Trent must already know about the retesting. She opened the card and read his message aloud. “You did it once, you can do it again. Teach them a lesson and test out higher. Level four, here you come!”
Buddy chirped his agreement with the message. She could swear the purple dragon was smiling.
“Tell Trent thank you. And be careful flying home. No letting yourself be seen by any humans.” She gave him a hug. She was going to miss Buddy and Cerby almost as much as Trent.
He chattered something, as she felt his wing curve around her body, gently patting her back. He was going to miss her too. Mia’s eyes teared up. How could she have fallen in love with a dragon as quickly as she had? Buddy was part of the family now.
Wow, had her life changed since she left Boise and moved to Magic Springs.
She heard footsteps behind her, and when Buddy released her, she turned to see Abigail standing and watching them.
She felt the wind as Buddy headed to the sky, but as she turned to look, he’d already turned invisible. “Bye, Buddy.”
Abigail put her arm around Mia and they walked together back to the front door. “Six weeks will fly by, and next week we’ll have this silly retesting done and you’ll be too busy to even think about Trent and the zoo being stuck at the house.”
“I’m that predictable, am I?” Mia wiped away the tears that had fallen during Abigail’s pep talk. “It’s stupid, but when Buddy showed up with flowers, the emotions just bubbled up to the top and out my eyes. I hate crying.”
“Most strong women do, but you get those emotions out. How did Blake take your forced confinement?”
Mia shrugged. “Better than I’d expected. Frank would have tried to fire me. At least I don’t have to worry about that. And with Dorian, no, Damien, here, it’s probably a good idea.”
“Just a heads-up, he has a construction crew on the second floor, so the place is a madhouse.” Abigail pointed out the truck and construction van Mia had missed driving in due to her distraction with seeing Buddy.
“Maybe it’s best that we don’t have a dragon or a hell-hound wandering around the property this week. ”
Mia heard Gloria’s giggle and, from the look on her face, so did Abigail. “We still have a golem and a library filled with ghosts. I’m not sure they’d even notice Cerby or Buddy.”
“I don’t think Damien likes being thought of that way.” Abigail looked up the stairs where Mr. Darcy sat, watching them come through the door. “And your cat is being awfully protective of your new houseguest. He’s following him everywhere.”
“It has to be weird for him to have Dorian as a guest in his body for so long, then to meet him in real life. Most cats just have to deal with eating dinner and finding a sunny spot to nap. My guy has familiar duties as well as his cat nature. And he’s suddenly alone in his body.
Mr. Darcy has a lot going on.” Mia smiled at him and he waved his right paw at her.
“But he seems to be doing well with it all.”
“Okay, well, I’m going back to the kitchen. We don’t need you, but if you want to come in and help or just hang out, you’re welcome.” She glanced at the office. “Have you heard when Christina and Levi are going home?”
“We haven’t talked since the party. Why?
Has Levi said anything?” Christina Adams was Isaac’s little sister.
Mia had been engaged to Isaac and when they broke up, she’d gotten emotional custody of the teenager.
Mia thought she got the best out of the deal.
Now, Christina was an adult. She’d finished her degree and been offered a catering director position in Portland, Oregon.
Levi, who was Abigail’s son and Trent’s brother, had bent down on one knee and proposed, as well as moved to the Pacific Northwest with her.
They were starting a new life. Except they were still in Magic Springs after their eventful engagement party.
To make matters more complicated than finding the right apartment or shopping area, Christina had just found out she had magical blood.
She didn’t necessarily have powers, but she came from a magical family.
Now, she was studying the same books that Mia had been studying to take over her kitchen witch role and to take the stupid test. Mia hadn’t wanted to test high; she just wanted the coven to leave her alone.
If Christina decided to test after she finished her initial training, she’d know if she had any natural power.
Something was bothering Mia about Christina and her move. Maybe because she wouldn’t be running around like a headless chicken this week, she could focus on what was really going on with her best friend. Was it jitters from the upcoming wedding? Or something more?
Her phone rang, pulling her out of her pondering. Since the caller ID showed the Lodge, she assumed it was Blake. “Sorry, I have to take this.”
“Go ahead, I just wanted to warn you about the mess.” Abigail headed to the kitchen as Mia started up the stairs. Mr. Darcy followed her to the third-floor landing and waited for her to open the door. Had she fed him this morning?
“This is Mia,” she answered the phone before it could go to a fourth ring.
“I am so mad at you. How in the world did you get measles? Don’t tell me didn’t get your vaccinations. It wasn’t an option for me, but maybe I’m older than you.” James Holder, the Lodge’s head chef, kitchen manager, and one of Mia’s friends, chastised her.
Mia wanted to chuckle. She had gotten her normal vaccines as a normal kid, but then she’d moved to Magic Springs, where other illnesses surrounded the magical kids.
She’d just gone through a series of vaccinations from the local witch doctor.
No, that sounded wrong. The coven doctor.
“No, I got my immunizations. I don’t think I have measles, but my doctor wanted to be extra careful until the tests come back, just in case.
I don’t want to make a lodge guest sick by coming in. ”
“Oh, well, that sounds more reasonable. Blake made it seem like you had the plague. There’s so much going on out there. You never know what’s going to hit you.” He paused, then with the next breath, asked, “Are you okay? Do you need anything? What can I send you over? Chicken soup?”
“Abigail’s here and mothering me already.” Mia hated to lie, but James didn’t know about her heritage. Besides, how could she explain something like this? “How’s work? Anything I need to know?”
“You left a few minutes ago. Nothing has happened yet. You’re getting freaked out about something that may never happen,” James replied.
“You just wait. The first night is always itchy. May you pay for your insolence in tons more reports for our boss lady,” Mia joked as she opened the apartment.
She needed to make a list of things to get done here at the academy or she would go crazy.
The good thing was, she always had a long list of things to do.
The one thing she wasn’t adding was studying for her test. If she scored lower, maybe all this attention would go away.