Chapter 3
Grans’s car showed up on the security monitor as Mia took out the last batch of cookies. Mia hurried downstairs to let her in and noticed Muffy and two suitcases on the step beside her. “Grans, what are you doing?”
“Tanking my engagement, according to Robert. I told him that I couldn’t leave you alone in this house for the week.
You could be targeted. Then he asked me where Dorian was sleeping, and I told him the truth.
You would have thought I’d said in my bed.
” She picked up the suitcases and came inside.
“Come along, Muffy. Although now that I think of it, that’s not a bad idea.
Text Dorian and tell him to sleep at my house. The key’s under the mat.”
“Grans, that’s the first place a thief would look.” Mia shut the door, checking that there wasn’t more luggage sitting outside, or that the car doors were still open.
“I have the key spelled, dear. No one can see it unless I want them to. Besides, the house would never let someone inside. Not after what happened.” She shivered at the memory. “I’ll take the elevator. Please take Muffy up with you on the stairs. He needs the exercise.”
Muffy growled at the comment, but then followed Mia up the stairs. The fluffy, mixed-breed dog had put on a little weight in the last few years and Grans wasn’t happy about it. “I hear you’re staying a while?”
Muffy stopped at the second-floor landing and sniffed a few times.
“Yes, we’ve had visitors.” Mia really needed to get people around her or she’d become a crazy cat lady, talking to all the animals.
Gloria started laughing, and “Crocodile Rock” blasted in the stairwell.
Mia shook her head as she and Muffy headed upstairs. “No way. If I’m getting a pet besides Buddy, it’s going to have fur, not scales.”
“Who are you talking to?” Grans asked as she set down her luggage. She opened the door and sniffed the smells coming from the kitchen. “Perfect, I’m right on time for dinner. Good evening, Gloria. I take it you’re providing the music?”
“She has a funny sense of humor,” Mia added, closing the door. “I’ll take your suitcases to your room.”
“I’ll text Dorian. You’d be too nice.” Grans sat at the table. “Those cookies smell amazing. Shortbread?”
“Yes, we froze a few batches to see if it would work. Care to be a guinea pig?”
“Cookies are cookies, especially when I’m stressed. I don’t understand why Robert is being such a pill about this whole thing.” She waved me off as she texted Dorian using one hand. The other had a cookie in it. Mia thought it was going to be that kind of night.
After she’d set Grans’s suitcases in her room, she was surprised to see Christina’s Land Rover come into the parking lot. Christina had her own key, so Mia wasn’t going to run down to help, but then she saw Christina’s two suitcases. The Goddess must have heard that Mia was lonely.
She opened the door just as Christina, tears flowing down her face, pulled out her key. “What on earth?”
“Levi is the worst. I can’t believe I ever said I’d marry him. We can’t even get along after an amazing engagement party.” She fell into Mia’s arms, then, after getting a hold of her crying jag, stood up. “No talking about him. No trying to get me to see his side. I’m starving and need carbs.”
“You’ve come to the right place. Grans is already here.” Mia grabbed one of the suitcases. “Stairs or elevator?”
“Elevator. I can’t believe how loud the construction guys are during the day. I can hear them over the blender.” She wiped her face. “Damien’s staying here?”
“Not anymore. He’s staying at Grans’s tonight. And probably until this testing thing gets sorted out. Robert is not amused,” Mia added.
“Okay, so no guy talk at all. We’ll add in anything about Trent and Sonja.
Good thing Sarah is there or Sonja might just jump him one night while she’s there.
According to Levi—crap, I said his name.
Anyway, according to Trent’s brother, Sonja had a thing for Trent in high school.
Like Cheryl had for Le—I mean, Trent’s brother. ”
“Almost good catch. Trent’s a free agent. If he cheats, I’ll just have to cut him up for dragon food. If Cerby lets me get close.” Mia handed Christina the other suitcase. “I’ll see you upstairs.”
As she took the stairs, she sent a message to the Goddess. “Really, I was fine. Just one night alone wouldn’t have killed me.”
A warmth spread through Mia, and she knew she’d been answered. The Goddess wanted her to know she was safe and had friends. Even if it meant both Levi and Robert had started a fight between the couples. It was never the woman’s fault, right?
Mia was sure everything would work out the way it needed to, but sometimes life was messy. And she was just a bit addicted to that kind of a life. Maybe she had a lesson to learn tonight too. Being alone wasn’t a bad thing.
She opened the door to find Christina and Grans already chatting and decided that being surrounded by friends and family was better. A lot better.
The next morning, Grans sat at the kitchen table drinking coffee and reading her emails.
As Mia’s trainer, she’d received the official letter from the National Testing Bureau.
She turned her laptop toward Mia so she could read it.
“I should have forwarded this to you, but then Robert came over, and now I’m waiting for an apology from him.
I should do what Christina is doing and not use his name. Former fiancé? Or untrusting failure?”
“How about we just say him?” Mia focused on the email.
Grans was right. The protection provided by the coven to local witches disappeared as soon as the email was opened.
She felt the last of the spell slip away as she finished reading.
That was kind of crappy of them. What if she was out of town?
She pushed away the annoyance with coven policy.
Like Blake said, the coven did what it wanted.
She kept reading. “Wait, this says the tester will be arriving on Tuesday. So she or he should be coming in today. Maybe we can get them to test me early?”
“You don’t want that. Besides, the tester can’t change it.
She’s already set aside Friday for the link up to the National Testing Site.
The test is run on, well, what you’d call a computer.
It’s not, but let’s go with the analogy.
The computer only has enough bandwidth for a certain number of testers during the session.
If you keep reading, you’ll see in the fine print they think the last test’s results were affected by an overscheduled testing computer. ”
“It says the tester computer is named Dave?” She looked up. “Like in the space movie?”
“The tester is a he, not an it. Some witches are specialists in the testing arena. Dave is one of those specialists. He’s really nice, but he doesn’t go out much.
His head is a little bigger than normal, so people tend to stare.
They all live in a compound in Texas. It’s near the beach, so they can get out and enjoy their days off.
” Grans checked her planner. “I’m at your disposal until Monday morning or whenever your new scores come in. Is it bad I’m hoping for a level four?”
Mia smiled as she turned the laptop back to her grandmother. “You and Trent. I’m hoping for a level two.”
“Never hide your talents under a bushel. It does nothing for you or anyone else.” Grans pointed at Christina shuffling down the hallway. “It lives!”
“Not funny. One too many glasses or bottles of wine. What can I say? And why are you singing the old Sunday school song?” Christina poured herself coffee, glanced at her phone, then tossed it away.
“What song?”
“About letting your talents shine? I can do the hand gestures too.” She glared at the phone. “Trent’s brother has been calling and texting all morning. He wants to talk.”
Mia noticed that Christina still wore her engagement ring, a good sign she hadn’t given up on a life with Levi. “Shall we do hash browns and eggs for breakfast?”
“Anything that will soak up some of this hangover would be great.” Christina started to stand. “I hope Abigail doesn’t need me to work today.”
“We’ll have you better by then. No worries.
” She glanced at her grandmother, who silently nodded.
She’d mix some magic potion into Christina’s food.
The problem with hangover magic was that it didn’t work on the potion maker.
Just their customers or patients. She started peeling potatoes.
Maybe having a week off just to veg wasn’t such a bad idea.
This issue with Levi and Christina would give her time to figure out where her friend’s head was on the magic thing.
And it’d distract her from missing Trent.
Mr. Darcy mewed at the window. She set down the potatoes and went over to look out.
Buddy hovered outside the third-story window with a note in her paw, or claw, or whatever it was called.
Mia opened the pane and reached out. Buddy dropped the envelope into her hands, chortled, then took off. She turned invisible as she left.
Mia closed the window, took the note over to the sink, and set it down.
“Open it. One of us should have a happy love life.” Christina had taken over peeling the potatoes and Grans was chopping onions and peppers. “Especially when your love notes are sent via dragon special delivery.”
Mia picked up the note again. “If you insist. ‘Dear Mia, don’t freak out.’ Uh-oh, this isn’t starting out well.
” She read more to herself, then set down the note.
“We better hurry with breakfast and add more potatoes to that pile. Abigail’s on her way over and my test has been scheduled for today at ten.
She told Trent that she and Grans need to drive me over to headquarters, just in case. ”
“We have deliveries today,” Christina said as she took out two more potatoes. “I guess it’s just me and Finn in the van.”