Part 15 (2/2)
”I'm sure you have a mental list of grievances longer than the line at the DMV, but I wonder if you've considered the advantages of being a cat?”
Oh, sure. He'd especially loved the Shoumatoff incident.
”Some people see their gla.s.s as half-empty, and I wonder if that fits you, Jasper. Let me show you that your gla.s.s is half full. For example, as Anica's cat you don't have to worry about paying a mortgage or buying groceries. Your food is provided free of charge. You have somewhere to live that's warm in the winter and cool in the summer.”
He hoped to G.o.d he wouldn't be around to experience seasonal change in this apartment.
”Anica makes sure you have a soft place to sleep and that your food dishes are always clean. And here's a bonus. You have the flexibility to lick your b.a.l.l.s. I would think an overs.e.xed guy like you would love that to pieces.”
If he could talk he'd let her know that contrary to what she might think, he had no interest in that activity.
”Anyway, my big sis is worried that once you're a man again, you'll seek some kind of revenge against her for all your supposed injuries. I hope that's not your plan.”
He hadn't decided yet. If Pickens had stolen some of his clients, then he was going to be pretty d.a.m.ned unhappy about it, and pretty d.a.m.ned unhappy with Anica.
Lily sipped her coffee and leaned back against the sofa. ”Just in case that is your plan, I need to let you know something. You go after my sister, and I'll go after you. I'm a witch, too, and I don't have nearly the scruples Anica has. And while you don't know if she'll get her magic back, I still have mine.”
How dare she threaten him! Jasper slowly opened his eyes.
Lily smiled. ”Got your attention, didn't I? I thought you were playing possum. Anyway, lover boy, you'd better do my sister right, whether we're talking in the bedroom or elsewhere. You made some points yesterday when you led us to that mama cat. Very heroic.”
He waited, because she obviously wasn't finished.
”But I'm not convinced that you won't try something underhanded with Anica. I'm watching you.” She gave him the two-fingered watching signal.
He was determined not to be intimidated. She'd cleaned up the destruction at Wicked Brew inside of fifteen minutes, which had been impressive. But she hadn't been able to fix him, so he knew her powers were limited. Yeah, no doubt she was bluffing.
”I sense you might not believe me. Let's see if I can change your mind. Doggie, doggie, bold and bright, give this kitty cat a fright.” She snapped her fingers.
A giant mixed-breed dog came boiling down the hallway, headed straight for Jasper. What the h.e.l.l? Jasper leaped up, every hair on his body extended as he scrambled over the back of the sofa and fled for his life.
The dog snapped at his heels and almost had him, but he made it to the top of the bookshelf just in time to avoid certain death. He crouched there, shaking, as the dog stood snarling below. Then Lily snapped her fingers again and the dog disappeared.
Breathing hard, Jasper met her gaze. Maybe she wasn't bluffing, after all.
Soon after Anica stepped out on the sidewalk, the wind picked up and blew the rain sideways into her face. She adjusted her hood. When she'd been blessed with magic she'd never worried about arriving wet and bedraggled. A quick spell and her hair and makeup had been restored to the way they'd looked when she'd left her apartment.
She'd taken those magic powers for granted. Too bad it'd required a major screwup like this for her to realize how c.o.c.ky she'd been about her well-ordered life. She dreaded seeing the condition of Wicked Brew. Although her employees cleaned reasonably well, she'd used magic every hour or so to make it white-glove spotless. But her spotless place of business, her spotless life, were no more.
When she pushed open the door of Wicked Brew, she saw an ordinary coffee shop with ordinary spills on the tables, ordinary straw wrappers on the floor, ordinary sugar scattered on the counter. The place wasn't dirty or in danger of failing a health inspection. But the magic was gone.
The chaos she'd found after the fairy vandalism had been horrible, but this was almost worse because it hadn't been caused by magic. Instead it had been caused by a lack of magic, and that broke her heart.
She hated for Dorcas and Ambrose to see her shop in this condition, but then again, they wouldn't know the difference. They'd never seen it the other way.
Several of her regular customers called out to her as she walked in, and she returned their greetings with as much enthusiasm as she could muster. She picked up a couple of straw wrappers from the floor and threw them in the trash. If she'd had time, she would have grabbed a rag to wipe down the tables. Todd and Sally were busy filling orders behind the counter and couldn't do it.
But she wasn't here to tidy up the place. She was here to meet a witch and wizard who had the experience she lacked to fix the mess she'd made of her life. Lily had given her a description of them, so they weren't hard to spot. She saw them over at a corner table, sipping on lattes.
They seemed like the sort of boomer couple who would live in Lakefront Towers and have season tickets to the symphony. Dorcas could be a head buyer for Nord-strom, and he could be the CEO of some innovative ad agency. They dressed in a style that never went out of date-sport jacket and turtleneck for him; cowl-necked sweater for her. He was graying at the temples, while Dorcas's chin-length hair looked as if she'd just spent a few hours with a top Chicago stylist who understood all the secrets of color and cut.
Anica knew about Big k.n.o.b, of course. Everyone in the magical world had heard of that peculiar little town filled with people clueless about the town's magical heritage. When Anica and Lily were small, their parents had taken them for a drive down to Big k.n.o.b so they could see the streets laid out in the shape of a five-pointed star and the pentagon-shaped gazebo in the middle of a five-sided town ”square.”
Anica remembered the place as quaint but not the least bit sophisticated. Dorcas and Ambrose didn't look as if they'd fit in with the good folks of Big k.n.o.b, but somehow they'd managed to survive down there. Anica was grateful they'd stayed, though, because that placed them close enough to help in her hour of need.
Taking a deep breath, she walked over to the corner table.
Dorcas glanced up and smiled, but there was nothing jolly about her expression. Sympathetic was more like it. ”You're Anica.”
She tried not to read too much into that smile. ”Yes. Thank you for coming.”
Ambrose pushed back his chair and stood. ”It's our pleasure.” He pulled out a chair. ”Have a seat. Can I get you some coffee?”
”Uh, no, thanks.” She thought it was cute that he was offering her coffee in her own shop. ”But is there anything more you'd like? On the house, of course. We have all sorts of pastries in the case.” She hoped that was true. She hadn't been around to oversee reorders.
”We'll probably go out for lunch after we talk with you,” Dorcas said. ”So we're fine.”
That reminded Anica of the expenses they were incurring on her behalf. ”Listen, I've never asked for this kind of intervention before, and I'm willing to compensate you in whatever way you-”
”Wouldn't hear of it,” Ambrose said. ”We're always glad for an excuse to get out of town. Big k.n.o.b's okay, but after a while a person wants to-Dorcas, that was my foot you just kicked.”
”Was it? Pardon me. I just wanted to clarify how much we love our little adopted town of Big k.n.o.b.”
”Uh, right.” Ambrose blinked. ”Love the place. Love. It.”
Dorcas leaned toward Anica. ”I'll admit that we were a little dissatisfied with the move to Big k.n.o.b in the beginning, but now we've made so many friends, and I'm G.o.dmother to several babies.”
”Ah yes.” Ambrose rolled his eyes. ”The babies. When one of those babies comes to the house, everything has to stop, and I-Ouch, Dorcas! Quit kicking me.”
”You know you love those babies, Ambrose. Anyway, I'd hate for the council to hear that we weren't thrilled to be there. They might transfer us.”
”But aren't you both on the council?”
”We're the most junior members,” Dorcas said. ”That means we could be outvoted if the rest of the council decides we'd be more useful elsewhere. I don't want them getting the slightest hint that that's a good idea.” She glared at Ambrose.
Anica had a disturbing thought. ”Is there a chance that you'll get in trouble with the council by helping me and not telling them about it?”
”We're not going to worry about that,” Dorcas said quickly. ”Now, about your situation, I've-”
”No, wait.” Anica had enough guilt already, without adding the Lowells to the list of people she'd wronged. ”I asked you to keep it quiet, but never mind about that. I've done some soul searching recently and I've decided that I've been way too concerned about my reputation getting ruined. If the council needs to know about this, please tell them.”
Dorcas laid a hand on her arm. ”Listen, sweetie, I know how it feels to have the council pa.s.s judgment on you, and it's not pleasant. I'd like to save you from that.”
”But not at your own expense.” She was determined not to cry. ”Promise me you won't put yourselves in a bad position because of me. I've created enough havoc already.”
”Okay, I promise.” Dorcas squeezed her hand. ”Besides, I'm afraid there's not much we can do to help you.”
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