"Hey, yourself. I ordered for us. Since you were late."
He glanced down at his watch. "I'm five minutes early."
"Whatever. Ordered you a liverwurst sandwich, dry."
The disgusted look that crossed his face made it totally worth it. "What?"
"Just kidding. Marge said she knows what you want."
"Oh, damn. I was actually going to try something different today."
"Really?"
"No."
"You suck."
"You started it." He grinned. "You seem a little happier today than you have in a while. Have good dreams?"
The color drained from my face. "Yeah. Dreams."
He gave me a puzzled look and shook his head. Thankfully Marge showed up with our drinks. "Foods cookin'. Be out in a minute or two."
"Thanks, Marge." I wanted to hug her.
"So, what happened last night?" He started right back up.
Damn it.
I opened my mouth to tell some elaborate lie, but I stopped myself. The Chief and I weren't dating. I didn't have any reason to lie. "Jimmy stopped by last night, drunk off his ass. I threw him in my shower."
There. The truth.
"And? You're giggling like a school girl this morning because you saw him naked?"
"No. We fooled around."
The truth, and nothing but the truth.
Chief nodded appreciatively. "Cool."
Cool? So, help me, Lady.
I almost let out a little gasp when disappointment settled in my stomach. Maybe Chief wasn't actually interested in me. He was hard to read, but I thought the signs were there. Not that I was an expert in the field or anything. I tried to shove the disappointment away. Jimmy was definitely interested and that was more than enough.
But, damnit. Chief is sexy as hell, too.
"When was the um… Never mind. Insensitive question." I should have known better than to ask.
"When was the last time I fooled around?"
I nodded.
"Two years."
"Sorry, Chief. I should have known."
He shrugged. He'd taken it better than I expected. Or deserved. I felt guilty.
"Jimmy's good people. Dennis, too."
"You say that like they're a package deal."
"They kind of are," he said with a chuckle. "Work together, two jobs, live together. See one, the other's usually right behind him."
That got the brain cells firing. "They aren't um…"
"Gay? Nah. Just good friends."
"Gotcha. Is anybody in the coven gay? Not that it matters. Just curious. Josie is bi."
"Candace."
"The tiny blonde?"
He nodded.
"Hmm. Josie went somewhere with someone today. Wonder if it was her. She swore off men for a while after Richie's…death."
"Well, good luck to her. Candace is a little…strange."
"Because she's gay?"
"Hell no. Because she talks to rocks and animals."
"Oh."
"Fae is the word I'd use."
"She does have pointed ears."
"She's sweet. Just weird."
It was time to change the subject. "Who are we interviewing first?"
"Jason."
I sighed.
"Don't like him?"
"He didn't give me a reason to." I took a sip of my coke.
"Don't judge him before you get to know him. He has reason to be a little standoffish."
"What reason could that possibly be?"
"He's my brother-in-law."
Oh. Shit. Smooth, Dot.
"Okay. I'll cut him lots of slack. Strange lady coming in and changing everything. I get it." I felt like a dick.
"You didn't know. No worries. But that is the reason he was upset about the coven name changing."
"I don't blame him. I wasn't expecting that either. Lady only knows why she did it."
"That was amazing by the way."
"Don't go there. I'm still freaked out about it. Stepping out of your body isn't something I ever want to do again. Ever."
"We could still see you. You were just kind of see through and glowy."
"Glowy. Pretty sure that's not a word."
"Well, I would have said glowing, but I already used that word to describe you this morning…"
"Oh, my God. You suck."
"Do you?"
I stared at him incredulously as he started laughing. "I can't believe you just said that. Do the men in my life take great pleasure in watching me blush?"
"I don't know about the rest, but I do."
I shook my head and sipped my coke. I was literally speechless. Chief was still laughing when Marge brought our food.
"He okay?" She asked me but pointed at him.
"For now. I may kill him after our meal, though."
"Herb, you're gonna have another customer," she shouted to the kitchen.
Apparently, I couldn't say anything right.
Chapter 14
"Dot, I swear I was just teasing. I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable."
"Yeah, yeah. Drop it."
"Are you mad at me?"
"No," I lied and enjoyed the scenery. Jason didn't live in town. He lived twenty minutes outside of town up a dirt road and over a couple of hills. Chief offered to drive so I didn't waste my gas. I considered it to avoid being in the same vehicle.
"You know I consider you a friend. This is the sort of witty banter that friends have. That should make you happy."
"I'm honored."
"You don't sound it." He chuckled again.
"Honestly, I'm happy. You consider us friends. It's just last night was unlike me. It started out innocently enough. At least we didn't fuck."
"Gonna let you in on a little secret. It wouldn't have been the end of the world if you had. You would still be you this morning. No shame in having a good time. You're both single."
"True," I said feeling a little better. "Thanks."
He patted my leg.
It sent a shiver up my spine.
I was still horny.
What the hell? Must be all the fresh air.
He pulled up to a trailer in the middle of the woods. Literally. It was surrounded by trees except for the front. A beat up nineteen-sixty-something Buick was parked in front. I thought it was painted brown, but it was literally covered in rust. I needed a tetanus shot just looking at it.
"Think he would like me more if I bought him a car?"
"Don't make fun of Bessie. That would piss him off more than anything."
"Yeah. I have that effect on people."
"You're not wrong there."
"Shut up. You find me charming."
"Sure. Let's go with that…"
I tried to look indignant as he parked next to the rust monster. I must have failed immensely. He ignored me, so I pouted. "Meanie."
"Chief Meanie to you."
"I'm putting the Dick back in your title."
"You should probably stay away from dick for a few days…"
I almost started crying. "Wow…"
"It was a joke! Don't take it so hard. Oh, wow. Even that came out wrong…"
My tears turned into fits of giggles.
"You're very frustrating. You know that?"
I nodded. "Yep. I've been told that before."
Chief patted my head. "You'll grow out of it one day."
"Nope. I refuse. It's one of my most endearing qualities."
He rolled his eyes and opened the car door. I got out and followed him up the wooden step to the front door. He knocked loudly. "Jason. It's me."
There was a loud thump and what sounded like the tinkling of beer bottles being kicked. The door opened, and a haggard looking Jason pressed his face against the screen door.
"Bill?"
"Yeah. Have to ask you a few questions."
"About what?" He opened the door and let him in, then he noticed me standing behind him.
"Mornin', Jason."
"
Lady." His voice sounded distant and cool. It was better than close and angry. My day was looking up.
He let me through and let go of the screen door. It slammed shut and he shut the weather door. It was almost balmy inside the trailer. And smelled like he hadn't thrown anything out in a couple of weeks. Maybe months. I fought the urge to gag.
"Lady bright. You need to clean up in here, dude," Chief chided him.
"It's the cleaning lady's week off," he replied, unimpressed.
He led us to the small living room, the tube TV playing some football game with the sound off. He picked up his beer and motioned to the couch next to his big recliner.
I warily sat, pushing a half-empty bag of Doritos and a sandwich crust out of the way. I refrained from speaking. I didn't want him to hear the disgust in my voice. Josie was a slob. This guy was beyond that by several orders of magnitude.
"So, what's up?"
"Another murder."
"Besides Richie?"
Chief nodded. "Dane."
"No fucking way!"
I could tell he was visibly upset by the news. Dane was friends with Chief, Chief was Jason's brother-in-law. It made sense. I could tell just from his reaction we were barking up the wrong tree. But then again, I wasn't a cop.
"I guess your shield plan failed," he shot angrily at me.
I shrugged and held up my hands. "He wasn't burned to death. Whoever did it tried. Then they slashed his throat."
Jason blinked in surprise. "We're tough, but not having your throat slashed tough. Spelled and slashed. At least we can rule out the mortals. That just leaves the coven…"
"Why we're here. Where were you last night?"
"Working. You can check with the foreman at the plant."
"I figured as much, just had to ask."
"I know the drill."
Chief nodded and looked at me. "You have any questions for him?"
"No. I didn't think he did it the moment you told him what happened."
Chief stood, and I did the same.
"Dwight was working with me last night. You can rule him out. I'll save you the trip."
"Thanks. That helps. That guy lives in BFE."
"Worse than this?"
"This is the suburbs. Dwight lives off grid. He's a survivalist. No power, nothing. You need four-wheel drive just to get to his trailer."
"That's kind of scary."
"Not if you like your privacy," Jason answered.
"Is that why you live out here?"
"I thought you didn't have any further questions."
I shrugged. "Just curious. I like to know the people in our coven."
"It's not really our coven any more. It's yours."
"Jason," Chief warned.
I held up my hand. "Give us a minute, Chief?"
"You sure?"
"I'm sure."
"I'll be in the car."
I watched him leave the way we came in. It was time for a little tough love. During our conversation, I'd noticed one small detail. Jason didn't have his shield up.
"Ná bogadh." I didn't use the Chief's binding spell. I simply uttered the words to immobilize the angry man.
"What did you do?"
"Made it so you couldn't move. You see, Jason," I sat down on his lap and stared directly into his eyes, "I noticed that you didn't have your shields up. If I were a murderer, I could have turned you into a charcoal briquette by now. Do you see why I begged all of you to use them. To be safe?"
"Yes. Let me go."
"In a minute. You and I are going to have a much needed talk first."
"Let me go and we can talk."
"No. You might not listen. This way I can drive my point home." I poked him in the chest as I emphasized the word.
"First of all, this is not my coven. It is our coven. I understand that you might think I'm trying to make it mine since your sister is gone, but that is not the case. Everything shall be put to vote in regards to governing the coven. I'm no dictator. I didn't even want to be high priestess. I'm just trying to give you guys a chance at being whole again."
He blinked in surprise. "Okay."
"You have been confrontational since the moment you laid eyes on me. I have done nothing to deserve that. I'm not asking you to like me, Jason. I'm just asking you to give me a chance. Okay?"
He sighed in defeat. I stood up and pulled the magic off him, letting him move again. I offered him my hand, and surprisingly enough, he took it.
"I'm sorry, Lady."
"Just call me Dot."
"Okay."
"Jason?"
"Yes?"
"Seriously. Clean this place up, though. It's disgusting. I feel like chugging penicillin just from sitting on your couch."
He laughed for the first time since I'd met him. It was a beautiful laugh and his smile could light up any room. He needed to do both more. "Yes, ma'am."
"Are you doing okay?" I sat back down. "I know losing your sister must have been hard, and I'm not trying to be your therapist, just concerned."
He kept standing and crossed his arms, toeing one of the many beer bottles on the floor. "Yeah. I'm doin' okay."
Sounded like bullshit to me.
"Can I be honest?"
"I'd prefer it if you weren't."
"Yeah. Not my strong suit. You don't look like you're doing okay. Do you do anything besides work at the factory?"
"Not much else to do but drink."
"Life is what you make of it, not what it makes of you. Would you like some company every once in a while? I'm sure being out here in the boonies by yourself isn't helping."
"You asking me out on a date?" He seemed incredulous.
"No. But if you'd like to, I would. You working tomorrow night?"
"No. I'm actually off for two days."
"Good. Come to my house for dinner."
"Seriously?"
"Very."
"Okay. I will."
I gave him a small smile and stood back up. "Well, I should get going. Chief probably thinks I'm in here beating you senseless."
"I thought that's what you were going to do there for a minute…"
"I almost did. If there's any food stuck to the back of my jeans, I still might." I wiped my butt off with my hands. I didn't feel anything. "Nope. You're good." I winked and headed for the door.
His tentative hand on my arm stopped me. "Thanks. Sorry if I came off as an asshole."
"I'm sorry if I did."
He shook his head. "No. You've been nice since the moment I met you. Just didn't know how to deal with the situation. Even when I wasn't being nice, you were never rude. You're just kind of scary."
"Everybody keeps telling me that. I think it might be the red hair."
"I think it's more than that. Your eyes. Your determined look. Your overwhelming presence. You're like a hurricane in a small woman's body."
"That might be the nicest thing anybody has ever said to me." I teared up a little. "Thanks, Jason." I scooted closer to him and gave him a quick hug. "See you tomorrow."
"See you tomorrow, Dot."
I exited the trailer and got back into Chief's car. He had the heat going and was listening to country music. He laughed when he saw my face. "Not a fan?"
"Of people whining about their trucks, girlfriends, and horses? Hell no."
"I'll change the station."
"Then I won't jump out of the car when you're going sixty."
"Maybe I'll leave it on then."
"Why are you so mean to me?"
"Cuz you're so damn perfect it annoys me."
"Oh, really?"
He put it in reverse and backed away from the trailer. I slipped back into my seat as he gunned it, spraying dirt behind us and fishtailing the Jeep.
"Having fun?"
He nodded.
"How am I too perfect? I get under your skin. I tease you at every opportunity. I'm a constant thorn in your side."
"As you said. Those are some of your most endearing qualities."
>
"You're a strange man."
"That's one of my most endearing qualities. How did it go with Jason? You didn't hurt him, did you?"
"Nope. He apologized, and we have a date tomorrow."
"A what?"
"Date. It's when a guy and a girl do something fun together."
"With Jason?" I couldn't help but notice the awe in his voice.
"Yes. With Jason."
"You're good."
"At what?"
"I haven't figured that out yet, but I'll let you know."
"Why, Chief. Are you jealous?"
"Of?"
"Me on a date with your brother-in-law."
I expected him to vehemently deny it. I wasn't expecting him to say, "Yes. A little."
Chapter 15
"What?"
"You heard me."
"I didn't think you were ready to date again."
"I'm probably not."
"Now I'm confused."
"So am I." He sighed and looked out the window at the trees passing us by.
"You're not ready to date, but you want to date?"
"Not quite. I want to date you."
"Chief… I'm already seeing Jimmy. Now I have a date with Jason. Though that's more of me wanting to get him out of that disgusting trailer and have a little fun, but still. Why?"
"Don't worry about it."
"Not going to happen. Talk to me."
"You're beautiful. You're charming. Sometimes. You make me laugh, you make me want to punch things. You're frustrating and scary and you amaze me."
What the fuck?
"Okay."
"Okay, what?"
"Let's go out. For dinner. You're buying."
"Where?"
"I'll leave that up to you. This town has to have a restaurant a little fancier than the diner."
"There's a couple."
"Pick one. And pick me up Friday night."
"Yes, ma'am."
"Don't call me that. Jason did and now I'm finding it a little creepy. Wait. You're not going to ask me to break my date with him, are you?"
"No way in hell. I'm not a possessive freak. You asked him out first. This is a date, not a relationship. Yet," he added with a wink.
I leaned back into my seat, a little excited at the prospect. "Where we heading next?"
"That's it for now. I couldn't get ahold of anyone but Jason. I was hoping to catch Dwight at his compound, but he has an ailibi."
"Sounds good to me. That was almost exhausting. Don't know how you do this police stuff all the time."
First Moon : A Reverse Harem Tale (Lovin' the Coven Book 1) Page 11
