by T. S. Ryder
They walked farther into the woods until any hint of the road was obscured from sight. They followed a worn path for a long way.
“Shh. We’re getting close,” Charlotte said. “Get your camera ready.”
Ella took out her phone and opened the camera app. Charlotte crept along, making her movements slower and quieter. Ella did the same. They came to a flatter patch of ground, something of a clearing with fewer trees than the surrounding woods.
And there, in the middle of the clearing, was a huge silver dragon. He stood tall, eating some sort of green plant. His long tail, covered in spikes, lay behind him. He held the plant in large paws with long, clawed ends. He was a little scary. From this angle, they could just see his razor teeth chewing the plant.
Ella snapped several pictures. “Aren’t dragons meat eaters?” she whispered.
Charlotte shrugged and whispered back, “Did you get the photo?”
Ella nodded and turned her phone to show Charlotte the best shots.
“Let’s go.”
“Wait,” Ella whispered. “This isn’t proof that it’s him, though. We need to see him change.”
Charlotte thought for a moment. “I’m going to run out there and get his attention. If I say I need to talk to him, maybe he’ll change back. Just start a video and keep it going, okay?”
“But then he’ll know it was you,” Ella whispered.
“So? If I’m the one blackmailing him, obviously he’ll know it’s me.”
Ella shrugged and held up her phone, ready to record.
Charlotte charged through the brush in a hurry. “Jesse!”
Ella hit record and watched in awe. Jesse, in dragon form, turned suddenly, almost whacking Charlotte with his massive tail.
Charlotte yelled at him, “I need to talk to you! Right now! Change back so we can talk.”
He stared at her for a long while, then finally seemed to melt. His long tail drew back into his body and the spikes on his spine receded. His arms and legs and neck shrank as his scales morphed back into skin. Then he was Jesse Barrett, dressed in jeans and a t-shirt, looking quite unhappy.
“What are you doing here, Charlotte?” he demanded.
“We need to talk. You can’t end this. What we have is too good.”
“You shouldn’t have come here. This is a private place, you know that.”
“That’s why I came.” Charlotte put her hands on her hips. “You won’t take my calls and your assistant asked me to stop calling you.”
“Yeah, because we broke up, and I have no reason to talk to you. Please leave.”
“Jesse, stop this, please.” She started to cry and went to him, trying to hug him. He pushed her back.
He stepped back and changed again into a dragon. Then he leaped into the air and flew off, vanishing from sight as he neared the clouds. He must have used a spell to hide himself.
Charlotte ran back over to Ella. “Did you get it?”
“Both changes.” Ella tucked her phone into her pocket and they took off at a run.
When they reached the place where Jesse’s car had been, it was gone. They hopped into Ella’s car and drove back to Charlotte’s.
“He’s refusing your calls?” Ella asked as they drove.
“Yeah.” Charlotte shrugged. “I’ve called him a lot, though. It was to be expected.”
When they got back to Charlotte’s, they watched the footage over and over.
“This is perfect,” Charlotte said. “It shows everything.”
***
Later that night, Ella stood in her bedroom, gazing at her body in the mirror. She spoke the words of her spell and watched her stomach swell. She struggled to hold the vision, though. She’d need to work on this spell and perfect it if she was going to convince anyone she was pregnant, especially Jesse, who she would presumably be sleeping with if things went as planned.
She worked on it all that week, tweaking her incantations, practicing the strength needed to cast it. Finally, after a few weeks, she thought she could do it well enough.
She knocked on Charlotte’s door. Charlotte opened it and her jaw dropped.
“What…?” Charlotte asked.
Ella rubbed her stomach lovingly. “Due any day now. Oh! The baby is moving, do you want to feel?”
Charlotte reached out her hand hesitantly and placed it on Ella’s stomach. When she felt the movement, she yanked her hand back and jumped.
“That is freaky,” she said. “Well, come in, put your feet up or something. Are your ankles swollen, too?”
“Oh, good idea.” Ella sat down, put her feet up on the sofa, then made her ankles swell. “This baby is killing me.”
Charlotte stared at her for a long moment. “You’re good. I mean, it’s still freaky. Don’t get me wrong, you make a beautiful pregnant woman, but it’s weird to see you like that all of a sudden.” She shook her head.
“Well.” Ella sat up and dropped the vision, letting her body return to its normal curvy but non-pregnant state. “This means we’re ready. How are we going to do this?”
Charlotte stretched her mouth into a wicked grin. “I’ve got it all worked out. Jesse has this dog walker, Lynn. It just so happens that Lynn is going to quit and leave him stranded.”
“How did it ‘just so happen’?”
Charlotte shrugged. “Money can buy anything.”
“Well, okay.”
“Too bad Lynn isn’t good looking. Then you could just pose as her. I guess you’ll have to be yourself.”
Ella threw a pillow at Charlotte as she sat beside her on the couch. “So, you know him. How do I become his new dog walker?”
“You take a flyer to his house the day Lynn quits. We’ll time it just right with her. She calls him and quits and, just a few hours later, you show up and save the day. And if you act like your cute self, he’ll fall madly in love.”
“Let’s hope.”
“One thing, though.” Charlotte twisted her mouth to one side. “I don’t want to sound like a bitch or anything, but Jesse usually goes for skinny girls.”
Ella took in a breath. She had been thinking the same thing, but hearing it come from her best friend wasn’t easy. No matter how comfortable she was with her body, others weren’t. Was it worth it this time to pretend? To be what everyone wanted her to be instead of being herself? She was already pretending. Did one more lie matter in the end?
Charlotte put her hand on Ella’s knee. “I don’t mean anything by it. You’re perfect as you are. Remember that Jesse is an ass, and that’s why we’re doing this.”
“Right.” Ella let out a breath and stood, running her hands down her now size two body.
“Dang. It’s better than plastic surgery. Are you sure you can’t teach me some spells?”
“Won’t do you much good without having magic.”
“Sigh,” Charlotte said dramatically. “So unfair.”
“When are we going to do this?”
“When do you want to start?”
“I guess right away.”
“I’ll call Lynn,” Charlotte said. “Tomorrow we begin!”
Chapter Three
Ella pulled up to the mansion’s gate. It was hard to believe that just one man lived in this huge place. She buzzed the gate intercom and, when someone responded, she said, “I was wondering if Mr. Barrett had a dog and was in need of a dog walker? I’d like to leave him a brochure with some coupons.”
There was a long silent pause, then the response, “Please come up to the house.”
The gate swung open and she drove through it. A large white building sat before her in the middle of an expansive green lawn. She’d never seen a lawn so perfectly manicured or so beautifully landscaped. She climbed up the marble steps to the front door, bypassing tall topiaries and flowerbeds of bright blooms. She knocked and, a moment later, someone opened the door.
“Are you the dog walker?” the woman asked. From what Charlotte had told her, this was probably Marla, the housekeeper.
“Yes,” Ella grinned and handed her a brochure.
“Are you able to wait a few minutes?”
“Sure!” Ella smiled again, trying to seem as bubbly and friendly as possible.
The housekeeper disappeared into the house, leaving Ella standing in the entrance hall. From here, she could see long halls with marble floors leading to enormous rooms. The sheer size of the house overwhelmed her. How many bedrooms and bathrooms did it have?
After a few minutes, Jesse himself came out to greet her.
“Hello.” He stuck out his hand to her. “I’m Jesse Barrett.”
Ella forget her name for a moment. She gulped and her hand shot out automatically, missing his by a few feet. She laughed and shook his hand. “Hi.”
In person, he was even more gorgeous than in the magazines. Her glimpse of him in the forest the other day had been from too far away to appreciate him fully. His eyes and teeth glittered when he smiled. His dark hair stood up in sexy spikes on top of his head. His smile was so warm, she felt her knees go weak.
“Do you have a name?” he asked.
“Yes.” She swallowed again. “Ella McCarthy.”
“Nice to meet you, Ella.” His mouth fell into a half smile. “It just so happens, my regular walker quit on me this morning, and I had to come home on my lunch break to walk Murphy.”
“I brought some coupons. Did you get them?”
“I did. I’d love to give you a shot. Any chance you have time now?”
“Oh. To walk the dog?”
He nodded. “I realize I’m putting you on the spot. If you don’t have time, that’s alright.”
“No, I have time. I’d be glad to do it now.”
“Thanks,” he said. “I’d really appreciate it. I have a lot of work to do today.”
“Absolutely.” This was working out even better than she had planned. She gave him her best smile and he grinned back.
“So, come on in and meet Murphy, then.”
They didn’t have to go far. The golden lab was waiting patiently in the living room, sitting on his hind legs, his tail swishing back and forth on the floor. He must have been trained to not bark at people at the door.
Jesse bent down to pet the dog and Murphy responded by jumping up and rubbing back against him. There was one downfall to this dog walker plan, Ella realized. She hadn’t thought much about the fact that she would have to actually spend time with this dog, walking him and, presumably, picking up his poop. She wasn’t opposed to dogs, but she didn’t have much experience, either. Her mom had been allergic, so she’d never had one as a kid, and later, she had just been used to life without a dog.
She wasn’t entirely sure what to do with a dog, but it couldn’t be that hard, right? He seemed very well trained and Jesse had surely paid for the best obedience school around. She walked over and petted the dog, who licked her hand and sniffed her.
“He’s pretty well behaved,” Jesse said. “And he’s usually good with new people, so you shouldn’t have any trouble.”
“I’m sure it’ll be fine. I am a pro, after all.” She winked at him.
He chuckled. “Right. I’ll get his leash.”
Ella waited while Jesse left the room. She looked down at the dog, who looked back up at her. He seemed very friendly indeed. Jesse came back and handed her a red leash to match Murphy’s collar. She snapped it on and took the handle.
“I’ll just be working from home, so if you need anything, just call.” He handed her a business card with his name and number on it.
“Thanks.” She tucked the card into her back pocket. “We’ll be back soon.”
He pulled his eyebrows together in confusion. “You’re going to walk from here?”
“Umm. No? I thought I’d take him to the park.” She hadn’t thought about that either. Where in the world did you go to walk a dog?
“My former walker took him to the one down the street. That’s probably easiest since he knows it already.”
“Sounds perfect.” She smiled again and walked toward the door.
Murphy didn’t budge. He just sat there, watching her as she gently tugged on his leash.
“Come on, Murphy,” she said.
He opened his mouth slightly and panted.
Jesse whistled and Murphy came running. “He responds to whistling if nothing else works.”
“Perfect.” Except she couldn’t whistle. Maybe she could cast a spell to make a whistling sound, though. Or better yet, a spell to make the dog listen and obey her.
Ella led the dog outside and opened the door to her car. He sat there and looked at her again.
“Murphy, get in the car,” she said in a high-pitched, baby voice.
He didn’t move.
“Don’t you want to go to the park?”
His tail swished harder on the driveway. He looked excited. Just not excited enough to actually get in the car.
“Okay, then get in the car.” She motioned toward the open door and even tried to push him into the car.
Crap, what if Jesse looked out the window and saw her? He would know she was a fraud. She was messing this up already.
She tried to whistle. Murphy tilted his head at her but didn’t move. She went around and started the car, putting the stereo on. From the front seat, she turned back to look at Murphy, who sat by the door, waiting and watching her.
“Come on, boy.” She tried again to whistle, and this time cast a spell on her lips to make herself sound more musical. The sound that came out wasn’t exactly a whistle, but it was better than it had been, and it seemed to be good enough for Murphy. He jumped in and lay on her back seat.
She got out to close the door, trying not to think about his hair and dirty feet getting all over her car’s seat. She would need to bring some old towels or a blanket next time. She opened the map on her phone and found the closest park, then drove there.
Murphy knew this place, as Jesse had said. When Ella opened the door, he needed no help this time. He jumped right out, and she had to snatch the leash’s loop quickly before he took off. That would have been all she needed, to lose the guy’s dog on the first day.
She wrapped the leash around her wrist and held it so that even a sharp tug wouldn’t pull it from her hand. It was a good thing, too, because Murphy was a big dog and got very excited at the park, which meant he pulled very hard on his leash. She called his name and tried to whistle again. She would really have to work on that spell.
They found a pace, which was a bit faster than Ella cared for, but it worked. The park had a nice, paved walking trail and they followed it. They passed plenty of people running, walking and biking. Then a man and his dog approached, and Murphy apparently wanted to say hi.
Murphy tugged and the other dog—some smaller, hairier breed—barked. Murphy barked back. The owner had immediate control of his dog. One spoken command and the dog halted, though it continued to growl. Murphy returned to Ella, but only because his attention had been forcefully averted by the other dog walking away.
They continued on, but she was highly watchful of other dogs. Wasn’t there some sort of spell she could cast on Murphy to make him chill out? There had to be. She’d need to research that.
And then, of course, it happened. Murphy walked off the path a bit and squatted. It would be one thing if he peed on a tree. But there were signs everywhere warning dog owners to pick up the mess their animals left behind. She had no bags of any sort. She had no way to dispose of it. But she did have magic.
She waited until no one was looking and Murphy had returned to her and sat by her side. Then she kept her words as quiet as she could, but loud enough to work. The pile of poop lifted into the air and moved over to a nice, big bush. The pile slipped into the bush, out of sight. At least no one would step in it, and no one should find it there.
Ella was feeling a bit more confident once that was taken care of. He wouldn’t go again… would he? Well, no matter, she could do the same trick. Honestly, it was much
better than scooping it into a bag and carrying it to a trash can. Maybe she’d just go with that solution every time.
They headed back to the car after what seemed to be a mostly successful walk. Had it been long enough, though? She had no idea how this sort of thing worked. Oh well. She could Google that later, too.
She stepped off the path to head to the car and Murphy jerked his head. Some sort of small animal—a squirrel maybe—ran across his path. He whined and pulled on the leash.
“No way, Murphy. Let’s go.”
But Murphy wasn’t paying attention to her. He was watching the animal. And then, he took off after it.
Ella was chasing after the dog in a second. But she wasn’t a runner and he was fast. She chased him for a while but finally cast a spell to calm him down. In her panic, it may have been a bit too strong, though. Murphy stopped dead when the spell hit him. He lay down and rolled over, right into a big muddy puddle. He looked up at her, calm and happy, as he wiggled his back in the mud.
She got hold of his leash and pulled him along. She had nothing to clean him off with. All she had were a few napkins, but they wouldn’t go far.
She did the only thing she could think of. With her hands, she wiped as much of the mud off him as possible. Then she wiped her hands in the grass. He was still dirty. Mud caked the hair on his back and arms. And of course, it was in his tail. He swiped little mud marks on the parking lot.
She sighed. She’d take him back and offer to wash him. That might not go well, but what else was there to do at this point? Hopefully Jesse wouldn’t be mad at her.
When they pulled up to the house, she gulped before knocking. Jesse opened the door and she gave him an apologetic smile.
“I’m really sorry. We ran into a little trouble,” she said.
Jesse looked at Murphy and his eyes widened. “What happened?”
“There was a squirrel…”
“And then?”
“He chased it. And when he was done, he laid down in the mud.”
Jesse looked at Murphy, who happily let his tongue hang out of his mouth. “You played in the mud, Murph, did you?”
