“Like it? I think we should stay here and skip the Children’s Ball.”
I took a step forward, pressing my finger to his chest. “Oh, I think it’ll be fun to make you wait a bit.”
“Fun for who?”
“Roman? Ettie?” Joe called down the hallway.
“We’re back here,” Roman called out, whispering to me. “Later. Promise?”
I shrugged innocently as Joe joined us in the little office, wearing a white, button-down shirt and dark grey tie. “My, don’t you clean up nice?” I teased.
“I’m just trying to make Penelope happy,” Joe said, straightening his skinny tie.
“I knew I learned that skill from someone.” Roman grabbed my hips and pulled me into him. “Did you need something before we go?”
“I was just wondering why our living room looks like a foster home for unwanted rats?”
“Hamsters,” I corrected. “And it’s because I’m getting them out of Ettie’s.”
“Do you need them all?” Joe lifted his eyebrows, waiting for an answer.
“No.” Roman beat me to it, his voice crisp and firm.
“Good,” Joe said. “Can I have one? I think Penelope would really enjoy having such a low-maintenance pet. She could even keep it in her office at the school. The kids would love it.”
“By all means.” I waved my hand towards the living room. If Joe was somehow behind our hamster epidemic, wouldn’t he already have access to all the hamsters he wanted? “Just don’t take Alvin, Simon, or Theodore.” I clarified when Joe narrowed his eyes and tilted his chin. “They’re the ones in the cage on top of the piano. All the rest are fair game.”
“Thanks.” Joe cast his eyes down and ran his hands down the fabric of his shirt, seeming to smooth out wrinkles that weren’t there. “And I’ve been thinking more about getting a place of my own. Maybe it’s not such a bad idea.”
My stomach did a somersault, and I think Roman’s did, too. At least his hand grabbed mine, tightening its grip enough to show me he was excited.
“Imagine how nice it would be to have a place of your own. I’m sure you’ll love the freedom again,” Roman said, way calmer than I knew he was on the inside.
I sighed. “It sounds wonderful… but you can’t…at least not in the apartment above Ettie’s.”
“What?” Roman and Joe snapped at the same time, showing how similar they both really were.
“You can’t because the health inspector won’t allow it. The place is still infested with hamsters.” Ugh. Now that Joe wanted to move out, Ettie’s wasn’t ready. I was really hoping to rent to him since he insisted on overpaying for rent. Surely living with us wasn’t worth the thousand dollars per month he insisted on paying us, but at that rate, Roman and I could afford a honeymoon sometime soon. Plus, Joe was family, no matter whatever suspicions I had.
“That’s too bad.” A little smile tugged at Joe’s lips that I recognized from Roman. It was when he had gotten exactly what he wanted.
I placed a hand on my hip. “You had no intention of moving out.”
Joe shrugged. “I thought I’d offer, but I’m happy to stay here until the apartment is more hospitable. I like being close to family.”
He had known he couldn’t move there. Was this his way of manipulating us further? Did he plant the hamsters in the shop to ensure he couldn’t move in? To get Ettie’s shut down? He hadn’t known about us wanting him to move in before the hamster infestation, but he had somehow, known about the apartment upstairs. Had he figured that was only a matter of time before we asked him to leave?
When Joe was out of earshot, I turned to Roman. “He knew he couldn’t move in.”
“Yeah, I had told you that Dad could be a bit manipulative.”
“I’m beginning to see that.” I rubbed my temple. Maybe he was behind everything. Roman and my life had been going well until Joe came to town. “I think we really need to get him out of here.”
“Remember, we agreed to let him move in because he’s paying rent.”
“I know. I’d like to keep that rent, but if we get Ettie’s fixed up, we could rent it to anybody. We could get Joe out of our life.” I bit my tongue and reformed my words. “I didn’t mean that. I know he’s your dad.”
“He’s never been much of a father,” Roman said, staring off into space. “When I was a child, he worked twelve hours a day or more. He didn’t come home until after Mom had already tucked us into bed. I guess working so hard gave him the opportunity to retire early, but he missed out on my sister’s and my childhood. These past few months he’s been finally present. They’ve been better than I remember…and yet they haven’t necessarily been all warm and fuzzy. Joe spends time with us in the privacy of our home, but he tries to make sure we’re not seen together in public…at least it appears that way to me.” Roman’s attention snapped back to me, like he had shut off his memories. “Come on. We should get going. We don’t want to miss the auction.”
“Nah,” I fanned a hand at him. “We have a few minutes…and Joe is on his way out the door. Do you know what that means?”
Roman’s eyes lit up, and he smiled. “I don’t want to smudge your lipstick.”
“Oh, I think we could have some fun without lipstick smudging.” I traced my finger up Roman’s arm. “Consider it a challenge.”
“Well, challenge accepted.” Roman took my hand and led me out of his office.
Chapter Nine
As soon as Roman and I stepped foot in the school’s gymnasium where the charity ball was being held, I could tell something was wrong. Tension hung in the air like a heavy fog, carrying the guests’ stares and whispers right towards us.
“What’s going on?” I softly asked Roman. “We were invited. I thought the invitation was an olive branch, welcoming us into the community.”
Mayor Raab had been talking with Natalia at a table and their conversation halted as quickly as a dog gobbles a treat when Roman and I came into view. I didn’t miss Brittany’s hard stare, either, even though she sat on a table on the other side of the gym.
Roman shook his head, hesitating a bit while he took in everyone’s obvious hostility towards us. “This is different than normal. I don’t think it has anything to do with us being magical.” My husband did something I hadn’t expected. He circled the dance floor and led me to a table where his father and Penelope sat.
Roman pulled a chair out for me, but I stopped him after catching sight of Joe’s warning stare.
I backed away. “Maybe we should find somewhere else. I hate to give your dad’s secret Identity away.”
“It’s time he faced his demons,” Roman said, not stepping away from the chair.
Maybe our words were louder than intended, because Penelope motioned to the chair next to her, giving Joe an I’m-in-charge glare. “You’re welcome here, even if you weren’t related to my boyfriend.” It was nice that Penelope knew Joe’s secret.
I took the seat beside Penelope, and Joe’s worry softened to a point where I could ignore him. You’d think a fifty-something year old man would get over his fear of being who he was.
“Thanks for the charm the other day,” Penelope said, breaking the ice while Roman and his father exchanged stiff greetings. “I mustered up the courage and told Joe all about my previous marriages. I don’t know why I thought it was such a big deal. Joe didn’t mind at all that I’ve been divorced...three times already.”
I smiled. “You’re a great catch. I’m sure he realizes that.”
Penelope nodded. “And also, thanks for the rescued rodent. I love him!”
“I’m glad.” Thoughts of my own little critters filled my mind, bringing that warm sensation to my chest again.
“It’s nice that I can do my part to prevent a death.”
“A death?” I asked. “What do you mean?”
“You’re trapping those hamsters from your shop, right?”
“Yes, but they’re not dying.”
“They’re not?”
Penelope flipped her phone over that had been sitting on the table and opened up to Facebook. “I didn’t know that. This article Natalia wrote is all over social media.”
“What article?” I was as clueless as a truant student being given a pop quiz. “Natalia interviewed Roman and I, but we didn’t see anything published in the paper.”
Penelope shook her head. “Natalia doesn’t work for the paper anymore. They fired her not long after your editorial a month ago that shone a light on who she really was. She started her own blog called The Watersedge Insider.”
“I didn’t know that happened.” My stomach twisted. Was I responsible for her being fired? If she hadn’t already hated me, that would have pushed her over the edge.
Penelope slipped her phone over to me, displaying a picture of Roman and I standing in front of the exterminator truck and receiving a handful of mouse traps. That wasn’t the worst part. It was the headline that made me cringe: Ettie’s Enchanted Effects Supports Animal Cruelty. Euthanizing hundreds of hamsters.
I slipped the phone over to Roman so he could see the article. His conversation with his father fell flat, and his eyes widened to nearly the size of ping pong balls while he read.
“At least she got the hamster part right,” I said. “That’s the only thing that’s truthful about the article.”
“Did you see the number of shares the story got?” Penelope leaned forward, resting her elbows on the table and giving me a glimpse of her conservative cleavage. She was so not principal-like tonight, with a sequenced pale-yellow gown that showed off her unexpectedly well-toned arms.
I took the phone back when Roman was done and clicked in to see who was passing that message along. “Oh, my!” Brittany shared the article on her church’s Facebook page to ten thousand followers. I scrolled down further, seeing a few other familiar names, but stopping on one in particular. “Mayor Raab shared it on the city’s page?”
“Everyone’s seen it here in Watersedge and many people across the country.”
My stomach sank. “More bad press for Ettie’s…and for me, personally.” And probably witches of all kinds, all over the world.
“This is why an enchanted object shop is a bad idea,” Joe shot at me. I hadn’t realized he was listening. “Witches will always have a target on their back. People tend to be afraid of what they don’t understand, and they see us as a potential threat. One snap of our fingers and we could have an air-conditioner fall out a window on some poor mortal’s head.”
“Or we could take a knife and just stab them…like everyone else. You know as well as I do that just because we have magic, it doesn’t make us any more of a threat. Mortals will get over it the more they learn and understand us. That’s why it’s important for us to be open with our magic.” Roman’s face was stern with conviction, even though that path wasn’t an easy road.
In fact, for the first time in my life, I was beginning to doubt it. “Will they?” I glanced around the room, catching some more angrily staring eyes and whispers, as well as pursed lip expressions. I stopped on an older woman two tables over, wearing the most god-awful floral dress, but she shot me two thumbs up. My eyebrows furrowed in disbelief.
“Way to go,” she yelled across the tables, over the classical music. “I hate rats!”
I slapped my forehead.
Could this get any worse?
At least Penelope welcomed us to the table…and Joe seemed to be warming up to the idea of being openly friends with witches. How ridiculous. The strong familial similarities between him and Roman wouldn’t be hard for people to put two and two together and suspect Joe was also a warlock.
I focused on my little table of people I was comfortable around, controlling only what I could and falling into great conversation. Part of me was ashamed that Roman and I had just suspected his father had been sabotaging Ettie’s, as the man was very nice to us while everyone else was ignoring us.
Eventually, the music softened and the townspeople who were dancing took their seats. Mayor Raab stood up on stage, wearing an out-of-date pantsuit with legs that weren’t long enough to cover her ankles, along with a tuxedo-wearing man I didn’t recognize, but was quickly introduced as the Director of the Children’s Club.
“Nice of you all to join us,” the overly thin man’s voice echoed in the microphone. He continued with a five-minute speech as to why he was grateful for all our support and what our donations would be able to do for the children of the community. Finally, he gave Mayor Raab a nod, and they both smiled. “Are you ready for the results of the silent auction?”
The crowd clapped and the room even filled with a few whistles.
“Great! Mayor Raab is here to help.” The Director held out his hand. “First envelope please!”
The Mayor handed him a plain-white envelope which he quickly tore open.
“The antique silver place setting, donated by Gabby Gates, goes to Norman and Sylvia Smith with a donation of three hundred and fifty dollars.”
The room clapped as Norman and Sylvia stood up and bowed while Mayor Raab handed the director the next envelope.
The Director went through more prizes, announcing who won the spa package, grocery store gift certificates, and an oil change down at the Lightning Lube. All of which were bringing in way more money than they were worth. The charity was well over five thousand dollars total so far, and only a handful of items’ bids had been revealed.
“Next up is an enchanted wardrobe from Ettie’s Enchanted Effects.”
Instead of the normal clapping, the crowd became so silent you could hear the crickets from outside through the gym’s walls.
That was until Joe stood up and clapped.
Wow.
Roman and Penelope joined in, and a few more guests throughout the crowd as well, including the lady with the floral dress.
With how I was being treated tonight, I was certain the wardrobe hadn’t even gotten one bid. And if it did, it’d be for whatever the minimum was.
A rare, enchanted, last of its kind wardrobe.
Given away for nothing.
I held my breath as the Director opened his envelope, unfolding the paper. To fill the silence, Mayor Raab leaned into the microphone, staring directly at me and asking, “How’s your hamster infestation going?”
Hamsters.
At least, she was the only one who didn’t call them rats…but the last thing I needed right now was more attention on the subject.
“It’s all under control,” I said, shrinking back into my chair from all the stares. If my brain had been quicker, I would have come up with something cleverer, but the mayor threw me off.
The Director took the microphone back. “And the winning bid for the wardrobe goes for…” He stopped, turning the paper to Mayor Raab and whispering, “is this right?”
Her face blanked.
How embarrassing for me. Nobody bid.
Once Mayor Raab nodded, the Director returned to the microphone. “The enchanted wardrobe goes for fifteen thousand dollars. A record at the auction.”
Air re-inflated my lungs, and I stood up and clapped, but quickly realized I was the only one making noise. Everyone else was in awe.
I slowly sat down, allowing the director the chance to announce the winner.
“The wardrobe goes to Joseph Sun.” Not quite the best fake last name to hide his connecting with us, but it had to be him.
I tilted my chin and stared at my father-in-law. He won?
Why would he bid on an old witch’s wardrobe?
Had he bid because he didn’t want me to be embarrassed if I didn’t raise any money?
Once again, all my uncertainties about my father-in-law melted further away. He was a good man with good intentions deep down.
But I needed confirmation. There was still a part of me that wasn’t certain. Once all eyes were off me and the Director moved on to the next envelope, I caught Joe’s attention. “Why’d you bid on that? You already own more than one.”
Joe leaned back into his chair. “Because I couldn’t let a priceless heirloom get into mortal hands.”
Of course, that was it. He had been upset I donated the wardrobe.
The whole reason he was at the ball was probably to ensure my wardrobe didn’t get into the wrong hands.
Was that the entire reason he was here in Watersedge as well? To make sure I didn’t do anything foolish…perhaps he was afraid I’d embarrass his son.
I looked at Penelope beside him. He was dating her, right?
She was a mortal.
He couldn’t want that much segregation, could he?
Unless everything was an act.
Roman and I had agreed to let him live with us because we wanted to keep him close so we could watch him.
And despite our lack of privacy, perhaps it had been a good thing. His true intentions were slowly coming to the surface, and it was time we did something about it.
Chapter Ten
“Care to dance?” Roman asked, reaching out a hand after the auction had ended and the music restarted.
I smiled, and for a minute, all hostility the citizens of Watersedge were displaying, as well as my suspicions of my father-in-law, disappeared. “I’d love to.”
As Roman led me out into the center of the gym where the dance floor was set up, people seemed to dance themselves away from us, and soon, Roman snuggled close to me and we had a ten-foot circle to ourselves.
“What are you laughing at?” Roman asked, leaning away from me and taking in my expression.
“This town is just so hot and cold. One minute, they love Ettie’s, and the next they hate it…and me.”
“They don’t hate you. Social media can be quite influential. Actually, all media has an impact. I mean, look how easily you persuaded them when you wrote your editorial.”
I leaned my head against Roman’s chest. “The people here don’t know the truth about anything.”
“Then show them the truth.”
“How?”
“Start by proving to them that you didn’t kill any hamsters.” He arched an eyebrow, waiting for me to form whatever idea he had already had, myself.
Wayward Magic Page 42
