Page 64 of Just A Little Magic

Owen turned his nose up in the air and gave me his back. “I saved his life.”

“Babe, you could have just told me you wanted him.”

Owen turned back and looked at me through narrowed eyes. “You wanted me, a college student, to tell you, another college student, that I wanted to keep the owl you won at a fair so I could name him Hoot, keep him on my bed, and you not think I had a crush on you? That is the very definition of crush behavior.”

“So you did have a crush on me?”

“Everyone had a crush on you, so it wasn’t special.” If that boy’s nose got any higher, he might fall over. “Besides, don’t we have to finish packing? I need to finish up in here.”

I decided to let him change the subject, but it wouldn’t be the reprieve I knew he hoped for.

“Remember those aspirational Canadians?” Owen’s narrowed eyes were back to staring daggers at me. “Don’t forget the non-aspirational substitutes.”

“Oh, you got jokes.”

“Babe, I just don’t want anyone, or anything, left behind. I wouldn’t want them to get lonely.”

“Inanimate objects don’t get lonely.”

“Cool, so we’re leaving behind Hoot? Or your blue blankie?” I tossed and caught the owl while using my oh-so-innocent voice.

“Absolutely not. Give him to me because I stole him fair and square.” He snatched him from my hand and cooed, “Hoot, are you okay? Did that bad man hurt you?” He turned back to me and added, “I can’t pack non-aspirational Canadian things with you in here.”

I grabbed an already full suitcase and headed out the door. I’m pretty sure my cocky walk and whistling had Owen seething. And that’s the thought that pulled a chuckle from me. I dropped the suitcase by the door and returned to the kitchen to pack up the bottles drying on the counter. Nope, we weren’t leaving those behind.

In Owen’s laundry room, I found a proper-sized shipping box he hadn’t broken down yet and set out to find all the little stuff I knew he loved but kept hidden. I found his pacis, plastic-covered spoons, bibs, divided character plates, the bottles from the counter, and sippy cups in the cupboard. In the living room, tucked away in a covered basket, I found his soft blocks, a few larger cars, and jumbo crayons with simple pictures.

I made a second pass through everything to find any missed items and loaded the stuff ready to go into the back of my vehicle. I was closing the door to the back seat when Levi came out of the house and crossed the yard. He looked worried.

“Is Owen moving out and forgot to mention it?” he asked hesitantly.

“Nah, he’s just staying with me for a few weeks. He’s not moving out.” I kept to myself that if it was up to me, Owen’s move would be permanent.

“Oh, okay. Is everything okay with him? Or the house? Did something happen?”

“No, no. Nothing like that.” I huffed a breath before I continued, “There’s nothing wrong, but I don’t know if Owen, who isn’t sick or injured, would want me to talk about it. It’s not a bad situation, but…uhhh…a private one.”

“As long as he’s fine, I won’t pry, but are you sure he’s okay?”

Before I could answer, Owen came out of the house with a suitcase. He seemed startled when he saw Levi but recovered quickly. He quickly crossed the yard and joined us.

“Hey, Levi, it’s not what it looks like.”

“Well, it looks like you’re moving out, but Barrett says it’s temporary.”

Owen cast a sly glance in my direction before he answered, “Did Barrett mention why I’m staying with him temporarily?”

“Only that it was a private matter,” Levi answered with a hint of confusion.

“Oh, that Barrett, he’s so silly.” Owen’s look was distinctly mischievous. “He’s a little embarrassed, but I keep telling him that hemorrhoid removal surgery is perfectly normal. I’m only staying with him to help for a bit.”

“Oh, well, that explains why he called it private. I was under the impression it was about you.”

Levi and Owen turned to me with their arms crossed and looked disappointed at “my” fib. I rolled my eyes at both of them.

“Barrett, no need to invent things. I don’t have a lot of interest in your ass,” Levi said with a smirk. That certainly piqued Owen’s interest, though, and his little lie was momentarily forgotten.

“Do you haveanyinterest in his ass?” Owen asked with a raised brow.

---