Page 12 of Bad Situation

“Got something good cooking for me?” Harry asked.

“I do. I know you like chicken and dumplings. I've got a big pot of it. I've also got half a loaf of homemade bread for you. For dessert, I still have a pie from local berries. How does that sound?”

“If I swung that way, I would marry you. I don't know how a talented and beautiful woman like you can still be available. It just shows how stupid men can be.”

“You preach it, sister. I'm not sure how you are available either, except that you're picky, and you're looking for a good guy, and they're hard to find," Jenna admitted.

“You can say that again and again and again," Harry giggled.

Everyone knew she liked being friends with men, but she wanted the right one to get serious with. There was a rumor that she'd been slowing down a little bit and trying to be more responsible. A responsible Harry sounded a little weird but with her magic she needed to be the responsible one. That magic could be wild, and she fought to control it. Jenna gave it some thought and realized that Harry had changed a great deal since she'd first met her.

Her friend was still young, even by human standards. She was practically a baby witch by paranormal standards. The talent that she showed was unbelievable. Few witches could match her, and then that were her age. Jenna fixed her food and made sure that she had plenty. She would feed her the whole crock pot if that was what she needed. It was important that Harry had her energy because they wouldn't have sent her if there wasn't a possibility that it would be needed.

“How are things with you and Grant?” Harry asked.

“There is nothing between me and Grant.”

“Blow smoke up someone else's ass but be honest with me. I can see there is something between you two, and you are both fighting it like crazy.”

“Yeah, he hates me. I've never had someone be that mean to me so consistently. I also think there's someone else that he cares about that doesn't want him, and that's why he's such a mean, bitter guy," Jenna admitted.

“I think that person is you, and for some reason, he doesn't want to get involved. That's why he's pushing you away as hard as he can. Maybe you can't see it, but I can. Believe me, I've seen enough fated mates fighting fate to recognize it immediately.”

Maybe that was true because Harry had been around plenty of them in her blood drug days. But she was wrong this time because there was nothing good between her and Grant. Maybe Harry was just a romantic and was looking for mates everywhere. She was busy eating and thoroughly enjoying her food, and since it was lunchtime, Jenna grabbed a bowl of chicken and dumplings, too. It was one of her favorite meals. It could cook all day and just get better. She had a handful of meals that she fixed in the crock pots, and they were always popular, and no one ever complained about there not being more variety

Occasionally, just for the hell of it, she'd throw out another meal. The Internet was an easy place to find all kinds of meals. She'd even made spaghetti and meatballs, although the spaghetti couldn't be cooked all the time, or it would break down into mush. Salads and vegetables were more difficult because those had to be brought in. Harry was finally through with eating and sat back, patting her tummy. Jenna waited because it was never smart to rush Harry, and she was sure that Harry had something to tell her.

“Grant did manage to kill several of the guys that came after him, but one escaped. The bodies just disappeared, and no one knows what happened to them. To say the least, that isdisturbing. The haters have never cleaned up their messes, and I don't think they will start now. Maybe there is a paranormal group that doesn't want bodies left lying around, but I really can't imagine why they would care since the bodies were human.”

“You don't think someone's eating them, do you?” Jenna asked.

“There are certain kinds that would, but that's pretty unlikely. Most of them live on the other side of the veil. It may be a mystery that's never solved.”

“Are they expecting the office to get attacked? I can't think of any other reason that they would send you here, although I'll admit I'm glad to see you. It gets kind of lonely here, and you're the best possible kind of company. Maybe you could teach me a spell?”

“I'd love to teach you a spell. Tell me what you think would be helpful?”

“You never taught me that simple back-at-you spell.”

“It is very simple. You just say whatever you send to me comes back to you and think about all your magic rushing back to them. It doesn't always work because they know what the spell can do, but it might make them leave. The exception would be someone like the last witch that came after you. It was because she didn't believe your magic was strong enough to do anything to her. We went to check on our family, and mom is trying to manage the children right now. It's hard on her because she's not a witch, and she really needs to find a magical person to take over handling them. I don't suppose your grandma would be interested. I know the triplets would be difficult for her, but there's a 10-year-old who might be helpful.” Harry explained.

“Is that why you came? I understand if it is, but I'm not sure my grandmother can handle them. Is there any way to get her a teenager to help? I can't believe she had triplets. No wonder shewas so worried about making money. I wish she had been more worried about leaving them without a mother.”

“Me too. Now, we have to figure out what to do. Those babies are adorable. Two girls and a boy smile all the time like they're happy. Even though, at first, they cried all the time because they missed their mother. I'll go check with your grandmother and see what she's willing to do. Do you feel safe here, or do you want me to stay a little longer?” Harry asked.

“You're good to go. Does that spell work on violence as well as magic?”

“I've not used it in a long time, so you'll have to see. Gotta go.” With that, Harry was gone.

It had been nice having Harry visit and the chicken and dumplings were gone. She pulled the money out of the register and put it in her pocket to cover what Harry had eaten. She said the crockpot to soaking because food that had been simmering all day could be hard to clean up. It was rare that anyone would come by the office at lunch, and she had plenty of other crock pots full of food waiting so she didn't worry about making any more.

What she did worry about was someone coming to cause her trouble. It was a surprise when Grant came by. What the hell would he want? Maybe he had run out of some equipment and had no choice but to come by.

“I needed to pick up some line, so I thought I'd come by and get lunch here. Do you have any of the chicken and dumplings left?” Grant asked.

Figures that would be what he wanted. “Sorry, Harry came by, so that crock pot is empty.”

“Just give me a bowl of anything, some bread, and a serving of whatever your dessert is.”

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