Page 83 of The Witching Hours

“Okay. Thanks,” I said drily not meaning it at all.

The train case that had my magic supplies wasn’t that hard to manage up one flight of stairs. It was on the heavy side, but small and easy to maneuver. I decided I’d ask David to get the other bag later.

After setting my train case down on the bench next to the TV in my room, I gave the place a once-over. There wasn’t much to see. Adequate. No frills. No extras.

Standing in front of the bathroom mirror, I splashed water in my face and pushed at my hair, encouraging the curls to behave. I’d let it grow out a little hoping the extra weight would pull some of the excitement (sometimes known as frizz) out of my dishwater blond hair. My gray eyes stared back asking,What are you doing here?

I pushed the plastic card into the front pocket of my jeans and headed to room 189. It was facing south, and the roomnumber added up to eighteen. Maybe the Campbells’ luck was changing.

My knock on the door was met with some reaction I could hear through the door.

It opened to a pleasant-looking young woman with pale green eyes and dark red hair. The kids were vying with each other for views of the visitor.

“Molly?” I said. “I’m Valerie.”

Her smile lit her face in a way that answered my question about what I was doing there. She rushed forward to give me a big hug. “Yes. You look just the way I thought you would. We can’t thank you enough for coming.”

“You’re welcome. Did y’all get some rest last night?”

She was nodding. “It was heaven. We were all so tired.”

“I can imagine.” When she didn’t invite me in, I said, “Well, just wanted to let you know that…”

“Oh, no, don’t go,” she said. “My manners seem to have left with my energy. Sorry. Please come in and meet our children.”

Stepping back, she opened the door wide.

The room looked about the way you’d expect when a family of five is sharing a two double-bed room. Stuff was everywhere.

“Mason,” she said, “move that backpack off the chair so Ms. Danann can sit down.” To me, she said, “This is our oldest, Mason.”

He waved and said, “Hello.”

“This is Alexandria,” she gestured toward the daughter who was managing to sit on the edge of the bed and bounce at the same time. “We call her Alex. And this is Dart.”

I nodded at both before looking at Alex. “Were you named after Alexandria, Virginia or the ancient library in Egypt?”

Alex smiled shyly. “Egypt.”

“How wonderful,” I said, giving Molly a look of approval.

I turned my attention to Dart. “You’ve got an unusual name. And I like it so much.”

Dart had come over and was standing by my chair studying me like I was a specimen on a lab slide. I expected him to say people call him that because he moves so fast from one thing to the next, but he surprised me by saying, “My real name is d’Artagnan.”

I raised both eyebrows and looked at Molly. “Ambitious of you.” I smiled. To Dart, I said, “That means you are impetuous. Brave. And clever.”

He nodded vigorously in agreement. I wanted to laugh, but didn’t. I opened my mouth to say something else, but before I did, the door swung open.

“Honey! I’m home!” David said cheerfully. The instant he noticed me he stopped dead in his tracks. After staring for longer than is customary, he closed the door then grinned. “You’re here.”

I hoped to the gods I was going to be able to follow up on the relief I heard in that simple sentence. It was only two words, but they were overflowing with faith and gratitude.

No pressure.

I stood up. “I am. I was thinking dinner on me?”

David relaxed visibly. He glanced at Molly.

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