Page 69 of Love's a Witch
“Try to be more careful of the cat, will you? And Oswald, next time you swipe Haggis with your claws, you’re sleeping in the barn for a night.”
Oswald hissed at me, jumping from Henry’s arms and onto my desk. There he settled down, his eyes slits, and I knew I was in for it.
“We’ll get it sorted and have ourselves a nice evening while you’re off to the pub,” Henry promised.
Oswald reached out a paw until it connected with my pen and he swiped it from my desk.
Rolling my eyes, I took a deep breath, pinching the bridge of my nose.
“See that you do. I’d like to not have every last pen of mine lost under the couch.” I stomped over to the desk when Oswald swiped another pen off and picked him up, carrying him with me to a lounge chair. There, I sat and scratched behind his ears until he gave up his mad and began to purr in my lap.
“What are you going to do about the lass?” Henry stopped at the mini fridge hidden behind wood paneling in a bookshelf and opened a bottle of beer. Settling across from me, he took a sip, waiting to hear what I had to say.
“Och, Henry. I don’t know. I truly don’t. She’s got me all twisted up.” I pointed at my head.
“And in here?” Henry tapped a finger against his chest.
“I don’t know,” I repeated, noncommittal.
“It’s nice, you know, to see you challenged. To have to put some work in. Women have always come easily to you.”
“Excuse me?” I glared at Henry. “You’re enjoying this?”
“I’m just saying—she matters. Which means none of this is going to be comfortable for you. But that’s where the good stuff happens, you ken? Outside your comfort zone. You need to have a long, hard look at what you want, Knox. Not what is best for Briarhaven, not what is best for your family. You. You’ve done a good job here, but it’s time you put yourself first. What do you want?”
“Her.” My mouth went dry when I admitted it, and Oswald turned, slanting me a look.
And yet you try to make her leave?
“Her curse is bad for the town,” I protested, defending myself to the cat.
Pretty Sloane!Haggis wheeled himself to Henry for a pet.
“There’s a lot of magick in this town, boyo. It might do you some good to realize that folks can well take care of themselves, and have been for centuries. The snow is annoying, that’s the truth of it, but we’re a resilient and resourceful bunch. We’ll find our ways around it. We always do. Might be time for a change in your stance when it comes to the MacGregors, don’t you reckon?”
With that, Henry lifted his bottle to me in a salute, clucked his lips, and left the room, Haggis at his heels.
If the opinion had come from my parents, I would have ignored it. But Henry had acted as a de facto father to me for years, and I took his musings much more seriously. A forest ogre, Henry had started work in our gardens, quickly working himself up to helping with the magickal creatures in the stables, before finally settling in the house as one of our family. He seemed to enjoy the airs of being a butler, even though there was really no need for such pomp and circumstance with me. Once a month he disappeared for a deep mud bath somewhere on the shores of the loch and returned rejuvenated and ready to dispense all advice—asked for or not.
It had been Henry who’d consoled me when my family had ordered me back to work, while they’d taken a holiday together. I still remembered it, being left at home to watch the keep, while they’d all gone to the Cayman Islands together. I’d been told that one Douglas family member must always remain at the castle, ostensibly to protect Briarhaven, but really, we weren’t in a time of war anymore. Why couldn’t I have gone with them to parade around on sunny beaches and dive in azure waters? Instead, Henry and I hadtaken our meal by the fire every night, playing brutal games of chess, while my family had regaled me with tales of their holiday.
I reminded myself I should be grateful. At least I had a somewhat functional family. Unlike Sloane, who’d grown up where screaming matches were the baseline of her existence.
I wished I’d done something. That day I’d run into her in the alley.
I wished I’d established a connection then, to show her that I could be there for her. I’d been too tongue-tied, full of teenage attraction, to do much more than mumble a few words.
I was beginning to see she’d always been it for me.
My heart stumbled every time I saw her. It always had. And now that I was a man, and had tasted her kisses, I was ready to overthrow centuries of Douglas leadership simply to keep Sloane by my side. After many a sleepless night, where I battled with my responsibility to my town and my responsibility to my heart, I realized that I couldn’t bear it if she left.
You’ll find a way.Oswald stood, arching his back, before hopping off my lap and sauntering out the door.
He was right. I’d find a way. I was a fixer, and Sloane’s curse was one big, fat problem that I was going to solve.
It had been a busy few days since I’d kissed Sloane in the closet of Mystic Munchies, and it aggravated me just how much I missed her in the time since I’d last had her in my arms. Calmly, I had listened to stories left and right about the MacGregor sisters and did my best to reassure Briarhaven that we’d sort this out. All while constantly looking around to see if I could catch a glimpse of Sloane on the street. She’d been lying relatively low, from what I’d heard, and I wondered if the bakery incident had freaked her out.
I could still taste her kiss.
