Page 79 of Last Witch Attempt
WE MADE IT INSIDE THE DINER FIRST, SO WEgrabbed the big table in the corner. Mrs. Little was present with several of her cohorts, including Cora and Madison, who seemed to be her favorite friends of late. She looked up when we entered, narrowed her eyes, then went right back to her conversation with the women. She didn’t as much as nod at us in greeting.
“Well, she’s back to her old self,” Thistle noticed as she sat, grinning when Mrs. Little glanced over and sent her a saucy salute. “I prefer her this way. It’s a real bummer when I have to feel sorry for her.”
I chuckled and shook my head. “She isn’t showing any signs of falling victim to depression. That suggests the spell worked.”
“What happens if we have to reverse the spell to get rid of Millie?” Clove asked.
I would’ve been lying if I said I wasn’t worried about that possibility. “I guess we’ll have to wait and see.” The idea of sending Mrs. Little back to emotional despondency didn’t sit right with me. When I weighed it against the damage Millie could do if she wasn’t reined in, however, there was a clear path. “We might have to do the spell on Mrs. Little a second time. We’ll figure it out.”
I looked out the front window. “No Aunt Tillie.”
“You say that like it’s a bad thing.” Thistle made a face. “A day without Aunt Tillie is like a day without diarrhea.”
Landon and Chief Terry were just arriving when Thistle let loose that pearl of wisdom. Both of them looked horrified that she would say anything of the sort.
“Man, I’m not sure we want to be part of this conversation.” Landon planted a kiss on top of my head. “Can we not talk about diarrhea right before I eat?”
Thistle shrugged. “I was just stating a fact.”
“Still delightful as ever, I see.” Landon grinned at her, then focused on me. “You look a little tight around the edges, Bay. Do I want to know what you did with your morning? Can I hazard a guess that you haven’t dealt with the Millie situation?”
“We haven’t seen Millie or Aunt Tillie,” I replied, “but we have made progress on our other problem.”
I waited until the server took our orders, choosing a grilled cheese and chili for the second time in as many days. Comfortfood was my friend right now. Landon went with a salad, no cheese, and light dressing. I cocked an eyebrow, caught between being impressed and amused, then shook my head. “How long do you think you can keep that up?”
“Until dinner. I’m saving my calories. I’m even going to have dessert. Half a slice of cake or one cookie.”
“Speaking of cookies, did you know that Mom and the aunts visit Clove and Thistle with a delivery of cookies every week?”
Landon’s forehead creased. “What about us?”
“That’s what I said.”
Chief Terry made a face. “Oh, please. You guys get dessert five nights a week. You would get it seven if you didn’t like to hole up at the guesthouse and play gross naked games. Clove and Thistle only eat at the inn once or twice a week. It’s a way for your mother and aunts to spend quality time with them.”
“I should’ve known you’d take their side,” I replied.
“Totally,” Landon agreed. “He always takes their side.” He managed a smile to let Chief Terry know he was kidding. “I, however, will always be on your side.”
I gave him a sidelong look. “Why are you buttering me up? I can’t make no-calorie bacon.”
“Mean.” He shook his head. Then he turned serious. “What did you find out?”
I filled him in, including what we knew about naiads. He listened, only interrupting twice for clarification. When I got to the part about finding the body, he shifted on his chair. Then he continued shifting as if bugs were crawling up his backside.
“Now would probably be the worst time to tell you exactly what I think about you digging up a body, right?” he challenged in a low voice.
The server arrived with our food before I could respond, which turned out to be a good thing because it allowed me timeto calm down, if only marginally. After she left, I was ready to speak, in measured tones.
“I know you’re not happy about what we did, but what were our other options?” I challenged.
“You could’ve called me.”
“And when Steve insisted on coming with you?”
“I wouldn’t have told him what you found.”
That didn’t sit well with me for a completely different reason. “Landon, I don’t want to put you in a position where you have to lie to your boss.”
