Page 18 of With This Witch
“No problem. Look, here come our drinks!” Daisy says, her eyes lighting up at seeing their waitress walking in their direction with a tray of mimosas.
Shortly after their food arrives, the conversation stalls as they dive into their meals. The waitress returns with their bills as their meal wraps up, and they get on their way. Lachlan quickly gathers all three checks before they can protest and walks to the cash register to pay.
He comes back to the table, clearly happy that he managed to pay for their meals without either of them fighting him. As he sits, a small white envelope falls from his hand.
“What’s that?” Petra asks.
He releases a resigned sigh and hands the envelope to her. She opens it and takes out the card, seeing the summons to the Wilks estate.
“I wish I could explain. But I can’t,” he says.
“I had a letter slid under my door with the same invite. What are they playing at?”
“I am curious why you have both been summoned to the Wilks estate,” Daisy says, looking back and forth between them. “I don’t know what’s happening, but you better start explaining.”
Petra and Lachlan exchange a look between them. He shrugs and gives her a slight nod of approval. Petra sighs and tells Daisy everything.
“So you need to get married to prove you’re capable of being a Premier Witch? That’s some archaic bullshit. And you’ve both been summoned to the Wilks estate, but you don’t know why. And you, Lach, think this is a setup and that they have somehow figured out your agreement and plan to sabotage it. Petra, you have been thrust into a role you may not necessarily want, but you also feel a sense of family responsibility ‘for the legacy’to take it on. Do I understand this all well enough?”
“Yeah, that about sums it up,” Petra says.
“I have no idea what to say, but how can I help?”
Petra’s eyes immediately well up with tears, and she dabs a napkin under her eyes. Daisy scoots out of the booth and sits beside Petra, wrapping her arms around her in a soothing embrace.
“You know I’m your ride-or-die. Just tell me what to do, and I will do it. This deal they made is beyond ridiculous and does nothing to show them how dedicated you are, nor does it speak to your capability to be a Premier Witch in general. So whatever you need from me, whether it’s to help tear them down or to show them up, I’m your witch.”
Petra sniffles and wipes her eyes again, lifting her head from Daisy’s shoulder. “Thanks, lady. I’m sorry I didn’t say anything sooner. It’s been a rough week, and I wanted to keep this close.”
Something flashes across Daisy’s face, but Petra doesn’t quite know what it means before it’s gone. “It’s all good,” Daisy responds as Petra sits up and regains her composure.
“So, with that said, what’s our plan for tonight at the Wilkses’?” Lachlan asks.
CHAPTERTEN
Lachlan
Lachlan bids Daisy and Petra a quick goodbye at the restaurant and kisses Petra on the cheek, much to everyone’s surprise, even his.
“Oh, Hades. I’m sorry.”
Daisy and Petra giggle. Petra places her hand on his arm and says, “It’s okay. An honest mistake, I’m sure.”
“Yes. A mistake,” he says, placing his hand on the back of his neck. “I’m going to go before I do something else to embarrass myself.” He walks away, trying to determine when he became such a bumbling fool around Petra.
By the time he’s made it across the parking lot and into his Jeep, he has a couple of texts from Petra.
Petra
Lach, it’s okay.
Please don’t worry about it.
I’ll see you tonight.
A feeling builds in his chest as he starts the engine. Could this be anticipation? He’s just left her after spending a few wonderful hours together, yet he’s already looking forward to seeing her again.
While this is a fake arrangement between them, Lachlan knows deep down that he offered her this deal because he didn’t want it to be fake. Is it deceitful? Maybe. Does he hope it works out in his favor and she magically chooses to be with him? Maybe a little. Maybe a lot.
