Page 39 of Minions and Magic
I bit back a laugh at the rhyme and scooped the slices of brisket from my platter onto fresh plates.
The werewolves dug in, and the only sound for the next few minutes was the scrape of knives on the plates. Tink was the first to say something.
“Damn, girl. I think I came in my pants just now.” She sat back and licked the sauce off her fork. “Forget making that demon an honorary werewolf. I want you to come up to the compound and cook for me every day. I’d be so fat they’d need to wheel me through the woods in a cart for our hunts. Honey, can we afford to hire Glenda as our personal alpha-house chef?”
“Mrmfrm,” Dallas responded, not even looking at her as he chewed.
“I thought Bart’s smoked trout was good.” Clinton shook his head, then shoved another piece of brisket in his mouth. “Mmmm. Mmmm, mmmm.”
“Almost as good as raw venison straight from the kill,” Dallas finally said. “And that’s saying something. Thought that ginger cake of yours was good, Glenda, but this here is a clear winner. You got my vote.”
I couldn’t help but grin and do a little hop-dance in excitement.
“Glenda gets my vote, too.” Dallas raised his fork in the air as he spoke, as if he were royalty making a proclamation.
“Mine too. And I still want to hire you full time.” Tink winked at me. “Or at least get on your catering schedule for the harvest party if you’re available.”
“I’m calling a foul. Clearly the witch paid the three of you off. There’s no way her brisket is better than mine.” Xavier reached past me, picking up a slice of brisket off the platter with his fingers dripping sauce down his hands and chin as he shoved it into his mouth. When he was done with the piece, he licked the sauce off his hand and winked at me.
“I might be a demon, but I cannot lie when it comes to food. Glenda, once more I bow before you and declare you the master of all things food.”
The crowd cheered. Tink clapped her hands. “What are you going to ask him for, Glenda? You won, and now he has to give you anything you want.”
I was pretty sure I was more red than the rarest prime rib right now. Tink was looking at me. My sisters were looking at me.Everyonewas looking at me.
Xavier folded his arms across his chest, that little smirk on his face. “Yes, Glenda the Good Witch, what do you ask of me? I’m bound by my promise to give you anything.”
I was about to die of embarrassment right now.
“I’ve got some suggestions!” Sylvie called out.
“Which means they’re X-rated, of course,” Bronwyn chimed in.
X-rated suggestions were the last thing I wanted to hear—well out here in public anyway. With all sorts of naughty ideas racing through my mind, I blurted out “pizza oven”.
“What?” Tink tilted her head and stared at me.
“I want a Mugnaini wood-fired pizza oven.”
“Color me shocked,” Cassie drawled.
“My money was on one of those zucchini spiralizers,” Ophelia added.
Xavier performed a stately bow before me. “Your wish is my command. If the witch wants a pizza oven, then that’s what she’ll get.”
“Wood-fired,” I reminded him, hoping he understood the subtext. “Mugnaini, because it’s the best.”
“And only the best will do for my witch.” He turned about and walked away, into the forest and out of sight. I watched him go, not quite sure what had just happened. Did he understand that it washimI wanted, not a pizza oven? We’d been using that as a euphemism for sex since we’d had the sandwich contest. Surely he couldn’t have forgotten.
Maybe he was going to my house to wait for me, naked and in my bed? I hoped so, although he’d have quite a wait because the barbeque wasn’t over yet, and I still had a lot of clean up and put away before I headed home.
“I thought you said everything was okay between the pair of you?” Adrienne stepped up beside me and put an arm around my shoulders.
“It is.” I looked in the direction Xavier had gone.
“Then what’s with the pizza oven? And why did he leave?”
“He should have stayed and helped you clean up,” Babylon added, walking up to my other side. “Just like a man to eat and leave you holding an entire buffet full of dirty dishes.”
