Page 48 of Seven Secret Spellcasters
“You didn’t wake me.” Mia looked at the books. “Are you already done with those?”
“I don’t do much lately but read, sleep, and work.” Finn made anLwith her thumb and forefinger and put it on her forehead. She laughed and said, “Nerd alert on the third floor.”
“You’re not a nerd, and sometimes life goes that way,” Mia answered as she grabbed the key to the library. It was probably already open since the house knew she was coming. But just in case. “Besides, you spend time with your cousin, right? That must be fun.”
Finn’s eyes widened, and she nodded. “Oh, yes. I should have said that too.”
Something was off about her response. Mia tried the library door, and as she’d suspected, it was already open. “Well, you don’t need me here. Why don’t you come up for lunch and we can talk? I’d like to hear how you’re settling in. Remember, if you need a reference for admission to the culinary program, I’m more than willing to write one.”
Finn set her books on the first table. Mr. Darcy hissed at a corner, then left the room. Mia saw Peaches return the not-so-friendly greeting.
“I wonder what he saw?” Finn asked, looking in the corner too.
Mia wondered why she’d focused on the exact corner that held the orange ghost cat, but maybe it was a coincidence. Or more likely, Finn’s heritage was starting to wake up now that she was in the academy. Mia would have to ask Grans about that. If it was true, they might have to gently ease Finn into her new worldview so she didn’t go screaming out into the night if a ghost decided to talk to her.
Mia ignored the question. “I’ll see you at lunch, then. Soup and sandwiches okay?”
“Sounds great. My cousin is coming to get me at three. We’ll be done by then, right?” She looked up at Mia, hope shining on her face.
“Of course.” Mia nodded to the shelves. “Good luck finding your next read. Sometimes the library can be a little shy on bestsellers.”
“Not even close. I’ve found several fantasy series that I’ve been meaning to read. I need to get as much reading done as possible before January, just in case I get into school.” She beamed as she started reshelving the books she’d brought up.
As Mia left, she thought about how comfortable Finn was in the academy. She’d fit in since Abigail hired her.
That couldn’t be just luck. The last perfect hire had wound up to be a plant for a bad guy. Mia needed to find out more about Finn’s cousin. Maybe she’d go down and meet him at three.
When she got back into the apartment, her phone was ringing. She hurried to answer it. “Hello?”
“I knew you were in the library. I could sense it off your tracker necklace, but why was it so calm in there? I thought maybe something had happened.” Grans didn’t bother to say hello most of the time. Or goodbye. She just ended the call when she was done talking.
“It’s playing nice with Finn.” Mia glanced toward the joint wall that separated her apartment from the library. “She almost saw Peaches.”
“The cat?” Grans was silent for a while. “We need to talk to her if she’s staying around. She needs to be aware of what might occur.”
“I was thinking the same thing. Maybe next weekend?”
“My engagement party is next Sunday—or did you forget?”
Mia groaned. She had forgotten. “And Christina’s are Wednesday and Friday. So I guess we’ll be worn out and busy cooking on Saturday. I hope Abigail has shared the catering schedule with Finn. We’re going to need her. And maybe I should invite her to ride with Trent and me to Boise for Friday’s event.”
“Have Abigail take her. You and Trent need time to talk logistics if you’re moving in together soon.”
Mia stared at Gloria. “And where exactly did you hear that bit of gossip?”
“I didn’t hear it, I can feel it. Besides, I had a dream last night that you were living in Trent’s house and helping to raise Buddy. However, I wouldn’t wish that chore on anyone. Make sure you ask the library for dragon-raising books.”
“As soon as Finn goes downstairs, that will be the first thing I do.” Mia was teasing, but Grans did have a point. Reading about hellhounds had helped her understand Cerby’s unique talents. Maybe reading about dragons would do the same.
She heard a book drop in the living room. Walking in from the kitchen, she realized the library had been listening. Or the ghosts of the library. Whatever, it was confusing. She picked up the book:Dragons in the Modern Era. “Well, scratch that. The library has provided already.”
Grans chuckled. “You need to start trusting in your new world.”
“Oh, did you get my text about the foxglove?”
Her grandmothertsked. “I dumped that bottle. It’s against coven law to have it in an open potions lab without specific permission from the coven. Abigail should have known better. Don’t worry, I went back through everything you have and made sure there wasn’t any other contraband in the supplies. Sometimes that woman doesn’t realize rules are there for a reason. That stuff can kill a person.”
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