Page 10 of Seven Secret Spellcasters
It was exactly how she’d felt about the offer from Isaac to cater to Christina’s upcoming engagement party. Of course, it was only the party in Magic Springs Isaac was giving Mia’s Morsels. The Boise event would be held at the family mansion on Warm Springs Avenue and be attended by Boise’s upper-crust society members, as well as any clients or potential clients Mr. Adams thought would enjoy it.
Levi would find his engagement party to be a work event for his new in-laws. Hopefully, Abigail and Thomas would keep it together during the party. She and Trent would be there and try to keep the peace. And if this Steve was still in town, she guessed he would attend as well.
She turned back to the house, wondering if Steve had a girlfriend. From his manners, she assumed not, but sometimes women liked pushy, overbearing men, especially when they had a big bank account.
Trent met her at the door. “So that was fun.”
“You and your family have an odd idea of fun.” Mia glanced inside. “Are your parents still fighting?”
“Yep. But now it’s transitioned into the silent treatment. Mom wants to gather around the firepit here with her boys, so I guess I’m stuck here for the night.” He pushed a strand of hair out of her face. “How’s Mark?”
“Frustrated with the coven. I don’t blame him. It’s like he’s trying to investigate Kennedy’s assassination. He’s getting stonewalled.”
“Mia, Howard was a magical creature. They die for all kinds of reasons.” Trent glanced toward the side yard, where Buddy was now jumping from tree to tree, making the branches bend and almost hit the ground from his weight. “I thought having squirrels was interesting. Buddy’s going to break all my tree cover.”
“Maybe not now, but we probably need to talk about the long term. What do dragons eat? Is he magical and doesn’t need to eat? Why is he invisible to most mortals? Is Christina the only human who can see him?” Mia rolled her eyes. “And that’s only the beginning of my questions. I’m not sure I’m ready to take on the kitchen witch role. I’m pretty sure I won’t pass any test.”
“You’ll be surprised at how much you’ve learned. Relax and let your intuition help you if you get stumped. Guessing is usually your subconscious telling you the right answer.” He handed her a tote. “I’d better get back inside. Steve wants a complete blow-by-blow of the Cerby delivery.”
“Do you want me to take him home with me? Will having family around upset him? He didn’t like Mark even suggesting that Buddy could have hurt Howard.” Mia dug her keys out of her bag. You would think that the bag had a magical extension charm on it, as hard as it was to find things inside. But that was the nature of a large tote.
“No, I think Buddy’s having fun in the forest. And there’s a lot of acres of federal land behind me. He can run and fly for miles.” Trent pulled her into a hug. “One more reason for us living here when we move in together. Buddy needs a lot of room.”
She touched his face in the gathering darkness. “I’m going to have to learn Grans’s wellness spell, then, and ward your house.”
“Who says it’s not already warded?” he asked as he kissed her goodnight. “Thanks for coming tonight. Mom, Levi, and I will all be over in the morning. But if you need us before that, call.”
“And Steve and your dad?” Mia stepped off the deck. She hoped they would be otherwise occupied.
“Fishing in Hells Canyon for the weekend. Dad convinced him that until the coven is done with their investigation, there’s no need for him here.”
Mia walked over to her car after saying goodnight. At least she had the weekend to figure out who killed Alfred Howard. At the car, she felt the wind from Buddy flying over her to say goodnight. She called up to the dragon, “Be safe, Buddy.”
A chortle answered her. Dragons didn’t worry about safety. She wished she had that luxury.
CHAPTER5
Saturday morning, Mr. Darcy patted Mia’s face until her eyes opened. He was trying to let her know she was late for the party. The noise from the kitchen told her that the apartment was filled with people and she was still in bed. She rubbed his head, then reached over for her phone. It was seven thirty. “I guess weekends don’t mean anything when you’re self-employed.”
Mr. Darcy meowed his answer, then left through the partially opened door. She shut it all the way and got ready for her day. Her suspicions were confirmed when she was handed a cup of coffee as she walked into her sunny kitchen.
Abigail stood at the stove. “Omelet or fried eggs? We have bacon, cheddar cheese, and some veggies we can add.”
“Omelet. With everything.” Mia sipped her coffee. “Do we really need to be up this early?”
“Stop complaining, you got to sleep in.” Trent leaned over and kissed her cheek. “Mom texted me a shopping list at five. Then Levi had to go over and gather her and her overnight case. She’s staying here for the weekend. Dad insisted.”
Abigail rolled her eyes as she set a cinnamon roll in front of Mia. “That man drives me crazy at times. It’s his way or the highway. But he keeps changing the highway’s location so I can’t find it. I guess I’m stuck with him. I hope you don’t mind me crashing here, Mia.”
“Of course not. Besides, we’ve got a lot of planning to do for Christina’s party.” Mia dug into the cinnamon roll and enjoyed the smell of freshly baked bread. Abigail must have been up long before she texted Trent. A purple face filled the window, and she heard a deep chortle. “Good morning, Buddy. Glad to see you too.”
“Sorry, we couldn’t leave them home alone.” Trent rubbed Cerby’s head as the Maltese tried not to fall asleep on his lap. Mr. Darcy stood at the window, batting at Buddy’s face through the glass. Muffy was the only animal ignoring the beast.
Grans looked up from the book she was reading. Her plate was half empty, but she was more focused on the material. “Good morning, dear. Trent, you need to make a collar for Buddy. That way you can walk him. Exercise is crucial for his development. And in a few months, he’ll hibernate until spring, so he needs a cave on your property.”
Grans must have been reading about the care and development of dragons. Mia washed down the rest of the roll with a long sip of coffee. “I guess you had that book in your home library? We probably should have had it months ago.”
“Back then”—Grans gave Mia a long look—“Trent was sending Cerby to training camp back then, and we didn’t know about Buddy. Remember?”
