Page 9 of Purrfectly Mated

Hmm.

The wheels in his head started working overtime, and with it, his Magic began to hum and vibrate. Ah, yes, this one was special. But before he got into all of that, Uzzi would have to do something about this shivering little creature.

“Here, take this and try to warm up,” Uncle Uzzi said.

He handed the stranger a small travel blanket that had been tucked in one of the limo’s many compartments. Once she wrapped it around her, Uzzi turned the heat on high.

“There, that should help.”

“Thank you. I am so sorry to get your car all wet,” the stranger said through her chattering teeth.

“Don’t give it another thought, dear. Now, my name is Uzzi Stregovich. I am a widower, and this is Hank, my driver.”

“Miss,” Hank said, nodding as he pulled carefully back out onto the road.

“I’m Elissa Phoenix, but my friends call me Lissa.”

“How did you get stranded here at this time of night, Lissa?” Uzzi asked.

“It’s a long story,” she sighed, and shivered slightly.

“How about some tea or coffee to warm you up? There is water in the little machine just there. Pick out your own tea or coffee pod and press the button on top,” he instructed.

Uncle Uzzi nodded as Elissa looked over the offerings. She chose a peppermint tea pod and popped it into the amazing little gadget. Almost as wondrous as Magic, the old Witch mused.

He waited as she filled the insulated travel mug and added a touch of honey. Elissa leaned forward and allowed the steam from the mug to warm her chilled face before returning her gaze to his.

“I love peppermint tea. Thank you so much,” she smiled and blew on her tea from the small opening on top of the mug.

Always a good idea before sipping any hot liquid. Uzzi approved of her methodical and careful maneuvering.

“Better now?”

“Yes, much. If you could just take me to the nearest town, I am sure I could find some public transportation to get back home.”

“Where is home? If you don’t mind me asking,” Uzzi said casually.

“Hoboken for now.”

“Hoboken? My, that is a way away! Excellent Italian bread bakeries there. In particular, Marie’s and Dom’s.”

“My grandmother loved them! Anyway, I know it is far. Uh, it’s kind of a long story,” Elissa said, shaking her head.

“Now, you might as well tell me what happened, unless you have something better to do?” Uncle Uzzi teased.

“I’m sorry, of course. You see, I was on a blind date with this guy, and well, it went bad. The guy was just a real creep,” she shook her head.

“I see. He didn’t hurt you, did he?” Uzzi asked, sitting up straight.

He noticed Hank listening too, and the man’s eyes flashed with anger. One thing Uzzi could not tolerate was any kind of abuse aimed at a female. His own blue eyes were undoubtedly glowing with his Magic. The powers within him were zapping around in a frenzy at the idea of any woman being hurt by a man.

“No,” she replied, quieting both Uzzi’s Magic and Hank’s beast with the simple truth.

“He was just expecting a different kind of outcome for this evening and when I asked to be taken home, he wanted what I considered an unfair exchange. So, I slapped his face and walked out on him,” she shrugged.

“That was very brave of you.”

“Well, my grandmother didn’t raise me to be bullied into doing anything I didn’t want to do. And Little Gianni was definitely something I did not want to do.”

---