“You can do it! You’re a strong, independent woman! Get it together,” Greer ordered.
“I’d like to see you say that to Deacon’s face,” said Charlie.
“He just has the most amazing dimples,” Greer groaned. Then we all laughed.
“Charlie, thank YOU for being supportive,” I said, glaring at Greer. Charlie was behind me fussing with my hair. I wished I could see what she was doing.
“Are you kidding? You’re both dating hot guys. I have to live vicariously through you,” said Charlie. “I’ll be Miss Supportive herself. Besides, I love Jasper. It’s totally in my best interest if this date goes well!”
“You could always try online dating if this doesn’t work out,” Greer suggested unhelpfully to Charlie.
“No one wants to date me,” said Charlie sadly.
I gave her a look. There was in fact a guy who Greer and I were both sure wanted to date Charlie very badly, and he was ten times cuter than Andy, her ex.
In fact, it was so obvious it was like the lead story above the fold to everyone but Charlie herself. The problem was that whenever Charlie got a good look at that particular article it was as though she closed both eyes and hid behind her hands for good measure.
There was no way we could push her into it; she’d have to find her own way to him.
“Nothing has happened yet with Jasper,” I said cautiously.
“Yeah, but it’s definitely going to.” Charlie wiggled her eyebrows at me and grinned.
“I’m not so sure,” I said, suddenly drooping.
At my feet, Greer’s beloved dog Charger looked up at me before laying his head down again. He had apparently decided to leave it to the humans to tend to my worries.
“What’s wrong now?”
My friends marshaled themselves at my side; Charlie even stopped fiddling with my hair. The early evening sunlight was streaming through my window, and it had turned into a bright spring day after the clouds of the morning. So why was I freaking out?
The light was just fading into evening, and as it went, my stomach started to tap dance a little, a sure sign that I was nervous as all get out.
“You already thought you had a date with him a few days ago,” Greer pointed out. “Were you this nervous? A second time around should be a piece of cake.”
“I was nervous,” I admitted, “so much so that I got a haircut and my ends turned green and threatened to ruin everything. Except that it wasn’t even a real date.”
“Fat lot of good that did you,” Charlie smiled, and I nodded in agreement.
“I wasn’t this nervous, though,” I said thoughtfully, pressing my hand to my stomach.
“So what’s changed this time?” Charlie asked.
“Maybe it’s that he knows it’s a date too,” Paws offered. He had snuck in silently and was sitting in the darkest corner of the room grooming his fur.
“Quiet, you,” said Greer.
“You wouldn’t shush me if I were Funnel,” said Paws.
“You don’t know that, though I admit it’s much to my dismay that you aren’t a dog,” Greer replied. Paws lapsed into a petulant silence. In three minutes flat he would think of another argument, I was certain of it.
“He’s taking me out to dinner, he’s picking me up, he texted me to confirm and made a joke about not confirming our ‘group date’ last time,” I laughed shakily.
The truth was, underneath the nerves I was so happy I could dance. I felt like I was falling, with the wind rushing past my face and my stomach rolling. In another minute I’d explode from nerves or happiness. At this point they were a lot like the same thing.
“You aren’t still worried about what his family is going to think, are you?” Charlie asked. “Because his grandfather isn’t the boss of him.”
“Actually, he kind of is,” Greer corrected.
“Way to be unhelpful,” Charlie growled.
“Don’t worry. It’s not as if I’ve forgotten about his super powerful and intimidating grandfather who just so happens to hate me,” I muttered.
Because that was the other part to this situation. The magical part, wherein Jasper wasn’t just Jasper and Lemmi wasn’t just Lemmi. But just for one date I really wanted us to be that simple.
“Just the thought of him makes her smile,” Greer shook her head.
“She’s so far gone,” Charlie agreed. “She was far gone even in high school, if the truth be known. Every math class she just stared at Jasper’s back as if it was the blackboard.”
I threw a pillow at her.
“If you don’t get a move on you’re going to be late,” said Paws.
I glanced at the clock and sprang to my feet. I had totally forgotten the time!
“Oh, man! And I still don’t know what I’m going to wear,” I cried.
Tonight was the night.
Jasper Wolf and I were going out for all the world to see.
Including his grandfather.
I took a deep breath. I had promised myself not to think about Dylan Wolf, Sr., tonight, no matter how much I wanted to. He would be furious if he knew, but that was okay. For tonight I was going on a date with my dream guy and that’s what I was going to focus on.
Charlie and Greer fussed over me until I went downstairs to wait for Jasper. Paws just shook his head, his long tail swishing lazily as he passed judgment on us.
“We have to act casually,” said Charlie once we were all seated in the living room.
“Your back is straighter than a straight line,” Greer chided me.
I was sitting upright in one of the comfy chairs, unable to move. Fear had glued my feet to the floor.
“He’s not going to see either of you when he gets here. I’m going to answer the door and we’re going to go,” I reminded them.
“Right, we aren’t going to hang out,” Charlie repeated as if she had to remind herself.
“We could hang out a little. I could tell him stories of when you were a kid,” Paws suggested.
“Don’t you dare,” I glared at the cat.
“Just trying to help,” he replied.
Just then, the lights of Jasper’s truck came around the bend and swished past the windows.
In one deft motion, Greer reached out and grabbed Charger’s collar before he could escape and greet Jasper over-enthusiastically.
I gasped. “He’s here!”
“He’s on time,” said Charlie happily. “I’d have had a hard time continuing to like him if he hadn’t been!”
Greer rolled her eyes.
“Of course he’s on time. He cares about this date too,” she said.
“Can we get out of the living room without him noticing?” Charlie worried.
“Definitely not now,” said Greer.
“Just answer the door like this is all very normal,” Charlie directed me.
“Good idea.” I blew out a breath. “Like this is normal. I go on dates with Jasper Wolf all the time.”
“You look fabulous,” said Charlie, beaming at me. “He’d be crazy not to marry you on the spot.”
“Now you’re really saying things that terrify me,” I told her.
I stood up after what I thought was an acceptable amount of time. I was just on my way to the door when two things happened at once.
The first was that a crack of thunder filled the air, making all three of us jump. I hadn’t even noticed that it was raining. The second was that given the sudden commotion, I tripped on the rug and fell forward, catching myself just before I face-planted.
After I managed to stand up again I turned to look at my friends, realizing that I shouldn’t have gotten out of my seat until he knocked.
“I’m going to sit back down again,” I told them, making my way back to where I’d been sitting.
But just as I turned, there came a knock at the door.
Then another crack of thunder.
I nearly swore under my breath.
“This is going well,” Paws narrated.
“Go catch a mouse,” I told him.
“This is more fun than that,” he informed me wickedly.
I rolled my eyes. If only I could protect myself from ghost cats.
There was another knock at the door and I raced to open it.
“Hi,” said Jasper. He was holding something.
“Hi,” I said, suddenly feeling faint. He looked good. I mean, he always looked good, but tonight he looked really good. He wore a white button down shirt tucked into dark jeans, and even in the evening light his green eyes sparkled. Casual, but not like he didn’t care.
For my part, I had also tried for casual. I was wearing my favorite blue blouse with little yellow flowers on it, and jeans, all topped off with brown boots.
“These are for you,” he said, handing me chocolate.
“Thank you,” I said, flushing. “I didn’t get you anything.”
“That’s not your job on the first date,” he replied, grinning.
“What is my job?”
“To have a great time,” he said without hesitation.
I put the chocolates into my purse after a brief internal debate about whether I should eat them now. No, I shouldn’t. Chocolate teeth were my nightmare.
“Hi Greer, hi Charlie,” Jasper called out as I walked out the door. Even though he couldn’t see them, he knew they were there.
“Hi,” they both yelled back.
“How’d you know they were there?” I asked incredulously.
“Just a hunch,” he grinned again.
He looked happy and relaxed.
Now, if only I could stop being so nervous.
It didn’t help that all the ghosts were lined up to see me off; Paws must have told them.
Just as I walked past them, a big rain droplet plopped down on my forehead. Paws winked, almost as though he had brought the rain himself.
“Pity ghost cats can’t be skinned,” I informed the animal under my breath.
“I’m just so proud of her,” cried Mrs. Goodkeep into a handkerchief.
“Get it together,” Karen ordered her through gritted teeth. “We have to be presentable so someone will take her off our hands.”
I almost made a face, but caught myself just in time.
“Cheerio. He’s a strapping young lad, isn’t he?” said Mr. Bone, tipping his hat to us.
“Stay out of trouble. If you get thrown in jail I won’t come bail you out,” said Paws.
“That could be one way to see Gerry if she lands back in there,” said Tank, hopping along beside us.
“SILENCE,” bellowed Paws as the rain came down harder.
“Temper, temper,” said Tank as he hopped away.
“Stupid weather! Stupid rain!” cried Karen.
“The rain literally goes right through you,” said one of the other tea ladies, showing some unexpected spunk.
“I still don’t like it,” Karen argued.
The tea lady rolled her eyes.
By the time we reached Jasper’s vehicle, I was blushing furiously and very glad that he couldn’t see ghosts or, more importantly, hear them.
He opened the truck door for me and I hopped in, then he sped around to his own side.
For just a few seconds I was able to compose myself, then he slid into the driver’s seat.
“How’s Liam holding up?” Jasper asked, maneuvering the truck out of my long driveway.
“About as to be expected,” I said. “I suppose it could be worse. He wouldn’t have had any idea what to do if you hadn’t sent a lawyer over. Thanks for that.”
“It’s the least I could do,” he said. “She’s innocent.”
“I know,” I said. “The newspapers have already convicted her, though.”
“Yeah, I guess Charlie couldn’t stop Lena from running some pretty damning headlines,” Jasper agreed.
“It’s what sells newspapers. Gerry will be proven innocent in the end, though,” I said. “I’m sure of it.”
“I don’t doubt it,” said Jasper.
“Where are we going, anyway?” I asked, looking around.
We were driving in the opposite direction from downtown Mintwood.
This was one thing I had managed to avoid thinking about, unlike the panic I’d fallen into about what to wear.
“Pennwood,” said Jasper.
I sucked in my breath in surprise and happiness, causing Jasper to glance sharply at me.
Our date had been made in an atmosphere of suspicion. Not ours, but Gerry’s. Mintwood was divided and up in arms about the Twinkle Costume Shop’s part-time cashier and beloved town resident, and even if Jasper and I hadn’t been known to be directly involved, the divisive cloud hanging over the town still might have made it uncomfortable for us there.
In order to combat the gossip and craziness gripping Mintwood, Jasper was taking me to Pennwood. A larger town with more dining options was an unexpected option, and I liked it.
The Cozy Bucket was Jasper’s choice of restaurant. It was nice without being too nice, and warm and comfortable without seeming downmarket. A bonus was that I’d never been there before.
I decided that Jasper was good at this date thing.
That made one of us.
By the time we got to The Cozy Bucket, the rain was coming down so hard that all I could see of the building was a yellow gleam shining weakly into the truck windows.
“We’re going to have to run for it,” said Jasper.
We sure were. Foolishly, I hadn’t brought a raincoat.
Jasper reached into the back of his truck, pulled out a black jacket, and handed it to me. It would at least save my sweater.
“But what about you?” I asked.
“I’ll be fine,” he said. Placing his hand on the door handle he smiled slightly and said, “You ready?”
I did the same. “Born ready. Let’s do this thing.”
Jasper grinned. “GO!”
We yanked the doors open and all I heard was rain splattering on the ground. My feet hit the pavement and splashed. Rain drenched my face and legs almost before I could get down from the truck.
For a split second I was so shocked I didn’t move. Then I realized that I was supposed to run.
Chase after Jasper? Yes, please.
I slammed the truck door shut and turned to find that Jasper had hesitated, waiting for me in the rain without even his own waterproof jacket. He seized my hand and we ran together until we were safely under the awning of The Cozy Bucket.
He let go of my hand and we both stood still for a moment, catching our breath. As I panted, I turned to look at the water drenching everything in sight.
“I’m not sure I’ve ever seen it rain this hard before,” I said.
Jasper’s shirt was plastered to his chest and his hair flopped over his forehead. I desperately wanted to brush the strands out of his eyes, but I didn’t dare. Instead, I settled for giving him a warm smile.
I myself was a mess, but I tried to be cool about it. This was spring in Maine, after all. The fact that it had to rain this hard on my first date with Jasper felt unnecessary, but I was determined not to fret about it.
Situated in a converted barn on a quiet street, the Bucket was graced with window boxes full of flowers and light streaming out of the glass. Several other couples were scattered around the dining room, laughing, talking, and smiling at each other.
The hostess gave us a corner table, and I felt myself starting to settle into a pleasant evening. The waiter was nice enough to hang up the jacket Jasper had given me, and for a moment I watched it drip in a corner.
“This is great,” I said, trying to brush my wet hair into a form I thought wasn’t spikish.
“It’s one of my favorite spots,” Jasper agreed. Even wet he looked great.
“It’s a nice barn,” I said with approval.
“It’s been here nearly two hundred years. I’m glad they turned it into a restaurant so lots of people could come and enjoy it,” he said.
“You don’t
like barns much, do you?” I teased him.
“Just a little,” he admitted. “We actually got some of our inspiration for the Babbling Brook Barn from here.”
I glanced up at the huge overhead beams and the gleaming exposed wood.
“I can see that,” I agreed. “The Babble is better.”
Jasper started to smile, but quickly got himself under control. “You think so? You like this place too though, right?” He suddenly sounded nervous.
“This place is perfect,” I assured him. “It’s just that nothing compares to the Babble.”
The waiter came by to take our orders, but I hadn’t even glanced at the menu yet. Finally focused on what we might want to eat, we decided quickly, Jasper taking the pasta while I ordered chicken.
We chatted quietly until the food came, and after a few minutes I had to admit to myself that it felt perfectly natural to be sitting there having dinner with Jasper on a Friday night having dinner.
The meal was going great until dessert.
“Of course I want dessert,” I said when the waiter came around and Jasper looked at me inquiringly. He might as well learn now that dessert was always on the table – because I would always order it.
We both ordered brownie sundaes, which meant a dollop of vanilla ice cream plopped over a delicious brownie.
While we waited for dessert and coffee, still chatting as if we’d known each other forever (and we had, almost), I realized that I was in big trouble.
We were having the best time . . . so what could possibly happen next?
Just as the waiter came toward us with our sundaes, a man at the table behind Jasper stood up. Without seeming to see the waiter with his tray, the patron shoved his chair back just far enough to tip the waiter off balance. The waiter tumbled forward, and although he managed to catch himself before he crashed into the table, the ice cream was not so lucky.
As if in slow motion, I watched the man stand up from his chair, the waiter’s eyes flare in surprise, the delicate tray tip forward and wobble, the waiter right himself, and the bowl continue to slide until the ice cream slopped onto my lap.
I gasped with the cold.
Jasper’s eyebrows rose. He half stood up out of his chair while the waiter seemed frozen in horror.
The man who had pushed his chair back remained placid. All that registered about him was that he was in his sixties and very well dressed, as was the woman sitting across from him, who was about the same age and I assumed his wife.
Witch Raising Situation (Witch of Mintwood Book 5) Page 14