Read Chick with a Charm Online
Authors: Vicki Lewis Thompson
Chick with a Charm (34 page)
“Aka sexual encounters,” Miles added helpfully.
“I know what he meant.” Griffin was feeling more miserable by the second. “I’m going cold turkey.”
“For your own good,” Kevin reminded him. “You’ll thank us.”
“I’m already thanking you.” Griffin took a swallow of his beer. “But that doesn’t mean I’m going to enjoy this.”
Kevin made a note on his legal pad. “Okay. Tuesday you can leave the office early so you’ll be at Lily’s right after she goes to work. If you spend her entire eight-hour shift hanging out with Daisy, you
might
break the spell.”
might
break the spell.”
“Maybe.” Miles looked over his figures. “Obviously, some of these estimates could be off, but damn, you had a lot of sex in a very short time.”
“Yeah.” Griffin was already mourning the loss of it. “What if the spell made me more studly than I really am? What if after I break it, I can’t keep up the pace?”
“I dunno.” Miles took another swig of his beer. “Were you any good before?”
That cracked Kevin up. “How do you expect him to answer, moron? You think he’s going to admit that he wasn’t?”
Miles gazed at Griffin across the table. “I think you would, Griff. You’re not hung up on your rep like some guys in this room.”
Kevin continued to chuckle. “Speak for yourself, Miles.”
“At least I admit it.” Miles turned his attention back to Griffin. “So, were you any good in bed before Lily zapped you?”
“I was okay, I guess. Nobody ever complained. But with Lily, it was like . . . like going from analog TV to high-def with Blu-ray.”
“Whoa.” Miles reared back in his seat. “I need me some of that potion.”
Kevin shook his head. “No, you don’t, Miles. It might sound great, until you think about the total loss of control over your life.”
“Hey, it might be worth it!”
“It almost was,” Griffin said. “Believe me, it almost was.”
Chapter 27
Lily was extremely put out with her dog. She’d taken Daisy to the dog park and tried several times to coax her to play the way she had with Griffin, but Daisy refused. Instead she flopped down on the grass with her head on her paws, looking as depressed as Lily felt.
Crouching down next to Daisy, Lily stared into the dog’s expressive brown eyes. “Hey, Daisy, don’t you know dogs are supposed to be cheerful, bouncy, and generally the sort of animal you want around to improve your mood and make you laugh?”
Daisy let out a little doggie sigh but didn’t change position.
“At this rate I might have to get you some doggie Prozac.”
Dogs weren’t supposed to be capable of rolling their eyes, and yet that’s exactly what Daisy did.
Lily blew out a breath in surrender and stood. “Okay, babe. You can do this kind of thing at home. We don’t have to be down here at the dog park for you to lie around moping.”
“Is she feeling okay?” A guy in jeans and a sweatshirt came over, a standard poodle at his heels.
Lily vaguely realized he’d been at the park when she and Daisy had arrived, but she hadn’t paid much attention to him. She was in her own fog, too. But she should at least be polite and answer a well-meant question from another dog lover.
“I think she’s fine,” she said. “All her vitals are good, and she’s eating normally. She’s used to having a certain person around, and apparently she misses him a lot.”
“The divorce lawyer.”
Lily did a double-take. “You know Griffin?”
“Not really. We met briefly when he brought Daisy to the park a few days ago. I remembered Daisy because she’s so intelligent and . . . I don’t know how to put it . . . sensitive, I guess.”
“Maybe too sensitive.” Lily shook her head. “I didn’t think having Griffin gone would bother her this much, but she’s been in a mood ever since last night.”
“So he’s on a trip of some kind?”
Lily finally tuned in to what she usually noticed right away. The guy was interested in her. Because she was here without Griffin and because Griffin seemed to be gone somewhere, the guy wanted to know more, like whether Griffin would be coming back or if the field was clear.
“He, um, has some things to take care of.” That sounded lame, exactly as if they’d broken up. She didn’t know if they were broken up or not, but Griffin hadn’t contacted her since the party.
“Well, seeing as how your dog doesn’t want to play, and Max doesn’t have the cocker spaniel around this morning, how about we walk them over to the nearest Starbucks?”
“Thanks, anyway.” She smiled to take the sting out of the rejection.
“So, you and the lawyer are involved, after all.”
“Yes.” Or at least she was. The idea of going for coffee with someone other than Griffin held absolutely no appeal. She’d forced herself to party hearty last night, and then she’d had to fend off Brad toward the end. Apparently her heart belonged to a man who might or might not want it. The jury was still out on that.
“Let me know if anything changes. The name’s Mitch Adams.”
Lily knew she was supposed to introduce herself after that, but she didn’t. “See you.”
The guy inclined his head, as if he’d gotten the message. With a wave he and his poodle left the dog park.
Lily looked at Daisy, who continued to act as if she’d lost her best friend. “I didn’t want to exchange names with that guy, but you don’t have any reason not to sniff that poodle. Isn’t that what dogs are supposed to do?”
Daisy gave her a glance that clearly said some things were beneath her.
“We might as well head on home, then.” Lily reached down and snapped the leash onto Daisy’s collar. “This dog park has memories for me, too, you know. I’m not having a picnic with this situation, either. Come on. Haul yourself up.”
Daisy stood and walked toward the gate, but there was no bounce in her step. Once Lily got her back to the apartment, she decided to leave her there and go over to Anica’s coffee shop, Wicked Brew. Hanging around with Daisy was only making her feel worse.
She could go see her folks, but that wouldn’t help, either. They’d only ask about Griffin, and because they didn’t know the whole story she’d have to skirt the subject as best she could. Anica was the only person who knew the truth and would understand what she was going through, and now that the engagement party was over, Lily didn’t feel so guilty unloading on her.
She took the bus over to Anica’s shop and tried not to think of the times she’d ridden the bus with Griffin. They’d created some potent memories, and now she had to live with them. She’d worn a favorite pair of red high-heeled boots today along with a red blouse and denim short-shorts.
The effort seemed wasted, but she was determined not to look as bad as she felt. Although she checked her cell phone constantly, it remained silent. Griffin was keeping his distance, probably because he was in the process of breaking the spell.
Wicked Brew was busy, and Anica was behind the counter helping her two employees keep up with the orders. Lily stood in line and waited her turn while trying not to fidget. By the time she got to the counter she discovered that she’d managed to knot the straps of her backpack together so that she couldn’t get to her money.
Anica waved away her promises to pay later for the triple-shot espresso. “It’s on the house. The rush should be over in a few minutes, and then I can come over and talk to you.”
“Thanks. I’d appreciate that.” Lily felt better just being in the cheerful bustle of Wicked Brew. Office buildings, including the one where Jasper worked, were a short block away, and Anica catered to that crowd by opening early and closing in the late afternoon and on weekends.
She used magic to keep the white Formica tables and the black-and-white checkered tile spotless. She always placed red carnations in bud vases on every table, and made sure the coffee was some of the best in town. Lily wished she lived a little closer to Wicked Brew, but there hadn’t been any apartments available in that neighborhood when she’d needed one.
Now she was settled in a spot she liked, or at least she had liked it until she’d brought Griffin into the mix. Now she could barely stand to be in the apartment, because Griffin wasn’t there and might never be there again.
Anica called her name for the coffee drink, and Lily carried it over to one of the few vacant tables in the place. Fortunately the nice weather meant Anica could set some tables and chairs out in front. Everywhere Lily looked, people were laughing and smiling, enjoying the lovely spring morning.
Anica was probably happy, too, on the heels of her rousing engagement party. Lily felt guilty for coming into such a positive environment, trailing black ribbons of depression.
The triple-shot espresso helped. A few sips of that and she began feeling loads better. Maybe if she kept herself jacked up on coffee for the next few days, she’d barely notice that she wanted to crawl into a drainage pipe and never come out.
Anica hurried over and sat down, wiping her hands on a paper towel. “You look like crap.”
“I know.” She started to get up. “I didn’t mean to come here and bring you down. I’ll just take my coffee and—”
“Hey, hey.” Anica grabbed her arm and urged her back to her seat. “I didn’t mean to drive you off. But judging from those dark circles under your eyes, I’d say you haven’t slept much.”
Lily allowed herself to be coaxed back into her seat. “Stupid concealer is no good. I should have taken time to brew up an under-eye potion, but all I could think of was coming over to see you.”
“Poor Lily.” Anica stroked her arm. “You haven’t heard from him.”
Lily shook her head. “How about the Lowells? Have they called?”
“No, and just for the record, I have no idea what they told him. They never divulge that kind of information.”
“But they told him something.” Lily sipped her coffee drink. “I’m sure of that.”
“Oh, I’m sure they did, too. The very fact that he’s changed his pattern and is staying away is proof.”
Lily rotated her coffee cup between her palms, mixing the contents some more, although they didn’t really need it. “I’ve thought about trying to take Chad’s shift tonight, in case Griffin and his friends come in.”
“Don’t do it. He’d know why you did, and you don’t want to signal that you’re needy.”
“But I
am
needy!” Lily heard the unattractive whine in her voice and grimaced. “Forget I said that.”
am
needy!” Lily heard the unattractive whine in her voice and grimaced. “Forget I said that.”
“Lil, what caused him to leave last night?”
Lily described the circumstances, and when she was finished, Anica reached over and stroked her cheek.
“I’m so sorry for what you’re going through, but you should be proud. You beat back that adrenaline rush and did the right thing.”
“It may be the right thing, but it feels like doggie do. And that’s the other thing. Daisy, the turncoat, is in mourning because Griffin’s not there. Isn’t she supposed to be offering me comfort?”
Anica took a deep breath. “Normally, yeah. But you used her to create the elixir, so there’s probably a strong bond between them now. She might really need him around.”
“Well, that’s just great. Griffin’s definitely not around, and if he’s this good at staying away, he might not ever be around again. What am I supposed to do about Daisy?”
“I don’t know, Lil. You could ask Dorcas and Ambrose.”
“No, thank you very much, but I think I’ll forgo that option. I’ll let Griffin be the contact point there.” She glanced across the table at her sister. “Aren’t they supposed to be matchmakers?”
“That’s one of the things they do. They certainly helped Jasper and me.”
“So far all they’ve done for me and Griffin is drive us farther apart.” She met Anica’s sympathetic gaze. “But I have to thank you, sis, for not saying
I told you so.
You could say it and nobody would blame you.”
I told you so.
You could say it and nobody would blame you.”
Anica gazed at her, a hint of humor in her blue eyes. “Want me to say it and fulfill my job as a big sister?”
“Zeus’s balls, no! In fact, let’s talk about you. My life is too depressing. How are Fred and Janet, your soon-to-be in-laws?”
Anica made a face. “They flew out of O’Hare this morning, and I swear, a big black cloud moved away from the sun the minute their plane took off.”
“I’m afraid they didn’t appreciate Mom’s fertility symbol gift.”
“And the more they criticized it, the more I came to love it, which is not a good sign.” Anica sighed. “I should try harder to like them, but they are beyond dull, and they have such a negative attitude toward everything. I’m sure the hotel was delighted to get rid of them.”
“Are they going to sue? They tried to rope Griffin into helping them do that.” Lily was proud of herself for saying Griffin’s name without breaking into tears.
“I’m not sure if they’ll sue or not. I think that’s still on the table. The only good news is that they never suspected that your magic show was real, because they wouldn’t dream such things could happen. The bad news is that their lack of imagination is really depressing.”
“Looking forward to that relationship, are you?”
Anica groaned. “I’d rather take a sharp stick in the eye than deal with them, and yet they’re Jasper’s parents, so what am I going to do?”
“Give them an imagination elixir so they’ll become more interesting?”
“That’s not even funny.”
“Yes, it is.” Lily discovered that making Anica feel better buoyed her spirits more than the triple espresso. “You’re trying not to laugh.” She pointed a finger at her sister. “See, you think it’s funny. You’re already planning how you’re going to slip an elixir in their decaf or their diet ginger ale.”
Anica covered her mouth but the giggles escaped, anyway. “That would be a kick. Hera’s hickeys, I’m tempted.”
“I’ll help. We can test whether it’s working by bringing out the fertility symbol to see if their reaction improves.”
“And if they’re still horrified by that gigantic penis, we’ll keep dosing them with the elixir until they covet the fertility symbol for their mantel at home.” Anica’s cheeks were pink with laughter. “Tell you what. We’ll see how bad things get between now and the wedding.”
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