Prelude to a Witch, Amanda Lee [ebook reader web txt] 📗

Hannah had gone upstairs to her room, I slid my eyes to Landon. I did not, however, say a single word.

“What?” Landon barked after a few seconds, his eyes flashing with annoyance. “If you have something to say, say it.”

“I don’t have anything to say.” I turned away from him and finished filling out the ledger. When I finished, I moved to slide around him. “I’m going to get a drink in the library.”

He caught my shoulders before I could escape. “Bay ... .” It was obvious he was bothered by what was happening. Sometimes he was good with words — especially when he wanted to be romantic — but other times he fumbled like a Lions player taking on the Packers on Monday Night Football.

“She’s your ex-girlfriend,” I said.

He studied my face for a long moment and then nodded. “I don’t know that ‘girlfriend’ is the right word. We dated, briefly, in the Academy. That was a long time ago.”

“Okay.” I patted his arm. “I want something to drink.”

He refused to move out of my way. “I was twenty-two years old,” he said. “I thought I was a man back then, but I didn’t become a man until I met you and realized what it meant to love someone.”

“Do you think I’m going to turn into a puddle of insecurity because your ex-girlfriend is here?” I asked.

“I don’t want you feeling insecure. I love you more than anything. That will never change.”

“Thank you, but I’m okay. The fact that she’s your ex-girlfriend might help us. I mean ... she’s less likely to report us for being witchy nuts thanks to her ties to you.”

“I don’t know about that.” Landon scratched his chin. “She was always pragmatic. She didn’t believe anything she couldn’t see with her naked eye. The good news is that I think it’s likely she’ll chalk up anything she sees as part of the Hemlock Cove mystique. The bad news is ... if she sees actual magic, I think she’ll report it.”

That wasn’t what I wanted to hear. “Then I guess we need to make sure that she doesn’t report it.”

“That would be preferable.” Landon brushed his fingers against my cheek. “We’re okay, right, Bay?”

“Of course. Why wouldn’t we be?”

“I don’t know.” He shrugged. “I just ... this feels weird.”

“Why?”

“She’s a part of my old life. I broke up with her and she might still have a crush on me. It’s just … odd all around.”

“We’ll get through it.” I squeezed his hand. “I know you love me. I refuse to be jealous of a woman you dated eight years ago.”

“That’s good, because you have nothing to be jealous about. Not only do I love you more than anything, I’m pretty sure I love you more than anybody has ever loved anybody else in the entire history of the world.”

I couldn’t contain my smile. “You are the competitive sort.”

“This is just an added layer of crap we shouldn’t have to deal with. Between Brian Kelly and a murderer, she’s just a little too much extra to take.”

“It’s fine.” I wasn’t jealous as much as worried. What I didn’t say to Landon was that my greatest fear regarding Hannah’s possible continued interest in him revolved around her watching us a little too closely. “I’m not insecure about this. It’s weird, but we’ve been through much worse.”

He pulled me to him, hugging me tight as he rested his cheek on my head. “I’m still sorry. This is something we shouldn’t have to deal with.”

“We’ll survive.” I was certain of that.

HANNAH WAS UPSTAIRS TEN MINUTES, and by the time she came downstairs, Landon and I had cocktails and were completely put together.

Er, well, completely put together for us. We would never be the sort of couple that didn’t say moronic things and follow up the words with stupid actions.

“This inn is beautiful,” Hannah said as we led her to the dining room. “Will you inherit it eventually?”

I shrugged. “I haven’t really thought about it. The women in my family live a long time. They’ll be here to keep the inn in good running order for a number of years yet.”

“Still, it would be cool to own your own business one day,” Hannah pressed.

“Bay already owns her own business,” Landon said. “She owns the town newspaper.”

Hannah’s expression reflected confusion. “You’re engaged to a reporter? That seems ... weird.”

“Why is that weird?” I asked.

“Because at the academy, Landon always used to say that the only good reporter was a dead one.”

Landon pulled up short. “I did not say that.”

“You did. We were having that discussion on whether or not the media have the right to hold law enforcement accountable if there’s a screw up. We all agreed that it shouldn’t be allowed.”

Landon looked to me. “I did not say that.”

Hannah refused to back down. “I remember very distinctly because I was the only one who thought the press performed an important job.”

Landon glared at her. “I think Bay performs a very important job. I see how hard she works and respect her all the more for it.”

Before he could get up a full head of steam, I grabbed his wrist and gave it a squeeze. “It’s okay if you’ve thought better of ideas you had when you were younger and unevolved,” I pointed out. “I used to think a lot of weird things. It’s not the end of the world.”

He didn’t look convinced. “I never really wished reporters dead,” he said finally, shooting Hannah an annoyed look. “She’s making that up.”

Hannah’s laugh told me she was having a good time. “I see you’re still the same protective guy you always were. He’s always been a gentleman,” she said to me.

“I don’t know that I would call him a gentleman,” I hedged, thinking back to three nights before, when he conned my mother into making him an entire plate of bacon for a bedtime snack and then proceeded to eat it in bed while trying to get me naked.

Landon’s eyes lit with flirty