Witch Weigh (A Paranormal Romantic Comedy) (8 page)

After they’d gone to join the frozen yogurt line, a still numb Tessa accepted a diet soda from a waiter. She leaned against the wall, feeling no desire to mingle.

“Having fun?”

Tessa started. She hadn’t heard anyone come up beside her. She turned, a polite but dismissive smile pasted on her lips.

“Aunt Trudy!” Tessa squealed. She’d never been so happy to see anyone before. “I can’t believe you’re here.” She threw herself into her aunt’s arms and hugged her close. “Your timing couldn’t be better! I’m so happy to see you.” And she meant it.

Her aunt, dressed like Cleopatra, returned her smile. “You look beautiful, Tessa.”

“Thank you,” Tessa beamed. “And you look less tired than usual.”

“I see you still know your way around a compliment. Aren’t you going to ask me what I’m doing here?”

Tessa grinned. “I don’t have to. I already know.” She set her glass of soda on a small side table. “Give me a moment to run upstairs and get my things. Oh, never mind, there’s nothing here I need to take with me. Let me just fetch Jinx and we can leave.”

“Wait, Tessa.”

Tessa froze, feeling as if she’d just been doused with a bucket of ice cold water. She knew that tone of voice and it meant she wasn’t going to get what she wanted. She slowly turned to face her aunt.

“I thought you came to bring me home.”

Her aunt shook her head. “It’s not time yet, my dear.”

“Not time?” Tessa repeated dully. “But I’ve got it. I understand everything now, everything you and the council wanted me to learn.”

“Let’s go sit somewhere so we can talk.”

“I don’t want to talk,” Tessa protested. “I want to leave. Now.” She grabbed her aunt’s arm. “I can explain everything on the way back, tell you everything. You’ll be so pleased.”

“Tell me what you think you’ve learned.”

Tessa stepped back and frowned. “You say it’s not time for me to go back, and I don’t believe you came to ask me what I’ve learned, which means you’ve come to tell me something.”

Her aunt’s silence was answer enough. Damn. It couldn’t be good news. But Aunt Trudy and her precious coven had already taken away her magic, her figure, even her cat, for crying out loud. There was nothing else she cared about, except for her dream of representing the coven in Europe.

“You brought me news?” Tessa’s emotions swung from despair back to joy. “I’m in? The United Paranormal Council chose me?”

“No, Tessa. They haven’t chosen anyone. Although I did hear that the field has been narrowed down to two candidates.”

“And I’m one of them?”

“You are.” Her aunt smiled.

Tessa couldn’t contain her joy. She didn’t even care if her happy dance drew stares. “When are they going to issue a final decision?”

Her aunt shook her head. “Back up, Contessa. You’re getting ahead of yourself.” She took Tessa by the arm and led her out through the French doors and onto the patio. “Even if you are selected you would still need the Upper Hallows Council’s approval as well. After all, you’d be representing not just yourself but all of those who have come before you.”

Tessa plopped down on a chaise lounger. She leaned back and closed her eyes. “I give up. I have no idea what you want from me.”

Her aunt sat on the end of Tessa’s lounger. “Tell me what you think you’ve learned that you think changes everything.”

This she could do. “I’ve figured out that if I do something nice for someone, or even say something nice, my body shrinks.”

“And from this you surmise precisely what?”

“That by acting nice I can get whatever I want.” But as she spoke the words Tessa realized they hadn’t come out right. The look on her aunt’s face confirmed this. “I meant to say --”

The other woman held up her hand. “I know what you meant.” She shook her head, looking more remorseful than Tessa had ever seen her. “I came to see you too soon.” She stood.

“Wait, Aunt Trudy, don’t go.” Tessa got up. “I want to hear what you have to say, what you think.”

“You know, my dear niece, this is the first time you’ve ever said anything like that. I leave you, then, content knowing that you’ve made some progress at least.”

Before Tessa could stop her, Aunt Trudy was gone in a tiny puff of blue smoke. Tessa coughed and waved it away with her hand. “Good riddance,” she called out, her trembling voice belying her words.

She flopped back down on the chaise, feeling more than a little sorry for herself. Why would there be two fairy godpersons here if neither one of them was doing a thing for her? Hadn’t Cinderella’s fairy godmother helped her score big time? It wasn’t fair. Why hadn’t the council given her a genie instead? Three wishes would be exactly what she’d need and, assuming her genie were half as handsome as Liam, she could have handled rubbing his lamp to see what he could do for her.

***

Liam stood in the shadows and watched Tessa. She sat on a chaise lounge, legs stretched out and crossed at the ankles. Her long fingernails tapping on the arm rest gave her restlessness away. Did she have any idea how attractive her new curvaceous figure was? He doubted it. He shook his head to clear his thoughts. It was her feelings, not her curves, that he should be concerned about.

“Cute halo. It suits you.” Liam stepped around the front of her chair. Her startled expression was priceless. “A penny for your thoughts, Angel.”

“Never mind what I was thinking.” Tessa swung her legs around and stood to face him.

Not one for backing down, his Tessa. His Tessa. The words rolled through his mind but he couldn’t believe he’d ever be so fortunate. Especially not after she found out.

They stood facing each other, a crackling sexual chemistry surrounding them like a force field. Liam let his gaze unabashedly wander over Tessa’s face, caressing her features. Her full lips entranced him, and when she wet them with her tongue he couldn’t contain his desire. He slipped one arm around her back and drew her closer. He used his free hand to tip her face up. When her eyes closed, eyelashes dark against her creamy skin, he lowered his mouth to kiss her but then stopped, reason pulling him back from the very edge of desire.

This woman was a witch. A witch who practiced silent spells. And damn, but she was a powerfully seductive creature who had nearly ensnared him. He loosened his hold on her. “You’re no angel, Contessa.”

Her ever so hard to read eyes stared up at him for a long moment before she pulled back and slipped out of his arms, breaking the spell.

She took a deep breath. “Where’s my dog?” she finally demanded in an uneven voice.

Liam let out a low whistle and a moment later Jinx came running through the open doors, his leash dragging behind him. Liam reached down to pat the terrier, which only caused its tail to wag harder, which in turn only caused Tessa to look more put out.

She held out her arms. “Jump.”

Jinx stayed put, cocking his head sideways to signal his confusion.

“Sit.” Liam snapped his fingers. Jinx sat. Liam turned to look at Tessa and was surprised by the pain in her eyes. He resisted the urge to reach out to her. Her sadness, her sense of loss, her confusion about Jinx’s form, they were all emotions he knew she needed to experience.

“Does he want to go for a walk?” Tessa asked, her voice filled with uncertainty.

“Ask him.”

She looked down at the dog. “I can’t believe I’m doing this.” She knelt down. “Do you want to go for a walk?”

In answer, Jinx jumped to his feet, barked and ran circles around her.

“That’s a yes, I take it,” she said, sounding resigned.

They reached for the leash at the same time. Liam’s hand brushed Tessa’s, and judging by her surprised expression, she felt the same electric sparks of energy he did.

He smiled. Progress at long last.

Chapter Eleven

“Start with what you know, Tessa,” Marcus said from the treadmill next to hers.

Tessa grabbed her towel from the treadmill handrail and wiped her face. “At this point, I don’t even know what I know, Marcus.” And that was the truth if ever she’d told it. When it came to getting her magic back she felt as if she were on an emotional treadmill, sweating it out but getting nowhere. At least her body was slimming down, but that was the only progress she seemed to be making. She’d spent the last two weeks since the masquerade party avoiding Liam. He’d tried more than a few times to speak to her alone but she’d stuck close to Claudia, Bethany or Marcus. Not that this would stop him if he’d really wanted to talk to her, she told herself. The man had magical powers, didn’t he?
Marcus reached over and pushed the incline arrow on her treadmill. “You’d better step it up, sister. Coach Kennedy is watching you.”

Tessa slapped his hand away. “Don’t even think of touching that arrow again, Marcus, or I’ll turn you into a frog.”

Marcus laughed. And that, at least, was something positive. The change in Marcus during the last few weeks had been nothing short of amazing. He’d faithfully attended and participated in anger management classes with her. And he’d thrown himself into his workouts. He was looking good.

Tessa had managed to get him to open up about the minor league baseball team he’d been kicked out of when his weight got out of control.

His idiot team manager had cut Marcus from the team via email. The jerk. She didn’t blame Marcus for being angry, but she was proud of the way he was working through his resentment. She wanted to help him. If only she had her magic.

“Come on, talk to me, Tessa.” He increased the speed on his console and started a slow jog. “We’ve got thirty more minutes before we move on to free weights so we might as well solve all of your problems since we’re going nowhere on this damn thing. What’s eatin at ya?”

Where to start? How to start? She didn’t have much experience conversing with mortals. They were so sensitive to anyone different, even amongst their own kind. But, as far as humans went, Marcus was pretty cool. She’d never really had a friend before but she liked hanging out with him. And maybe he could help.

“There’s this guy--”

“Ha! I knew it,” Marcus interrupted her. He shook his head. “He messed with you and now you don’t know what’s what with him.”

“In a manner of speaking.” Perhaps messed with wasn’t a fair way to describe things but Tessa wasn’t feeling particularly charitable. “And on top of that, I’m up for this amazing job promotion that would mean relocating to Europe, which is my one dream. But this guy is standing between me and the job.”

“Gotcha. Anything else?”

“I miss my cat.”

They trudged on in silence for a few moments before Marcus spoke. “I don’t know what to say about your cat but here’s my spare change about your dude. Man, you gotta get him alone and give him what’s what. Let him know he can’t mess with a piece as fine as you.” He took a swig from his water bottle and then looked over at her. “You get what I’m saying?”

Honestly, she hadn’t considered cornering and threatening Liam, but the idea wasn’t half bad. “What if he doesn’t see things my way?”

“Make him see things your way. You’re a woman. Women are always twistin’ men this way and that to get what they want. Don’t tell me you haven’t done that before.”

Tessa nodded. “Maybe I have.” She just couldn’t tell Marcus that the twisting she’d done had left men in some pretty uncomfortable situations. She thought of the construction worker she’d left to dangle from a crane. Yeah. She probably shouldn’t have done that.

“Hey, Tessa, stay with me,” Marcus said, his deep voice rounding up her stray thoughts. “What’s this guy got?”

“Got?” Tessa asked.

“What’s the turn on?” Marcus clarified.

Tessa didn’t answer. How to explain Liam’s charm? And charming he was; he’d gotten under her skin. She couldn’t deny it. But she could fight it.

“Is there another chick involved in all of this?” Marcus asked.

A vision of Fiona’s gold wing tattoo flittered through Tessa’s mind. “Unfortunately, yes. And I don’t know what to make of her interference.”

“You jealous?”

“As if,” Tessa shot back.

“Yeah, thought as much. Whatcha gonna do about your job problem?” he asked.

“I don’t know, Marcus, but I think if I can get my man trouble sorted out the job will fall into place.” She punched the number five on her treadmill and started to jog. “Now leave me alone because I can’t run and talk at the same time.”

***

After a hellacious free weight workout Tessa made her way to the locker room. Her quivering legs wanted to head in the direction of the sauna but she overruled them and headed to the changing area. A quick shower was all she had time for before she went in search of a telephone. It seemed everyone but her carried a tiny telephone in their pocket.

Her conversation with Marcus had given her an idea. She wasn’t sure what to do to help herself, but an idea of how to help her new friend had popped into her head during a triceps extension.

Wet hair hanging down her back, Tessa explored the corridor between the men’s and women’s locker room. She found a small, unoccupied office. At first touch the door seemed locked but Tessa refused to be deterred. She rubbed her hands together and then tapped her index finger against her palm. She was rewarded with a spark of energy and the doorknob turned when she tried a second time. A slow smile spread across her face. Witch 1. Fairies 0.

The thrill of victory soon soured into frustration as she struggled to figure out how the computer worked. The big fat button looked like it should be pushed. So she did. The little screen button she pushed next. Shouldn’t that do the trick? The idea of using magic briefly entered her mind but she dismissed it. Whatever abilities she’d gained back she didn’t want to waste on something a mere mortal could do for her. She needed someone to assist her. She thought for a moment. Bethany. Yes, easy going, compliant Bethany was just the human to help.

Tessa glanced up at the clock. Unless she was mistaken, Bethany and Claudia’s group had just finished their lap swimming which meant showers were next. Bethany should be easy to track down.