“Vanilla soy latte please,” she interrupted.
“Done.” He got out of the car.
“Oh, and a chocolate chip muffin?” she called after him.
He grinned, nodding. “Whatever ya wish, love.”
Jennifer watched him through the window of the coffee shop. The barista giggled as she took his order, flinging her hair over her shoulder. Jennifer was more fascinated than jealous. Everyone Rory talked to walked away with a smile on their face. There was an easiness to his manner, and yet unmistakable confidence.
She leaned over to open the driver’s side door when he returned with the coffees and a muffin. He handed her order to her.
“Shall we go somewhere to enjoy them?” he asked.
“Would you mind driving me home?” Jennifer held her latte in one hand and a giant muffin in the other. She leaned over to bite the top of the muffin while keeping the bottom wrapped in paper.
“Not at all.” He put his coffee between his knees and pulled out of the parking lot.
“And would you mind going in with me?” she asked. “I know that weird voice I was hearing had something to do with—whatever that was.”
“We’ll call it a possession spell,” he supplied.
“Yeah, that,” she said. “I know that the voice wasn’t real, but—”
“No, it was very real,” he countered. “And, yes, I’ll check your home for ya. Then, I think ya should pack a bag and stay with me.”
“I don’t think I can stay at the mansion,” she said.
“Then at the motel with me,” Rory stated. “I want to check on Jim anyway.”
“Jim?”
“The puppy. I’m keeping him and naming him Jim.”
Jennifer smiled. “That’s nice to hear the little guy is getting a home. I’ve been a little worried about him.”
“As I was saying, if ya don’t want to stay in the mansion or the motel, I can take ya home, but I’ll stay there with ya. Wherever ya are, I’m there too. I’m not leaving ya alone.”
Jennifer could not see Rory MacGregor living in a trailer with her, not after seeing his mansion of a house.
“Don’t you think I broke the spell or possession or whatever when I refused to stab you? The anger hasn’t come back.”
All it takes is a dash of destiny, and everything can change.
Rory grinned. “Glad to hear ya no longer want to stab me, but it’s too soon to say whether or not it’s over.”
Rory drove toward her house. She had to stop him from going past it since the last time he’d dropped her off she hadn’t shown in the actual location.
“Park here,” she indicated, pointing to the curb.
He glanced at the two-story house near where she indicated. “It looks charming.”
“I’m sure it is for the people who live there.” Jennifer opened the car door and stepped onto the curb. She carried the latte and muffin with her. “Mine is this way.”
Jennifer cut between the two houses toward the alleyway. She ate the muffin a little faster than in the car, letting crumbs fall on the ground. When they reached the trailer home, she frowned. “Crap. I think my key is back at the mansion.”
Rory chuckled and lifted a finger. “Allow me.”
He went to the latch and jiggled the handle. It opened.
“If this whole billionaire warlock thing doesn’t work out for you, I think you have a real future as a locksmith.” She hesitated as she glanced into the open doorway.
“It would have been more impressive if ya would have locked the door,” Rory said.
Jennifer frowned. “Oh, yeah, I forgot. I ran out of here pretty quickly after hearing that creepy voice.”
She remembered the money she’d left on the kitchen counter and hoped it was still there. If anyone tried the latch, she could have been out her tip money.
Rory went into the home and instantly began inspecting the rooms for an intruder. Jennifer went to the kitchen and grabbed the wad of cash that was thankfully still lying where she’d left it.
“All clear,” Rory called.
“Thanks,” she answered. “Uh, just have a seat in the living room if you like. I won’t be but a minute.”
His broader shoulders made the hallway leading past the bathroom feel small. Rory had to turn sideways to pass the washer. He went to sit on the couch.
Jennifer frowned as she opened the washer. The wet clothes left to sit overnight had a slight musty smell to them. The intruder had disrupted her routine, and she hadn’t hung them over the shower rod to dry for her next shift.
“Do they have a laundry room at the motel for guests?” Jennifer asked.
“If they don’t, I have magick,” he answered.
Jennifer went to the bedroom to pack a duffel bag. She shoved all her cash and what little jewelry she had into the side pocket.
“Is this a picture of you with your dad?” Rory had found her one photo on the wall.
“Yeah, and my brother,” Jennifer answered. She replaced his pajama pants with a pair of jeans and slipped on a pair of shoes. She put his pajamas in the bag to return later. “It’s the only picture I have of us all together.”
“You were an adorable child,” he said.
In many ways, that photo was the most valuable thing she owned.
“Would you mind grabbing the picture for me?” she asked, setting her duffel bag on the counter and getting a small trash bag for her wet clothes. “I don’t feel right leaving it here if I’m not going to be coming back each night.”
“Anything else?” He brought the framed photo to her.
“No, that should about do it.” She put the picture in the bag and zipped it. “I just need to get my work clothes.”
“When is your next shift?” he asked. “I’ll go in with ya.”
At least he wasn’t trying to tell her she couldn’t work.
“Tomorrow,” she answered. “That is if I still have a job after my performance last night. I was a freaking mess. I wouldn’t blame the boss
