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“No.” Ashley stopped, cementing her feet firmly on the sidewalk. “I’m not going in there.”

Esther stopped as well, balancing the dish on her hip. “Ashley, you’re there basically every day already.”

“And it’s literally a chore, so thank you, but pass.” Ashley folded her arms across her chest. She couldn’t believe she was debating voluntarilynotspending time with Esther. But at what cost?

“Why are you here all the time if you hate him so much?”

Well, this was a pickle. Did she tell Esther she was a glorified spy working for August’s aunt or confess that she looked forward to her nightly visits as a chance to see Esther? She knew too much already.

Ashley settled on the truth only softer. “Hannah, his aunt. She asked me to check in on him. Like maybe she cares or something?”

“Oh. I guess that’s almost sweet, maybe. In a totally inappropriate way. Couldn’t she just do that herself?”

“I guess she has more of a reputation to uphold.” Ashley kept her answers simple. As much as she wanted to vent everything, she needed to keep Esther safe from vampire business.

“Well, I know you two don’t get along, and it was unfair of me to spring this on you.” The toe of Esther’s boot tapped at the sidewalk. “If you really want to go home, I won’t hold it against you. I just wanted to be with people I care about.”

Ashley narrowed her eyes. “This is manipulation at its finest.”

“I’m Catholic.” Esther shrugged. “Guilt is basically a love language.”

She huffed once, walked around Esther, and stomped up the steps. “I will not be held responsible if I have to kill him before the night is over.”

“Your restraint is appreciated,” Esther called back.

Ashley opened the door, not bothering with the doorbell. “All right, witch, I’m here.”

“Could you not be?” August called from somewhere out of sight.

Uther’s head popped up over the back of the couch, his hair disheveled. “Oh, you’re early.”

“Uther, you hussy!” Esther joined Ashley in the doorway. “We’re supposed to be having Friendsgiving.”

August’s head popped up next to Uther’s. “He was being quite friendly, in my opinion.”

Ashley turned back to Esther, amusement sparkling in her eye. “How exactly does Friendsgiving work again?”

“All right,” Esther announced to the room. “Ashley, you come with me to the kitchen to get this food started. Uther and August, you have three minutes to prepare yourselves accordingly and join us.”

“Want to see what I can do in three minutes?” whispered Uther.

“Uther!” scolded Esther.

Ashley

Ashley set the stuffing on the table, turning the pan just right so the kitschy orange-and brown flower design faced out. Perfect. With the matching dishes the witch had scrounged up and the single sunflower someone had plopped in an empty cup in the middle of the table, it was almost worthy of a visit from Martha Stewart herself. Or at least someone’s parents.

“Should we all go around and say what we’re thankful for or something?” Uther sat primly in his seat, hands folded in front ofhim. Ashley took her seat next to him, purposefully away from a certain undesirable at the table.

“Can Ashley even eat this?” August asked.

Unfortunately, sitting as far away from the witch meant sitting directly across the table, and now she had to look at his ugly face all of dinner.

August made eye contact but continued to speak to the table at large. “I thought she was on a liquid diet these days.”

“Commenting on someone’s diet is tacky, you oaf.” Ashley took a deep breath, trying to calm herself. Esther wanted her on her best behavior. “And I can eat all the food I want to. I just don’t need it.” To be petty, she grabbed one of the rolls he’d been eyeing all of set up and took a generous bite—to prove her point, of course.

“Esther,” August growled, clutching his fork in a fist. “She knows the rolls are my favorite.”