Page 105 of Bargain With the Boss

And maybe some manual labor would actually be an outlet for this anger.

I stopped into the room off the first floor that had extra clothes and showers. Juggling our various jobs sometimes required a quick change. And because I was going to my sister’s place, I took a second to pull my shit together.

She was way too intuitive—to a staggering level.

I needed to lock down some of my anger.

I took one of the work trucks with my tools in the back and headed out to Luna and Caleb’s place. He was a teacher at St. Agnes and not exactly the handiest guy. He was open to learning, but I’d been so busy with juggling both jobs that I’d been falling down on my lessons.

My sister’s family had been one of the first home builds we’d done. It was a sweet little Craftsman style house perfect for them. It wasn’t a lakefront property like mine and our parents place, but it had a nice yard ready for Milo to use as he got more mobile.

It was only ten minutes from FHK’s office. When I pulled up the drive, Caleb’s car was missing.

I got out and grabbed my toolbox before walking up the stone path to their house. Out front, there were a series of crystals hung along the porch. I wasn’t sure what Luna did exactly, but walking up the steps, I immediately felt lighter.

There was a series of bells on the doorknob. Crystals wound in the twine jangled cheerfully as I opened the door. I had a feeling it had meaning. My witchy sister always had reasons for what she did.

“Shoes!” she called.

Well aware of her penchant for not treading any energy into her place, I toed out of my sneakers and set my toolbox down before heading inside.

The front living room was full of kid toys, blankets, and sippy cups on three different tables. The house smelled woodsy and sweet at the same time. The walls were a calming sage green with about a million plants. An orange cat hopped off the windowsill and wound around my ankles.

I reached down to stroke my hand down his back. “Hey, Cheddar.”

I stepped around a toddler tricycle into the heart of the home. The crisp tang of lemons hit me first, followed by something spicy. It was Luna after all. Harry Styles played through the hidden speakers in a vibey, happy song about sunflowers.

“Hey!” Luna had Milo on her hip as she swayed in front of the sink. “Thanks for coming.”

“Sure.” I walked toward her and scooped Milo off her hip.

He gave a happy laugh. “Ung!”

“Getting better, pal.” Milo flailed chunky fists toward my chin. I winced at the sticky fingers, but the drooly happiness was worth it.

“Sorry, he’s getting his molars. I swear he’s chewing on everything like he was a baby.”

“No problem.”

She was filling a pan when she turned around, her gaze narrowed. “What happened?”

“What? Nothing.”

“Your aura says otherwise.”

I rolled my eyes and swung away from her to sit at the kitchen table. Caleb’s planner was open on the table with a coffee cup on top of it. Luna’s bigger book was on the other side. She worked from home as a tarot reader for in-person and video meetings. I shifted Milo onto my lap, but he squirmed to get down.

“How are the terrible twos?”

“Don’t worry about my terrorizer child. What’s up with you?” She handed Milo a sippy cup and set him behind his puzzle table.

“You called me for help.”

“Okay, but your aura is gray with a haze of red. I think my husband’s blunder can wait.”

“What did he do now?”

“He tried to put up floating shelves in my reading room. It looks like we just had an earthquake and everything is slightly off kilter. Never mind that, you first.”