Page 12 of Hooked on a Demon (Leeside Witches #3)

“What’s wrong with you?” she asks herself.

Pushing herself away from the counter, she grabs a glass from the cupboard and fills it with cold water from the filtered jug in the fridge.

As she turns to close the fridge door, her phone chimes.

Picking it up from the counter, she glances quickly at the card still sitting there, calling out to her.

Kaia

Good morning bestie!

Was thinking of doing a little brunchie-brunch today. You interested?

Eliana

Brunchie-brunch? Really?

Yes. It’s a delicious meal between breakfast and lunch. Often with mimosas.

I know what brunch is

I was questioning your phrasing lol

Brunchie-brunch is perfect. It’s fun, it’s clear. It’s the best.

Anyway, you in?

Where? What time?

Krumb-Krushers

10:30?

Oooh. Krumb-Krushers is great.

She checks the time on her phone. Meeting for 10:30 doesn’t give her a ton of time, but she also hasn’t seen her bestie in what feels like forever.

And she does have the day off… so a mimosa or two wouldn’t be a horrible thing.

Her phone chimes in her hand again, drawing her attention back to the conversation.

Way to leave a girl hanging…

You do know I like to keep you in suspense

Don’t I know it.

So what do you say? Will you go on a brunchie-brunch date with me?

Alright, yes! But only if you stop calling it brunchie-brunch.

I’ll try, but I can’t make any promises.

That will have to do, I guess.

I’ll see you soon!

Arriving at the restaurant, Eliana takes a quick glance in the window, trying to see if Kaia is here yet, and uses the opportunity to check her reflection.

She tucks a stray hair behind her ear and sees a hand inside waving at her.

She raises a hand and wiggles her fingers back at Kaia, then reaches over and pulls open the door.

The bell chimes overhead, and as she steps into the building, she’s overtaken by the smell of fresh bread, bacon, and coffee. She must be hungrier than she thought because the mix of scents is heavenly and causes her mouth to water.

As she steps toward the table, she notices that Kaia isn’t alone. She didn’t say anything about it being a group gathering, and the fact that it won’t be the two of them for a girl’s date saddens her a bit, but she puts on a smile anyway, not wanting to upset anyone at the table.

“Ellie!” Kaia jumps up, stepping quickly around the table, and hugs her. “I’m so happy to see you.”

Laughing, Eliana replies, “I can tell. It hasn’t been that long. Though I do appreciate the enthusiasm.”

“Oh, shush. I’m happy to see my friend.” Moving back to her seat, Kaia extends her hand and waves it at the open chair, “Sit. Sit.”

Eliana removes her coat, hanging it on the back of the chair, and does as instructed.

“Ellie, this is Charlie and Wendall,” Kaia says, gesturing to the other ladies at the table, who each extend a hand and shake Eliana’s.

“I know Charlie from my old job at the bank, and Wendall is her friend. We happened to come in at the same time and got to chatting, so we grabbed a table together.” Kaia looks at her, secretly asking with her expression if this is okay.

Of course, it’s a little late now, but Eliana is nothing if not a people pleaser, so she nods slightly and sees the sense of relief cross her friend’s eyes.

“So wonderful to meet you both. How long did you two work together?” Eliana asks Charlie.

“A couple of years. It was my first job after getting my degree in business administration from Leeside University. Kaia took me under her wing, showing me all the things I needed to know when working in the field.” She laughs.

“I always felt like I was bugging her with all my questions, but she was so gracious, never hesitating to help me when I needed. We ended up hanging out outside of work and became actual friends.”

Kaia smiles at her as she takes a sip of her water. “She’s being modest. Charlie was one of the best employees we had. Not seeing her every day and being able to gossip about all things Leeside was probably the hardest part of leaving that job.”

“But you needed it. You weren’t going to get the growth you wanted if you stayed there any longer.”

She nods in agreement. “True. Anyway, I was so happy to run into you that I couldn’t miss the chance to have a meal together.”

Eliana looks over at Wendall, who appears bored with the conversation.

Not that Eliana blames her, it feels a little odd watching the two of them.

Looking at Kaia again, Eliana can see a little flush in her cheeks.

Perhaps there’s more to that friendship than Charlie is saying.

Trying to bring the conversation away from whatever may exist between Charlie and Kaia, Eliana turns to Wendall, asking, “What about you? How did you and Charlie meet?”

Wendall’s face lights up, as if the tiny question is the best gift in the world. “We are actually childhood best friends. We met in kindergarten and, according to our parents, became instantly attached at the hip. We had to have playdates every weekend, much to our parents’ grumbling.”

“Aww, that’s cute,” Eliana says. “Kaia and I met as children, too. We were like five or six, I think. We shared a deep love of princesses and turtles. Like you, we’ve been kind of inseparable since.

Though we never lived together.” She laughs.

“As much as we love each other, I don’t think that would have gone well. ”

Kaia laughs along with her. “Yeah, that would have been a quick way to end our friendship.” Charlie and Wendall join in the giggles, and Wendall shares some moments of tension they had as roommates, including when Charlie’s ex-boyfriend was found sleepwalking naked around the apartment, which causes the group to break out into another fit of laughter.

As the laughter wanes, a waiter arrives at their table and takes their orders. The conversation continues easily between the four of them, and Eliana could easily see the group getting together more often.

“Oh, I have to tell you about this horrible hookup I had recently.”

Eliana catches Kaia’s eyes light up, and Wendall’s eyes roll. Clearly, Wendall has already heard all about it, but Kaia’s practically salivating at the juicy story ahead. Eliana sides a little more with Kaia, her interest piqued because, well, dating horror stories can be fun as hell.

“Ooooo, spill it,” Kaia says eagerly.

Charlie laughs, takes a bite of her eggs, and starts.

“Okay. So I met this guy at a club. It was the typical kind of meeting. We locked eyes, and he came over and started dancing with me; we got drinks, went back on the dance floor, and, well, things were clearly heating up. We started making out on the floor, and it was like no one else was there. We didn’t care.

Hands were roaming, tongues were flying, and his ridiculously big dick was trying to bruise me through my dress. ”

“Off to a good start,” Eliana interjects.

“Right? Anyway, one thing leads to another, and we go back to my place, fuck all night, and like this guy is good . Really good. I have never been eaten out like that. I swear, he devoured me like I was his last meal.”

Wendall coughs beside her, trying to hide a giggle, and Eliana catches the side glances from the patrons nearby. Charlie doesn’t give a shit and continues, “Anyway, it was wild and hot. Honestly might have been the best sex I’ve ever had.”

Eliana sees Kaia’s eyes widen again, this time from surprise. “That’s something! Also, I’m kind of jealous,” Kaia laughs. “I could use a good lay right about now.”

“Can’t we all,” Eliana says mostly under her breath, causing the group to erupt into laughter again. To be honest, since her ex, the interest in sex hasn’t been there. That is, until she saw Declan. He’s certainly ignited parts of her again.

“So what’s the bad part? Because that all sounds like a dream,” Kaia asks.

“Well, when I woke up, he was gone. He skipped out without saying goodbye.” Eliana’s face tightens in sympathetic frustration.

That’s never a good feeling. Not that she can speak from experience, never having had a one-night stand.

“I get that it was likely a one-time thing. But like that was especially asshole-ish. We had exchanged numbers at some point, so I texted him the other night to try and meet up again for another round. He brushed me off and then tried to say that I deserved someone better. But he was a complete dick about it.”

“That’s rough,” Eliana says at the same time Kaia says, “What a dick.”

The couple next to them glares at them, and Eliana nudges Kaia’s arm with her elbow. “Sorry,” Kaia says with a sheepish look.

“Look, it’s for the best,” Wendall interjects.

“Yeah, I guess.” Charlie agrees, picking up a piece of toast. “But like, the way he devoured me…” She sighs. “I would have liked at least one more go.”

Wendall pats Charlie’s arm in fake sympathy, saying, “I know,” with a not-so-subtle smirk.

As the meal ends, Eliana feels a sense of joy at how the gathering unfolded.

Did she want to give up what feels like precious girl time with Kaia?

No, but as they walk out the door and say their final goodbyes, she can honestly say she’s pleased to have met them.

So much so that she exchanges numbers with Charlie and Wendell, and they agree to meet up again soon.

Kaia hooks her arm into Eliana’s while they walk back to Eliana’s car. She leans her head on Eliana’s shoulder and sighs. “Thanks for that.”

“For what?” Eliana asks.

“For going along with it. I know the plan was for the two of us, but Charlie was a good work friend, and I couldn’t pass up having a chance to catch up.”

“I’ll admit I was a little bummed to see you sitting with them when I first entered, but they were really nice and I’m happy to have met them. I hope we can do something again in the future.”

She can feel her smile through her coat. “Well, I’m happy to hear that. I like being able to bring different parts of my life together.”

“Do you want a ride home?” Eliana asks, stopping beside her car and pulling her keys out of her pocket.

“Nah, it’s okay. It’s only a couple of blocks, and it’s quite nice out today.”

True. It’s oddly warm for fall in Leeside. “Okay. Well, let’s not wait over a week to see each other again, please.”

“Yes, Mom.”

Eliana gasps, dramatically holding her hand to her chest, feigning offense.

“Oh, please. You know you are the one who makes sure everyone is taken care of. Total mom.”

With her voice laced with fake disgust, Eliana replies, “Still. No need to say it out loud.”

Kaia’s head falls back as she laughs. Once she’s composed herself, she pretends to wipe away a tear before looking back at Eliana. “You’re the best kind of mom, though. You let me stay out late and don’t pressure me to have kids.”

“True. No one needs that.”

“Preach.”

Eliana snorts and then pulls Kaia into a hug. “This was great. Text me later and let me know when you’re available to do something later in the week.” Kaia’s arms wrap around her, squeezing her tightly.

“Will do.”

Climbing into her car, she waves as she pulls away, grateful for a friend like Kaia who keeps her on her toes, even if she thinks she’s a mom.