Page 60 of Magical Mission

I hadn’t followed up. Hadn’t called. Hadn’t asked how she was really doing.

I’d meant to.

I keptmeaningto.

But every time I’d reached for my phone, something else had needed me. A spell mishap. A staff meeting. A mysterious whisper in the Flame Ward. The Academy demanded everything I had, and I gave it gladly.

But guilt settled in my stomach now, thick and knotted.

Skye had stood beside me through my unraveling. Through the messy middle of it all. She’d held me up when I didn’t know which direction was forward.

And I’d barely checked in to see how she was holding up now.

With Celeste, I could reason my guilt away because my daughter seemed extremely happy with college life and her new boyfriend. She needed to spread her wings without me meddling, even though every part of me wanted to move next door to her.

It was tough merging these two worlds, but I was doing my best.

I stepped over a puddle that shimmered faintly with leftover enchantment and crossed into the town square. The inn came into view, nestled between the herb shop and the enchanted stationery boutique, its windows glowing with warm orange light.

The inn always looked like it had been plucked from a fairytale and set down in the middle of town by accident. Gargoyles curled up their stone claws, and the wooden sign gently swung with the carved image of a hearth and stars.

Whatever dispute had called Keegan away, it hadn’t broken the inn’s quiet magic.

Not on the surface, anyway.

I pushed open the door and stepped into warmth.

The scent of cinnamon and cloves met me first, followed by the low hum of conversation.

Behind the front desk stood Zenie, a gal who usually worked behind the bar in the lounge. She looked up as I entered, her dark eyes sharp and assessing.

“Maeve,” she said. “You here for Keegan?”

I nodded. “Is he still here?”

“In the back parlor,” she said, jerking her head toward the hallway. “The situation seems mostly calm now, but I think he’s sticking around to make sure it stays that way.”

“Thank you.” I offered her a grateful smile and made my way down the hallway.

The floor creaked beneath my boots, but it was a friendly kind of creak, not a dangerous one.

I let myself breathe.

Everything would be fine. It was probably nothing with those two ladies back at the Academy, and the unruly guest might just be having a bad day.

And tomorrow I’d call Skye. No more waiting. No more excuses. I’d ask about her swollen ankles, the baby name list, and whether she still wanted me to help paint the nursery, even from a distance.

I owed her that much.

No. I owed her more.

And I could do more. Even here. Even now.

The door beside me opened, and Keegan stepped out, rubbing the back of his neck. His eyes met mine, and the smallest grin tugged at his lips.

“You didn’t listen very well when I said not to follow me, did you?”

“No,” I said, standing. “And you knew I wouldn’t.”