Page 10 of Season of the Witch (Toil and Trouble #3)

Tia pushed the memory away. He’d get better soon.

He had to. She was working on the antidote with Lionel, their best potion analyst, every day.

Not that she wanted the smirking jackass back, but she admitted her accidental “intention” to wipe away any thoughts of her being unworthy had gone a little… awry. Her bad.

Gloria hadn’t swept it aside so easily. “I won’t be able to protect you if you don’t control your worst self,” she’d full-on shrieked, pacing in her office.

“When will you settle down and be the Hightower I know you can be? You will keep your head down about this, Tia. I swear to the Goddess, if you tell Emmaline or Leah, you’re out of this company. ”

“I’m disappointed in you,” her dad had said, the impact of those four words somehow more of a blow. And her nana had just shaken her head.

Yet again, she’d let them down by being herself.

Tia nibbled at the corner of her thumb, shoulders high around her ears. The clock continued to count time away, a soft mockery.

Two weeks wasn’t long, not really. Even Bastian, Henry’s friend and Emma’s fiancé, had only asked about him once, jokingly wondering if she’d killed him since he hadn’t been able to track him down.

Apparently, any memory of Bastian was too tangled up with Tia for Henry to remember him.

She thought she’d played it off well, even if her palms had gone slick.

The lie tasted like ass but for once, she wasn’t going to make everything worse.

Her knee bobbed as she waited for someone, anyone, to walk in. All the summons had said was that this had to do with Siddeley. If they’d lost the investment, she knew she’d be blamed. She’d deserve it. First with the argument, then the potion, capping off with the kiss.

No. She closed her eyes. She wasn’t thinking about that again.

The door opened and she leaped up, grateful for the distraction.

She wasn’t sure how to feel when Henry walked in, looking every inch the gorgeous warlock and not some stray with holes in his memory.

He blinked, as if surprised, then the corner of his mouth tugged up in greeting.

A stranger’s smile, polite but absent of any connection.

She told herself it was guilt and not anxiety that burned in the pit of her stomach at the sight.

He was closely followed by Maybelline, dressed in dark green with her hair pulled back, and his dad.

While Richard wore a shirt and trousers, Henry wore soft jeans and a fisherman’s sweater with the sleeves rolled up.

He hesitated a moment before heading to Tia.

“Hi,” he said when he got close. He held out his hand. She looked at it, baffled, as he continued. “I’m Henry Pearlmatter. I’m thirty years old, a warlock with fire magic mastery, and I’ve been told we’re exes.” Laughter glinted in his eyes. “Nice to meet you.”

Since it was awkward leaving his hand outstretched, Tia grasped it and pumped twice, quickly letting go. “Hi.”

He watched her as he tucked his hand into his jeans pocket. “You’re Tia Hightower. Twenty-nine. An alchemist—”

“Not a good one,” his father put in, dropping into an armchair with a glower.

“Richard,” Maybelline warned, as only Maybelline could.

Henry ignored them both, searching her face as though he could read their past on it. She hoped he couldn’t. He wouldn’t like what he found.

Her parents walked in at that moment, her dad shutting the door behind him. “Tia,” he greeted her with a small smile. She’d take it. Her mom still couldn’t look at her without huffing.

“Does anyone want tea?” Maybelline waved at the tea service that appeared in the corner. Her ever-present feather bobbed as she headed over. “I have a lovely lavender tea for calming nerves.”

Henry caught Tia’s eye and shook his head.

“Let’s just get to business,” Richard snapped, then slumped as Maybelline glared at him. “Fine. But none of that lavender stuff.”

“You’ll have what I give you, Richard Pearlmatter.”

Their interplay always used to amuse Tia but today she couldn’t focus. She hovered in place until Maybelline gestured. “Take a seat, Tia.”

Tia did as ordered, relieved Maybelline hadn’t turned on her as well. She wouldn’t have blamed her; she had stripped away her son’s memories after all. Her stomach knotted as Henry chose to lean on the wall instead of sitting next to her.

Richard was given tea, to his consternation, and the other cups were distributed before Maybelline took her seat. She set her cup on the table with the spoon continuing to stir idly. “Okay,” she told her husband.

He cast her a half smile before shifting to the edge of his chair. As his attention moved to Tia, the smile wiped clean. “We’ve heard from Siddeley.”

Tia clutched her own tea. “And?”

“It’s good news,” Gloria said, picking up the reins. “He’s interested in further talks.”

Tia wanted to slump, maybe slide out of her chair to lie prostrate on the ground. A second chance to fix this. “That’s great.”

A shared look.

Her spine snapped straight. “Isn’t it?”

“There’s…a little hitch.” Gloria sipped her tea, taking a moment as if to organize her thoughts. She studied her daughter, expression veiled. “Apparently, you and Henry made a real impression on him at the party.”

Although her cheeks burned at the dark look from Richard, Tia held her chin high. “Well, that’s good, isn’t it?”

“Under other circumstances.”

Her dad crossed to her mom’s side and sank down next to her. Like always, he didn’t pussyfoot around. “Siddeley wants to discuss the investment further in his home. He’s invited you and Henry to stay with him throughout December.”

She couldn’t have heard that right.

“Us?” Tia pointed at herself, then the warlock against the wall. “Him and me?”

Peter nodded. Gloria sighed. “He thought you were utterly charming .”

Maybelline beamed at them. “He’s not wrong. Henry, honey, you sure you don’t want some tea?”

Tia didn’t let him answer. “We can’t go. Henry’s…” She struggled for the words.

“We’re aware of the situation,” Richard retorted. He sipped his tea, made a face and hastily put the dainty china down. “Unfortunately, the man is set on it being you two and you two alone. If we’re going to secure this investment, this is how it has to be.”

“I could go alone,” she suggested, inspired. Or was it desperate? “We could say Henry’s sick.”

“We can’t risk he won’t be put off by that.” Gloria shook her head. “He was adamant it be next month and be you two.”

“Going would be a bigger risk,” Tia argued.

She had no idea what to feel, but the churning was making her nauseated.

“If he slips up, we’d have to admit he’s lost his memories, and why.

” She winced at the sea of unimpressed faces.

“Yes, I get it, my fault. Which is why I should be the one to fix it.”

“And you can,” Peter agreed. “But not alone.”

“We’ll keep working on the antidote in the meantime,” Gloria assured her. “But we’re counting on you to help us with this. You just need to fill in the gaps for him.”

Tia’s lips opened and shut without words. This had mistake written all over it. So many things could go wrong; one tiny slipup and they were outed.

But…she could fix it. Her heart beat faster at the idea. She could prove her mistake was a one-time thing and she still had what it took to be a leader. She could run the pitch; she’d wanted to do that anyway. Any lines Henry had to say, she could feed them to him.

It could work.

Her guts were still in knots, but she gave them all a tight nod. “All right. I’ll do it.”

Gloria looked relieved. “Good. Henry?”

Before he could speak, Maybelline picked up her teacup and held it to her mouth. “You’re forgetting something,” she said brightly, before taking a sip.

Tia looked at her blankly.

She swore Maybelline’s eyes glittered. “The kiss, honey. Siddeley thinks you and my Henry are together.”

Tia didn’t move. Didn’t breathe.

“A couple,” Maybelline prompted. “Sweethearts. Lovers.”

Richard grunted. “Maybelline.”

“I’m just making sure she understands. She doesn’t seem to be getting it.”

Tia hoped she wasn’t. Because it sounded like Maybelline was implying…

“It’s not like you don’t have experience being in a relationship with each other,” the other woman mused, barely disguising her satisfaction. “And you were so good at it, too.”

“Didn’t we break up?” Henry spoke from his position against the wall.

Tia felt like her back was to one, too. “Yes. Yes, we did.”

Maybelline lifted one shoulder. “Things change. And for this to work, Siddeley has to believe that what he saw that night was the truth.” Her smile was coy. “Maybe it will be.”

“ Maybelline. ”

She rolled her eyes at her husband’s gritted statement.

Tia thrust a hand into her hair, dragging it back as a ridiculous urge to laugh hit her.

They had to pretend to be a couple? The past month and change had been hard enough and they’d been trying to be civil.

For this to be believable, she’d have to touch him.

Smile at him. Share his space. All while pretending that she didn’t loathe his existence.

Except—this Henry wasn’t the one who battled with her on a daily basis, who made her aware of every mistake and every flaw. With their past hidden, he had no reason to be anything but helpful.

Maybe she could still do this. Maybe.

Did she really have a choice?

Shaky, she directed a small amount of telekinesis into the rug on the floor, twisting the threads of the tassels together. It helped keep her calm as she turned to the man in question. “You think you can do this?”

His thoughts were veiled as he considered her question, braced against the wall. “Can you ?” His eyebrows rose in soft challenge. “I hear you still hate me.”

Surprise made her eyes widen before she caught the movement. “Gossip’s already made the rounds, then.”

He shrugged, intent on her face. “Is it a lie?”

Yeah, not about to go into this in front of their parents. “I can be professional if you can.”

She caught a glint of mischief as he dipped his head. “Well, then. I’m in your hands.”

She hated her body’s reaction, the strings he plucked so easily, even without his memories. But he would get those back, she reminded herself fiercely. And when he did, everything she said now would be mocked or torn over.

Her gloves wouldn’t lower; they weren’t out of the ring.

And, apparently, jerk was his factory setting. Awesome.

She didn’t get a chance to counter before he sealed their fate.

“I’m in.”