Page 31 of Seven Secret Spellcasters (Kitchen Witch Mysteries #7)

“You’re such a doll.” Christina leaned on Levi’s arm. “Let’s go dance.”

Mia and Trent took their glasses and set them on a nearby table. They watched as Christina and Levi slowly began to dance, their eyes only on each other.

“They look happy.” Trent put his arm around Mia. “My brother finally met his match. I didn’t think it would happen. I know Mom didn’t. Did you know Steve’s still single?”

“I’m shocked,” Mia teased.

“Don’t dog him. With Levi being the baby, Mom’s been harping on Steve and me to get our lives started.”

“Your lives are started. Your mom wants grandchildren.” Mia looked around the room. “Almost midnight. Soon the party will move outside for the coven meeting. Christina and Finn need to be kept inside.”

“Mom already has a plan for Finn, and Christina will be poured into bed soon. There was a method to Levi’s madness of letting her drink what she wanted.” Trent nodded toward the backyard. “Are you going out or staying inside with me?”

“I’m staying inside. I’m not ready to join yet, and I told Brandon and Sabrina that tonight. Neither one is taking it well. Please don’t let them drag me outside against my will, okay?”

“You’ve watched too many horror flicks. In real life, they would knock you out with Versed, then ask you to follow them out.” Trent grinned. “That way, they can control you without having to carry you anywhere.”

“That’s horrible. Now I’m not taking any more drinks from strangers.” She leaned against him. “Do you think anyone would notice if we snuck out now? I’m sure the pups need to be let outside. And how’s Buddy hiding in all this?”

“He’s in a tree, watching,” Trent said. “Cerby and I have been checking on him off and on all night. They had quite the conversation the last time we went out. I think some of our guests are using their cars for a little hanky-panky.”

“Now I really want to escape. What, do they think it’s prom night?”

“For some of these people, it is. Come on, we’ll let Mom know we’re leaving, then head upstairs and watch a movie. That way you don’t have to worry about being dragged out to the bonfire and inducted against your will.” He smiled as he took her arm to lead her out of the gym.

“Sure, maybe a horror movie, since it’s Halloween.

” Mia glanced around the party. It looked like everything was fine.

She waved to Jeani, who was standing by the wall, watching them leave.

Small towns were hard. Everyone knew everything about your past. Unless, like Mia, you were new in town.

Was that what was bothering her? Or was it Trent’s teasing about the coven?

Something was making alarm bells go off in her head.

She hoped it wasn’t something important that she was missing. She wanted tonight to be over so they could get back to normal life. Well, that and find a killer. She shivered as they left the gym.

“Are you cold?” Trent took off his suit jacket and draped it around her shoulders. “I was burning up in there. Maybe you’re coming down with something.”

“I got a chill.” She nodded to the kitchen. “I’ll wait here. You go tell your mom we’re bailing. I don’t want to see the judgment in her eyes.”

“If we fooled around tonight and you got pregnant, that would make her happy.” Trent kissed her, then headed to the kitchen.

“You’re a dork,” Mia called after him.

“Takes one to know one,” he called back.

She reached down and slipped off her black pumps. Her feet were killing her. Christina could stay in heels for days with no problem, but she was younger. Soon, Mia was going to be wearing flats all the time. They needed to do the wedding thing before she didn’t want to wear the magic shoes anymore.

“Trent’s a real catch.” A voice came from the gym door.

Mia turned and saw Jeani watching her. “We’re in a good place,” Mia responded. She didn’t want to catch Trent. Or have him catch her. She wanted a relationship built on love, mutual trust, and respect. But she wouldn’t correct Jeani. Not tonight.

“I know. I hate it, but I know. Have a good evening.” Jeani disappeared back into the gym.

Trent was coming out of the kitchen and saw the door closing. “Did you have company?”

Mia wasn’t sure what to tell him, so she went with the truth. That couldn’t hurt her later. “Jeani popped in. She was watching when we left. I think she still has feelings for you.”

“We weren’t a match, no matter what the number crunchers said. I felt more the first time I saw you than I ever felt for Jeani.” He took Mia’s hand. “Ready to go watch Friday the 13th ?”

“Maybe The Haunting of Hill House ? Shirley Jackson still scares the crap out of me, and I live in a real haunted house.”

On the way to the stairs, they ran into Finn, who was taking sodas and cookies back into her room. “Hey, you two look amazing. I’m glad I stayed in the kitchen for this event. I didn’t have to dress up at all.”

“You look fine, but before Christina gets all packed up, I’ll see if she has some dress clothes she wants to get rid of.

” Mia saw the fear on the young woman’s face.

“Nothing crazy, like what she’s wearing tonight.

You need some mingle clothes for events.

Like a little black dress and maybe a pantsuit. ”

“I’m a cook.” Finn shook her head. “You guys are the figureheads of the company. I’m sure I don’t need anything fancy.”

Trent slapped his hand to his heart. “I never thought I’d see the day when someone turned down one of Christina’s cast-offs.

The girl has so many clothes she doesn’t wear I think she could outfit every girl who wanted to attend prom this season in the local high schools.

You must not have gotten the dress-up gene in your DNA. No playing with dolls growing up?”

Finn giggled. “I did have a Barbie with her dream house. It was a gift from one of my mother’s friends. Sometimes I cut up old clothes and made her new dresses.”

“A budding fashion designer.” Mia watched as Finn relaxed in front of them. The girl liked Trent. Mia thought she might intimidate Finn a little. She wanted to fix that. “Do you want to come up to the apartment with us? We’re watching a movie.”

“I’ve got a game going with friends from home.

But thanks. And if you think I need a dress, I’ll take one.

I just don’t want to be a bother. You and Abigail have already done so much for me.

” She paused and looked around at the lobby area.

“Funny, I heard that this used to be a school. If you didn’t know about the gym or the classrooms upstairs, you’d never know it. Oh, and the library, of course.”

As Mia and Trent walked upstairs, her thoughts stayed on Finn.

She was a good fit for the company, and if they didn’t become best friends immediately, she had to realize that she’d known Christina for years before their friendship grew into what it was today.

She’d learned a lot today. She wondered if tomorrow would be as illuminating as she tried to put together a theory on Howard’s death.