Page 9 of Sugar, Spice, and Magical Moonlight (Midlife Menace #2)

R ic said nothing else to me as he went ahead of us to the dining room.

That was it? Was he going to pretend like I hadn’t stunned him with magic?

I kind of hoped he’d tell me off, because the guilt I felt in the void of his silence was far worse.

I wasn’t shocked that he’d gone ahead of us.

Even after a month of isolation together, Ric still preferred to eat without witnesses.

Something about the gluttonous lion inside him made him too embarrassed to let me watch him eat.

I knocked on Des’s bedroom door, pleased when he called me inside.

He was still in his swimming trunks, sitting against the headboard of his big bed, killing bad guys on his tablet.

Smoke rings curled from Puffy’s snout while he snored at Des’s feet.

The little disappearing dragon, that was no bigger than a Chihuahua, must’ve felt comfortable in Ric’s island mansion to have already removed his invisibility cloak.

I inspected my son’s room, pleased to see he had a big picture window with a view of a garden but no balcony.

He was old enough to know better than to play on a balcony, but I still felt more at ease when he couldn’t go outside without me.

Maybe I was a helicopter mom, or maybe I was still traumatized after watching a demon kill my parents.

Des hollered as he killed a bad guy, then frowned at his screen and slipped off his headphones. “Mama.” He faced the screen toward me. “Dad keeps calling.”

I cringed when I saw Colin’s phone number light up on the screen. Oh, crud. He’d probably heard about the little chase we had this morning.

“What do I do?” Des asked.

Though I loved that my son asked me before he spoke to his father, it was a sad commentary on their relationship.

I crossed my arms while scowling at the screen. “Answer, I guess.” There goes my appetite.

Des made a face, then sat cross-legged on the bed and swiped the screen. “Hi, Dad.”

“Des, are you okay? Where are you? I’ve been so worried.”

I was relieved Colin couldn’t see me as I sat on the edge of the bed, nausea rolling through me at the sound of my ex-husband’s whiny voice. Add to that his farty breath and tiny wand, and it was a wonder I’d ever been turned on by him. I guess money can be a powerful aphrodisiac.

“I’m fine,” Des said. “I’m with Ric and Mama and my cousins.”

Colin swore. “Why haven’t you answered my calls?”

Des shrugged a shoulder. “I was swimming.”

I held my breath at Colin’s long pause.

“Where are you?”

Des looked at me over the rim of his screen, and I gave him a sharp look, shaking my head.

Des bit his lip as he looked down at his tablet. “It’s a secret.”

My heart ached at the tremor in Des’s voice. I hated having to put him in this position.

Colin cleared his throat, his voice dropping to an oily whisper. “You can tell your father.”

Ohh, the snake! When Des gave me a hopeless look, I waggled my fingers. “Let me talk to him.” He handed me the tablet, and I glared at my ex. “Stop doing this, Colin,” I snapped. “You know he can’t tell you.”

Colin’s face turned as red as a dragon's pecker. “I have a right to know where my son is.” He wagged a finger. “You’re lucky I haven’t sued you for breach of child custody agreement, but my patience is wearing thin.”

I laughed out loud, grateful I couldn’t smell his breath as it fogged the screen. “You honestly think I’m scared?”

His features twisted, reminding me of a toddler on the verge of a tantrum. “I could take custody from you.”

“Oh, please.” I snorted. “You have no clue how to take care of Des full time.”

His eyes practically crossed as he glared at me. “Why didn’t you tell me you were the Phoenix?” The whine in his voice rose to the decibel of mating cats.

“Colin, I’m not doing this with you. Talk to your son, or we’re hanging up.” I handed the tablet back to Des. Seriously, I must’ve been spellcast when I’d married him. Goddess, he was so annoying.

Des frowned at the screen while twisting his hands in his lap.

“Hey, buddy. I miss you so much.”

“Yeah,” Des answered without inflection, probably not used to his father showing him so much attention.

“Guess what?” The enthusiasm in Colin’s voice sounded painfully forced. “When you come back home, I’ll take you to a pro ruggel game. Would you like that?”

Des grimaced. “No, thanks.”

“What? You love ruggel.”

“Ric said he’d take me.”

He had? That was the first I was hearing about it.

When exactly did he plan on taking my son to a public event?

I couldn’t imagine the scrutiny he’d get from other witches, not to mention the danger.

Though I was grateful for the kindness Ric showed my son, he should’ve consulted with me before making such promises.

The whine in Colin’s voice intensified to dying dragons. “But I’m your real father, not Ric.”

Ugh. He was like a werewolf with an old bone, ignoring it until another wolf came along. Only, Colin had ignored his own son for the first twelve years of his life, and finally paid attention to him when another father figure stepped up to fill his role.

Des had the same confused expression as Puffy when he heard the oven buzzer go off. “But Ric is a real ruggel player.”

Colin sputtered and swore, and my son gave me a look like he needed me to save him from this conversation.

I loudly cleared my throat as I jumped from the bed. “Des, it’s time for dinner!”

Des smiled up at me. “I got to go eat. Bye.” He hung up on his father, just as Colin had started scolding him.

I held a hand down to Des, pleased when he took it. “You okay?”

He shrugged as he climbed off the bed.

“How about we put your phone on mute the rest of the night?” I asked.

His eyes lit up like fireworks. “Yes!”

Des had never had a good relationship with his father. In fact, he’d never had a decent relationship with any man until Ric. And selfish me had hit Ric with a stun spell and then ignored his advice.

“What’s for dinner?” Des asked.

I squeezed his hand. “Crepes.”

His smile lit up my world. “I think I like them as much as pizza.”

Wow. Pizza has been Des’s favorite food ever since he first learned how to eat solids. My son was growing up, which excited and terrified me. I was so proud of how well he’d adjusted to his new life. Maybe I could learn a thing or two from him.

THERE WAS AN UNSPOKEN tension during dinner.

Ric wasn’t rude, but he didn’t go out of his way to be polite or make conversation.

The others must’ve taken the hint that he was royally pissed, because they were also relatively quiet, only speaking in hushed whispers.

Des was completely oblivious while shoveling crepes into his mouth.

Ethyl kept glancing between Ric and me, giving me an expectant look, as if I was supposed to spill the beans right there in front of everyone.

I thought I caught a few glints of rage simmering beneath Ric’s golden gaze as he slowly sipped his wine at the other end of the table, having already eaten his dinner.

Was he holding in his anger because he didn’t want to make a scene in front of everyone?

I barely savored my crepes, fearing that I was going to get a tongue-lashing when we got back to our room, and not the good kind, either.

To make matters worse, Ric had found the time to slip into a black evening jacket and white linen shirt, unbuttoned just enough to reveal that sexy patch of dark chest hair, and his heady cologne made my lady parts weep in frustration.

Totally unfair for him to look and smell so sexy when we were angry with each other.

At least the setting was pretty. We ate under the moonlight on a patio overlooking the garden and the adjacent jungle.

Floating lanterns hovered above us with what looked like magical fairy dust pulsing off them.

The scents of tropical flowers and ocean mist filled the air.

The sea breeze was mild and refreshing, gently blowing through my hair and caressing my skin, the feeling exquisite.

The ghost servants had set a feast of crepes and other warm dishes, plus lots of vegetarian options for Frederica and several colorful bottles of wine.

Ric had taken an entire bottle for himself, refilling his goblet at least three times.

I’d never seen him drink so much. This wasn’t good.

I had painful flashbacks of Colin having too much to drink at dinner, a regular occurrence toward the end of our marriage.

Then he’d come to bed expecting sloppy sex.

No thanks. It had been bad enough when he’d been sober.

I reminded myself Ric wasn’t Colin. He could probably handle his wine better, and sloppy sex would still be amazing. Not that I expected sex tonight. I had a feeling we’d be sleeping in separate rooms after I got my non-erotic tongue-lashing.

The crepes disappeared too fast, thanks to an invisible pygmy dragon. I didn’t mind, since I didn’t have much of an appetite, anyway.

Des ate with record speed, devouring crepes and guzzling his almond milk.

“May I be excused?” he asked Ric, not me, something that hadn’t bugged me until now.

Ric had taught him to request permission to leave the table a few weeks ago, and Des had eagerly complied without so much as a whimper of protest.

Ric leaned back in his seat with a nod. “You tired?”

Shoulders slouching, Des stifled a yawn. “Yeah.”

“You going to play video games?” I asked, hoping I didn’t sound like I was prying.

He shrugged, his cheeks coloring. “Maybe.”

Well, damn. Why did I get the feeling he’d be watching the Enchantress on WitchTok instead? “Okay.” Digging my fingernails into the table, I forced a smile. “I’ll be up later to tuck you in.”

He frowned while stumbling to his feet. “I’m not a baby anymore, Mama.”

He could’ve plunged a dagger into my heart, and it would’ve had the same effect. Not a baby anymore? Of course, he was. He was my baby! What in Hades was happening to my sweet, perfect boy?