Love Potion #9 (20 page)

It was about time the man had a surprise or two!

“Is this hurting Bob?” Jason asked, his little brow furrowed.

Lilith looked at the jar and wrinkled her nose. “What do you think?”

Jason bit his lip as he considered the matter. “Maybe I should let Bob go.”

Lilith watched him carefully. “It's up to you.”

Jason's face brightened. “Maybe I'll be able to hear Bob sing again if I let him go.”

Lilith smiled. “Maybe.” Andrea admired how she exerted no pressure on Jason, just expressed her point of view and let him make up his own mind.

Which Jason quickly did. He took his jar back from Lilith and marched purposefully for the back door. “Come on, Bob,” he said, as though Bob had much choice in the matter. “It's time to let you go. Maybe you can sing and find a wife. Then, you can bring lots of baby cicadas to see us.”

“Will Bob fly out of the jar?” Jen asked in excitement.

Lilith shrugged. “Let's go see.”

They followed Jason, hand in hand, Bun dragging behind. Mitch blinked and shook his head. A gasp of delight from the back porch a moment later revealed that Bob had, in fact, taken flight. The children began to chatter, Lilith's low laughter underscoring their tones.

“It's amazing,” Mitch murmured. “Jen never takes to anyone that fast.”

Andrea swung the spatula at him and decided not to push her luck by talking about kismet. “I told you she was a nice girl,” she hissed. “Even your kids can see the truth.” She pretended to chase Mitch across the kitchen. “Now, go get those burgers before we starve!”

He grinned and bowed low. “Yes, ma'am. Right away, ma'am.”

Andrea rolled her eyes as he ducked out to the porch and the kids clamored for his attention. She reached for the oven mitts and eyed the french fries again. They were never as good this way as when they were deep-fried, but she supposed it didn't hurt to compromise with Mitch.

Once in a while.

Then, Andrea's lips curved with the realization that there was one teensy detail about her trip she had forgotten to tell Mitch.

Well, this was as good a time as any.

She marched to the back door and peered through the screen. “Mitch?”

“Uh huh.” He barely looked up from the grill. Andrea could hear the children chattering away to Lilith from further down the yard. They were speculating on whether one of the cicadas currently singing could be Bob. Lilith's manner with them confirmed Andrea's suspicions that her plan was a good one.

“There's something I should tell you, about the cruise.” That got her stepson's attention, as Andrea had thought it would. She smiled broadly when his head snapped up. “Don't fret, worry-wart. It's just that the weekend in the middle of my cruise is the same weekend that you have that conference in Kansas City.”

An expression of exasperation just had time to work its way across Mitch's features before Andrea continued. “But you promised...”

“I know, I know, and I've solved it, so you have nothing to be concerned about.” Andrea gave Mitch a smile that was supposed to be reassuring.

But Mitch treated Andrea to one of Those Looks. “Why doesn't that inspire great confidence in me?” he asked wryly. “I suppose it's too much to hope you've bitten the bullet and cancelled?”

“What a thought!” Andrea rolled her eyes. “Of course not! Lilith is going to watch the kids that weekend.”

“Lilith!” Mitch's lips tightened, he glanced over his shoulder to the silhouette of the lady in question, then leaned closer to Andrea. His voice was low, his gaze bored right through the screen mesh to lock with hers.

“Didn't it occur to you that we might be imposing? This woman is just our neighbor, Andrea. We've only known her for a week, Cooley keeps trashing her house. Did you ever think that she might not want to be swept into our chaotic household?”

Andrea hadn't. She frowned. “But she said she'd be delighted...”

“What else was she going to say?” Mitch demanded in frustration. “Andrea, I think you've really put Lilith on the spot here. It's not fair.”

Andrea smiled slowly as she realized just what Mitch was doing. She folded her arms across her chest and leaned against the counter to eye him.

“What?” he asked impatiently. “Is it so bizarre to not want to impose on people?”

“No, but it is bizarre that you're suddenly worried about protecting Lilith from the rest of us,” Andrea retorted, not bothering to disguise her triumph. “I thought
she
was supposed to be the one with the evil plans for me.”

Mitch tellingly looked away. “I don't really know what's going on,” he said gruffly.

“Uh huh. But funny thing is, you're not worried about leaving those two little ones in her care.”

Mitch inhaled sharply and fired a bright glance at his stepmother.

Andrea grinned, then tapped him on the screen between them. “I think you like her,” she whispered knowingly. “And I think that's a very good thing. It's about time you put the past where it belongs.”

Mitch covered his surprise quickly, but not quickly enough that Andrea didn't see it. He snorted, as though indifferent to Andrea's claim, although that lady knew better. “Right. I think you've got love on the brain, Andrea. You're only seeing what you want to see.”

“And what are you seeing, eligible single father of two?”

Mitch's lips twisted wryly. “I'm seeing a woman's life seriously affected by our moving in here and probably being changed against her will. A woman who's probably too nice to argue about it.”

“Ha! See? You do like her. That's the only reason you care about imposing on her.”

Mitch flashed his Death Glare but he was wasting it on Andrea. She didn't even flinch.

“I care about imposing on
anyone
,” he insisted. “Do unto others and all that jazz.”

Andrea let her skepticism show.

Mitch shook the barbeque spatula at her. “And I'm going to talk to her about this tonight. If you can't watch the kids, I'll find someone else, or I'll cancel my conference.”

“I thought you couldn't do that.”

“It would not be a good career move.” Mitch headed back to the grill again, his expression grim when he glanced back at Andrea. “But you've got to have principles, and you've got to live by them.”

Andrea couldn't think of a thing to say to that, so she just grinned back at Mitch. She could always count on Mitch to do the right thing and to take the high road, no matter what the cost to himself. As much as his career meant to him, it was nothing compared to those kids.

Before she could think any further than that, the new smoke alarm started to screech.

Mitch looked back through the storm door and lifted one brow. “Is that the french fry timer?” he teased and Andrea wished she had something to throw at him.

But then he'd have two storm doors to fix, and the man had more than enough on his plate these days.

 

* * *

 

Andrea had hauled her dress box out to a taxi after dinner and waved madly as she went on her way. Mitch had asked Lilith whether they could talk after he put the kids to bed, and she quite contentedly sat on the back porch waiting for him.

Jen and Jason had given her unexpected goodnight hugs before they were herded upstairs, the sweetness of their trust tugging at Lilith's heartstrings. She stared at the sky, listening to the rumble of Mitch's voice between childish squeals and giggles, splashes and noisy kisses. Lilith was well aware of the wolfhound keeping a vigilant eye on her from the far corner of the yard, but she'd figure out how to solve that problem later.

For now, she savored the twinge of the twilight capturing the azure of the sky and the silence descending in the house behind her. It was still hot, still clear, and she watched the first stars appear.

She heard Mitch's footsteps in the kitchen but didn't turn around, smiling to herself as he came to her, once more, in the twilight.

“Could I interest you in some sangria?” he asked. “House brew?”

Lilith cast that smile over her shoulder. “That sounds nice.”

A moment later, Mitch joined her, two glasses filled with ice in one hand and a pitcher filled with red wine and bobbing fruit in the other. He sat down beside Lilith on the top step, stretching out his long, tanned legs and leaning his back against the pillar of the porch.

Lilith accepted a glass, he poured, and they clinked glasses. “To new fences,” Mitch said.

“And good neighbors,” Lilith added. They shared a smile and Lilith sipped. The sangria was cool and fruity, rich on her tongue. “It's lovely. Very refreshing.”

“Hmmm. Just the thing after a day of chasing dogs and kids.” Mitch swirled the drink around his tongue, then nodded approval.

They sipped in companionable silence for several relaxing moments. Lilith was quite certain there was nowhere else she'd rather be. The faint calls of parents summoning children carried through the air, there was a murmur of conversation and the clink of glasses in the distance, the cicadas were singing.

Maybe even Bob joined the chorus.

Slowly, indigo claimed the sky, the smear of orange over the opposite rooftops fading to darkness with every passing moment.

“Did you get enough to eat for dinner?” Mitch asked.

Lilith glanced to him. “Of course. Why?”

He shrugged. “Well, I didn't know you were a vegetarian and burgers were kind of the main deal.”

“The salad was great,” Lilith said graciously. “And I haven't had french fries in a long time.”

Mitch shook his head. “I try to keep them infrequent around here, too.” He narrowed his eyes with mock suspicion. “But there are subversive elements at work.”

Lilith laughed lightly, then Mitch's gaze suddenly sharpened. She had a distinct sense that his next words would be important and braced herself for a tough question.

“So, why did you become a vegetarian?”

Lilith blinked. It was a pretty pedestrian question to have him be so interested in her answer. “When I pledged to that witch's creed.”

Mitch frowned into his glass. “The ‘harm none' one?”

Lilith nodded and smiled. “After all, becoming burgers isn't a really good experience for the cow.”

“No, I guess not.” His expression turned thoughtful. “How do you make sure your nutrition is adequate?”

“It's a different kind of cooking, certainly, but after a while, you get used to pairing your proteins. It's really not hard.” Lilith sipped her sangria. “If you're interested in eating less meat, I can give you some recipes.”

Mitch's slow smile made her heart pick up its pace. “You've been very helpful, you know, and very nice.”

Lilith felt herself flush. “Just being neighborly.”

Mitch's gaze never wavered from hers. “I don't see too many other neighbors offering to help with gardens or teach vegetarian cooking...”

“Or mend my back door.”

Mitch chuckled. “There was a prime mover there.”

They glanced as one to the wolfhound, the glimmer of his eyes barely visible in the shadows. Lilith heard his license tags jingle as he lifted his head.

“I'd forgive and forget, but I don't want a repeat of what he did this afternoon,” Mitch said softly.

“I really don't think it was his fault.”

“Either way, I don't care for the change.” Mitch flicked a glance to Lilith's storm door, just the top of it visible over the new fence, and winced. “One job down, six million to go. I'll measure your door tomorrow - maybe we'll be lucky and the hardware store will stock the size.”

“You don't have to fix it right away.”

Mitch nodded. “You can't be without it in this heat. You won't have any circulation in your house. Besides, it's only right.”

Lilith smiled at him, not remembering this facet of his character but liking it very much. “You're quite concerned with doing what's right, aren't you?”

Mitch seemed slightly surprised by her question. “Well, sure. I mean, the alternative isn't very attractive, is it?”

Lilith laughed lightly at the truth of that. It was so good to be sitting with him like this, just talking, just enjoying each other's company. “No, I suppose not.”

Mitch turned his glass in his hands and frowned as though he was looking for the right words. “Look, Lilith, Andrea told me that she asked you to watch the kids. It's nice of you to agree, but...”

Lilith straightened. “You don't want me to watch them?”

Mitch glanced up, his gaze bright. “I don't want you to feel
obligated
to do anything you don't want to do. I mean, you must have plans. I'm sure Andrea didn't bother to ask.”

Lilith shook her head. “No plans. Just fortune-telling and I can always turn off the sign.”

“Well, I don't want you to feel that you have to do this, just because you were asked.” He smiled ruefully. “Andrea is a freight train in her own way, sometimes. I can find someone else, or cancel my trip.”

Lilith put her hand on Mitch's and savored the heat of his skin beneath her own. He flicked a very gold glance at her, then looked down at her hand upon his. “But I
don't
mind,” Lilith insisted. She leaned slightly closer. “Although it sounds as though you do.”

Mitch stared at her hand resting on his for a long moment. Slowly, his turned over, as though he couldn't stop it from doing so, and his fingers closed warmly over her own. Lilith's heart skipped a beat, then another when she looked up and found Mitch's concerned gaze fixed on her.

It had been a long time since anyone worried about Lilith.

“It seems very unfair to you,” he admitted quietly.

“I don't think so.”