“I know.” Her face stretches into a big smile, the kind of smile that says she’s ten steps ahead of me, and she knows it. I grit my teeth, trying not to let that bother me.
“How?” I manage to ask, trying for nonchalance and failing miserably. I think of the worst possibilities—a whispered warning, a scandalous old rumor passed along by the town gossips.
“Small town.” She shrugs one shoulder. Her cover shifts with the movement, falling a little lower and showing a little more skin as it slides off, making my mind blank and my neck hot.
Another silence stretches between us, but not a comfortable one this time.
When it becomes a littletoouncomfortable, and I don’t know what to say or do anymore, I stand up, dusting off my pants with more force than necessary. “Right.” I know what she’s talking about because I grew up in one. “I’m gonna go.”
“Yeah.” She scratches her neck, drawing my attention to it.Trying to avert it is useless because I notice tiny goosebumps on her skin, and suddenly they are the only thing I can focus on. It feels too intimate to be here alone with her, in the cover of darkness while the rest of the world is asleep.
I blink the fog away and turn around to head back home when her quiet voice makes me pause.
“The milk was for your niece, wasn’t it?”
“Yeah, it was,” I reply simply. “It helps with her anxiety.”
Her head tilts forward, making her hair fall forward and cover her eyes. “I’m sorry about that. I didn’t know.”
I nod, not knowing what to say—her little stunt pissed me off because the milk was for my niece, but she looks so miserable right now, so… vulnerable that I’m not able to push her further.
“Good night,” she whispers with a small smile.
“Night,” I reply and head home.
My heart is lighter. Maybe the fresh air helped.
9
Jericho
I’m throwing a blanket on the couch, getting ready to try and get some sleep, when the sound of someone knocking on the door makes me pause. It’s way too late for any guests, and I’m in no mood for more entertainment, so I rush to the door and fling it open. Only to find no one behind it. I’m about to go outside and find the idiot who decided to play with me this late when I notice a carton of strawberry milk on my doorstep. The same carton Nora bought in the store.
I step outside to look at her house. It’s dark with no other lights but the porch. I glance around, looking for her, but as a true witch, Nora disappeared into thin air. So I grab the milk carton and carry it to the fridge, smiling to myself like an idiot that Junie will be happy to see it in the morning.
And that my witchy neighbor made it happen.
All further attempts to sleep are fruitless, so I just grab some coffee and my toolbox and head to the basement to see if I can do some plumbing work while Junie is still asleep. Itshouldn’t require any noise, and even if it does, the sound wouldn’t be so bad on the second floor.
I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t thinking about Nora while working on the pipes. That moment of vulnerability she let me see was something I didn’t expect from her. I knew she stole that box from under my nose out of spite, and that she called the cops to my door. I was angry at her at first, but after talking to Junie, I see her side of the story. I think she really was worried about my niece when she called the cops, and I can’t be angry about that.
The irritation from the milk incident took a back seat after I saw Nora fall over my steps. And then I heard her crying… I can’t deal with crying, but seeing my witchy neighbor cry caused some rather unexpected protectiveness. Even from myself.
Fuck!
Thinking about the moment itself made my chest tight, so I try focusing on something else. Anything.
It takes me a while to get my head back on track, and being sprayed by a busted pipe certainly helps.
By the time I’m done dealing with the pipe and fixing the issue, Junie’s loud footsteps come toward the basement door.
“Uncle Jerry?” she calls down from the top of the stairs.
“Yes,” I yell back, rolling my eyes. She knows I hate that nickname, and this is exactly why she’s using it.
“Do you have any breakfast? I’m hungry.”
“Coming in a second.”
