He blinked, as though urging me on. The fact that he still managed to convey fatherly concern in that humongous bulldog face warmed me more than any spell could.
I exhaled and leaned against his furry cheek.
“I’m… uncertain, Dad. About the Academy, whether I can lead it, about my place here. Gideon is still a threat, and I keep messing up spells.” I gestured to his massive form. “You’re a prime example of me not thinking things through.”
He snorted again to acknowledge me, and that’s all I needed.
“Maybe that counts for something.”
Dad let out a low whine and nudged me gently with his nose as I closed my eyes.
“It’s just… seeing Keegan and Bella being so close, so quickly,” I continued, surprising myself by the honesty of my words. “I feel ridiculous being jealous, or maybe it’s not jealousy. It’s fear. I guess it’s fear that I’m in over my head with all this magic, and with leading the Academy, with… everything. It’s dumb, right? With not even knowing what Keegan is in my life.”
Dad’s giant paw shifted in the snow and scraped a shallow trench. He let out a muffled grumble.
I laughed weakly, tears drying in the chilly air.
“I guess we all want to feel needed or important,” Isaid. “And I want to open the Academy so badly, but I can’t do that until Gideon and the curse is dealt with. And even then, what if I fail? Or will it take opening the Academy to break the curse?”
A faint growl rumbled the branches, and I knew Dad was giving me some fatherly scolding in the only way he could.
“Right,” I conceded. “You’ve always believed in me.”
I patted my dad’s cheek again.
“Thanks, Dad. Somehow, you know how to bring me comfort.”
The cottage door creaked open, and Keegan came outside. He wore a wide grin with a book tucked under one arm, and it was hard not to notice how good-looking he was.
“Everything okay out here?” Keegan’s hazel eyes fastened on mine, and the familiar feeling of warmth pulled at my heart.
“Just perfect,” I said, rubbing my dad’s chin. “I’m anxious to get to the Academy and find a spell to turn my dad back.”
“Well, that’s why I came out. Twobble might have stumbled onto one.” He handed the book to me. “Page eleven.”
“Seriously?”
He shrugged, a sheepish grin edging his lips. “Of course. We’re in this together, right?”
My cheeks warmed, and I realized it didn’t matter whether Keegan and Bella were a thing. What we had was special enough, whatever it was.
“Right.”
“Nova will be so annoyed that she left last night.”
I chuckled and shook my head. “My little cottage has become quite the hangout spot. You’d think she’d know we’ll manage to get into a little chaos every day here.”
I turned to page eleven and scanned the spell briefly.
Keegan’s grin turned more playful. “So, that’s the plan to shrink Frank. You ready for that brand of chaos?”
I gave my dad one last pat and stepped away from his muzzle. “Ready as I’ll ever be.”
Bella, Stella, and Twobble wandered outside and glanced at me.
“Did you find it?” Twobble asked.
“Yes. It looks perfect. Nice work,” I told my goblin friend.
