She smiled and took each of their hands in hers. “Thanks, guys.”
Rose smiled and Elise ruffled Jenna’s hair like she’d done ever since she was a kid. “What’s family for if not for times like this? And Iwillput a hex on him if you like, rules be damned. Or kick him in the balls. It’s your choice.”
Jenna shook her head. If anyone was going to put a hex on Alex Bloody Carter, it would be her. Shrivel his manhood to the size of a peanut? That would serve him right!
But Jenna knew she wouldn’t. She didn’t use her powers anymore, and she wouldn’t break her promise now—not even for Alex Cheating Bastard Carter.
The MacFinnan women had always been witches, wielding abilities that had been passed down from mother to daughter. When she’d been younger, Jenna had used her powers to help her mother with small things: finding lost pets, predicting the weather, doing little healing spells, and so on.
But none of her powers—or that of her aunts—had been enough when it really mattered—when her mother had been diagnosed with cancer. Alongside the surgery and grueling chemo her mother had undergone, Jenna and her aunts had tried everything in their power to help, using every spell and incantation they knew. Nothing had worked. Her mother had slowly wasted away before Jenna’s eyes, and when she went, the last of Jenna’s faith in the MacFinnan magic went with her.
After that, she’d vowed never to use her powers again. No longer would she rely on something that had failed her so utterly. What use was it really, anyway? There were drones and GPS for finding lost pets. There were apps for predicting the weather. And as for healing? Well, they’d all seen how that worked out.
So, although Rose and Elise thought her mad for giving up her gifts, Jenna had not touched her power for the last five years, and her life had been all the better for it. Until now. Until Alex Cheating Bastard Carter had torn it in half.
“What are you going to do about the house?” Rose asked suddenly. “Doesn’t he pay half the mortgage?”
Jenna nodded tightly. Shereallydidn’t need reminding of that. “I’ll be fine. I’ll pick up more shifts at work.”
“And you’ve got the money your mom left you. That should help,” Rose added.
Jenna said nothing. She didnothave the money her mom left her. That had gone into the deposit for buying this place and then fixing the myriad of things that had been wrong with it, but her aunts didn’t need to know that. The truth was, without Alex’s wages she was up a certain creek without a paddle, but she’d be damned if she was going to admit that. Shewouldfind a way out of the mess he’d landed her in, no matter what it took.
“Tell you what,” said Elise, rising to her feet and pointing to the pile of Alex’s things on the path and waggling her fingers theatrically. “How about we have a little bonfire? It’s the least he deserves. When I split with Gary, I burned everything he’d left in my apartment. Made me feel a lot better, I can tell you.”
“Don’t go telling her things like that, Elise!” Rose said. “You’ll have the police around here and Jenna being prosecuted for arson!”
Elise shrugged. “So?”
Rose frowned at her sister and then looked at Jenna. “I’ll take Alex’s things down to the second-hand store. If he really wants them,he can buy them back from there, can’t he?”
Jenna nodded. “Okay. Thanks, Rose.”
“Why don’t you come and spend the day at my place?” Rose continued. “I’m making chutney. I’ve even roped Elise in to help.”
Elise rolled her eyes. “Blackmailed is more like. Yeah, come, Jenna, and save me from a day of tedium.”
Jenna smiled at their efforts to cheer her up. “Thanks, but I can’t. I’ve got work later, and I promised Mrs. Turner I’d walk Bunny before my shift starts.”
“All right,” said Rose, patting Jenna’s shoulder before climbing to her feet. “But you know where we are if you need us.”
“Sure.”
Her aunts walked to the door, and Elise turned at the threshold and waggled her fingers again. “And if you change your mind about that hex on Alex The Bastard, be sure to let me know.”
Jenna gave a soft laugh. “You better get out of here before I decide to take you up on that offer.”
They left and Jenna sighed at the sudden empty silence that filled her home. She felt a little better, a little more determined, after their visit. After all, she was Jenna MacFinnan, wasn’t she? She was from a long line of strong women who’d never let a man ruin their lives. She wasnotabout to be the first.
She grabbed her laptop and opened it, balancing it on her lap. Logging into the coffee shop’s timetabling system, she scrolled through, looking for overtime. She’d already booked as many extra shifts as she could, but was hopeful there might be more available. If she was going to keep the house, she needed every extra penny she could get.
But there was nothing. All the extra shifts had already been taken. She fired off a quick email to Brenda, her boss, practically begging her to let her know if anything came up. Sickness. Home emergencies. Anything that might give her a few extra hours. She didn’t hold outmuch hope, and even if she did get extra shifts, she knew it wouldn’t be enough to stave off the bank that was already on her back over the mortgage arrears.
She felt that hot well of despair rising up inside her again. Damn it! She chewed on her lip, staring unseeing at the screen. What could she do? There must be something.
She clicked on a file on her laptop, then stared at the document she’d been putting off completing. She’d hoped it wouldn’t come to this. Now she realized she had no choice.
Taking a deep breath, she began typing into the document, trying to ignore the two words printed across the top.
