As she moved forward, Zephira shook her head. “No, thank you. I don’t think my stomach could handle it.”
Dominique was glad to hear that because her stomach felt the same—simmering with nerves and a faint hint of panic. She shut the door when her grandmother entered.
“Please have a seat,” she said. Instead of moving toward her desk, where things would be formal, Dominique walked toward the sofa on the far side of her office.
Zephira moved to the sofa as well and perched on the edge of the cushion, her spine straight and slightly stiff.
Dominique sat on the opposite end of the couch and found herself mimicking her grandmother’s posture. She wondered if her tendency toward aloofness in the face of conflict was something she’d inherited from Zephira or if the defense mechanism was her own creation.
“How—”
“I’m—”
They both paused since they’d begun speaking at the same time.
“Please, go ahead,” Zephira invited first.
Dominique took a moment to gather her thoughts before she began again. “I’m going to get straight to the point, if that’s okay with you,” she said.
Zephira nodded, her hands clutched together in her lap.
“I would like to get to know you,” Dominique stated, her words slow as she chose them carefully. She’d already decided what she wanted to say, but she wanted to make sure that they came out correctly.
“I can’t promise that we’ll have a close, loving relationship,” she continued. “But I do want to know you and I want to see what we can build as time goes on.”
Zephira’s answering inhale was sharp and a little shaky. She pressed her lips together hard before she nodded. “I’d love to have whatever sort of relationship you’re willing to give me.”
“Well, I thought that having you work here on a part-time basis might be a good start. It will give us a chance to see each other regularly.”
Zephira blinked at her, clearly taken aback. “But…my magic…”
“Is still there,” Dominique concluded. “You may not have accessed it in a long time, but I can sense it just as clearly as I sense my own. I think you could be an asset to the company if you were willing to use it.”
Dominique’s own chest grew tight as the sight of moisture gathering in her grandmother’s eyes.
“I-I-I think I would like that,” Zephira finally stammered.
Dominique found herself relaxing. “Good. We’ll start with two days a week and see how things go. The salary you listed on your application was a bit low, so that will be adjusted to match Veronica’s current pay rate. If everything works out, I would love to have you on the team full time.” She paused, clearing her throat. “And if we work well together, I’d like to spend time together away from the office, too.”
“I’m not sure what to say,” Zephira said.
Dominique took a deep breath. “I know it’s not a warm, fuzzy start to our relationship, but I need a few barriers between usto start. Not because I’m unsure about giving you my time, but because of my own past and my own trust issues. It’s hard for me to open up and be vulnerable, so a working relationship seems like the best place for us to start. Especially since I am in dire need of another employee, and you have the skills and magic to make you an excellent fit for the job.”
Zephira nodded. “I understand.”
Dominique leaned forward. “I want you to understand that while I will technically be your boss, you are allowed to disagree with me. Even argue with me. Not necessarily in front of clients, but definitely if we’re having a meeting or a discussion. I don’t want you to feel like you can’t be yourself because I want to know who you really are.”
Zephira pressed her lips together even harder and nodded again. “I understand,” she repeated.
Dominique found herself reaching out to her grandmother without thinking. When she laid her fingers over the back of Zephira’s hand, her grandmother unlaced her fingers and turned her palm over, gripping Dominique’s hand tightly.
“I know you did the best you could,” Dominique said. “We both did. I just hope we can both do that moving forward.”
A small sob escaped Zephira’s mouth as she nodded. Dominique squeezed her hand once more.
“Now, let’s order some lunch and talk about what we do here at Mystical Matchmakers,” Dominique said.
EPILOGUE
