“I gave you my word.” He turned back around. “Whatever have I done to make you assume I had no follow through?”
I grinned. “Nothing. Thanks for that. And thanks for this. Looking after the powers.”
“Yes, well, it is required for one to live in Ordinary, and I see no reason to leave.”
“Because you like me,” I teased, standing up and helping stack cups.
He made another small sound.
“Because you like Ordinary,” I pressed.
This time he gave me a tolerant look.
“And you like that Tala is here now and wants to be your girlfriend.”
“Aren’t you running late for a vacation Delaney Reed? Somewhere out of town and out of cell service?”
I chuckled. “Why? You tired of me already?”
“You have no idea.” But those eyes of his. They were all sparkle, sparkle, sparkle.
“Say, I was wondering,” I said, as we carried the dishes to the little sink in the corner. “Can I ask you a favor?”
“Other than keeping the powers for a year?”
“Yeah, other than that.”
“Yes.”
“I’ve been trying to figure out who to ask to watch the dragon pig while I’m gone.”
“I see.”
“I was going to leave it to Myra, but she’ll be taking over most of my job duties at the station when I’m gone. I know she won’t let it into the library, so if she needs to do a research project, there will be no one to keep an eye on it.”
“Obviously.”
“Jean could take it, and she asked to, but she has her hands full dealing with the demon-farm-animal-love-triangle thing with Xtelle, Amy, and Pan.”
“Of course,” he said.
“And I know it’s a dragon in pig shape, so it doesn’t actually need a keeper, but I’d feel better if someone could make sure it doesn’t eat something important.”
“Important?”
“Yeah, like a building.”
“Noted.”
I waited, hoping I’d put out enough bait. I had no idea if Than and the dragon would get along for any length of time, but there was one other benefit to dragon-sitting. I hoped he’d caught onto what it might be.
“And what of the dog?”
Bingo.
“Spud?” I asked like he hadn’t even crossed my mind. “I guess I’ll need someone to look after him too. He does love being with the dragon pig, though.”
“I see.”
