Deva laughed. “Don’t worry, you’re not missing much. Buster is a grumpy tabby.”
You’d be grumpy too after being stuck in a car with howling humans, Buster grumbled.
Everyone except Travis laughed.
“I guess there’s been a lot of changes, for both of you,” Deva said, nodding between Travis and I.
His smile faltered. “Well, there are more changes than just me having a girlfriend.”
My gaze swings to her belly. Is she pregnant? If she’s pregnant, I need to react correctly.
I feel a giant forced smile twist my face as my brain screamsnooooo, and my mouth forms the wordcongratulations, but luckily for me, Travis keeps talking before the word can leave my lips.
“Here’s the thing. We applied for a study abroad program that neither of us got into. It was a really great opportunity, so we were bummed. But two people dropped out at the last second, so Jacqueline and I were offered their spots,” Travis said. “We had to take the spots right away or they would’ve gone to someone else. We said yes, but I didn’t want to leave without talking to you. Today we were actually packing. We planned to come to Mystic Hollow and tell you the news.”
“Study abroad?” My mind went to war-torn countries, shady back alleys, and all the other scary things I’d seen on the news.
“To Europe,” he said with a grin. “Jacqueline’s getting more art classes, and I’m getting to knock out most of my elective classes in one shot.”
Europe. Meaning… tea, crumpets, fairy circles, and corner markets? Right? Okay, breathe, I could handle that.
I realized everyone was staring at me, so I squeezed his hand again. “Oh, honey, that’s wonderful,” I said in my sweetest, most supportive voice. And I did support him, but the thought of my little boy going overseas without me still made my toes curl.
But he wasn’t my little boy anymore. Something I needed to keep reminding myself. “When do you leave?” I asked.
“Three days. But we were going to go back to the school and say goodbye to our friends and stuff.”
Three days? Three days?
Unable to help myself, I leaned over and squeezed him in a tight hug. He hugged me back and whispered, “I love you,” against my hair.
“I love you too.”
“But you’re really going to be okay, right? I know things were rough with the divorce, so I can make sure to call you more, and—”
I pulled back from him, whipping a traitorous tear from my cheek. “I’m the mom! You don’t have to worry about me! I’ll worry about you every second until you get back, so you make sure to live it up there.”
“And I’ll look after him,” Jacqueline said softly.
I reached over and squeezed her hand. “Thank you, sweetie.”
Something in her eyes made my heart ache. It was like until that moment she wasn’t sure where we stood. And maybe it was because with all the witch stuff, I wasn’t sure where we stood. But now I knew. No matter what happened with their relationship, as long as she was tied to my son, I would try to treat her like my child too. With love and respect.
Love, kindness, and respect cost nothing at all.
“But you make sure to take care of yourself too. Okay? And when you guys get back, I’ll take you out to dinner, to hang out on the beach, and you guys can show me all the photos from your big adventure.”
“I’m sure I’ll post stuff online,” Travis said with a snort of amusement.
“Of course,” I replied with a smile. I’d just have to remember to check.
I released them both, and the conversation turned to cautious questions about what my powers were, and what my friends could do, and what we were getting up to in Mystic Hollow. I almost told them about our crime-fighting life, but realized it would probably make Travis worry more, and he didn’t need anything else to worry about right now. And then, we asked questions about their school, how they met, and about Jacqueline’s family. Time ticked away, and the conversation began to die away as we settled into a tired comfortableness.
Then, Jacqueline went to take a shower. I wandered into Travis’s room and smiled at his old band posters and the trophy from the chess tournament he won. The room was full of boxes labeled with his and Jacqueline’s names. “Sorry for bringing it all here,” he said. “But this all happened really fast.”
“It’s okay.” I watched him pack a suitcase and smiled. “I think you and Jacqueline are a good match.” I meant it, too. At first I hadn’t seen it, but the more I observed them together, the more I liked them together. They were different, sure, but why would that be a bad thing? They might just compliment each other.
After giving him a hug, I returned to the kitchen, where my girls had switched the tea out for wine.
