Technically, he was working.Technically, he was always working.There was no sleep for the wicked witches who wanted to pay their electric bills and streaming subscriptions on time.
Trying to pull his board shorts back up, Sage stumbled to his feet and walked to one of the two bean bags in the room.His phone was charging there, but the caller ID made Sage mumble another curse.
Peter Collins wasn’t difficult to work with, he was just…intense.The R&D mood went right out of Sage.He answered.
“I was fucking busy.”
He was also not wearing a shirt, and talking to Peter while not wearing a shirt made Sage feel awkward for reasons he couldn’t even begin to explain.He dropped onto the bean bag.It made him feel less exposed.
“Thank you ever so much for inquiring, Sage.I have been well; how have you been?Good?Oh, splendid, splendid.”
Sage made a face.“Right, sorry.In my defense, you’re the one who’s always, ‘be concise, Sage, get to the point, Sage.’”
“Never did I tell you to leave common courtesy at the door, Sage.Regardless, since this is starting to turn circuitous, I can help with that.”
“With what?Courtesy?”
Peter made a sharp noise.“Absolutely not.With your state?”
“My…state?”Sage turned in his beanbag to make sure Peter hadn’t broken in somehow, or climbed the house to stare in through the round attic window, but he was fine.Peter wasn’t here.
“You said you were busy.”
Sage relaxed.“Right.I am.”
“Well, I can help with that.”
Sage froze.This was not Peter’s I-have-a-job-for-you voice.This was his nice people voice, the kind he used onnicepeople.Which was when Peter wanted other people to think he thought they were nice.In other words, when he wanted something and wanted you to think doing whatever he wanted had been your idea to begin with.
Sage realized he was being fucked with by none other than Peter Collins, and that was a problem.There was painfully little Sage could think to do to get himself un-fucked.In fact, he couldn’t think of anything at all.
“You know, I think I’m okay actually.”
“I told you not to be circuitous.What would you say to an apprentice?”
Sage snorted.“I would tell them to go and fuck off, maybe point them to someone who has their shit together and does all this adulting bullshit better than me.”
“Ah, don’t be so quick to sell yourself short, Sage.You are the most competent and least judgy witch in all of New Elvenswood.”
The compliment made Sage uneasy.He shivered and lifted his left leg.The piece of magically animated rubber was cozying up to his big toe.He peeled it off.The rubber took that as invitation to make rubbery love to Sage’s big thumb.
“You’re not calling about a job, are you?”
“Sage, I’m calling to make all your jobs easier.I found you an apprentice.”
“But what if I don’t want an apprentice?”
Peter was silent for a long moment.“Sage, be reasonable.Why wouldn’t you want an apprentice?”
Uh-oh.Sage couldn’t be sure, but Peter sounded just a tad hangry.No one liked Peter when he got hangry.
“Look, they’d have to move in with me, and it’s still mostly Grandma’s old furniture.”
Yes, that was a good reason, one Peter had to accept.Old lady furniture and young apprentices did not go together.What apprentice would want floral print and lace trimming on half the cushions?
“Abigail’s taste was decent.I don’t see why it would be an issue.”Peter sounded like he might eat his secretary.
“I couldn’t pay them much either.And I’ve never taught anyone this stuff.Plus I work all those odd hours.”
