"You can probably just buff that out," I said with more confidence than I felt. The scratch looked deep.
Several of Mace's brothers ran out of the house.
"Hey, Arlo. Hey, Otis. Hey, Calvin! How was school?" Mace greeted his brothers.
"Boring. Come play tag," they begged, pulling at Mace.
"I have a meeting," he said apologetically.
"You always have a meeting," Otis complained. His brothers looked sad. Mace looked guilty.
"I'll come play with you," I told them. "Just let me change."
Mace smiled at me then got in his car to drive off. Or tried to. His little brothers and I watched as he took several minutes to readjust the seat and the mirrors.
"You're not driving anymore," he rolled down the window and told me before taking off. "You're so short I could barely fit in the seat."
"You're just freakishly tall," I countered.
I thought about the marketing meeting while I changed into athleisure wear. Anke and I would go on regular shopping sprees for clothes, but to scrounge up some cash, I sold most of what I had bought. Not that I was sad—I had gained enough weight from stress eating that none of them fit right. But I kept the yoga pants; they were so comfortable, and they still fit.
Willow:Did you recover from your exploration of Mace's crotch area?
Josie:You don't have to make it sound so dirty
Willow:Except it was. It looked like you were giving him head
Josie:Ugh
Willow:If Tara didn't like you before, now she really has it out for you. Her nose was twitching nonstop. She kept going on and on about how you were going to drive Svensson PharmaTech into the ground
Josie:If anyone's ruining that company it's her. No offense, I know you worked on it, but that marketing scheme is exceptionally bad
Willow:*sigh* yes I know and no, no offense. I just hope the last check from PharmaTech clears before they realize what an abject disaster it is
Josie:I feel like we shouldn't just let her ruin the campaign. The gene therapy procedure is a big deal for Mace
Willow:Feel free to come up with something better. I'll text you a link to where all the work so far is
I checked the link to make sure it worked then made a mental note to review the material that evening. Little fists banged on the tiny house door, and I closed my laptop. I had an appointment.
"Who's banging on my tiny house?" I roared in my best troll voice. "I'm going to eat you up!" Mace's little brothers all shrieked in delight as I raced after them.
The back lawn was perfect for running around. It was a little overgrown, but I could see how, back in the days when the ornate, beaux-arts style was all the rage, a designer had carefully planned the grounds. The lawn was mostly flat but rolled slightly to give the appearance of a natural meadow. Large trees framed the edges, carefully planted to frame picturesque views of the house and the outbuildings. Entrances to bridle and walking paths were visible at the edges of the vast lawn. As it grew dark, lights came on, marking the pathways and illuminating the grand house.
By that time, Mace's teen brothers had joined in the game as well, and we all gathered on the terrace as Henry pretended to slay the troll witch—me—and my two crazy dragons—Isaac and Bruno.
"I'm hungry," Henry announced, flopping down on top of me.
"Me too. What would you like to eat?"
"Pizza!"
"We can order some," Isaac said.
"Mace lets you order pizza?" I asked him.
"No, but he's not here, so…" He shrugged
