“Yes, you did.” She leaned over and snarled. “And if you think for one minute that Hadley isn’t going to find out how you treat people, you’re wrong. I’m going to call her right now. You can kiss that job goodbye.”
With that, Crystal turned on her heel and strode away, bottom sashaying from right to left.
I stared at Rufus, who reached across the table and took my hand. “It will be fine.”
But as Sykes Laffoon rose, he gave me the dirtiest look I’d ever seen, and I knew right then that no, it wouldn’t be fine. It wouldn’t be fine at all.
Chapter 7
“It looks like you made an enemy of a woman who likes spandex.”
“Ha, ha. Very funny.”
Rufus and I strolled along the riverwalk. People milled around us—most of them couples, though there were some children. Their murmurs and laughter trickled into my ears as the river gurgled over rocks that lined the bank.
He punched his hands into his pockets. “Seriously, I don’t think you should worry about it.”
I scoffed. “I’m not worried.”
“You look worried.”
“Okay, I’m worried,” I admitted. “She could ruin this project for me. I really want to do it, and not just because I doubt that Crystal has any real design and construction experience.”
“Is that so?” he said gently.
“But I was such a jerk.” I raked my fingers down my face. “I could have been nicer. I never should’ve exploded.”
“She egged you on.”
“She did egg me on. You heard that, right?”
“Not really. I was talking to Sykes.”
A shot of air expelled from my lungs. I stopped walking and placed my forearms on the railing. My gaze darted toward the river.
“It’s strange to hear it rumble but not see the other side of it.”
“It’s like listening to a dragon sleeping in a cave.” Rufus positioned his back to the river. “All noise and darkness.”
“That’s a strange metaphor—a sleeping dragon.”
A faraway look filled his eyes. “It just came to me. Maybe it’s something about my past.”
He studied me quietly. I swallowed and it felt like a knot was hung in my throat.
It was nearly time to tell him the truth. But first… “What is the spell you need my help with?”
“Oh, it’s a target spell—one spell that helps you find another spell.”
“So you want to use that spell so you can find the memory spell?”
“Exactly. You know, for a non-spell hunter, you’re actually quite bright,” he teased.
“Be careful or I’ll blast you into next week with my untamed magical powers.”
He chuckled. “I think I might enjoy that.”
I quirked a brow. “Be careful what you wish for.”
