“Miss what?”
“Working for Aidan.”
“How do you mean?”
“I just wondered if you would ever consider going back to work for Aidan.”
His bottle glass green eyes grew even bigger thannormal, and started to glitter with the beginning of tears. “I won’t eat any more cookies! I promise! Don’t send me away, mistress!”
“No, Oscar, that’s not what—”
He hopped up onto the sink and started scrubbing the cookie sheets. “Let’s get this kitchen spic-and-span, shall we?”
“Oscar, honestly, I appreciate the help, but—”
“Yup, you and me, mistress. We’re gonna make cookies, and clean up right after, and—”
“It’s not about that. Oscar, would you please calm down and listen to me?”
“It’s that mandragora, isn’t it? I never liked him. He’s the sneaky sort, going behind a guy’s back—”
“No, I promise you. Finnall belongs to Calypso. This isn’t about replacing you, Oscar. I’ve told you before: You’re family. It’s you and me, for better or worse.”
“Really?”
“Really.”
I couldn’t help but notice that, once reassured, Oscar abandoned the dishes in the sink and went back to staring at the cookies cooling on the rack.
“Feeling better now?” I asked.
“Much, mistress. Why were you asking about Aidan?”
“Aidan told me he wouldn’t help me get Sailor out of jail unless either you or Sailor went back to work for him.”
“Oh.”
“It wouldn’t be like before, though. You would be a regular employee. He would pay...” I trailed off. What was money to someone like Oscar? “Never mind. I don’t know what I was thinking. I don’t need Aidan. I can pull this off myself.”
“Without Aidan, and without your guiding spirit?”
“It looks like it.”
“If... if it means saving Sailor, I’ll do it.”
“Oh, Oscar. Now that I think about it, I realize I can’t ask you to do that.”
“You said I could be the ring bearer at the wedding. How’m I gonna do that if thereisno wedding?”
“I tell you what, Oscar. I appreciate the offer so much, you have no idea. But let’s get through the Magical Match Tea tomorrow. Also, Graciela’s coven is set to arrive tomorrow as well. Maybe things will shake out differently, and we won’t need Aidan’s help at all.”
“Maybe. You still think it’s Wind Spirit?”
“Maybe. I’ll talk to her tomorrow, see if I can get her to admit what’s going on. But for right now, I have to brew, guiding spirit or no. Will you help?”
“Of course, mistress. It was real classy how you said to Conrad, ‘It will be an honor, and a pleasure.’”
“Thank you, Oscar.”
