said.
“You could always try reversing the spell.”
“Are you crazy? I’m not going to try a spell reversal on Griffin right before Mom and Dad arrive. Just my luck I’d screw it up and they’d be here to witness the whole thing. You’re lucky they were out of the country when you had your little episode with Jasper.”
“I was definitely lucky.” Anica gazed at her. “Are you still coming with me to the airport in the morning to pick them up?”
“You bet. Did you get a rental car?” Neither of them owned a car, both because of the expense and the trouble with parking. They made do with public transportation except for unusual situations, like picking up their globe-trotting parents from O’Hare.
“I did. Jasper offered to let me use his car and loan it to them for the weekend, but . . .”
Lily laughed. “I know. Dad’s driving. Wizards don’t make the best drivers in the world. You got insurance, right?”
“All they offered.” Anica fidgeted with her cell phone, flipping the cover open and shut. “Speaking of Jasper, um . . . you won’t tell on me, will you?”
“I won’t tell on you if you won’t tell on me.”
“I promise not to tell Mom and Dad, but I have to warn you that Dorcas and Ambrose know.”
“Anica! What’d you do, call them up right after you found out Griffin had spent the night?”
“No.” Anica looked insulted. “Dorcas called me. She knew you were thinking about it and she wanted an update. I’m not going to lie to a member of the Wizard Council, Lily.”
“I wish they didn’t know. They’re coming to the party, which means they’ll be talking to Mom and Dad.”
“They won’t tell Mom and Dad.”
“How can you be so sure?” Lily tried not to panic, but she really didn’t want her parents to know what she’d done.
“First of all, Dorcas and Ambrose aren’t the kind of people who go around spilling other people’s secrets, which is good for me because they know about me turning Jasper into a cat.”
“True.” Lily hadn’t thought about the fact that the Lowells were keeping secrets for both sisters.
“And second of all, they’re not allowed to interfere unless somebody asks them to, like I did when we couldn’t figure out how to turn Jasper back into a guy.”
“And you didn’t ask them to do anything regarding me and Griffin, right?”
Anica gazed at her. “No, because this is your deal.”
“Thanks, An. Thanks for letting me handle it.”
“I couldn’t have asked them, anyway. It would have to be either you or Griffin who asks.”
“Oh.” Lily laughed. “I see. You’re being noble by default.”
“No, I really wouldn’t have asked, even if I could!”
“Right.”
“Anyway, your secret’s safe with them. They won’t tell, and I won’t tell as long as you’ll keep my secret.”
Lily smiled at her. “Blackmail is a glorious thing, isn’t it?”
“Uh-huh. Now let’s eat. I can’t plan a magical party on an empty stomach.”
Griffin had found a private moment at the office to tell Debbie he wouldn’t be going out with her on Saturday night. He’d explained that there was someone else. From the way she’d rolled her eyes, he thought she probably knew who that was.
She’d made a snide remark about men who preferred blatant sexuality to women with a more refined appeal, and he’d said nothing. Intellectually he preferred subtle to blatant himself. But his mind wasn’t running the show these days.
Debbie didn’t join the group when Kevin, Miles and Griffin headed over to the Bubbling Cauldron for their normal happy hour. Griffin had given Kevin permission to bring Miles up to speed on the situation, so both friends were eager to see how the new status would affect their routine.
“You’re welcome to take her into the storeroom for a quickie,” he said, “as long as I get my drink first.”
Griffin knew that sparring with Miles would only make him ramp up the teasing. “I’ll see if she’ll go
“You could always try reversing the spell.”
“Are you crazy? I’m not going to try a spell reversal on Griffin right before Mom and Dad arrive. Just my luck I’d screw it up and they’d be here to witness the whole thing. You’re lucky they were out of the country when you had your little episode with Jasper.”
“I was definitely lucky.” Anica gazed at her. “Are you still coming with me to the airport in the morning to pick them up?”
“You bet. Did you get a rental car?” Neither of them owned a car, both because of the expense and the trouble with parking. They made do with public transportation except for unusual situations, like picking up their globe-trotting parents from O’Hare.
“I did. Jasper offered to let me use his car and loan it to them for the weekend, but . . .”
Lily laughed. “I know. Dad’s driving. Wizards don’t make the best drivers in the world. You got insurance, right?”
“All they offered.” Anica fidgeted with her cell phone, flipping the cover open and shut. “Speaking of Jasper, um . . . you won’t tell on me, will you?”
“I won’t tell on you if you won’t tell on me.”
“I promise not to tell Mom and Dad, but I have to warn you that Dorcas and Ambrose know.”
“Anica! What’d you do, call them up right after you found out Griffin had spent the night?”
“No.” Anica looked insulted. “Dorcas called me. She knew you were thinking about it and she wanted an update. I’m not going to lie to a member of the Wizard Council, Lily.”
“I wish they didn’t know. They’re coming to the party, which means they’ll be talking to Mom and Dad.”
“They won’t tell Mom and Dad.”
“How can you be so sure?” Lily tried not to panic, but she really didn’t want her parents to know what she’d done.
“First of all, Dorcas and Ambrose aren’t the kind of people who go around spilling other people’s secrets, which is good for me because they know about me turning Jasper into a cat.”
“True.” Lily hadn’t thought about the fact that the Lowells were keeping secrets for both sisters.
“And second of all, they’re not allowed to interfere unless somebody asks them to, like I did when we couldn’t figure out how to turn Jasper back into a guy.”
“And you didn’t ask them to do anything regarding me and Griffin, right?”
Anica gazed at her. “No, because this is your deal.”
“Thanks, An. Thanks for letting me handle it.”
“I couldn’t have asked them, anyway. It would have to be either you or Griffin who asks.”
“Oh.” Lily laughed. “I see. You’re being noble by default.”
“No, I really wouldn’t have asked, even if I could!”
“Right.”
“Anyway, your secret’s safe with them. They won’t tell, and I won’t tell as long as you’ll keep my secret.”
Lily smiled at her. “Blackmail is a glorious thing, isn’t it?”
“Uh-huh. Now let’s eat. I can’t plan a magical party on an empty stomach.”
Griffin had found a private moment at the office to tell Debbie he wouldn’t be going out with her on Saturday night. He’d explained that there was someone else. From the way she’d rolled her eyes, he thought she probably knew who that was.
She’d made a snide remark about men who preferred blatant sexuality to women with a more refined appeal, and he’d said nothing. Intellectually he preferred subtle to blatant himself. But his mind wasn’t running the show these days.
Debbie didn’t join the group when Kevin, Miles and Griffin headed over to the Bubbling Cauldron for their normal happy hour. Griffin had given Kevin permission to bring Miles up to speed on the situation, so both friends were eager to see how the new status would affect their routine.
“You’re welcome to take her into the storeroom for a quickie,” he said, “as long as I get my drink first.”
Griffin knew that sparring with Miles would only make him ramp up the teasing. “I’ll see if she’ll go
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