still tell me before he moved away. Actually I don’t think he’d move away, he’d probably try to get me to move back home with him to try and keep an eye on me,” she mused aloud. It was hard to imagine her father abandoning her under any circumstance.
“Okay, where am I going? Should I take the ninety-nine exit?” Annaliese asked, breaking into her reverie.
“Oh, yeah, head towards Hall. It’s on Spruce.”
“You got it,” she replied, signaling for the exit. “So… your Dad, did he ever remarry?”
Veronica smiled to herself, thinking how best to reply. “No, he never remarried. He goes on a lot of first dates. Not that there’s anything wrong with him,” she added quickly. “Not every girl is understanding when he has to break a date at the last minute, or leave in the middle of dinner, you know?”
“Ah, I can imagine he doesn’t exactly have a set schedule.”
“Yeah, it’s kinda crazy when he’s got a new case. It’s better since we moved up here though; in LA I’d go days without seeing him sometimes.” And that wasn’t an exaggeration. “What about you? Are you married?”
“Me? No, I haven’t met the right guy yet. I only believe in getting married once.”
“Me too,” Veronica approved. “You don’t do those… love spells do you?” She’d seen the candles and oils in the store before and Feather’s pitch for the love machine candle came to mind.
“No, I don’t,” Annaliese chuckled. “I think they’re cheating. I’d never know if a guy was with me because of me or the spell, you know?”
“But people do use them, right? Do they work?”
“It’s hard to say. I think they do under the right circumstances. Do they work like it does in the movies where you work a spell and someone becomes your obsessive love slave?” She shook her head. “No, not like that.”
“Here’s the turn, here on the left.” Veronica directed her, conversation falling by the wayside as she guided her to the house. Annaliese pulled into the driveway next to Nick’s unmarked police car. She had been hoping to avoid her father knowing about the ride home, but after the conversation with Annaliese, Veronica changed her mind about that. “You should come up and say hi, it looks like my dad’s home.”
“Oh, I probably shouldn’t, I have to get to that print shop before they close.”
“Don’t you want to find out if there’s anything new on the case? He might have some more questions for you,” Veronica pointed out, unbuckling and picking up her bag. “Come on, just for a minute?” She fixed Annaliese with the look that always made her dad melt into a puddle of goo and give her what she wanted. Of course she had no idea whether or not it would work on anyone but her dad, but it was worth a shot.
“Oh alright,” Anna laughed at the face, “just for a minute.”
Practically bouncing with excitement, Veronica waited for her to get out of the car before going up to the door, using her key and calling out, “Honey, I’m home!” at the top of her lungs as soon as she stepped over the threshold into the vaulted ceiling of the living room.
* * *
“You made it just in time, partner,” came Nick’s drawl from the direction of the kitchen. “I was about to send out a posse fer ya,” he grinned, coming around the corner, stopping short once he saw she wasn’t alone. Some other men might feel a little foolish greeting a bare acquaintance wearing a cowboy hat, an apron that said ‘kiss the cook’ and a bright red bandana tied around his neck, but Nick went with it, tipping his hat to the both of them. “Howdy, Ma’am.”
Annaliese’s lips mashed together as if she were afraid to laugh at him, nodding back. “Howdy.”
“And you, ya little ankle biter, you best get washed up fer dinner or ya’ll be muckin’ out stalls ‘til the cows come home.” He swatted Veronica
“Okay, where am I going? Should I take the ninety-nine exit?” Annaliese asked, breaking into her reverie.
“Oh, yeah, head towards Hall. It’s on Spruce.”
“You got it,” she replied, signaling for the exit. “So… your Dad, did he ever remarry?”
Veronica smiled to herself, thinking how best to reply. “No, he never remarried. He goes on a lot of first dates. Not that there’s anything wrong with him,” she added quickly. “Not every girl is understanding when he has to break a date at the last minute, or leave in the middle of dinner, you know?”
“Ah, I can imagine he doesn’t exactly have a set schedule.”
“Yeah, it’s kinda crazy when he’s got a new case. It’s better since we moved up here though; in LA I’d go days without seeing him sometimes.” And that wasn’t an exaggeration. “What about you? Are you married?”
“Me? No, I haven’t met the right guy yet. I only believe in getting married once.”
“Me too,” Veronica approved. “You don’t do those… love spells do you?” She’d seen the candles and oils in the store before and Feather’s pitch for the love machine candle came to mind.
“No, I don’t,” Annaliese chuckled. “I think they’re cheating. I’d never know if a guy was with me because of me or the spell, you know?”
“But people do use them, right? Do they work?”
“It’s hard to say. I think they do under the right circumstances. Do they work like it does in the movies where you work a spell and someone becomes your obsessive love slave?” She shook her head. “No, not like that.”
“Here’s the turn, here on the left.” Veronica directed her, conversation falling by the wayside as she guided her to the house. Annaliese pulled into the driveway next to Nick’s unmarked police car. She had been hoping to avoid her father knowing about the ride home, but after the conversation with Annaliese, Veronica changed her mind about that. “You should come up and say hi, it looks like my dad’s home.”
“Oh, I probably shouldn’t, I have to get to that print shop before they close.”
“Don’t you want to find out if there’s anything new on the case? He might have some more questions for you,” Veronica pointed out, unbuckling and picking up her bag. “Come on, just for a minute?” She fixed Annaliese with the look that always made her dad melt into a puddle of goo and give her what she wanted. Of course she had no idea whether or not it would work on anyone but her dad, but it was worth a shot.
“Oh alright,” Anna laughed at the face, “just for a minute.”
Practically bouncing with excitement, Veronica waited for her to get out of the car before going up to the door, using her key and calling out, “Honey, I’m home!” at the top of her lungs as soon as she stepped over the threshold into the vaulted ceiling of the living room.
* * *
“You made it just in time, partner,” came Nick’s drawl from the direction of the kitchen. “I was about to send out a posse fer ya,” he grinned, coming around the corner, stopping short once he saw she wasn’t alone. Some other men might feel a little foolish greeting a bare acquaintance wearing a cowboy hat, an apron that said ‘kiss the cook’ and a bright red bandana tied around his neck, but Nick went with it, tipping his hat to the both of them. “Howdy, Ma’am.”
Annaliese’s lips mashed together as if she were afraid to laugh at him, nodding back. “Howdy.”
“And you, ya little ankle biter, you best get washed up fer dinner or ya’ll be muckin’ out stalls ‘til the cows come home.” He swatted Veronica
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