A Modern Witch

CHAPTER 20



Lauren wished she’d finished her breakfast before Jamie had announced he was coming to Chicago. Her appetite had completely disappeared in the aftermath.

Ginia, cheeks still streaked with hot tears, clung to Nat’s arm. “I don’t want you to go! You and Uncle Jamie should both stay here.”

Nat somehow made room on her lap for three eight-year-old girls. “I’m so sorry. This is really hard for me, and awfully sad. Chicago is my home. My yoga studio is there, and I’ve already been away a really long time. But I will miss you terribly.”

“There’s yoga here,” Ginia sobbed.

Nat gave up talking and just hugged. Lauren thought it was very telling that, upset as they all were, no one had suggested that Nat and Jamie should be in separate places. And no one seemed to buy Jamie’s assertion that it was just for a few weeks.

Jamie had a lapful of unhappy child too, although just one, in his case. Aervyn’s head was buried in Jamie’s chest.

Nell rubbed Ginia’s back. “They’ll come back to see us, sweetie.”

Jamie latched onto that like a life raft. “We will. Lauren needs to train with Aunt Jennie, and to work with Aervyn. We’ll all come together.”

Ginia looked up, eyes fierce. “When? When will you come?”

Jamie looked at Lauren. Oh sure, she thought, get the innocent bystander in trouble. Thanks a lot. Holding back tears was making her really cranky.

Nell spoke again. “The girls’ birthday is March nineteenth. That’s in four weeks.”

“Four weeks?” Ginia sniffled. “Mama, that’s so far away.”

Nell sighed. “I know, girl of mine. But wouldn’t Uncle Jamie and Nat and Lauren make an awesome birthday present?”

Ginia shrugged and cuddled back into Nat. Lauren had no idea how they were going to fit a Nat-plus-three-girls-shaped clump into the van to get to the airport. Cripes, this sucked.

…

Moira: Good afternoon, Nell. I saw the little light that said you were in chat.

Nell: You’re getting pretty good at this, Moira. I was going to tweak the video chat code a little. Ginia said it might have been a bit slow.

Moira: I don’t want to get in the way of your work, dear, but I think the video chatting worked just perfectly the other day.

Nell: Honestly, I was just looking for a distraction, and you’re a better one. I have a houseful of sad kids. I just sat them down to watch a movie.

Moira: Sad? After yesterday? I watched in my scrying bowl. That was incredible magic. And Ginia a witchling, too.

Nell: I knew you’d be watching. It’s not yesterday that has them sad, it’s today. Nat and Lauren just left to go back to Chicago, and Jamie went with them.

Moira: Ah, I see.

Nell: I wish I didn’t. I could want no better than Nat for Jamie, but I can’t stand knowing he’ll be living thousands of miles away.

Moira: That serious, is it then?

Nell: Seems so. Nat’s work is in Chicago, and Jamie’s is portable, so it only makes sense, I guess.

Moira: What of his training work? He’s been Aervyn’s primary trainer.

Nell: His shoes can be filled, I hope. We have plenty of talented witches here, but…

Moira: It’s the bond between them that can’t be replaced, I’m thinking.

Nell: Exactly right. Aervyn’s still so little. This will be really hard on both of them.

Moira: There’s no chance Nat would leave Chicago?

Nell: You know, if it were just her yoga studio, I think she might. But she and Lauren are family, and Lauren’s life is in Chicago, too.

Moira: Torn loyalties can be pure misery for everyone involved. Give it time, Nell. Let the journey unfold as it needs to.

Nell: I’m trying. They’ll be back in a month for the triplets’ birthday.

Moira: Ah, and spring equinox. That’s a powerful time for new magic.

Nell: I hadn’t even thought of that. After yesterday, it’s probably hard to imagine, but magic took a backseat at this house today.

Moira: As it should when love is involved. Better still when love and magic work together. I’ll send my love to all of you. Perhaps in a few days, the girls would come talk to me on the computer again.

Nell: They will, and that’s a good idea, Moira. We’ll try video chats with Chicago. Maybe that will perk up my rug rats a little. In the meantime, I’ll try ice cream.

…

Lauren crawled in her door. Was it a basic rule of physics that all planes flying to O’Hare must experience flight delays?

Add four hours of runway sitting in Las Vegas to breakfast drama and fixing earthquake fault lines, and you had the straw that busted the camel. She’d never been so tired. Making sure her suitcase wouldn’t trip her on the pathway to coffee in the morning, Lauren peeled off her jeans and collapsed onto her couch.

She was home.