Easy Magic (Boudreaux #5)

“The thing is,” I begin, “Van’s been single for a couple of years now. She’s doing so much better, and we all know that’s partly because of you. You’ve been a good friend to her.”


“Exactly,” he says, cocking a brow. “She’s made it clear that I’m squarely positioned in the friend zone. I’m up to my fucking ears in the friend zone. So no, I won’t be taking her out on a date any time soon. Or ever.”

“Jesus, men are dumb,” Callie says, rolling her eyes.

“Hey!”

“Sorry, but you are. I see the way you look at her, Ben. And frankly, she looks at you the exact same way.”

“Bullshit.”

“No. It’s not bullshit.”

“Look,” I say, interrupting. “All I’m saying is, it’s okay with us if you decide that you do want to date her. Or whatever.”

“No,” Declan says, “no whatever without dating her. You’re our best friend, but she’s our sister. If you whatever and don’t date her, we’ll all kick your ass.”

“I’d like to see that,” Ben says with a smirk. “You don’t have anything to worry about.”

“Beau’s always worrying about someone,” Declan says, clapping me on the shoulder. “If there’s nothing to worry about, he panics.”

I roll my eyes and take the last sip of my beer.

“Another?” Callie asks.

“No, thanks. I’ll take the water too. Okay, let’s leave Ben alone. How are you, Callie?”

“Never better,” she says, her smile bright. “My bar rocks.”

“Our bar!” her business partner, Adam, calls down from the other end of the bar.

“Whatever!” she calls back and winks at him. “Declan is healthy and happy, you guys don’t suck. Kate’s going to have a baby for the rest of us to spoil, and we don’t have to have one ourselves, which is really selfless of her.”

“Yes, I’m sure that’s what she and Eli were thinking when he knocked her up. Let’s help everyone else out and have a baby,” Ben says with a laugh.

“I agree,” Callie says. “They’re selfless.”

Declan and I share a glance, then laugh.

“So, yeah. Things are good,” she says with a nod.

“Well, now that we’re all caught up, I should head out. I have an early class tomorrow.” Ben stands and pulls out his wallet to pay, but Callie shakes her head and waves him off.

“I’ll walk with you,” I reply and throw down some money, despite Callie’s protest. “I’m paying for my damn beer.”

“You might be the best looking family in Louisiana, but you’re also the most stubborn.”

“We’ll take that as a compliment.” We wave and leave, walking back toward the loft. Ben met me there earlier and we walked to The Odyssey together. “I’m sorry for all the questions about Van,” I say as we set off down the street toward my place.

“I know y’all wish we’d just pull our heads out and get married and have babies, and all of that, but it’s not going to happen, Beau. We’ve known each other all of our lives.”

“But she’s no sister to you,” I reply.

“No, I don’t think of her like a sister.”

“Like you do Gabby and Charly and the rest.”

“True.”

I look over at him. “So?”

“So fucking drop it,” he says and rubs his hand over his face.

“Consider it dropped.”

“Good.”

Meow.

Just as we reach the top of the steps to my flat, we see a little black kitten huddled by my front door.

Meow.

“You got a cat?” Ben asks.

“No, I have no idea where it came from.”

“I wonder if it’s Mallory’s familiar,” Ben says.

“Excuse me?”

“You know, a familiar.”

I simply stare back at him and he sighs in disgust. “Jesus, you live in fucking New Orleans. How do you not know this shit?”

“Maybe I don’t want you to date my sister after all.”

He reaches down and picks up the tiny little fluff ball.

“She has the same blue eyes that Mallory does.”

“Are you implying that Mallory, in the form of a black kitten, is hanging out by my door?”

“It could happen,” he says and lets the kitten burrow down into his neck, purring loudly.

“If Mallory ever snuggles up in your neck and purrs like that, we’re going to have issues.”

He laughs. “True. Probably not Mallory.”

“But…” I pause, looking at the little kitten, a plan forming in my head. “Mallory might like her.”

“I don’t know if you should give a woman a cat as a gift,” Ben says with a frown.

“Let’s go to the pet store to get supplies,” I reply, ignoring him and excited to see the look on her face tomorrow.

“Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

***

The kitten kept me up most of the night. There were several times that I questioned my judgment, but then it would curl up next to me and purr, and well, turns out I’m a softie.

What the fuck is happening to me?

I slip the sleeping kitten inside my jacket and walk down to Mallory’s shop, worried that she might not be there again, but when I walk inside, there she is sitting behind the counter. She glances up, and takes my fucking breath away.

She’s just so damn beautiful.

And mine.

“Hey there,” she says with a welcoming smile. But she has some dark circles under her blue eyes, and she looks…unsettled.

“Hi.”

Meow.

She blinks rapidly. “Is that a cat in your jacket, or are you just happy to see me?”

I smirk and pull the baby out, and Mallory’s face melts the way most women’s faces do when they see a baby of any species.

“Oh my goodness, look at you!”

I can only stare in surprise at the silly baby talk voice coming out of her mouth as she takes the kitten from my hands and snuggles him.

“Oh, he’s so cute.” She kisses his face, and he pats her cheek with his fluffy paw. “Hello, little love. Oh, you’re just precious, aren’t you?”

“I’m sorry, is Mallory here?” I ask with a laugh. “Because I don’t recognize this woman.”

“It’s a baby,” she says, as if that explains it all. “A super cute baby.”

“Well, I’m glad you like him. Or her. I’m not sure which.”

“Are you keeping him?” she asks hopefully.

“No. You are.”

Her gaze whips up to mine and she looks between me and the kitten, as if the little ball of fur is going to confirm what I just said.

“Excuse me?”

“I brought him for you.”

She frowns and sets him on the floor when he squirms to get down and props her hands on her hips.

“What if I don’t like cats?”

I nod. “Yes, because clearly the way you just fawned all over him indicates that you can’t stand him.”

“Well, what if I was allergic?”

Oh God. “Are you?” I ask in horror.

“No.” She watches as the little terrorist bats at a piece of plastic on the floor. “But you should have asked me if I wanted a cat. It’s a living thing, which requires attention. I don’t have any of the supplies.”

“They’re upstairs,” I reply and walk behind the counter to pull her into my arms. “I haven’t seen you in a couple of days.”

“So you bought me a cat?”

“No.” I kiss her forehead, loving the way she fits in my arms.