“Of course we’re inviting him,” Marty declared with a chuckle. “He’s part of the family now whether he damn well likes it or not. And trust me, he’s already warming to you, Poppy-Seed. By week’s end, he’ll be all over this familiar thing. Mark my words.”
Yeah, and she had one week to show him what being part of the family was about by telling him she thought his best friend and partner was a bad, bad dude.
“Or all over her,” Calamity teased. “Seen the way he looks at her unfairly perky rear-end? Phew. Can’t believe you didn’t catch fire yet, Pops.”
Blushing, she flapped a hand and rolled her eyes at the cat, ignoring the giddy rush the idea brought. Because it was crazy. Rick was no more attracted to her than he was to Arnie.
“Enough already. I’ve been at this job one day, and you’re already shipping us. We hardly know each other.”
Arch gave them a crisp nod and clicked his heels. “Then I shall extend our invitation to the butt-watcher and add another plate to the roster.” As he went off to tend to whatever was creating the delicious scents wafting in from the kitchen and filling the tiny house, Poppy shifted on the bed.
Nina crossed the small space between them and ruffled her hair. “Listen, Ball Crusher, if you don’t want to talk about whatever’s eating you up, you don’t have to. I see you all over here fretting and shit. But when you’re ready, we’ll be here. Okay?”
Poppy nodded, clinging to Carl’s arm. “Thanks, Nina. I appreciate everything you guys have done. I just need to get my footing. But I want you to know, you’re all really pretty great people to just drop everything and help like you do.”
Nina flicked her shoulder with her fingers. “Fuck that. I’m a total bitch,” she crowed. “Don’t go spreadin’ rumors sayin’ any different now.” But she grinned.
And so did Poppy. And as she tucked her misgivings away for the moment and prepared to share a meal with these people, she sent up a thank you to the universe in a moment of deep gratitude.
Swirling the burgundy wine in her glass, Poppy sipped at it, stuffed to the gills after an amazing dinner of roast chicken in lemon sauce seasoned with sage and thyme, and the most tender baby potatoes to ever grace her tongue.
Nina was off in a corner, practicing her wand magic with Calamity, alternately setting random things on fire or turning them to thick globs of ice, while Wanda, Marty, and Carl snuggled under a heated blanket on an outdoor couch, flipping through a magazine about planes.
She held up her glass and saluted Arch, who sat next to the women on Rick’s patio by a wide brick fireplace, the hearth festively decorated with pumpkins, mums, and a freestanding skeleton.
“That was an amazing meal, Arch. Thank you.”
He lifted his wine glass, too, tipping it at her with a genuine smile. “’Twas my pleasure, Miss Poppy. Welcome to our ragtag band of merry paranormals. Here’s to many more meals shared with us just like this one!”
Rick rubbed his stomach, leaning back in the chair he’d pulled next to hers. “Wow. Glad I got an invite. I haven’t had a meal like that in forever.”
Nodding, she had to agree. She lived on salads and bag after bag of cheap pork rinds with the occasional apple thrown in for good measure. “It’s really beautiful out here,” she commented with a contented sigh, looking up at the string of globe lights hung in the shape of a square and wrapped around steel stakes driven into the ground.
Huge black iron candelabras held flickering stump candles, giving off the scent of vanilla and pumpkin spice. Purple and orange lights adorned the back of his house around the windows and woven into the bushes. Ghosts made of some sort of cloth swung from limbs on the big tree near the woods edging his property, and there was the most fabulous freestanding witch, complete with cackle when you walked past her, by the table where they’d dined.
“One of my favorite places to relax and have a beer. I don’t get to do it as often as I’d like.”
“I can see why you’d want to. You’ve made it a real haven.” The patio was broken up into small groups of weatherproofed furniture in bright reds and teals, just like the interior of his house, and very unlike the décor in the shed.
“It’s nice, seeing it filled with people like this. It was what I’d intended when I designed it, but work gets the best of me most days, and I never seem to find the time to entertain.”
Right. Avis the snake had mentioned something about workaholics and Rick. “So, I don’t know if you noticed, but you’re really into Halloween.” She pointed to the jack-o’-lanterns scattered everywhere. Yet another side to him she’d been totally unprepared for. He’d really gone all out with the decorating.
He laughed. “Well, it is the song of our people.”