Chick with a Charm (3 page)

“And this is a damned good drink,” he added as he savored the combination of orange juice and Galliano. “I might have to switch my regular order from now on.” He loosened his tie and unfastened the button at the collar of his dress shirt.

“Now I’m curious about your fabulous drink.” Debbie leaned toward him. “Let me have a sip to see what it tastes like.” She reached for his glass.

“Onion rings!” Lily moved between Griffin and Debbie, knocking the other woman’s hand away from the Wallbanger as she plunked the basket down on the table.

If Griffin hadn’t known better, he would have sworn Lily was deliberately trying to keep Debbie away from his drink. He appreciated the interruption. Sharing a drink with Debbie was the sort of intimacy that would only encourage her. Damn, he wished he hadn’t agreed to dinner. It had been an impulse, and he knew that following impulses only led to trouble.

Lily glanced at Debbie. “I’ll be happy to mix you a Wallbanger, too.”

“Yeah,” Griffin said. “Let me buy you one, Debbie. You don’t want to drink from my glass. My throat’s kind of sore. I might be getting a cold.”

Debbie looked alarmed. “I sure hope not. I’d hate for us to miss dinner on Saturday night.” She gazed up at Lily, and there was unmistakable triumph in her eyes. “Griffin and I have dinner plans for Saturday.”

Lily’s expression tightened. “How nice. Can I get you that Wallbanger, then?”

“No, I don’t think so. Not tonight.” Debbie basked openly in her status as Griffin’s future date. “Maybe I’ll have one Saturday night with Griffin, since he seems to like them so much.”

Griffin pretended not to hear the muffled snicker from Miles, who seemed to be enjoying the byplay immensely. He’d known Miles and Kevin since law school, and both guys could read him like a book. The
I’m coming down with a cold
routine was something they’d all used in the past to get out of a sticky situation with a woman.

“I’m glad you like the drink, Griffin,” Lily said. “I put special effort into that one. And the orange juice should be good for your cold.”

“I’m sure it’ll help.” Griffin took another drink.

“Want another?”

“No, I think one will do it.”

Lily smiled at him. “Yes, it probably will. They tend to be fairly potent, at least the way I make them.” Then she went back to her bartending duties.

There had been something secretive about that smile of hers, and Griffin wouldn’t put it past her to have doubled up on the vodka. He was feeling extremely mellow. Now would be a good time to leave before he said or did something stupid, like proposition Lily.

Finishing the drink, he pulled out his wallet. “That’s it for me. I’m heading out.”

Kevin blinked. “Hey, don’t you want some onion rings? You love onion rings!”

“It’s been a long day.” Griffin put money on the table. “I’ll see you all at the office in the morning.”

Debbie didn’t look happy about his sudden departure. She caught his arm. “About Saturday night: You’d better make reservations soon. It’s tough to get into the good restaurants, especially now that the weather’s nicer.”

Griffin nodded with as much enthusiasm as he could muster. “I’ll do that.” He wanted to jerk his arm away, but he eased out of her grip so as not to seem rude. Somehow between now and Saturday, he’d find the courage to tell Debbie they wouldn’t be going to dinner. Dating her when he felt no attraction and she had an obvious crush wasn’t fair to either of them. He’d tell her privately, though, so he wouldn’t embarrass her in front of Kevin and Miles.

Then he’d fix this nagging problem of his inappropriate craving for Lily.

The solution was blindingly obvious. He would never set foot in the Bubbling Cauldron again. Yes, that was the answer. Great Wallbangers or not, he vowed to keep away from the place. Yep. A new happy hour spot was in order.

Lily watched Griffin leave the bar without looking back. He had all the signs of a man on the run. Was he really so afraid of his attraction to her? Apparently so.

If the elixir worked the way it was supposed to, she’d have the chance to find out why. Her heart was still racing from the usual high she experienced after doing magic, plus the excitement of taking this bold step with Griffin. She’d worked many spells in her life, but she’d never purposely tried to alter someone’s behavior.

There was a reason for that. The magical world frowned on spells that messed with the concept of free will. But if she left Griffin to his own devices, he’d be going to dinner with that Debbie person on Saturday night.

He didn’t want Debbie. Any fool could see that. He wanted Lily, but for some unexplainable reason he wouldn’t allow himself to have her. In a sense, her spell would simply remove his self-imposed blocks and allow him to be true to his own nature. It was a noble act on her part.

Well, maybe not so much. She intended to benefit a lot from that spell, and noble acts were supposed to be about self-sacrifice. Lily had never been into self-sacrifice.

She wasn’t good at waiting, either, especially when jacked up on magic, but somehow she’d have to get through the next three hours to find out whether her spell had taken hold or not. It could work in less than three hours, of course, which meant that Griffin could show up at any time, ready to rumble. That thought was enough to send shivers through her already revved-up system.

“Hey, Lily, you up to making a few drinks, or are you on permanent break?”

Lily looked down the length of the bar at Sherman, a waiter with long hair and a smart mouth. “Cool your jets, Sherman. What do you need?”

“An appletini, a Black Russian, and two Wallbangers, if it wouldn’t disturb your moment of Zen.”

She ignored the crack. “Who ordered the Wallbangers?”

“The lawyer dudes.”

“I’ll get right on it.” Lily smiled. Little did Miles and Kevin know that their Wallbangers wouldn’t taste nearly as great as Griffin’s. The elixir was designed to enhance the flavor of any drink to increase the chances it would be drained to the last drop.

But Lily decided to add a little extra vodka to the drinks for the boys, which would be some consolation. She worked with practiced efficiency, sailing each drink down the bar toward Sherman as it was finished. She’d filled the last order when her sister, Anica, burst through the door and hurried over.

She wore her favorite blue sweat suit because the spring nights were still on the chilly side. Her wind-blown blond hair looked as if she’d run all the way from the bus stop, and her blue eyes were filled with anxiety as she spoke to Lily in a low, urgent tone. “Tell me you haven’t done it yet.”

“Done what?” Although Lily pretended not to understand, she had a good idea Anica was talking about the elixir. Anica must have found out about Lily’s plans through some sort of magic of her own.

“Made an elixir for Griffin.”

Yup, that was it. “What makes you think I would?” Lily could guess what had happened. Anica, a hovering big sister worried about Lily and her crush on Griffin, had taken magical action.

“All right. I admit I asked Dorcas and Ambrose to—” Anica’s confession screeched to a halt as Sherman appeared by her elbow. “Hi, Sherman.”

“Hey, there, Anica. Lily, can I get a Singapore Sling and a cosmo?”

“I’m on it.” Lily flicked a glance at her sister, who had the good grace to blush. Yep, Dorcas and Ambrose Lowell, a matchmaking witch and wizard who lived in Big Knob, Indiana, had been peeking into Lily’s life, courtesy of Anica’s meddling. Lily had a right to be upset about the invasion of privacy, but she knew Anica was acting out of concern. Lily couldn’t find it in her heart to be angry, especially because Anica was too late to stop her.

Sherman leaned against the bar and looked over at Anica. “So, where’s Jasper?”

“The place we picked for the engagement party, Donatello’s, had a last-minute conflict, so he’s gone there to talk about alternatives and pick up a refund if they really can’t work it out.”

“That sucks,” Lily said. “How are you supposed to book another place in four days?”

“You should have it here,” Sherman said. “I wondered why you didn’t do that in the first place.”

“Well, I could tell Lily wasn’t too crazy about that idea.”

And that was why Lily couldn’t be angry with her sister about the scrying session. Anica did try to do the right thing. “It’s true that I wasn’t crazy about having it here,” Lily said.

“I don’t see the problem.” Sherman grabbed a bar rag and wiped up a wet spot on the bar. “It’s not like Lily would have to work. Chad’s the bartender on Sunday nights.”

“But we’re talking about this Sunday,” Lily said. “Devon wouldn’t rent out the place on such short notice.”

“Sure he would.” Sherman waved aside that protest. “Sunday night’s dead, anyway. And Chad will be overjoyed to get the extra money for a party like that.”

“But if Chad ran into any problems, he’d want me to help.” And if Lily’s plans worked out, she’d be in a killer dress, escorted by a very attentive Griffin. She didn’t want to end up behind the bar, mixing drinks.

“Hey, I could fill in if it came to that. I know enough, and I think it would be a cool venue for the party.” Sherman was obviously warming to the idea. “I could haul out the mirrored ball from the back room.”

Lily chortled. “Anica, you should see the look on your face. She doesn’t want a revolving mirrored ball, Sherman. It wouldn’t go with her . . . uh, style.” She’d been about to say
in-laws
. Jasper’s parents were on the stodgy side and would be horrified if they ever discovered that their future daughter-in-law was a witch. But Lily wouldn’t criticize them in front of Sherman.

“Okay, forget the ball, although it would look amazing. Considering the family connection, Devon would probably give Anica and Jasper a good rate.”

“Probably.” Lily finished filling the drink order. Devon was a wizard, and he’d love the prestige of having his bar used for a party that would include Dorcas and Ambrose, both members of the Wizard Council.

“Maybe Donatello’s will work out,” Anica said. “But if we consider coming here, Lily has to be okay with it.”

“I get that.” Sherman picked up the drinks Lily scooted over toward him. “If you do decide, then request me, okay? I really could be backup behind the bar. It’d be fun.”

Anica smiled. “I promise to request you, Sherman.” Her smile faded as she turned back to her sister.

“I’m sorry about the snag with the party.” Lily had been to the Italian restaurant, and it was perfect for Anica and Jasper’s event—snowy tablecloths and lots of potted trees decorated with white lights. The Bubbling Cauldron had rough-hewn wooden tables, neon beer signs, and wall sconces that gave the room a reddish glow. “If you have to have it here, then—”

“Never mind that. Listen, the reason I hired Dorcas and Ambrose is that—”

“You care about me. I know.” Lily started washing glasses. “It’s okay.”

“Anyway, Dorcas called to tell me you were planning a spell that would transmit Daisy’s qualities into an elixir for Griffin. I came right over, hoping you haven’t made it yet.”

Lily looked her sister in the eye. “I have.”

“Oh, Lily. I should have known by that slightly manic look in your eyes, the one you always get when you do magic.”

“I like to think of it as a glow instead of a manic look.”

“Whatever. You haven’t given it to him, have you? Surely you wouldn’t actually . . .” Anica searched her sister’s expression. “Dear goddess, you gave it to him.”

“Uh-huh. About a half hour ago.”

“Oh, no! Didn’t you learn anything from my horrible experience with Jasper?”

Lily’s hackles rose. After all, she’d helped bail Anica out of that situation. Not long after Anica had started dating Jasper, she’d had a fight with him and become so angry at his arrogant attitude that she’d transformed him into a cat. At first it hadn’t seemed reversible, but it had all turned out okay in the end, partly because of Lily.

“What’s to learn?” Lily said. “You’re getting married, aren’t you?” She heard the envy in her voice and winced.

Anica must have heard it, too, because she softened her tone. “Jasper and I went through hell to get to this point,” Anica said quietly.

“Yeah, I know. But it’s not like I’m changing Griffin into a cat.” Lily felt justified in bringing that up now that Anica was acting all righteous.

“Maybe it’s not quite as bad as what I did,” Anica said. “But you’re still messing with his free will. You know that violates the magical realm’s guidelines.”

“He already likes me. He just won’t let himself act on it. The elixir will give him a nudge in the right direction.”

“A nudge, huh?” Anica gazed at her. “If I understand the adoration elixir, it’s more along the lines of pushing him off a cliff.”

“I didn’t give him much. Besides, those perfume ads promise the same thing.”

“I need a mudslide, two Bud lights, and a chocolate ’tini,” Sherman said as he came up behind them.

Anica sighed and plopped down on a bar stool. “A chocolate ’tini sounds like a good idea about now.”

Sherman grinned at her. “Don’t tell me the bride’s getting the jitters?”

“No, I—Whoops, there’s my phone.” She pulled it out of her purse and twisted the stool around, leaning over and covering her other ear with her hand.

Lily took advantage of Anica’s phone call to make her a chocolate ’tini with some high-end vodka, which might mellow her out. Anica wasn’t happy with her, but after the stunt her sister had pulled on Jasper, she wasn’t in a position to lecture Lily about proper witch behavior.

If Lily had more time, she might not have slipped a potion into Griffin’s drink. But she had less than four days before Anica and Jasper’s engagement party, and tonight Griffin had asked Debbie out. That called for immediate action, and Lily was glad she’d brewed the elixir and had been prepared to use it. Dawdling around could have meant losing him completely.