The Professor Woos The Witch (Nocturne Falls Book 4) (24 page)

She got out slowly as Cole made his way to the porch. Lila was very pretty. Tall and slim with jet black hair as straight as a sheet and enormous blue eyes. She and Lila couldn’t look more different. And Lila’s magic probably worked the way it was supposed to, regardless of who was, or wasn’t, around.

Pandora hung by the car, listening.

Cole wasn’t happy. “Lila, what are you doing here?”

She looked up from hugging Kaley. “I came to see Kaley. After she called me and told me all about the fun she was having, I thought I should come see for myself.”

Kaley nodded, staying close to Lila. “I called her. Last night. After the coven meeting.”

Lila smiled but bitterness lit her gaze. “A coven meeting. Imagine that. My, my, Cole, you sure have changed.”

“I have Pandora to thank for that.” He looked to his side like he expected her to be there. When he didn’t see her, he glanced back at the car. As soon as he made eye contact, he gave a little jerk of his head as if to say,
Come up here
.

It was just enough to give her the boost of confidence she needed. Cole wanted her, not Lila. That was all that mattered. That, and she was Pandora Williams and she bought and sold this town. No slacker mother was going to intimidate her. No matter how tall or how pretty or how magically capable.

She strode to where Cole was standing, thanking the goddess she’d worn these shoes. They gave her at least four extra inches.

He slipped his arm around her waist, as much as reminding her that Lila was the interloper here, not her. It was like having steel injected into her spine. She didn’t need Cole’s reassurance to face this woman, but it was damn nice to have. It felt like the seal on the evening they’d just had.

The evening that was not yet over.

Lila smiled at Pandora, but her gaze held enough frost to kill off the last of the summer flowers. “I take it you’re Pandora?”

“Yes. And you must be Lila.”

Her smile broadened. “Cole talks about me?”

“He told me about his past. You came up.”

Kaley took her mother’s hand. “Miss Williams is the one who took me to the coven meeting.”

“I remember.” Lila answered without taking her eyes off Pandora. “I guess that makes us sisters.”

A thousand responses flew to the tip of Pandora’s tongue, but none of them was polite and none of them would do any good to have Kaley hear. “We’re all family under the goddess.”

Cole shifted his weight. “Lila, it’s late and Kaley has school tomorrow. If you want to see her after that, you can call me.”

Lila pursed her lips, but said nothing. Finally, she fabricated a smile, hugged Kaley and walked off the porch and down to her car. She glanced briefly at Pandora as she passed, shifting her gaze quickly to Cole. “I’ll talk to you tomorrow, then.”

No one moved until her car was a set of taillights disappearing down the street.

Pandora was the first to speak. “I should go home.”

“Please don’t,” Cole said. “Don’t let this put a premature end to our evening. Come in and have dessert with us.”

“After that? You’re sure?”

He nodded. “She doesn’t control my life and I certainly don’t want her to affect ours.”

Pandora smiled. “Good to hear.” She lifted the bag. “Okay. Let’s eat.”

Cole ruffled Kaley’s hair as he walked up the porch steps. “Did you know she was coming, Kaley?”

“No. I didn’t even think I’d actually get to talk to her when I called last night, but she picked up right away. Wanted to know how I was doing with becoming a witch.” Kaley shrugged. “So I told her. Are you mad at me?”

He pushed the door open, then wrapped Kaley in a hug. “Sweetheart, I’m never going to be mad at you for something you have no control over. I’m not happy your mother is here, but that’s mostly because I don’t want her to upset you. But that’s for me to deal with. You don’t need to worry about that, okay?”

“Okay.”

“Good. Now let’s go dig into this dessert.”

While Kaley was in the shower the next morning, Cole called her school and spoke to someone in the office to let them know that Lila Aquinos was not approved to pick Kaley up or take her out of school.

He was probably being overly cautious, but it was an error he was willing to make.

Throughout the entire morning of making Kaley breakfast and driving her to school, he couldn’t get Lila out of his mind. What the hell was she trying to prove coming here?

Kaley opened the truck door. “See you later, Dad.”

“Love you, sweetheart. Have a good day.”

“Thanks. Love you too.”

She hopped out, and he sat for a moment, watching her find her friends and head in. Lila had no legal grounds to take Kaley away from him, but that did nothing to quell the unease that had settled into his gut the second he’d seen her on the porch.

He drove back to the house and, hoping to shake Lila from his head, tackled the enormous job of clearing out more of his uncle’s junk. It worked in a half measure, but then he realized the key to ditching thoughts of Lila was focusing on Pandora.

He replayed the events of the previous night. It was impossible not to smile thinking about her. And that kiss.

Staying was such a risk, but it felt right. This thing between them was good. Sure, it was early days, but he could imagine the future would be just as bright. And becoming part of Pandora’s big family would mean so much for Kaley. Cousins and aunts and a step-grandmother. It could be life-changing for her to have that sort of support group.

He carried out a stack of boxes to the dumpster. Now all he had to do was find a job that would support them. The money from the house would buy them a place to live and give him a cushion if the house in North Carolina didn’t sell right away.

Maybe he could talk his dad into moving down after he retired. He couldn’t work at the plant forever. And Cole knew that being near Kaley was important to Jack. No, he wouldn’t like it, but Jack would come to see that love trumped all.

Cole tossed the boxes into the dumpster, and as they landed with a satisfying thud, he realized what had just gone through his head.

Love.

He wasn’t in love with Pandora yet. It was way too early for that. But he was most definitely infatuated with her. And that could turn into love. That
was
how it worked. He shook his head as he headed back inside, a crazy sense of happiness rocking him. His life had done a one-eighty from everything he was used to and yet, he wouldn’t want it any other way. Life was good.

He was only one box into the next stack when someone knocked on the door. He wiped his hands on his jeans and went to answer it.

Lila.

He kept the anger from his face. The more civil this could be, the better. “She’s already gone to school. I told you to call me.”

She smiled sweetly. “I know. And I would have, but I was afraid you’d say no.”

His hackles went up. “To what?”

“To talking. Just you and me.” She did a flirty thing with her eyes. “You look good.”

He ignored her not-so-subtle come-on. “Talk about what?”

She canted her head. “Can I come in?”

He braced himself against the door frame and crossed his arms. “I’m working.”

“It won’t take long.” She did a very familiar pout. “C’mon, Cole. For old times’ sake.”

“Our old times aren’t worth consideration.”

She let out a long breath through her nose, slightly deflated. “Please. I won’t take long.”

He relented and moved out of the way. “Ten minutes.”

She walked in. “Thank you.”

“Kitchen’s this way.” He didn’t check to see if she was following, just moved. Once in the kitchen, he poured himself another cup of coffee. It would have been polite to offer her some, but it would have been polite of her not to have shown up uninvited. It also would have been polite of her not to sleep with men who weren’t her husband. He turned and rested against the counter. “What do you want to talk about?”

“Kaley.”

His jaw twitched in anger. He’d known that was what she was here for. At least she’d finally come out and said it. “What about her?”

Lila leaned on the counter opposite him. “I’m not here to take her away from you.”

“You couldn’t if you tried.”

“I know that. But I’ve been doing a lot of thinking lately. Sort of taking assessment of my life.” She stared at the floor. “I know I wasn’t a good wife. I’m sorry. I really am. I can’t do anything to change that. I also know I wasn’t a good mother, but
that
I can work on. If you’ll let me.”

“In what way?”

“I want to spend more time with Kaley. Try to get to know her. Try to be there for her in whatever way she wants me to be.”

“That’s a big ask for someone who abandoned that child.”

Lila looked toward the backyard. “I know. I don’t deserve it.” She shifted her gaze back to him. “But I’m hoping that you’ll give me a chance to earn your trust. Kaley needs me right now—”

“You mean because she’s becoming a witch? Coming into her powers and all that?”

Lila stared at him with intense curiosity. “You say that like you believe it. Kaley told me you did, and considering you let her go to a coven meeting, I’m guessing it’s true, but it’s hard for me to imagine after all the years of you doubting me.”

He drank his coffee. “Let’s just say I’ve learned a lot in the last few days.”

“I’d say.” She put her hands on the counter behind her and tipped her head toward her shoulder. “So will you let me spend more time with Kaley? I’m only in town for a couple days, but once you get back to North Carolina, maybe we could set up some kind of once-a-month date.”

That sounded a hell of a lot like visitation to him. “Let’s say we do that and you get tired of being a mother again. Then what? You disappear and I pick up the pieces? I’m not interested in Kaley getting hurt again.”

“You’re right. That’s fair. We could start slow. One visit at a time, right? No future plans until the current one is met.”

She was saying the right things, but she’d always been good at manipulating situations to suit her needs. He stared at her. “I’ll have to talk to Kaley.”

She nodded. “Okay. I’m good with that.”

Like she had a choice. “I have your number. I’ll call you tonight.”

She smiled and pushed off the counter to walk toward him. “Could I get a cup of that coffee?”

He nodded and moved down the counter a little. “Cups in the cabinet above.”

She opened it and took one out. The movement sent a whiff of her perfume toward him. It was the same sweet fragrance she’d always worn. Sometimes he caught it on other women, and it brought her to mind. Not in a happy way, either.

She finished pouring her coffee, then took a big sip. “Mmm, that’s the stuff.”

It was okay coffee at best, but she was clearly trying to get on his good side.

She rested her cup on the counter, but kept her fingers on the handle. “I really appreciate this, Cole. I know you don’t have to do any of this.”

He grunted. “I’m doing it for Kaley.” Which was why, if she screwed this up even once, he’d do his best to end all contact between the two of them.

“Understood.” She looked up at him, her big blue eyes round and liquid. “I’ve screwed up a lot in my life,” she rasped, her voice choked with emotion. “But Kaley is the one good thing I’ve done. I don’t want to lose her completely.”

A single tear slipped down her cheek.

“I understand.” Cole closed his eyes and took a breath. He could handle crying females. Some of his students occasionally attempted tears in an effort to get a better grade, but this was Lila, and while he didn’t love her anymore, he also didn’t wish her ill will. Not while Kaley still wanted her around.

Lila’s arms wrapped around him, and her lips pressed against his. “Oh, Cole,” she whispered. “We could be a family again.”

He jerked back, eyes open. “What the hell are you doing?” He pushed her away, still struggling to grasp that she’d kissed him.

“I thought—you invited me in and—”

“To talk about Kaley.” He shook his head, fuming. “I should have known you were up to something.”