kate storm 04 - witches dont back down (9 page)

Désirée snorted. "Humans are so odd. Any enemy isn't your friend."

****

Désirée Norma-Sue made a big production of putting a bright yellow sticky note on our office calendar for Friday's book signing. She asked me to come along. I told her I would think about it.

I wanted to support her. Désirée is my friend and my secretary. But I didn't care for Oracle's Books. Or rather the oracle who owned the bookstore. She was such a know-it-all.

If I had the time, I would go. Désirée Norma-Sue was so excited. I didn't want to disappoint her.

I checked the clock. Aunt Tabitha played a game of broomstick polo every third Thursday during the summer. There was enough time to call her before she left the house.

I just picked up my phone when my office door slammed open.

"I knew it!" Lana Jacobs stood with hands on her tiny hips in my doorway. "I knew you would screw up. I knew you couldn't be a good matchmaker."

I heard Désirée gasp behind Lana, but I ignored it. I reached into my drawer and grabbed hold of my wand.

Lana strode forward on bright red heels. She had on skinny jeans and a bright red shirt. It went well with the red in her cheeks.

"You've been spreading lies about your matches, haven't you? Admit it. You're not only a half-breed, you're a fake as well!"

I stood up slowly. So angry, I was afraid I'd break my wand in half.

"Excuse me?"

My whispered question was in direct contrast to her furious accusations. I had no idea what was going on, but we were not in high school anymore. I wasn't afraid of her and I sure as hell wasn't going to take any of her crap.

"You heard me." Lana came to a stop on the other side of my desk. She folded her arms across her chest and tossed her long black hair. "What do you have to say for yourself?"

I took a deep breath and started counting. Then I realized we would be standing there all day by the time I counted long enough to calm down. I didn't want Lana in my office all day.

I didn't want to be any where near her.

"I have no idea what you are talking about, Lana." Désirée walked into the office behind Lana. She held a large bat in her hands. I waved her off. I'd seen her skill with a branch before and, while I appreciated her loyalty, killing off our clients was not a good business move.

"I'm talking about that so-called date you set me up on last night. What were you trying to prove? Just how bad you really are? And to think I listened to my mother when I
knew
what a total and complete . . ."

"Wait." I held up my hand and pointed my wand at her. "What date? What are you talking about?"

Lana considered my wand for a moment. She hadn't brought her own. I knew it. Otherwise she would have been waving it in my face the moment she walked in my door.

Leaving your wand behind is considered the ultimate witchy snub. It's a not-so-subtle way of saying you don't feel threatened by the other witch in the least. You can handle them without a wand.

Sort of like an MMA fighter showing up to a fencing match without a sword.

You don't scare me. I can handle you.

I knew it all too well. I'd never had a witch confront me with her wand in high school. And I'd always been too scared to use my own.

I’d say too bad for Lana, but I didn’t feel bad for her. I was pissed off at her.

"The date you set me up on last night." Lana kept her eye on my wand and she lowered her voice.

"I didn't arrange a date for you last night. I haven't finished going over your file." Actually, I hadn't even planned to look at her file for a couple days.

"Yes, you did. Your secretary called and left a message last night." Lana nodded over her shoulder to indicate Désirée. She paused when she saw my secretary standing behind her with a bat slung over one pink shoulder instead of sitting behind her desk in the waiting room.

"What did the message say?" I knew Désirée hadn't left any message, of course. But Lana was clearly upset about something. Maybe one of her friends had set her up and she thought it was me. She'd blamed me for just about everything in high school.

Lana frowned at Désirée. Then she frowned at me. I could almost hear her confusion. I'd never stood up for myself at the Witch Academy and I certainly didn't have any friends back then.

"Your message said to meet my date at
Got Fangs?
at eight thirty." Lana rolled her eyes. "Honestly, a werewolf, Kate? That was the best you could do?"

Well, at least I didn't have to worry about keeping Lana on as a client anymore. After this stupid little scene of hers, neither my conscious nor my Aunt Tabs could get angry with me. They couldn't expect me to work with such a witch.

"Lana, one of your friends must have left you the message." I sighed and sat back down. I kept my wand out on my desk though.

Lana and her band of witches were always very close. Trust her to set up an appointment with me and then try to cause as much trouble as possible. I bet she'd been secretly happy when her mother suggested she try my services. She'd probably been planning a smear campaign right from the get go. Lana Jacobs was still a popular witch. A few bad slurs about me and my services and she could do some serious harm.

I hadn't even thought about that possibility yesterday.

At least she'd played her hand early. She was one less worry I could cross off my list and I could assign Désirée Norma-Sue to damage control. She knew how to . . .

"It wasn't one of
my
friends. They have better taste than that. Your secretary stated her name and said she was calling on your behalf." Lana sniffed. "I knew you wouldn't dare to call me yourself."

Oh shit.

I didn't know what was worse: that I didn't have a legitimate excuse to fire Lana as my client or that someone else was trying to sabotage me.

10. Matchmaking Sabotage.

My business isn't simply my livelihood, it's my passion. I believe in love and happily-ever-afters. It satisfies me in so many ways when I find someone their perfect match.

The very idea that someone wanted to ruin my reputation and destroy my business sent chills down my spine.

And started a slow burn deep inside.

"Did you save the message?" It's not that I didn't trust Lana . . . Scratch that. I really didn't trust her, but I also didn't think she would deliberately make up a story about a false date.

She was genuinely ticked off.

But I was hoping I might at least recognize the voice on the recording.

"No. Why would I save a message your secretary left?"

I raised my eyebrows at Désirée. Did she have any clue about who could have done this? It was obviously a member of the HC. Désirée Norma-Sue knew more about them than I did.

Désirée walked over and leaned her hip against my desk. She set her bat next to my wand.

"I have no idea, Sugah. It couldn't be a client." She turned to look directly at Lana. "
All
of Kate's matches are happy and satisfied. Not a single complaint." Désirée pivoted back to me. "My first thought was another matchmaker, but I can't think of anyone in the area."

Désirée meant another matchmaker who serviced both the humans and the HC. There was another matchmaker one town over, but she was human. She wouldn't have set a witch up with a werewolf.

I stifled a small shudder. I couldn't blame Lana for being angry about the werewolf. Even in human form they were ridiculously hairy. Back hair is just plain gross.

Lana pointed one red-tipped, long fingernail at Désirée. "You didn't speak with a southern accent last night. What game are you two playing?"

I exchanged glances with Désirée Norma-Sue.

The trick to dealing with those in the HC is to never show weakness.

I'm a half-breed and mortal. I don't have the physical or magical strength compared to the rest of the witches out there. It's the reason I've been picked on all my life.

It was also the reason I didn't worry about Lana getting upset over my threat with a wand or Désirée's threat with a bat.

She'd insulted my business and me. We'd stood our ground. So far we were even in our match finding, arch enemy contest.

Go me.

However, it also meant I couldn't expose the fact that someone was out to try and ruin my business.

Other than Morgause, I don't have any enemies. And she wanted to kill me not hurt my business.

"Aren't you going to answer my question? Or are you going to try and pretend this was some sort of
matchmaker mistake?
" Lana set her hands on my desk and leaned forward. "You're not witch enough to even admit you screwed up, are you?"

I stood up, squared my shoulders and leaned towards Lana. My desk isn't very wide. Since Lana had already moved into my space, when I moved towards her, my breasts smashed into hers.

Like I said, I'm not a small witch and right now I used it to my advantage.

I kept pushing forward until Lana was forced to back up.

"I didn't screw up, Lana. I'm damn good at what I do. Are you sure this wasn't one of your friends? What about someone who doesn't like you?"

Lana had to have enemies. She was not a nice witch.

"Oh, please. Don't blame me for your screw up." She tried to shove me back.

I didn't budge.

I was the bigger witch. She didn't stand a chance.

"Désirée did not leave the message, Lana." I reminded myself that head-butting clients was not a good business practice. It wasn't a good practice period. And I was a nice witch. I really, really was.

I had to repeat it to myself five times before I was positive my inner witch wouldn't rise up and head-butt Lana regardless.

She was determined to ignore everything I said. She was convinced I was incompetent. And she enjoyed throwing it in my face.

I was convinced she was worse now than she'd been in high school. And she'd been a mean little witch back then.

I substituted a mental
b
for the
w
in witch and immediately felt better.

Until I heard my aunt's voice in my head reminding me of my manners. Then I felt guilty. Not a lot, but enough to remind me I could handle Lana and her insults without head-butting. Or name calling.

"I think for now it would be best if you waited to hear from me directly before you went on any more dates." I absolutely hated the idea of calling Lana myself. I didn't have much of a choice though. My business was my baby.

Lana sniffed. "Fine. At least you can't blame anyone else when you screw up next time." With a toss of her black hair, she turned on her red heels and strode out of my office.

I had to admit it. Lana knew how to make an exit.

I still cast another small gas spell as she went out the door.

I guess I'm not the nicest witch when it comes to Lana Jacbos. It made me feel better though.

****

I motioned Désirée Norma-Sue to have a seat and picked up the phone.

She answered on the first ring. "Hey, Chicky."

"Hey, Morgan."

"Have you decided about Friday night?"

Crap. I hadn't. I was holding off until the last moment in hopes someone else would go with her.

"No. I'm calling about something else. Someone called a client, claimed to be from my company and set her up on a bad date. I have no idea who placed the call."

There was a slight pause, then Morgan asked, "Human or non?"

I took a deep breathe. "My client is Lana Jacobs."

Dead silence.

"Morgan?"

"You took Lana Jacobs–that nasty little bitch of a witch–on as your client?" Morgan's voice rose a bit at the end.

It's true. I may have mentioned Lana Jacobs a time or two to Morgan. In a less than flattering manner.

"Yes. I'm the bigger witch. I can handle it." At least, I hoped so.

I don't have the gift of foreknowledge, but I could easily see either Lana smearing me to everyone she knew if I couldn't find a good match for her or my turning her into a toad. Either way wouldn't be good for business.

But I was determined.

I knew what was at the heart of the issue: I wanted to prove to myself I could handle Lana. I wanted to prove to myself that I was not the same witch I had been in high school.

That I was stronger now. Capable. I could handle myself.

Because if I couldn't handle Lana Jacobs, what chance did I have against Morgause?

"Besides I found out Aunt Tabs told Lana's mother to hire me."

"Oh."

I knew Morgan wouldn't have anything to say to that. Even before we found out Morgan was related, Aunt Tabitha had taken on a parental role with Morgan. Despite being centuries older, Morgan acts more like I do. She's slightly broken, too. Yet another thing to lay at Morgause's feet.

Now Aunt Tabitha calls and checks in on Morgan as often as she does me. Same gentle grilling. Same unending love.

"Who did Lana meet for her date?"

I tried to keep the glee out of my voice. "Some werewolf."

I knew I hadn't succeeded when Morgan dropped the phone because she was laughing so hard.

I've found glee to be very difficult to suppress.

Finally Morgan picked the phone back up again. "Lana deserves a date with back hair."

I totally agreed. Still, it didn't seem quite fair to the werewolf. Maybe I should forward a few articles on manscaping to the local werewolf clan? I'd matched at least one of their members and I still had his email.

"What else can you tell me about Lana's date?"

I went over everything I knew. The message supposedly being from Désirée, the lack of a southern accent and Lana's anger and threats.

Désirée asked to talk to Morgan then and after I handed over the phone, she proceeded to tell Morgan verbatim what Lana had said to me.

It stunned me.

I knew Désirée Norma-Sue was my friend. I trusted her. I'd do anything to help her. And yet it surprised me to see our friendship go both ways.

I'm not a slow or stupid witch. I've simply never had any friends before Morgan. I'm on a learning curve when it comes to friendship.