“She wouldn’t care, and I’d provide comic relief.”
“Don’t take it personally, dude,” Tanner interjects. “Gwyn is her best friend. She’s known her the longest out of anyone in the coven.”
“I get it, but my cheering section would have been lit,” he says, making pretend explosions with his hands.
Skye laughs. “And the minute her baby’s head appears, you’d scream ‘alien’ and flee the birthing room.”
“Well, on second thought…” he mutters.
Everyone cracks up, and Trinity continues. “Most of you have heard about the council meeting on Monday. To recap for those who didn’t, the city council chose to wait until next week to vote on removing the recent ordinance. Elijah, do you want to share what happened?”
“Sure,” he replies. “Although the Bearsden Police Department removed the additional patrol units from the streets, Alys Morgan thought it best to keep the ordinance in place, especially in light of the kidnapping ring’s recent denial about our local kidnappings. They refuse to take credit for them. The authorities believe they’re trying to avoid the added charges. There was enough discussion to delay the vote until next Monday. I agreed. Waiting a week hurts no one.”
Leslie raises her chin. “Indeed. Mayor Manley’s cronies are a thought of the past. These Unremarkables care deeply about our community. I have confidence in them implicitly.”
“You put too much faith in people, sweetheart,” Agnes whines. “The minute you throw all your trust in them, they come back and bite you in the fucking ass.”
Shane shakes his head. “I understand your skepticism. But they have proven themselves.”
“Well, we’ll see about that, won’t we? Two of them haven’t served a year yet. Fucking newbies.”
“Sure, they’re new,” Archie says. “But so far, they’ve won me over, and I have a pessimistic streak.”
“Should we attend?” Tyler asks. “And show support?”
Elijah nods. “It never hurts for the community to attend Bearsden Council meetings. Keeps everyone on their toes and promotes transparency.”
“Thank you, Elijah,” Trinity says. “Anything else before we dismiss?”
A moment of silence occurs in the parlor before Zoe waves a hand in the air. “The Fellowship should give Ronnie and Derek a special gift for Yule, a present for Wiggles. I can organize the collection.”
“That’s a wonderful suggestion, Zoe,” I say. “If you need any help, call me. She has a list of what she still needs.”
“Absofuckinglutely,” Spence adds. “Wait. They’re not gonna actually call him Wiggles, are they?”
Agnes makes a prune face. “No, smart-ass. Sometimes I wonder if you forgot to plugin and recharge during your sleep. You need to load up on some fucking selenite.”
He rolls his eyes at the hedge witch, and the rest of us chuckle at their banter. Leslie quashes a smile and takes over.
“With that, I disband our circle. Go in peace.” She taps her staff.
After putting the chairs away, everyone trickles out. I approach the Elder and the hedge witch.
“Agnes, are you busy on Saturday?” I ask, glancing at Leslie.
“Not with anything in particular,” she replies. “Why? I thought we were going to wait until after Yule to finish the database.”
“I want to take you up on your offer. Try to pin down what I need to do to increase the strength of my intuition. I also have a hunch about what is failing me.”
“Work with her on Saturday, Agnes,” Leslie says. “I have a backlog of administrative paperwork to complete. We will have dinner afterward.”
Agnes presses her lips together. “I can’t promise you anything, but I’m game.”
“Thank you,” I say, turning toward the door.
“What do you mean by a hunch?” Leslie asks. “Did something happen we should be aware of?”
“I don’t know yet. See you Saturday, Agnes.”
When I step onto the front porch, the icy temperature bites my nose and cheeks. Archie is chatting with Zoe and my son amid a cloud of frosty white breath.
“Come by Friday night after dinner, Tyler. We’ll start with simple divination and work from there. We can arrange other times as your schedule permits.”
“What are you talking about?” I ask.
“Archie wants me to come by Friday night to start ancestral divination,” he says.
Zoe lays her head on Tyler’s shoulder. “Then he can introduce me to his grandparents. I’m so excited to meet them.”
“Sounds like you have a plan.” And I’m not part of it.
“Let’s go, Zoe,” Tyler says, hugging me. “I have to get to work early in the morning, and I can’t feel my toes. Goodnight, Mom. Goodnight, Archie.”
Zoe waves as they descend the stairs. “Good idea. My ass is frozen like a block of ice. Bye, Gwyn. Bye, Archie.”
We follow them but turn left toward the Green. On the stroll back through campus, I sulk over Tyler’s decision to start ancestral divination training with Archie. I didn’t realize it would bother me so much. I’m quiet as a mouse. He clasps my hand and pulls me close.
“You’re too quiet. You’re either angry or scheming.”
