The Professor Woos The Witch

Relief poured through him. Pandora really was the woman for him.

She frowned. “We still need to talk. In the course of her visit to me, she told me you had coffee. In fact, she told me all kinds of things. And ultimately, I think I agreed to some things I didn’t mean to.”

He sighed. “Lila is a master manipulator.” He pointed toward the kitchen. “Let’s go sit. This is a conversation best had sitting down, I’m sure.”

While he made a fresh pot of coffee, Pandora laid out everything that had transpired. He held his comments so as not to break her train of thought. While the coffee brewed, he leaned against the counter and listened. And nodded. And shook his head.

“So that’s about it.” Pandora looked miserable. He felt for her. Lila had that effect on people.

“You don’t have to bring up the mentoring to Kaley at all, you know.”

Pandora cut her eyes at him. “So that Lila can do it and make me look bad? This is a lose-lose. I have to.”

“Kaley will pick you.”

She shook her head. “You think that, but this is her mother we’re talking about.”

“In name only. You’ve already showed Kaley more care and attention in the last week than Lila has in years.” Behind him, the coffee hissed that it was done.

“But Kaley is starved for her mother’s attention. I can see it in her. Why else would she have called Lila?”

He brought two cups of coffee and the sugar to the table, then went to the fridge for creamer. “I don’t disagree with that. But I don’t want Kaley to pick her. I want Kaley to pick you. Can you imagine if Lila disappears on Kaley again while she’s supposed to be mentoring her?”

He set the creamer in front of Pandora as she answered. “That kid will be crushed.”

“Agreed.”

“As much as I don’t want Kaley getting hurt, at some point she’s going to have to realize her mother is not reliable.”

Cole sat down at the table. “She knows that. I think she’s just hoping Lila’s suddenly going to change.”

“Poor kid.”

He thought for a moment. “I really hope Kaley didn’t say anything to Lila about me being a familiar. I mean, we know she already knew. That’s why she married me. But if she knew that I was now aware of my true nature…and that I was embracing it…” He rolled his shoulders as the thought shot tension into his body. “It wouldn’t be good.”

“I don’t think Kaley would have brought it up. I gave her the whole speech in the car on the way to the coven meeting about how that information was not to be shared and how it could put you and your dad in danger. She took it very seriously.”

He drank his coffee. “That’s good, but you saw how your conversation with Lila went. She has a way of making people tell her things.”

“That she does. Fiddlesticks.” Pandora rubbed her brow. “You know, I could…no. Never mind.”

“What?” He let his coffee cool. “Say it.”

She looked up through her lashes while she stirred her coffee. “I could check in with the ACW. See if there’s any reason Lila shouldn’t be approved as a mentor. You know, registered complaints, misuse of magic, that sort of thing.”

He nodded. “Do it. Please. For Kaley.”

She sipped her coffee. “I’m really not mad about the kiss, and I get why you’re letting Lila spend time with Kaley—”

“I didn’t say it was going to happen, I only said I’d talk to Kaley about it. Which I will tonight. I also said that if Lila screws up once, it’s over.”

Pandora nodded, her expression tight with reservation. “I just can’t shake the sense she’s up to something. I’ve never in my life been so whiplashed by a conversation as the one I had with her today. She even insinuated that you still have feelings for her.”

He barked out a harsh laugh. “That woman has a bigger set than most men I know.” He sighed. “I wish I could tell her to leave, but if I prevent her from seeing Kaley, I look like the bad guy to my daughter.”

Pandora nodded and stared into her coffee. “I don’t want you to put yourself in that position. I just hope…” She took a deep breath and looked up at him. “Please tell me she’s not going to get in the way of us.”

He put his hand on top of hers and gave it a squeeze. “She’s not. She might try—”

“I think she already is.”

“It’s not going to make a difference.” He darted forward, scooped her into his arms and settled her on his lap.

She let out a soft whoop and grabbed his shoulders, grinning. “Don’t get frisky. I have to go back to work.”

“We both do. But right now, listen to me, Pandora. I’m crazy about you. You’ve opened a whole new world to me. One I’m still not adjusted to, but I’ll get there. I’m not about to do anything to change what we have going on. I already said I’d stay, didn’t I?”

She nodded. “Yes.”

“You want a key to my house? My truck? Want my high school letter jacket? Another one of my feathers? Name it, it’s yours.”

She laughed. “You had a letter jacket? What sport did you play?”

He scowled at her playfully. “I was a mathlete, thank you very much.”

Her mouth bent into an odd line, then she burst out with more laughter. “That makes so much sense.”