A Little Light Magic Read Online Free Page B

clutching the dishes. “Jason’s having a graduation party. All the seniors are going.”
    “You’re only a junior.”
    “Exactly! That’s why I have to go.”
    “Aren’t Jason’s parents on a cruise?”
    “Yes. But Beth is home from college. She’ll be there.”
    “Jason’s sister is what—twenty-one?”
    “Yeah. She’s an adult.”
    “Oh, right. An adult who’ll buy the beer and disappear into her bedroom with her boyfriend. The next thing you know, you’ll be with Jason in his bedroom.”
    “Oh!” Leigh’s blue eyes flashed daggers at him. “That is so unfair.”
    Nick leaned back in his chair. Christ, but Leigh looked more and more like Cindy every day. The long, straight blonde hair, the blue eyes, the high cheekbones. And, of course, the figure.
    About the only thing she’d gotten from Nick was her temper.
    He sighed. “I don’t want you to get hurt, honey.”
    “Jason wouldn’t hurt me! He loves me.”
    Nick’s temper flared. “Oh, come off it, Leigh. How many girls do you think he’s told that one to?”
    “One! Me. But you—Oh!”
    She slammed the stack of dishes on the table. A soggy tomato flew off the top plate and struck Nick in the chest.
    He jumped to his feet as it slithered down his shirt. “Jesus, Leigh!”
    “God! You just won’t understand! You never do. You won’t even try !”
    Nick tried to keep his reply calm, but didn’t quite succeed. “I understand better than you think. And that’s exactly why you are not going to an unchaperoned party with a muscle-bound lifeguard whose neck size is larger than his IQ.”
    “Jason’s not dumb! He’s going to Rutgers in the fall.”
    “That’s right. He’s leaving, Leigh. Do you really think he’s going to spend his Saturday nights texting you? Get real. He’s gonna find someone else. It’s inevitable.”
    Leigh looked away, but not before Nick saw a shimmer of tears in her eyes.
    “Ah, Christ, honey, I didn’t mean…” He reached for her, but she took a quick step back and his fingers closed on air. She was always dodging him these days. He couldn’t even remember the last time she’d let him touch her, let alone give her a hug, the way he had when she was little.
    She hugged herself, blinking furiously at a point over his head.
    Nick felt like kicking himself. Or better yet, kicking Jason .
    “Look, honey, I’m just trying to protect you.”
    “Don’t bother. I can take care of myself.”
    He ran a hand over his face. She couldn’t take care of herself, not by a long shot, but there was nothing else he could say to her now that wouldn’t make things worse.
    “Look, I’ve got some work to do at the office after I drop Nonna off. I should be home by eleven. Will you be okay here alone?”
    “Let’s see…yeah, I think I can manage.”
    He ignored her tone. “I’ll be back as soon as I can.” He paused. “No visitors. Understood?”
    Leigh’s expression hardened. “Yes. Can I go now?”
    Nonna chose that moment to reappear, her handbag clutched to her chest. Her knowing eyes darted first to Leigh, then to Nick.
    “ Dio in cielo, ” she said. “I missed a fight.”
    Look before you leap.
    Tori had heard that maxim about a zillion times from Aunt Millie, but she’d never really listened.
    Maybe she should have.
    She flung silver paint onto a cloud as she berated herself for fooling around with magic she didn’t really understand. She really should have considered the consequences of lighting that candle before she struck the match. But who would’ve thought it would work so fast?
    The brush slipped, smearing silver into blue. She frowned at the damage, then gave up. She’d fix it later, when she was calmer.
    At least she had a contractor who would get her shop open before the solstice. The tarot had, as always, been right on the mark.
    She collected her brushes and washed them out in the bathroom sink. The faucet leaked, which was annoying, but she had no idea how to fix it. She was sure that