One Little Spell by D L Richardson

Author:D L Richardson
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: D L Richardson

CHAPTER EIGHT

Later that day Leo and I sat on the couch with two feet of empty space and beige upholstery separating us. Leo’s mom placed milkshakes on the coffee table before taking the chair opposite us. Leo’s younger sisters, who were already sitting on the couch by the window when we’d walked in, stared at me like I was a puzzle in need of putting back together. None of this was the romantic setting I’d had in mind.

Leo must have read my mind because he said, “Can we have some privacy.”

Grumbles of disappointment swept around the room, but his mom and sisters left us alone.

Leo gave a gentle laugh. “They can be annoying at times.”

I had a catalogue of memories of visits to the Culver house, and every memory was annoying-free. They were always happy, and they seemed to enjoy doing things to make others feel the same. Their inclusiveness had taken a bit to get used to, but once I had, I’d reveled in the intimacy. Leo’s sisters were always sending me home with glossy magazines to read – sometimes they weren’t even dog-eared and missing all the fashion pages. If perfume samples were being handed out at the mall, they grabbed a few for me. And Mrs Culver often invited me on her shopping sprees.

I loved being around the Culvers. Just not today.

“Your family is great,” I told him. “At home there’s only me and my mom. It can get lonely at times, but at least I don’t have to share a bathroom.”

I snorted out loud, but my joke seemed to have given Leo a cardiac arrest. His face went grey and stiff. “Ruby used to say that exact thing.”

“She must have copied me,” I blurted out.

My mind was already full of things to do, that to add ‘stop quoting myself’ and ‘act more like Audrey’ would have clogged it. But it was apparent that I’d need to make the effort. The trouble was acting like me came naturally.

Leo stood up and I jumped up to block his path. “I’m sorry if I keep reminding you of Ruby. I… I won’t say anything.”

He looked at me curiously. “I like that you remind me of her. Excuse me. I’ve got to go to the bathroom.”

Finally, my chance to slip the potion into his drink had arrived, so I hurriedly tipped the contents into his glass. When I looked up, Leo’s youngest sister clung to the doorframe and stared at me.

With a smile, I held up the vial and gave it a little shake. “Vegetable juice. Want some?”

She screwed up her nose and ran from the room mere seconds before Leo returned. We spent the next ten minutes on the couch in uncomfortable silence. I kept staring at Leo’s milkshake, willing him to drink. I couldn’t imagine his little sister blabbing to Leo, but the glass remained untouched. Just when I’d reached the point where I was going to hold his head back and force the milkshake down his throat, he picked up the glass and downed the contents in a few noisy gulps.

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