My Boss’s Secret by Taryn Quinn

Fifteen

“Areyou sure this is a good idea?” Lu’s voice was worthy of a stage whisper.

“Yes. I took her to lunch, but I know she didn’t tell me everything. Now she’s ignoring my texts.”

“Well, she was just on vacation. She’s probably got a mountain of laundry.”

Lu and her endless optimism. I gave her a sideways look. “April? C’mon. Besides, we usually text or chat the whole time we do laundry. Unless…distracted.”

Okay, so both of us were decidedly distracted these days. And I was definitely falling down on my best friend duties. I was never a woman who ignored her friends for some dick, and I wouldn’t be now.

Even if it was exceptional dick.

“Do you think kidnapping is the way to go?”

I flipped my braid over my shoulder.

“Hey.” Luna swatted my arm. “I’m behind you.”

“Sorry.” I peered around the old oak tree on the corner. She lived in a two family house just down the street, and we probably looked suspicious as fuck. The big tree was sort of shading us. “Look, we need to get her drunk and get the real details. PMS is driving me crazy about this thing. April isn’t acting herself.”

“She told me all about Bishop. Not that she knew his name at the time. I mean, I thought I was bad with the Goldilocks thing.”

I arched a brow at her. “We all have stuff going on with our guys. All of us need a girl’s night—or day as it were.”

Lu blushed and looked away. “Three Musketeers action is definitely on tap.”

“Good. Now help me kidnap our best friend.”

A woman walking her dog came up on us. “Did you say kidnap?”

I straightened. “Not really. I mean yes, we did.” I blew out a breath. “She’s our best friend. It’s for boyfriend explanation purposes.” He wasn’t really a boyfriend, but I was going to get the cops called on us if I didn’t get this chick to see the light.

“Oh.” She toyed with the ends of her hair. “I wish my girlfriends cared enough to do that.”

Lu peered around me. “You need new friends. Was the guy a jerk?”

“Definitely. But maybe if they were honest with me instead of patting me on the head, I would have booted him faster.” The big white dog she was walking leaned on her and looked up at her adoringly. “At least I got the dog in the divorce.”

I crouched in front of the dog. She had sweet little cow print markings on her nose and an autumnal collar. “You got the best deal didn’t you?” The dog’s tail wagged and she gave me a nose bump before returning to her mistress.

I stood. “So, yeah we’re going to make sure she doesn’t make a mistake.”

“Go get her.” She tugged the dog’s leash lightly. “Let’s go, Olive.”

Luna leaned against me with a sigh. “I can’t with the cuteness.” She bumped my arm. “Her aura was blue, but after you talked to her it was a nice glowy yellow. PMS must be making you mushy.”

“Shut up.”

“So, are we doing this for Apes or for you?”

I crossed my arms. “Is it bad to say both?”

“No. Makes you honest.”

My arms dropped immediately. “More PMS rub-off.”

Lu snorted.

“Hussy.”

She nodded. “Accurate. And your aura is a lovely pinky-purple these days. My bestie is in lurve.”

“Shut up. We’re just…doing whatever it is we’re doing. Don’t make it weird.”

“Mmm-hmm.”

“Can we just go?”

Things were still so new between PMS and me. I didn’t want to pick it apart. I just wanted to keep enjoying it, and that was the end of that story, thanks.

I grabbed Luna’s hand and dragged her down the sidewalk to April’s house. I had my backup key to get into her place. Sometimes I needed to feed Kit-Kat when April went to visit her grams.

Luna bumped up behind me as I screeched to a halt. April was on her porch, locking her door. Perfect, we didn’t even need to convince her to put shoes on.

She spotted us. She went from blank to surprise to suspicious in a few heartbeats. “What are you doing here?”

I linked my arm through Luna’s to drag her along. Suddenly she seemed less than excited about this outing. “We’re here to kidnap you.”

“What? Why?” She blew a stray curl from her messy bun out of her face. “Can’t we just have lunch like normal people?”

“Your two best friends are witches honey. There is no normal.”

I had long legs and hurriedly climbed the stairs to snag her keys out of her hands.

“Nope. We’re having a girl’s night.”

“I can’t. Kit-Kat still hasn’t forgiven me for my trip.”

“Kit-Kat will be fine. I already cleared it with your neighbor to look in on her.”

“Why? I don’t need a girl’s night.”

“The fact that you’re fighting this so hard says you do.”

“It’s been a long—”

“A long week of sitting at your desk doing busy work so you don’t have to speak to anyone?”

She frowned at me. “How would you—Preston.” Annoyance stiffened her shoulders.

“Our pillow talk involves the office quite a bit.”

April’s eyes widened. “God, why?”

“Because he’s worried about you.”

April twisted her fingers. “But during…post coitus? I’m not comfortable with that.”

“Post coit-what? Are you watching Bridget Jones again?”

April flushed.

I lifted a shoulder. “We talk when we talk. Most of the time we’re naked. I can’t help that.”

“Stop.” She held up a hand. “He’s my boss. Or will be for a little bit longer.”

“PMS is worried about that. He doesn’t want to leave you in the lurch, but that place is killing him.”

“Maybe it’s killing me too.” She hooked her thumb into the strap of her purse as if she didn’t know what to do with her hands. “I’m quitting. I think.”

“What? You can’t do that.” Luna took a step forward.

“Can we not do this on the porch?” April whispered furiously.

I took the keys from her and unlocked the door. “Evidently we’re doing this at your place.”

“My house isn’t made for a bunch of people.”

“Oh, and mine is?” I used her keys and opened the door, dragging them both with me. “Lu, use Insta and get us some food and wine.”

“On it.”

April’s place was feminine farmhouse chic meets thrift store rehab. The soft blue kitchen table was new. A rather lovely floral centerpiece in complimentary yellows and peaches anchored bamboo placemats set up for four people.

I hadn’t been in her apartment in awhile. We tended to use Luna’s rooftop or our favorite diner when we met up. To be truthful, those were becoming rarer. All of us had a lot going on, but keeping friendships strong was the cornerstone to a full life.

Men were great—more than great. Sometimes not so great, too. They were confounding on a number of levels. I was learning that in spades, but I was pretty sure April was hip deep in the muck of relationship sabotage.

Was it a relationship if you didn’t know his name?

Hmm.

April sighed and went to her closet to hang up her purse. Because of course she wouldn’t dump her bag on a chair like the rest of us when in a snit. Nope, she methodically hung up her bag and light jacket.

“Would you like something to drink?”

“I want you to not be perfect April for a moment.”

Her back went straight as a broom handle.

I went to her, dragging her in for a tight hug.

April’s arms were limp at her sides. “What’s going on? Is someone dying?”

She wasn’t exactly the most demonstrative woman. She always seemed to be holding herself back just a little. As if she was afraid to share too much, give too much, or maybe that it would be taken away.

“Yeah, your love life if you don’t start telling us about what really happened in Fiji.”

She patted my arms awkwardly. “I told you. I don’t think I need to go into blow-by-blow details.”

“I’m always down for TMI,” Luna said and rushed us, then wrapped her arms around both of us.

As usual, her hugs were literally like warm sunshine. Enough that April relaxed and hugged me back then leaned her head on Lu’s shoulder.

“I appreciate the solidarity moment, but there’s nothing to tell.”

Lu snorted. “Sure. You got rocked into a different zip code a dozen times over. There’s plenty to tell.” She drew away and unearthed her phone from her rainbow boho bag. “I found a new place that will do one of those charcuterie boards. Pairs with wine and everything. They deliver.”

“Excellent.” I drew April into her living room and pushed her onto the couch. “We’re gonna talk smack about dudes, eat too much, and maybe get a little drunk.”

April nibbled on her lower lip. “Maybe we need ice cream too.”

“Can do,” Luna said with a delighted laugh. “I mean, as long as gelato is cool. This place is a little boujee.”

“Salted caramel,” me and April said together.

“With chocolate sauce.” April slipped her shoes off then curled into the corner of her couch.

I put my hands on my hips. “Were you going somewhere?”

“Does it matter?”

“Kill the prim voice, babe. You’ve been avoiding me since our lunch.”

She picked at the corner of her blush painted nail. “I wasn’t. I just don’t know how to process all of this. I’m not brave like you two. I don’t…do that kind of thing.”

“What? Get fucked until you’re hoarse from screaming?”

April flushed. “Yeah, that.”

I tipped my head. “So, me and Lu are loose women?”

“What? No. I just said you were brave.” She sat up so tall I was expecting her spine to rattle.

“You know it’s a special thing to find someone like that, right? It’s rare.”

She went back to picking at her nail until she finally curled it into a fist to stop herself. “I know it’s rare. But it’s not real. It wasn’t real. It was the vacation, the bure, the—”

“Bur-what?”

“Bure. I don’t know, that’s what he said it was called. It was right on the water and I could hear the waves when I slept.” Her cheeks pinked up even more if that were possible. “The little bit that I actually slept anyway.”

Lu sat beside her with a sigh. “The water is my favorite. I listen to the ocean or the rain on an app—well, I used to.” It was her flush. “I’m usually passing out with a certain teacher beside me these days.”

April laced her fingers together, the knuckles white with pressure. “Doesn’t it seem weird that all of us found someone around the same time?”

I sat cross legged in front of her on the floor. “Bit of a chain reaction, it seems. You left PMS in my care and then went and hooked up with his best friend.”

April closed her eyes. “I can’t even have a vacation fling correctly. My boss’s friend? I don’t even know his name.”

I opened my mouth.

April held up a hand. “No. Don’t tell me. I don’t want to know.”

“Which is very un-April of you.” Luna bumped her.

She melted into the couch, scrunching down as she pulled a pillow over her face. “I think it was better that way. Keeping all that reality at bay made it easier to let go.”

“Very intuitive of you.” I reached for the pillow and flung it onto the love seat behind me then patted her leg. “It’s okay to take what you need, Apes. Even if he was just a moment. If you really want it to be only that.”

She crossed her arms. “What else would it be?”

Luna played with one of her rings. “Well, maybe it’s meant that he was PMS’s friend. You know, that way you could find him again? That it didn’t have to just be a one-time thing.”

She fidgeted in her seat. “No. Definitely not. He’s a big deal lawyer. I like to stay home and make crafty things or refinish an old dresser from a tag sale. We have nothing in common.”

“Oh, and a witch web comic artist and a lawyer in the middle of an identity crisis totally should work.” I snorted.

“Or a witch and a Catholic school teacher?” Lu interjected.

“Yeah, but you guys thrive on chaos. It’s comfortable for you. I’m not like you.”

I flopped onto my back. “Excuses, April.”

“What Ry means is you don’t have to be afraid of feeling something for your crazy vacation fling. Maybe it’s even good for you.”

“Yeah, at that moment in time. I agree. I really liked wild April then. But it’s not the real April.”

I stared at her ceiling. I knew April had a lot of baggage. Less than stellar parents dumping a little girl on her grandmother was bound to leave its scars. Not to mention more than a few shitty romances.

There was a knock at the door. Lu popped up off the couch and ran for the door. April quickly followed. There was a flurry of activity as April stowed the gelato, then they set up the table with the big box of meats, cheeses, and fruit. Lu and April were in their element with making things pretty.

I hauled my butt off the floor, a plan forming in the back of my mind. Maybe April just needed a little more confidence. Even if she never met up with PMS’s bestie again—hell, I hadn’t met him either.

But it seemed that April would need to deal with her wild fling in the real world. Even if it was a periphery type thing.

Maybe if we boosted her up a little, she could deal with the office changes a little better.

I had a feeling Bishop would be around a lot more, the way he and Preston were talking. PMS was keeping things close to the vest, but I knew he wanted to close things up at triple Shaw. Once he’d gotten over the hump of knowing it wasn’t what he needed anymore, the man was antsy to get things settled.

Whether that meant the whole firm would be dissolved or he got new lawyers in to take over remained to be seen. I wasn’t sure how much to say to her. The boundaries of a relationship were new to me. April was my best friend, but I also had to be mindful of things told to me in confidence.

And it’s not like PMS had even said it was confidential, but I was an intuitive witch, dammit. And I didn’t need to be a witch to know you didn’t blab your boyfriend’s shit to everyone. Especially when things were still so in flux.

I crossed to them, the lure of food far too great. “Man, look at that spread.”

“I know. This place is super cool.” Lu popped a grape in her mouth. “I’m definitely keeping them in mind for our tarot nights.”

April nibbled on a piece of cheese. “Tarot nights?”

“Yeah. We have a few tarot curious people over at Luna’s apartment building.” I filled a plate then sat down.

“Oh.” She fixed a stack of crackers in her April way, then picked up a plate and took a few pieces of cheese and pepperoni. “Are there a lot of people involved?”

I shrugged. “Three or four people. One of them is an older woman. She’s a trip. We should introduce her to your grams. They’d probably hit it off.”

Lu pointed at me with a wedge of cheese. “Oh, yes. Bess is amazing. And becoming quite the card reader.” She threw a quick smile at April. “Maybe you should let her practice on you.”

“Me?” April’s eyes went huge. “No. You know I don’t do that.”

“It would be fun. Oh, maybe she can read for Elizabeth instead. She’d get such a charge out of it.”

“My grandmother?”

“Definitely,” I interjected.

Luna popped the cheese in her mouth and chewed quickly. “Text your gram to come to our next class night. I know she’d love it.”

“I don’t know.” April bit the corner of her lip. “Not to mention, I don’t know when she’ll be back. She’s still traveling with her new guy.”

“I guess everyone was getting lucky on that trip, hey?” Luna poured wine in plastic cups that had come with the spread.

“I appreciate that you guys were worried about me.” April reached for a bundle of green grapes. “It kinda feels like trip hangover. I can’t seem to get back into the groove of things at the office. And now with Mr—Preston’s news. I just don’t know if I want to stay there.”

“Even with the transition of lawyers, closing up shop won’t be instantaneous. PMS has a lot of cases to finish up.”

April snapped a few grapes off the stems. “I know.”

“It’s not like you to quit unless you have something else. Or do you?” Luna got up to go to the fridge. She came back with a jar of cherries and plopped a few into her wine.

Huh. That was new. Luna liked just about every veggie or fruit but not usually in her wine.

April sighed. “No.”

I closed my hand over hers. “That doesn’t seem like you.”

She flipped her hand under mine to hold onto me. “I know. But it just feels…different there.”

“You’re just reacting to the vibe in the office.” I didn’t want to get into what she probably was doing. Between her own need to turtle and all the exasperating emotions going off in the office, she was literally reacting to the energy in the room.

She was probably far more intuitive than she would ever own up to.

“Maybe,” April said with a shrug.

I scooped up some brie and peach jam. “So, I have an idea.”

April looked wary and Lu bounced.

“I love when she gets ideas.”

I snickered. “I think we need a trip to see Georgia.”

“Oh.” Lu rattled the cherries in her cup then slugged them back like a shot. “I’m good for a trip into Luna Falls,” she mumbled as she chewed.

“Luna Falls?” April’s eyebrows shot up. “Is that your…”

I grinned at her. “Where our witchy folk live?”

She swallowed. “It sounds terrible when you say it like that. But there’s a lot of rumors about that town.”

“Cursed,” I whispered.

“No. That’s silly.”

Luna Falls was magical, but it wasn’t cursed. People just didn’t understand why there was such a strong energy there. Most people couldn’t find it unless they were meant to.

Because there were a whole lot of protection spells around the small village’s borders. It was a fascinating place and for witches it was always a safe place.

And Georgia was just what April needed, whether she knew it or not.