He stuttered and found himself looking down at his own body to make sure they were both seeing the same thing. Yeah, he hadn’t shaved in at least six months and an unkempt beard and a shaggy hairstyle had been the product of that neglect. And sure, car grease had permanently soaked into his skin, making him look much darker than he normally did. But he owned a vehicle repair business. No one expected him to walk around smelling like frankincense.
“You know what, Madge? I think my football game is about to start,” he said in a pitch entirely too high. “And, I’m sure you have lots of other bachelors to interview for Mary. Why don’t you make your rounds and then get back to me?”
The old woman grimaced and clutched the book to her chest. “No, there are only two other candidates...”
“Then, start there.” He herded her toward the door with his arms stretched wide. “I’m sure Mary wouldn’t want to think that you’ve phoned in your duty by giving her my information.”
“Well, you would require more work than my average suitor,” Madge said with a slight nod of her head.
“Exactly!” He opened the door for her and held himself back from shoving her out the door. “And how would that do for your matchmaking business? Word travels, you know. Might want to start with the others first.”
She stepped over the door frame and glanced at him over her shoulder. “You know, maybe that would be a better choice. Make sure she’s getting the best available.”
“Couldn’t have said it better myself.” Billy smiled to himself and waved at her through the screen door. “Have a goodnight, Madge.”
She toddled off and he turned to lean his back against the door, taking another sip of his cold drink. A grin lit up his face and he shook his head. What a day. It was no wonder old Rick had taken an early retirement. Living next to a witch was no easy business. Luckily for him, the rest of Molodoy consisted of mostly werewolves in the Fang pack. His parents had belonged to that pack. He had, too, once upon a time. But his folks had long since passed and now all that remained of his tiny family was his baby sister who lived in their parents’ old home on Cherry Street.
Billy was just eyeing the loving embrace of his worn leather recliner when the door behind him burst open, nearly upending him on the concrete steps of his porch. Thanks to his wolf-like grace, he managed to stay on two feet and didn’t even spill a drop of his drink.
“Don’t think you can deceive me so easily, Billy Finley.” Madge’s husky voice grated on his ears as she stuck a finger in his face and chased him back into his home. She hobbled around on her creaky knees, a scowl etched on her face. “This witch can still hold her own against the big boys, let me assure you.”
He retreated behind the couch and held his hands up in surrender. Normally, he wasn’t the type of guy to give into any type of intimidation, but witchy Madge was a different story. Not only did she look frail enough to snap in two, but she’d assisted his mom a time or two over the years, especially during her final days. He couldn’t just bare his teeth and order her to leave.
“I can’t, Madge,” he said, fixing her with a pleading stare. “I can’t date this Mary. I can’t date anyone. I just can’t.”
She stopped her tirade and raised her sparse eyebrows to stare back at him. Her paper-thin lips twisted to one corner of her mouth in thought as they maintained eye contact, until finally she broke into a dreadful sigh.
“Oh, my dear, I can see with my own eyes that you’re not ready to move on,” she exclaimed, nodded her head. “Understandable. I shall take you out of my listings for now. In a few more months, we’ll see how you fair.” She wiggled her fingers over the book in her arms and it disappeared.
Billy didn’t care that he’d only bought himself a few more months of relative peace. He’d take it. Once again, he ushered the woman toward the door. This time, she went willingly and the sound of the screen door slamming made the tension in his shoulders melt away. He was about to plop down on his couch and scan through the television channels when he heard Madge’s voice again. Sighing, he dropped the remote and headed toward the door.
What now?
“And what can I help you with today, young lady?” Madge had a slight coo in her voice, as if she were a sales rep at a beauty counter.
“Does a William live here, ma’am?”
Billy planted his feet and cocked his head to the side. The woman’s voice sounded awful familiar — like the remnants of a memory long faded. It made a rush of feelings go through his stomach that were at once confusing and warm.
Rushing to the screen door, he peered through to see a young woman standing on his sidewalk. She had skin the color of caramel, an oval face, and wide eyes. Long, curly brown hair haloed her head and a blue flowery dress fluttered around her knees in the slight breeze. A sleek black Lincoln was parked on the street behind her, with windows tinted so dark he couldn’t tell if any more passengers resided within. Pushing open the door, he squinted his eyes to get a better look.
“Why, yes, I believe so,” Madge was telling the lady. She pointed back at him. “This is Billy Finley. His father named him William, after the great werewolf martyr who led the revolution in France during the sixteen hundreds.”
The woman’s gaze shot up to his and when their eyes met something snapped inside Billy’s chest. Recognition lit up on both their faces and he had to use the door frame for support.
“Billy...Billy Finley?” the woman asked in a trembling voice.
“Princess Stasia.” He’d meant to growl her name, but it came out sounding way more pathetic than he’d intended.
“I didn’t...I didn’t realize William was your real name,” Stasia blurted, her eyes darting to the ground and back up to his face.
“It is.” He leaned his shoulder on the wall and crossed his arms to hide the sudden weakness in his muscles.
A cackling noise drew both their attentions. Madge was looking at them both with laughter in her eyes, an age-spotted hand clasped over her mouth.
“So, this is the reason why you had no interest in my Mary,” the witch croaked, shaking a finger at him. “You should’ve just said so, young man. I would’ve been on my way.”
Heat flared in his cheeks. “No, that’s not the reason. I told you...”