Magical Midlife Love (Leveling Up 4)

“How was I supposed to know the situation didn’t call for an actual golden egg?” Mr. Tom said, outraged. “You told me about your traditions, but you left out vital information.”

“You should’ve seen the look on Jimmy’s face,” Ulric said, laughing. “At first he was incredibly confused, then he thought it was fake gold. It wasn’t until he found out it was real that the facial gymnastics started. I think he was afraid to hold it.”

“Of course he was afraid to hold it!” I said. Niamh wasn’t on her porch. It was only midafternoon, but maybe she’d already headed to the bar. Jimmy’s departure had affected everyone. They’d liked having a younger person in the house to fawn over, like a bunch of grandparents. “He’s never seen that much gold in his life, not to mention the amount of money it represented. We were comfortable, the ex and I, but we were not rich by any means. Jimmy hasn’t ever seen the kind of money this place has just loitering around the attic.”

“If you would just finish the transition and officially transfer the—”

I held up my hand. “Not now, Mr. Tom. I don’t want to hear about that today.” If Austin and his brother had set up more robust defenses already, nothing had notably changed along my street. The houses ended and gave way to woods on both sides, sunlight fighting through the dense canopy, struggling to the ground. “Sebastian, to answer your question, the basajaun made that hole. He went into the maze with Jimmy to help find the egg. Once inside, though, they couldn’t find their way back out. Before Edgar could go in and retrieve them, the basajaun roared like he was being attacked, picked Jimmy up, and burst his way through the sides until he was out. Once there, he cleared a large patch of flowers and then drank all the champagne. Apparently he didn’t like being trapped in the maze.”

Sebastian threaded his hands into his pockets. “A basajaun, huh? I’d like to meet one of them someday. I’ve heard they are fearsome.”

“Yes. And incredibly violent when they get their dander up.” I peered through the trunks and leaves as we walked. “I need to put a spell around the woods at the end of the street to warn me of approaching danger. But hikers and animals and all sorts of people wander around this area before setting foot on Ivy House property. How do I pinpoint what’s actually dangerous?”

“Remember that spell you learned for sussing out weapons and dangerous things?” Sebastian asked lightly, looking the other way, as though envisioning the possibilities.

“Yes.”

“And a tripwire. I’m sure you know how to do a tripwire?”

“Yes.”

“So…” Sebastian looked straight ahead again.

“So I tie those two spells together and voila.” I shook my head, annoyed at myself. I should’ve been able to deduce that.

“I have a couple of spells that might work better, though,” he said as we reached the end of the street and turned toward downtown. “They are advanced, but with practice, you should be able to get them. Then we need to get into elixirs and potions. Believe it or not, potions are much harder than spells. They are an art form. If you get good at potions, the world is your oyster. You can make a living wherever you go. A good living, too. You won’t have a care in the world. Well…” He shrugged his left shoulder. “Except for being killed by a rival organization trying to cripple the organization you’re working for.”

“That’s a thing?” I asked.

“Of course that’s a thing. To have power in the magical world is to accept danger. The people who want it will kill to get it, and the people who have it will kill to keep it. Everyone else is in the crosshairs. But if you are a master at spells or potions, you can protect yourself. Master both, and you are someone to be reckoned with.”

“Are you someone to be reckoned with?”

“Yes. When I want to be. Which isn’t often. It’s tedious. I much prefer working in my lab with my head down, creating new spells and potions.”

I bit my lip. It really did sound like he planned to stay.

I took a chance. “You’ll need a lab, then. And a paycheck.” I ran my fingers through my hair as we neared the downtown area. “I’m sorry, I’ve been distracted with my visitor. I lost track of time.”

“So far you’ve paid me in other ways. We’ll figure it out. But yes, a lab would be nice.”

I almost asked what other ways he was referring to, and if that meant he was for sure staying, but I wasn’t in a great frame of mind right now. So instead I just nodded and let silence settle over the group. I’d add a serious sit-down with Sebastian to the growing list of things I needed to accomplish tomorrow.