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“YOU DON’T HAVE TO COME babysit them unless you want to,” Henry said.
“I want to,” Ciara insisted. “I really do.” She grinned at Henry. “It’ll be fun.”
Henry rolled his eyes. “They’re no longer children.”
Ciara grabbed her bag from the sofa. “If I can handle the world’s most dangerous criminals, I can handle a few teenagers, too.”
Henry shrugged, grabbing his bag from the floor. “If you say so.”
The baby dragon, Roan, was with Jenna again. Jenna had agreed to take care of it, because Mrs Rossler refused to let Henry take the dragon with him to the Rosslers’ house.
To her surprise, Ciara already missed that little beast.
Henry’s parents were going away for a spa weekend. They both had a summer holiday—and for once, at the same time.
Henry and Ciara had agreed to stay with his younger siblings at the house from Friday to Sunday. They wouldn’t babysit anyone, considering all his siblings were teens nearing adulthood. They were just going there to ensure no one threw a party or burned the place down. Henry had also promised to cook for his siblings, so they wouldn’t have to live on microwave food.
Ciara couldn’t cook. When she had lived alone, all she had eaten was salad and takeaway food. She knew how to make a salad and even she couldn’t burn a mix of lettuce and vegetables.
Ciara could have used her magic to make food, but it wasn’t that simple. Making food taste like something with magic was hard. Usually the food turned out disgusting, because the texture and the taste were off. No one wanted to eat apples that tasted like fish.
Both Ciara and Henry were ready to go. Ciara moved her hand across the air, sparking her magic, and teleported herself and Henry to the Rosslers’ home. The house appeared in front of them as Henry’s flat faded away. Teleporting inside someone’s home was impossible, unless you teleported out of there, which was why they had to walk in. They were fifteen minutes early, but it was better than being late.
“It’s great to see you’re still in England,” Mr Rossler said to Ciara, heading for the door from having heard it open.
Ciara had already been in England for over a week.
“I might stay for a while.” She owed that to Henry.
“Kids, remember to behave!” Mrs Rossler’s voice rang out from the living room. Ciara, Henry, and Mr Rossler joined the others there.
Gabriel sighed, crossing his arms. “We’re not babies anymore.”
Mrs Rossler placed her hands on her hips. “That doesn’t mean you always behave.”
Poppy’s focus shifted from her mother, and she grinned. “Ciara!”
Polly’s face lit up, too. “You’re still here!”
Ciara smiled and nodded. “Here I am.”
The two younger girls had grown up with Ciara as their role model. Ciara had been like an older sister to them.
Mrs Rossler turned to face the freshly arrived pair. “Ciara, Henry, how great to see you both.” She smiled sweetly at them. “I hope these three won’t be too much trouble for you.”
“I’m sure we can handle them,” Ciara assured with a smile on her face.
“We’ll be in our best behaviour with Ciara here,” Poppy said, grinning. “Who would want to piss off a hit witch?”
Polly nodded. “Not us!”
Mrs Rossler rolled her eyes and pulled Poppy into a hug. Then she hugged the two other teenagers. “I’ll see you all on Sunday. I love you.”
“See you, Mum!” the three teenagers said in unison, smiling at their parents. “And see you, Dad!”
“See you, kids,” Mr Rossler said and hugged his three youngest children, enveloping them in a group hug. Before he left the room, he ruffled Gabriel’s hair.
Gabriel instantly fixed the damage done.
Both Mr and Mrs Rossler headed to the front door, Ciara and Henry trailing behind. His parents had packed their bags, and they were waiting for them by the door.
“There should be enough of everything in the fridge. And I prepared Liam’s old room for you, Ciara. I hope that’s fine.”
Ciara smiled. “Of course. Thank you.”
“Oh, and Iris might stop by here after work. She forgot her jumper here yesterday. It’s on the desk in my and Ray’s room.”
“We’ll give it to her if she comes round,” Henry affirmed.
“Good. Call us if something happens.”
“We’ll be fine,” Henry assured her.
“They’ll be just fine, Mary.” Mr Rossler placed a hand on his wife’s shoulder and gave it a squeeze.
“Alright then.” Mrs Rossler sighed. “I’ll see you on Sunday. Be safe and eat whatever you like.”
Ciara smiled. “See you, Mrs and Mr Rossler.”
Henry handed his parents their bags. “Bye, Mum and Dad.”
“Bye, bye.” Henry’s parents left. They waved at Henry and Ciara from the outside until Henry closed the front door.
He turned to look at Ciara. “Mum worries way too much.”
Ciara chuckled. “You and Liam caused a lot of trouble for her in your time, so I’d blame you two.”
“We weren’t that bad.”
“Clearly you were.”
Henry rolled his eyes and shook his head. “If you say so.”
“What’s for dinner?” Gabriel yelled from the living room.
Henry and Ciara headed back to the room, staying near the doorway.
“How about homemade pizza?” Henry suggested, already knowing his siblings’ answer.
“Sounds good!” Poppy exclaimed.
Polly nodded. “Agreed!”
Gabriel gestured to his sisters. “What they just said.”
Henry decided he should start making the pizza dough straight away. Ciara joined him in the kitchen to keep him company.
“Do you need help?” she asked while Henry was gathering everything he needed.
“I think you’d burn the dough,” Henry joked, winking at Ciara.
“Rude!” Ciara chuckled. “But not wrong.”
The two best friends chatted while Henry prepared the dough. They had been talking for a while when someone knocked at the front door.
By then, Henry was covered in flour.
“I’ll open it,” Ciara offered and stood from her seat.
“You sure?” Henry eyed Ciara warily, knowing who was calling round.
Ciara nodded. “Absolutely.” She walked to the door and opened it, revealing a blonde woman. Ciara smiled at her. “You must be Iris.”
The woman eyed Ciara up and down. “Are you Ciara?”
Ciara nodded and offered her hand for Iris to shake. “Yes, that’s me.”
Iris shook her hand.
“Come on in.” Ciara held the door open for the petite blonde woman and closed it behind her.
“I don’t know if Mary said anything—”
“About the jumper, right?”
Iris smiled with slight uneasiness. “Yes.”
“She mentioned it. Let me go get it.”
Iris nodded.
Ciara walked into Henry’s parents’ bedroom down the short hallway. The jumper was on top of the desk like Mary had said. Ciara grabbed it and returned to the front door where Iris was waiting.
“Here,” Ciara said, handing the jumper over.
Iris smiled, her uneasiness gone. “Thank you.”
“No problem.” Ciara returned the smile. “Oh, and congratulations on your engagement. I’m sorry I couldn’t make it to England when you were celebrating.”
Iris’s smile widened. “Oh, thank you. And don’t worry, I completely understand.”
Henry had got most of the flour off his clothes and hair, so he finally walked to the door. He greeted Iris, “Hi.”
“Hi, Henry.” Iris smiled.
“The others are clearly too busy watching a movie to come and say hi,” Henry said apologetically, gesturing towards the living room. The movie’s noise sounded all the way to the front door.
“It’s fine. I just saw them yesterday.”
“Have you had dinner yet?” Henry asked. “Or is Liam waiting for you at home, so you can have dinner together?”
“Actually, he’s going out with the boys tonight to have drinks and dinner,” Iris said.
Henry glanced at Ciara and then turned his gaze back to Iris. “Do you want to stay for dinner?”
“He’s making pizza, and if he’s as good as he used to be, it’ll taste great,” Ciara said and smiled at Iris.
Iris bit her lip. “I wouldn’t want to bother you.”
“I offered, so it’s not bothering,” Henry said.
Iris chuckled. “Well, if you insist.”
“I do.”
“Alright then.” Iris took off her coat and set her jumper aside. She joined Ciara and Henry in the kitchen, and she and Ciara sat at the table.
“So, Ciara, are you on a holiday?” Iris asked.
“Actually, I’m suspended. A little less than six months to go,” Ciara said. “My colleague died, and my superiors don’t think I’m in the state to be working right now.”
“I’m so sorry for your loss.”
“Thank you.”
Henry turned to glance at Ciara, worry written all over his face. Theo hadn’t been just a colleague.
But considering Ciara and Iris had just met, Iris didn’t need to know that. Even Henry understood that. Ciara didn’t have to open up about her life tragedies to a stranger. But he couldn’t imagine what she was going through in her head.
“So, did you drive here or what?” Henry asked Iris. It was a wonderful chance to get to know his brother’s fiancée a little better.
“I teleported.”
Henry grinned. “Then I have an idea. I’ll be right back.” He left the kitchen, leaving the dough unfinished.
Ciara and Iris turned to look at one another.
“What is he doing?” Iris asked Ciara as if she might have known.
“No idea. But clearly, he has an idea.”
Iris chuckled. “Clearly.”
Henry returned soon, holding up a bottle. “I have red wine.” He kept his voice low enough, so the teens didn’t hear him.
Iris grinned and shook her head a little. “Oh, Henry.”
“You don’t have work tomorrow, do you?” he asked.
“No.”
“So, wine it is.”
“Just a glass or two.”
“Well, it’s a never-ending wine bottle,” Henry said, placing the bottle down on the table. “I’ll have enough time to persuade.”
Ciara’s eyes widened, and she turned to look at the bottle. “You have endless amounts of red wine?”
Henry flashed a smile at her. “Of course.”
***
IRIS STAYED AFTER THEY had finished eating. She and Ciara continued to talk after dinner, drinking wine. Henry had joined his siblings in the living room and was watching a movie with them.
Ciara was surprised at how easy it was to talk with Iris, considering the woman was engaged to Ciara’s ex-boyfriend.
“I’m so glad I got to meet you.” Iris looked at Ciara, setting down her wineglass.
Ciara smiled once she had taken a sip of her wine. “I’m glad we got to meet, too.”
Iris smiled. “You know, I’ve always been a little jealous of you.” She had drunk enough wine to be tipsy. The alcohol had loosened her tongue.
Ciara looked at Iris, raising her eyebrows. “Of me?”
Iris nodded, fiddling with her fingers. “Yes, jealous of you. I mean, everyone in Liam’s family adores you. Even years later, they talk about you.”
“I was Henry’s best friend first and foremost. I’ve known the family for a long time.”
“Perhaps.” Iris shrugged. “But it has bothered me. I didn’t like the thought of meeting you until I finally met you today. In fact, I thought I wouldn’t like you.”
Iris was revealing too much. They had talked for a while, and Ciara liked her, but they barely knew each other.
“I didn’t want to like you at first,” Iris admitted. “But now that we’ve spoken, even if it’s just for a couple of hours, I can see why everyone likes you. I feel bad for thinking so ill of you.”
“It’s alright. It’s, uh, a natural reaction,” Ciara said, hoping not to sound as uncomfortable as she felt. “And trust me, when you’re not around, the family speaks very fondly of you.”
Iris smiled, beaming with joy. “Really?”
Ciara nodded. “Yes. So, trust me, there’s nothing to be jealous about.”
Iris tilted her head a little and eyed Ciara, squinting. “So you don’t like Liam anymore?”
Ciara chuckled and shook her head. “I’ve talked to him once in, like, three years. Whatever feelings I had in the past are long gone.”
Ciara barely knew Liam anymore. She wasn’t sure if she had ever quite known him.
She wasn’t sad about how things had ended with him. Good things had come out of their break-up. Ciara would have never been with Theo, and Liam had also found happiness, even if it had been a little too fast for Ciara’s liking.
She smiled at Iris. “So, are you planning the wedding yet?”
Iris sighed, running her hands down her face. “I’d like to have a festive wedding around December, but Liam keeps saying it’s too soon. So, for now, we don’t have plans.”
“Perhaps you should just tell him how much it means to you.” Ciara shrugged and took a sip. “Even though I might not be the best advisor. I’ve never been in your position.”
“Engaged?”
“I was engaged, actually, but we never got around to making any plans.” Ciara’s voice shook, and her mouth dried. She took another sip of her wine and prayed Iris wouldn’t linger on the topic.
Iris, however, frowned, keeping her gaze on Ciara. “What happened?”
“He died.” Ciara was blunt, because she wanted to keep the topic short. Iris wasn’t the person she would pour her heart out to.
“I’m so sorry. That must have been...” Iris’s eyes widened. “I can’t imagine.”
Ciara forced a smile. “It’s been a while.”
Iris nodded. “So, what are you doing tomorrow?” she asked, switching the topic.
“I’m looking after Polly, Poppy, and Gabriel with Henry all weekend.”
“Could you take a few hours off?” Iris asked. “It’d be fun to have lunch with you tomorrow.” She grinned at Ciara.
“Well, I—”
As he had shown many times before, Henry had the perfect timing. He walked through the kitchen doorway, saying, “Of course she’ll take a little time off.”
Ciara turned to look at Henry. “You sure?”
“Of course.”
Ciara turned to Iris and smiled. “I suppose we could have brunch tomorrow then.”
“Wonderful!” Iris squealed. “There’s a cute little restaurant near where Liam and I live. Could you come over to our place around eleven o’clock? We can walk from there.”
Ciara nodded. “Of course. I just need the address.”