Tug of Attraction by Ashlyn Chase

that aren’t there.”
    Brigit nodded. “I know what you mean.”
    * * * *
    “E ep!” Hanna startled when she saw someone outside her seventh floor window looking in. When she recognized the face and hair, she wanted to scream—at her friend. She threw open the window and yanked her inside by the collar. “Fayleen, what are you doing hovering outside my window? Anyone could look up and see you.”
    “No, they couldn’t. I did a cloaking spell. I wanted to practice my ability to hover.”
    “You’re not a helicopter. You nearly gave me a heart attack. Why can’t you come to my door and knock like a normal witch?”
    “You really are a killjoy sometimes.”
    “Yeah, yeah. Well, now that you’re here, what did you want?”
    “A cup of tea would be nice.”
    Hanna rolled her eyes. “Fine. Have a seat.”
    As soon as Fayleen sat on the couch, Hanna snapped her fingers and a complete silver tea service appeared on the coffee table.
    “What? No cake or cookies?”
    “Get your own cookies. I don’t eat sugar.”
    “Fine.” Fayleen held out her hand, palm up and a plate of shortbread appeared. She set the plate on the end table next to her and lifted the tea pot. “Shall I pour?”
    “Please.”
    Fayleen handed her a hot cup of orange and spice tea. Hanna took a welcome sip and it calmed her—slightly.
    “So what’s the status on finding the grail?”
    Fayleen squirmed. “Um. It’s not good. The woman who takes apart the mixed materials at the recycling center said she remembered seeing it, but she couldn’t disassemble it. She finally gave up and tossed it in the trash compactor.”
    Hanna gasped. “Oh my Goddess! She destroyed it?”
    “Relax. It’s supernatural, remember? It wouldn’t crush.”
    “Whew. So where is it?”
    “She said as much as she hated to do it, she had to take it to the dump and toss it in the landfill.” 
    “Are you kidding me? So, now someone has to go rooting around through mountains of garbage to find it?”
    “Uh, yeah. And I was thinking it would go faster with—”
    “Oh, no. I’m not the one who lost it, and I already did my duty by helping you at the recycling center. Find some other chump.”
    “But I don’t want to tell the others it’s missing. Pleeeease...”
    Hanna did her best to hold her temper, but this was too much. She snapped her fingers and Fayleen disappeared.
    * * * *
    E than was tossing and turning in bed that night. At last he sat up and turned on the light. “Charlotte. Are you around?”
    “No. I’m at the senior center playing bingo. Oh. Sorry for the sarcasm. You look distressed. Do you want to talk?”
    “Yeah. It seems as if you’re the only one I can confide in.” He leaned against his headboard and mentally rolled his eyes at himself for asking a seventeenth century hooker for guidance. “Can you put aside your sense of humor for a few minutes and treat this seriously?”
    “Of course. Is this still about the baby-daddy thing?”
    “Yeah.”
    “Do you want my opinion?”
    “I think so.” This is probably a bad fuckin’ idea.
    “And you’ll do whatever I tell you to do?”
    “Ha! Absolutely not.” He folded his arms over his bare chest.
    She sighed. “Oh well. It was worth a shot. So, let’s review. She wants you to sleep with her until she gets pregnant.”
    “Check.”
    “And then it’s ‘Adios amigo.’”
    “I didn’t know you spoke Spanish.”
    “I don’t, but I just watched a movie about three friends in Mexico. It was funny.”
    “Yeah. I think I know that one. Let’s stay on track though.”
    “Fine. Here’s what you do. You set the mood with candlelight, wine, some oysters—”
    “I don’t think she needs all that.”
    “Every woman, who isn’t me, needs romance. Seriously. If you bring her upstairs to glaring overhead lights, I’ll short them out.”
    Ethan dropped his head in his hands. “Relax. I was going to use candlelight to set the mood anyway.” Then he sat up straighter. “No,