24

I returned to the house for some clean clothes, and caught my Dad repairing the glass on the front door. "Until the window guy can get here," he explained.

"What if we have a break-in?"

"Jake's keeping an eye on things."

I'll bet he was. "Good, so you don't need me around."

"Actually," my Dad said, "Your grandmother is coming home soon."

I couldn't believe my ears. "How is that even possible? The other day, she didn't even know me."

My father spread out his hands in placation. "I know you don't trust me, but I was able to help her regain some of her memory."

"Which part?" I asked with hands on hips.

He shrugged. "I'm not sure, but she's well enough to come home."

"And her job?"

"Waiting for her to return."

The sun glinted off something and that's when I noticed glass shards on the ground. This was my shot, and I had to take it. Without pausing, I started to pick a piece up and my Dad said, "Stop, you'll cut yourself."

He put his fingers around one of the pieces and that's when I shoved the glass into his palm. "Shit," he said as blood welled up and started streaming out of his cut.

I took a fistful of Kleenex from my coat and handed it to him. It was enough to staunch the bleeding, and I opened my hand up. "Let me take care of those."

My Dad passed them over and I went into the house, pretending to search for the nearest trash can. I put the tissues in a sandwich bag and tucked them deep in my purse. He came in just as I was washing off my hands. "Do you need stitches?" I asked.

"Nope. No big deal." He held up his hand and I could see the wound was already closing.

"You used magic."

"Works every time. "

"So when is my grandmother coming back?"

"I'll pick her up on Friday morning."

My brows raised slightly. "She agreed to that?"

My Dad laughed. "I made it worth her while."

"Dare I ask how you pulled that off?"

He smiled. "I offered my handyman services at no cost."

She must have loved that. "Well, I should get going. I'm here to pick up clothes, and then Sally's expecting me."

All I got was a nod before he went back to work on the front door. The last sound I heard as I mounted the stairs was him humming along to a song only he could hear.

I handed the bloody tissues to Regina. "Will this suffice?"

"It will do."

"And has Sally returned yet?"

"Yes. She and Adam got what they needed."

"So all we have left is Poppy."

Sally entered the room with a smile. "Not true. I have that covered."

"How did you manage that?"

"I found Eben's private stash, and a vial of her blood was in there."

Eben was covering his bets. "So we're ready to do this?"

Regina said, "Tomorrow night. Contact your Circle and be ready at midnight."

Sally said, "Want me to spread the word through Adam?"

I appreciated her support. "Thanks, but I'll take care of it."

Regina waited until Sally had gone back upstairs before handing me a vial of opaline liquid. "You'll need this to reverse the memory spell."

"What's in it?"

She handed me a list of ingredients, which I examined for a moment. "What, no deadly nightshade?"

"Or mandrake root." Regina smiled faintly and patted the chair for her cat to join her.

"What are the chances of this working?"

Regina shrugged. "I don't know. The spell your father used is fairly common, but I believe he added some unknown ingredients."

Of course he did. "It's worth a try."

"You need a ride?" Sally called from the top of the stairs.

"Yes, please."

She grabbed her keys and I followed her out to the car. "Did you guys have fun at Eben's house?"

Sally made a face. "Are you kidding? I nearly peed my pants when his cat jumped on my back."

"Did it hurt you?"

"Not really. Melissa and Adam took care of me," she said with a grin. "So, are we off to the Boathouse?"

I dreaded seeing the disappointment in Adam's eyes when this potion failed. "Sure. Let's get this over with."