Magical Midlife Madness (Leveling Up #1)(23)

“Yes.”

Turn right in—

I silenced my phone but didn’t turn the GPS off. I shot Austin a narrow-eyed glare he probably couldn’t see—a silent warning not to lead me astray. It was out there, now. It hung between us in the air.

“Got it,” he said.

“Dang it. I hate when I say my thoughts out loud. This was why Matt always bitched when I drank.”

“Who’s Matt? The ex?”

“Yeah. Dumped me.”

“I’m sorry,” he murmured.

“Because I got dumped, or because I ended up as a caretaker for a big old creepy house?”

He paused for a moment. “Both. You think it’s creepy?”

“Of course I think it’s creepy. Don’t you?”

“Yes. So…” He stepped up on the curb.

I bumped into him on accident. “You’re in my space,” I said, weaving in the other direction.

“Sorry.” He stepped back down. “So you have no idea about that house?”

“No idea about what?” I stopped and faced him. Swayed forward. Swayed back. “Are there ghosts?”

I could just see his bewildered expression in the moonlight. “I…don’t honestly know. I’ve never heard…”

I waved the thought away. “I don’t believe in ghosts, but I would’ve looked for them if there had been reports.”

“No, I don’t think there are ghosts. Listen…it’s a dangerous house. You probably shouldn’t…go off the beaten track in it. Just stick to cleaning and you’ll probably be—”

“I know all about the dangers.” I stopped for a moment, needing a deep breath to calm my stomach. Lots of wine. I’d probably need to eat when I got home to keep everything down.

“You okay?” Austin asked.

“Yup!” I started walking again, nearing the main drag. “When I was ten, I found a trap door that dumps people out of the third floor. Diana nearly wet herself.”

“Right, exactly. There’s a lot of those…elements.”

“Hey!” said a disembodied voice.

I glanced blearily to the right, squinting to see three guys sauntering down the sidewalk in a sort of zigzag. The streetlights, much more plentiful on this street, highlighted their jeering faces.

Younger guys, on the sauce, not ready to go home and looking for some sport.

I doubted they’d bother an older lady on her own—boring! A few words, a joke about MILFs, and that would be that. But Austin was big, he was also middle-aged, and he was with said “older” lady. To a young moron who hadn’t been raised right, that would look like good sport. Bait the old dude trying to protect his lady, make a fool of him. Half the trouble of parenting had been making sure my kid didn’t grow up to be like these jerks.

“Young people should have an off switch until they can prove they have something to give back to society,” I said. I grabbed his arm, my hand finding purchase on one of the muscle groups. “Come on. Just walk. Those idiots won’t run to catch up.”

“How do you know?” he said, his focus on the guys razor sharp.

“Because I’m a woman, and I’ve had to assess danger since before I got boobs. It’s better to avoid confrontation, trust me.”

“Not if you want them to think twice about their behavior the next time.” He slowed.

“Yeah, you!” one of the guys hollered, his smile widening. His flat-top haircut was ridiculous.

“Hey!” another barked, clearly not smart enough to think of anything else. They laughed like simpletons.

Austin paused, chest turned toward me, face pointed their way.

I stepped closer and faced him, adrenaline surging through me, knowing this was the way to that confrontation I wanted to avoid. “Look bro, you have a solid punch. You’re strong, you’re capable, I hear you roar. But you’re one, they are three, and I’m a chick. Don’t even get me started on the testosterone difference between men their age and yours, or our relative speeds. Look, let’s just go. They’re drunk. I’m drunk. We’re all drunk.”

He angled his face down to me. “I hear you. Not just what you are saying, but I hear your fear. I remember what you said in the bar. Nothing will happen to you. Nothing. Not now or in the future. You can trust me, Jacinta. I know exactly what I am capable of. No more, no less.”

“Trying to get a little action, Grandpa?” one of the guys said, a hop in their collective steps as they got closer. One guy had lost his smile. That was the mean one. He was the one to worry about.

“Fine.” I dug around in my purse aggressively.

“What are you doing?” Austin asked, still looking down on me almost intimately. He was baiting those guys, which really annoyed me.

“I am not baiting them,” he said, and clearly my filter was still broken. “I am using my proximity and body language to show them you are under my protection.”

I lifted my eyebrows, dropped my mouth open, and opened my free hand wide. The other held the Swiss Army Knife I’d just dug out of my purse.

“What’s that body language say?” I asked as the guys drew nearer.

“You are flabbergasted with me, think I’m talking nonsense, think I’m taking an unnecessary risk, and are prepared to stab a bitch.”