Not Your Ex's Hexes (Supernatural Singles, #2)(75)
Rose chuckled. “Yeah, about that … you should know that those volunteer hours are part of a community service sentence I received from the Supernatural Council.”
Callie’s eyebrows lifted as she sipped her wine. “Oh, I do love a good story and I sense a doozy.”
“I erroneously assumed that two emaciated horses in a field were being abused by their owner and I staged a jailbreak with my sisters. It turned out the place was an animal sanctuary and the horses had already been saved and were receiving care.”
“Oh no.”
They both chuckled.
“Oh, yes.” Rose nodded. “But luckily the Council saw my heart was in the right place and I’m now fulfilling some community service hours. And while I’m there, I’m trying to help them bring in some funds to take care of the animals.”
“It’s a labor of love. You can’t help yourself.”
“Exactly.” Finally, someone who understands …
“That’s how I feel about Sparks of Hope. It started with a love for rescuing animals, then for supporting voting rights, and then my passion projects snowballed from there.” Callie looked thoughtful for a second. “I hope you don’t mind, but I asked your mother what you’re doing now that you’re no longer the Prima Apparent and she mentioned you’re still considering your choices.”
That put a glowy spin to the way she’d been floundering …
“I love my job,” Callie continued, “and I employ some amazing, inventive, and driven people, and I would be absolutely ecstatic to have you come on board.”
And that had not been what she expected.
“You’re offering me a job?” Rose asked.
“A job? No. I’d love for you to come into Sparks of Hope as my partner.”
First, Rose could’ve been knocked over by her mother’s unexpected support and affection, and now again. “Um … wow.”
“I’m sorry, I’m getting ahead of myself. You see, I love my job. I love making a difference and encouraging the world’s youth to do the same. But as my fiancée points out routinely, I can’t be married to my job and to her.” Callie laughed. “And honestly, she’s right. The company is now in a position where I feel comfortable sharing some of the responsibility, and even though I haven’t officially met you until now, I knew you’d be the perfect fit. I guess you could say that Magic told me.”
“I don’t know what to say.”
“Then don’t say anything. I know this came out of left field. Think about it. And if you’re not ready now, I completely understand. The offer is open-ended. I won’t fill it with just anyone, so…” She handed Rose a card etched with the Sparks of Hope logo. “Call me with any questions, and if you need help with that sanctuary, or you need someone to bounce around some ideas with, I’m your witch.”
“Thank you, Callie, that’s a generous offer all the way around,” Rose said, meaning it. “I’ll think about it.”
They talked for another minute before Christina returned with a matchmaker twinkle in her eye and a “handsome shifter” Rose just had to meet. Seeing the sheer panic on her face, Callie played interference by asking for an introduction herself.
Thank you, Rose mouthed gratefully to her new friend.
All in all, it was a pretty good day and Rose couldn’t help but think that maybe karma had finally decided to cut her a little slack … and she hoped it kept coming.
19
Bingo!
Nerves weren’t something Damian was accustomed to having. As a Hunter, giving in to nerves got you killed. In vet medicine, it killed your most vulnerable patients. In a lively night out with a sexy witch, he wasn’t sure what it got him, but as he pulled up in front of the address Rose gave him, he was certain he was about to find out.
Knowing she loved keeping him on his toes, he’d expected a bar, or maybe a pool hall so she could beat his pants off yet again. Maybe even a nightclub where she could literally dance circles around him because his hips had absolutely no damn tempo.
But this, he sure as hell didn’t expect.
Pulling up the GPS on his phone again, he double-checked the address to make certain he’d gotten it right, and saw Rose step out the main doors.
He momentarily forgot what he’d been about to do. Formfitting blue jeans cupped her ass deliciously, and her hair, pulled up in one of those sexily mussed pony-buns, revealed the delicate slope of her neck and his favorite nibbling spot below her ear. She scanned the sidewalk, pulling a pink zip-up sweatshirt tightly around her body, and stopped when she saw him sitting in his truck.
She waved, standing beneath the lit sign for the Restview Retirement Center & Community Hall, her eyes twinkling as he climbed out from the driver’s seat. “You found the place! I was beginning to think I scared you off with the wild night talk.”
After locking the truck, he made his way toward the curb. With each step, Rose’s smile grew until it reached ear to ear, and it was a gorgeous sight. He’d seen her decked out in a fancy gown at Vi and Linc’s Bonding Ceremony. He’d enjoyed the sight of her naked, curvy body undulating above him. But she’d never looked as beautiful as she did now in jeans and a hoodie, and it took a slow minute for him to realize she was waiting for him to say something.