Wishful Thinking Read online

  Phil could see where this was headed and apparently so could Cass.

  “That potion she made is attracting the teenagers because they’re all just bundles of hormones at that age,” she muttered to Phil. “But she almost got it right. If she would have tweaked it just a little bit…”

  “It would have attracted anything male in the vicinity,” Phil whispered back. “And apparently the longer someone is exposed to it…”

  “Someone with a Y chromosome, anyway.”

  “The stronger it gets,” Rory said, joining in the conversation. “I don’t think that Scout Master was all that interested in her at first but like he said, she’s been here forty-five minutes and now look at him.”

  They all did, watching as the Scout Master pushed past the boys that were milling around Nana and took her hand with awkward gallantry.

  “It took longer to work on him because he’s older but now…” Phil shook her head. “Just look at that! He’s actually kissing her hand.”

  “Okay, that’s enough.” Cass squared her shoulders. “She’s going to cause a riot in a minute and the last thing we need is a Boy Scout jamboree right here in the middle of the bowling alley. Come on.” She grabbed both Phil and Rory by the hands and Phil felt the familiar tingle of power run through her fingertips and up into her arms. Then Cass dragged them through the crowd of boys to where the starry-eyed Scout Master was still smooching Nana’s hand.

  “Your charm escaped me at first, dear lady,” he was murmuring. “But now I see that you are a woman of surpassing beauty.” His bald head gleamed in the dim overhead lighting as he leaned over her hand.

  “Hey, Scout Master Jenkins, do you mind?” the boy who had been teaching Nana to bowl protested. “I was gonna ask if the hot granny lady here wanted to go to Prom with me. How ’bout it, huh?” he asked Nana over the Scout Master’s shoulder, grinning to expose a silver mouthful of braces. “I’ll get a limo to pick you up in and everything. It’ll be hot.”

  “Hey—the hot granny lady is going to my prom with me!” growled another boy, puffing out his narrow chest. He had a bad case of adolescent acne but he was taller than the first boy and the Scout Master both by about a head and a half, Phil saw. Things were about to get out of control.

  “That’s enough, boys. The hot granny lad’ is coming with us.” Cass, Phil, and Rory were still holding hands as they surrounded their grandmother, forcing the Scout Master to relinquish her hand. The power of their blood wasn’t much alone, but they were stronger together. Strong enough, hopefully, to rescue Nana from her magically induced predicament.

  Hand in hand they shepherded their grandmother through the crowd of milling boys, Cass leading the way. A few of the boys looked to be almost Rory’s age but even though her baby sister was very pretty, not a single one of them glanced her way. They were all focused intently on Nana.

  “Oh, my, girls—did you see that?” Their grandmother put a plump hand to her heaving bosom, and widened her eyes dramatically. “I’m so close to a breakthrough. I must have just gotten the ratios a bit wrong.”

  “You certainly got something wrong,” Phil agreed, using her free hand to hold her nose. Their grandmother absolutely reeked.

  “Nana, we tried to warn you not to get mixed up in the Craft,” Cass said reprovingly as the girls continued to lead their grandmother though the crowd like a phalanx of bodyguards.

  “Yeah, Nana. You know fairies can’t do witchcraft,” Rory said, patting their grandmother’s arm.

  “Well now, that’s just an old wives’ tale!” Nana exclaimed, her jewel-green eyes sparkling with defiance. “I just wanted to attract a man and if I hadn’t used just a little too much hemlock… Oh, do we have to go now?” She looked around as they reached the edge of the milling crowd of teenage boys. “Goodbye, boys,” she trilled, fluttering her hand flirtatiously. “It was nice to meet you all. I’m sorry I have to leave.”

  There was some discontented grumbling and one of the boys yelled, “Hey, where are you taking her? Bring her back!”

  “Quick,” Phil whispered to Rory. “Do you have any perfume on you?”

  “Perfume?” Rory looked confused.

  “To cover the scent,” Cass hissed, catching on. “It’s that awful potion that’s egging them on—it smells like ass!”

  “Uh…” Rory fumbled in the pocket of her jeans with her free hand. “I have some breath spray—sparkling mint.”

  “That’ll do.” Phil grabbed the tiny cylinder from her sister’s hand and began spraying left and right. As the strong scent of the breath spray began to cover the stink of the potion, the Eagle Scouts and their Scout Master fell back, looking confused.

  “What the hell?” The boy with braces who had asked Nana out to his prom shook his head like a dog trying to get rid of a flea. “What happened?”

  “You asked my grandmother to go to the prom with you.” Cass grinned at him, a wicked twinkle in her violet eyes.

  “Shut up!” The Eagle Scout eyed Nana doubtfully. “I did not.”

  “You most certainly did, young man.” Nana frowned at him. “And to think I was almost considering it. But I’m afraid my answer will have to be a resounding no.” She lifted her head and marched proudly through the crowd, reminding Phil of a queen going into exile.

  Phil only wished that this experience would teach her grandmother a lesson. But if she knew her nana, it would only make her try harder the next time. If Nana decided she wanted a man, then by God, she would get one. Even if he was fifty years too young for her.

  Chapter Seven

  “I really have to get moving,” Phil said pointedly. “Christian is taking me out and I have to get home, get showered and dressed, and be ready by seven.”

  “Uh-huh.” Cass was still sitting in the front seat of the VW bug, which now smelled like dill pickles, cat pee, and minty fresh breath spray. The ride from Splitsville back to the big lavender mansion on States Street had been nearly unbearable, even with the windows wide open. Rory had already taken their grandmother inside, presumably to get a hot shower, but Cass hadn’t budged from the front seat.

  “Well?” Phil motioned that Cass should get out.

  “You asked me to help you think up a wish,” her younger sister reminded her. “Unless you thought of one back there during bowling for hormones?”

  “Oh my God!” In all the excitement, Phil had completely forgotten about her birthday wish. She glanced at her watch and saw that it was six ten. Five minutes. Just five minutes to decide on a wish that wouldn’t ruin her life.

  “Calm down,” Cass said, putting a hand on her arm. “There’s still plenty of time. You’ll make your wish and be home in time for your birthday dinner.”

  “It’s not a birthday dinner,” Phil said, without thinking about it. “We’re going out with some of his clients again—probably so he can use the expense account.”

  “What?” Cass immediately bubbled up with all the indignation that Phil couldn’t seem to express. “You’re kidding me? He forgot again?”

  “Yes, he forgot,” Phil muttered, wishing Cass didn’t always have to make everything so dramatic. “But I’ll remind him later and he’ll take me out some other time, I’m sure.”

  “Some other time isn’t good enough, Phil.” Cass’s pale cheeks were red with anger. “That jerk! He hasn’t treated you right from the first. Making you ditch law school to put him through first. And now he won’t marry you. And you just sit there and take it. Why don’t you say something? Anything? Do you want to be a doormat forever?”

  “No, all right?” Phil burst out. It was a controlled shout, but a shout nonetheless. “I’m tired of taking everything everyone dishes out and never saying anything about it.” Images of Mrs. Tessenbacker and the nasty little Doodle-bug flitted across her mind. “I’m tired of being taken advantage of,” she said, remembering the not-so-blind pencil boy. “I’m tired of listening to what everyone else has to say and never getting to speak my mind. And most of all I’m tired of