Page 22 of Not Your Ex's Hexes
Vi lifted her eyebrows. “Nowthatsounded awfully specific. Did your first day at the sanctuary not go well?”
“Oh, it was fine,” Rose admitted truthfully. “I enjoyed working with the animals, and the former vet, Miguel, and Terrance, theiremployee, were incredibly nice and helpful. Oh! And when I was there, they had another horse come in… poor thing was so scared. No, the sanctuary’s just fine. It’s the caretaker of which I’m not a big fan.”
“Arrogant without the ability to accept help… and more arrogance,” Vi clarified.
“Exactly. Evidently money is a little tight, and when I offered my assistance in raising funds, he practically stormed out in a fit, growling about how he doesn’t need charity.”
Olly and Vi exchanged looks.
“What?” Rose asked.
Olly smiled supportively. “I’m sure you meant well, and I know your heart was in the right place…”
“But…?”
“But sometimes in your desire to help people, you go a little overboard.”
Vi nodded. “You take over, and while Damian was an ass to walk out like a half-demon man-baby, I kinda see it from his point of view, too. You probably didn’t know this, but Damian’s father wasupper-level demon. And by upper, I mean lower. I think. Whatever, he was pretty powerful, if you know what I mean.”
Rose’s eyebrows rose into her hairline. “Are you telling me Damian’s father is a prince of Hell?”
“It’s not something he advertises, but I get the impression Damian and his father didn’t have a good relationship growing up. At all. I’m pretty sure Dear Dad’s solution to everything was to throw money at it, and when Damian went against the grain, he got cut off. I’m fairly certain there’s more to it, but bro-code prevents Linc from telling me too much.”
“And there I was offering easy ways to throw money at the problem…”
Olive added, “If the sanctuary is hurting right now, he’s probably struggling with what he knows they need and what he’s willing totake. Use your gift of out-of-the-cauldron thinking. If anyone can find a creative way to bring in cash flow without taking it directly from the fat wallets of high society, it’s you.”
Rose tapped her finger against her chin, her mind already thinking of different possibilities. “Out-of-the-cauldron, huh? I can do that… but what if he won’t listen?”
Vi smacked her leg. “Since when do Maxwells let that stop us? Lincoln wasn’t exactly the type to listen to suggestions that didn’t hop out of his own brain, either. Just make sure it’s too good of an idea to refuse.”
Olive smirked. “Or at the very least, make it one hehasto listen to.”
Make Damian Adams listen? Was that even possible?
Rose wasn’t sure even Edie had the power to bring about that miracle.
But it didn’t mean she wouldn’t try.
6
Let It All Hang Out
Rose picked up the napkin beneath her wine spritzer and let her fingers fidget, tearing the damp paper into confetti as she continued mentally mapping out her game plan. Since her talk with her sisters, she’d been up the better part of the night figuring out a way to help the sanctuary that even Dr. Broody McGrumpy Pants couldn’t turn down.
And it was damn hard.
Each idea that popped into her head, she mentally heard his husky growl shooting it down until all she had by the morning was a mountain of frustration, exhaustion, and a tension headache. But as tired as she was, Olive looked ten times worse as she plopped on the barstool next to her, immediately asking Gage, Potion’s Up’s vampire bar owner, for plain black coffee.
Rose kicked up a dark eyebrow. “Since when do you drink your coffee black? Or drink coffee at all?”
“Since my roomie decided to run her own business from our living room and boasts about twenty-four-hour service,” Olive grumbled, eagerly wrapping her hands around the mug when Gage slipped it in front of her. “Thanks. And keep it coming…”
“Anything for my favorite Maxwell sister.” The vampire flashed a wink. “No offense, Rose. But she’s the more tranquil of the three of you and well, I like my quiet…”
“If it isn’t two of my three favorite witches!” Harper wrapped her arms around each of their shoulders, giving them both a noisy kiss on the cheek before taking a seat. “What are you two doing in a dump like this?”
Gage, drying a stack of mugs from the other side of the bar, shot his employee a dark look.
