That got her to work with a few minutes to spare. She greeted everyone on the way in, ignoring the looks. Nobody had ever seen her hair in a braid, but there had been no time to fix it, and spells could only go so far. There was a difference between a good glamour and an outright illusion. With a sigh, she settled at her desk and dove right into her to-do list.

Sadly, that bright start to the day didn’t last long. Mayor Anderson called her into his office, and she strode in ready to fight. If this was about the meeting with the community center, she’d love to remind him that attending such events in his stead wasn’t even part of her job description. Writing speeches and press releases, handling social media, controlling the way he appeared in the media—yes, all of that. But she wasn’t the deputy mayor, and she wasn’t even his chief of staff. Leanne was sick of filling in and being used as a convenience. She’d taken it up until now because it wasn’t like she could easily find another job like this; it would entail moving, most likely, and she was happy here.

Anderson kept her waiting, shuffling his papers around, and she folded her arms, determined not to lose this fight before it ever began. Finally, he glanced up from the busywork and indicated the chair opposite his desk. “Have a seat.”

“Will this take long? I have a meeting in twenty minutes.”

With a journalist. And I’d love to tell the truth about you. But I won’t. Like everyone else, she’d bought into Anderson’s progressive bullshit, but as it turned out, he only cared about reaping the benefits of office and upholding the status quo. He’d only kept one of his election promises, and it wasn’t to the people who mattered. More than once, she’d considered hexing him, but so far, Danica had talked her out of it.

“I got an email from the community center. You gave them hope that we’ll revisit the budget? What were you thinking?”

You can find the money; you just don’t want to.

“If you don’t like the way I respond in those situations, don’t put me in them. It’s simple. Frankly, you should be talking to Deputy Mayor Dudley or your chief of staff. They’re the ones who off-loaded their responsibilities onto me. I won’t be so willing to assist in the future if this is how you react to me going above and beyond.”

She straightened her shoulders and strode out without looking back.

***

Trev had never been more grateful to have his own entrance; he came in through the back door of the garage then went straight down the steps into what qualified as home.