Tug of Attraction (3 page)

But would she be laughing if she couldn’t achieve her goal of motherhood? Would they remain friends if he performed and she didn’t get pregnant? He didn’t even know if his swimmers would get the job done. He’d always used a condom and often the women he dated used birth control too. He’d tried so hard
not
to get a woman pregnant, he didn’t even know if he could.

After spinning his mental wheels for a few days, Ethan decided he needed to talk to a trusted friend. Someone who could see the situation from his angle and would tell him the truth. There were only two men he could think of who understood their Wiccan values. Dru and Keith. Dru was in Austin, Texas, most of the time, and he didn’t attend coven rituals anymore. He was honest and would try to help, but sometimes his cowboy wisdom was a little hard to interpret.

Keith could be brash with his honesty, but he didn’t hold back. Ethan wasn’t sure if the cross-dressing act meant he was gay, or if he was just making a living by dressing as Cher and performing at his night club on weekends. 

Oh well...he could start with one and if that didn’t help him clarify his thoughts, he’d try the other. He had both of their phone numbers. He grabbed his phone out of the charger and stared at the contact list.
Which witch to try first?

Dru’s name came up first in alphabetical order. He was about to let that be the deciding factor, but changed his mind at the last minute and tapped in Keith’s number.

“The Musical Review,” a voice answered.

“Is Keith there?”

“Sure, honey. Who should I tell him is calling?”

“His friend, Ethan.” As soon as the words left his mouth, he wondered if the woman would assume he was a gay friend. But what did it matter? He was suddenly less interested in what women thought of him.

“Keith here. Is this Aubrey?”

Ethan had almost forgotten to use his witch name. He and Keith, aka Raven, didn’t hang out as a rule, so they were more familiar with each other by their witch names.

“Yeah. It’s Aubrey. I used my real name with the woman who answered the phone.”

“That was Liza Minnelli.”

“Seriously?” Ethan asked, shocked.

Keith cracked up. “No. My club’s version of Liza is actually named Raffia. He’s good though, right?”

“Yeah. I thought he was a she.” 

“That’s what I like to hear. So, what’s up? Need some front row seats?”

“No. I was hoping to, uh, talk about a personal matter. I need a male opinion.”
Man was this a mistake!

“Sure. Do you want to come over?”

“Uh, no. In fact, I think maybe I should just figure it out for myself. I’m sorry I bothered you.”

“Oh, no you don’t. You called me. There’s a reason you did that. Now, out with it.”

“Can you keep this under wraps?”

“Of course.”

“Swear it?”

“I swear on the sacred altar.”

Ethan took a deep breath. Maybe there was a reason he called the night club owner before the cowboy. “Okay. I have this female friend who wants to have a baby without getting married. She gave me a contract that absolves me of any and all responsibility. She’s a good friend and I’d like to help her, but, I don’t know...”

“Is it Brigit?”

Ethan almost dropped the phone. “How did you know?”

“I remember the spell she did on Midsummer night. She wanted a baby to love. I thought it was odd since I was pretty sure she wasn’t married.”

Ethan blew out a deep breath. “Yeah. It’s Brigit. Now it’s even more important that you forget I ever told you.”

“Fine. Consider it forgotten. But do you want my opinion or not?”

“Yeah. I do.”

“Get the contract verified, and then tap that fine ass! I would.”

Ethan burst out laughing. “Seriously?”

“Hell yeah. Brigit’s about the hottest woman I know. I only wish she’d asked me. All the perks? None of the punishment? Fuck, man. What are you waiting for?”

I guess that answers the question about Raven’s sexual preference.

“Okay. Well, thanks, man.”

“Sure. I gotta go. We’re rehearsing a new number.”

“Good luck. Er—break a leg.”

“Thanks. Sounds like you’re the one who’s getting lucky.”

As soon as he hung up, he knew he needed a second opinion. He called the cowboy. It rang a few times and he was about to hang up when Dru answered.

“Howdy Ethan.”

“Hi, Dru. How are you?”

“As good as a man who was bucked off an unbroken horse several times yesterday can be. But as they say, there ain’t a horse that can’t be rode and there ain’t a cowboy who can’t be throwed. I’m takin’ a hot bath.”

“Ah. Well, don’t let me keep you from that.”

“I’m not in a hurry. That filly ain’t goin’ anywhere.”

“But the water will probably get cold while you’re talking to me.”

“Cold water in the Texas heat ain’t a bad thing, Ethan. Sounds like you need to talk. I can lay here and listen.”

“If you have to hang up, I’ll understand.”

“Stop stallin’ and start talkin’, buddy.”

“Okay. You know the Witch’s Rede, right?”

“An’ it harm none, do what ye will. That one?”

“Yup. That’s the only one. The only hard and fast rule of our religion. It usually guides me, and yet it doesn’t seem to be helping me at the moment.”

“Sounds like you have some kind of decision you’re chewin’ on.”

“Exactly. Let me put this as a hypothetical question. You know what that is, don’t you?”

“I may sound like a dumb cowboy, but I know more than you Yankees think I do.”

Ethan snorted. “I’ll thank you not to talk about the Yankees with a Red Sox fan.”

Dru chuckled. “You’re still stallin’. Now spill it. What’s your hypothetical question?”

He sighed. “Fine. If you were single, and a beautiful woman, with a contract that excused you from all responsibilities, wanted you to get her pregnant, what would you say?”

“Jesus!”

“Yeah, I’m pretty sure that’s what I said too. Maybe I should have been more specific. Instead of what would you say, what would you
do?
”

“Holy crap. Is it Brigit?”

Shocked, Ethan pulled the phone away from his ear and stared at it for a second. “How did you know that?”

“I remember the night at the hotel when the coven was doin’ love spells. You know...the one I ruined by sprayin’ the sacred altar with the fire extinguisher.”

Ethan chuckled. “How could I forget?”

“Yeah. I’m not likely to forget that either. I was goin’ over everyone’s spells in my head, hopin’ I hadn’t ruined anyone’s chances at findin’ love. Brigit’s spell stood out in my mind. She wished for a baby to love. Rebecca told me she was single, so it was a little surprisin’.”

“Yeah. She doesn’t want to marry someone she doesn’t love just to realize her dream of motherhood.”

“Kinda makes sense. Shasta and I grew up without a daddy, and we turned out fine. Better’n if we had parents who hated each other, I imagine.”

“Shasta? Oh! You mean April?”

“I keep forgettin’ she’s using her other name now. She’ll probably be at the ritual tomorrow night.”

“She took your place in the coven?” 

“Yeah. As far as I know she’s still plannin’ to attend. She really likes y’all.”

“Well, don’t tell her about this. Don’t even tell Rebecca. I doubt Brigit will say anything yet, and I want a man’s perspective.”

“And I’m tryin’ to give you one, but I don’t rightly know what it is. I sure wouldn’t want to make a hasty decision and get it wrong.”

“You and me, both. I’ve been thinking this over for a week, and I’m still confused. She said there’s no hurry, but I don’t think I can go over it and over it in my head for another month.”

“You ain’t a Gemini, are ya?”

“No. Why?”

“We tend to weigh both sides of an argument and unless there’s a clear winner, our dual natures go to war in our heads. Makes Rebecca crazy sometimes.”

Ethan laughed. “Funny you should mention the scales. I’m a Libra and we do the same thing. Decision making is especially hard when there are good reasons for both actions.”

“Yeah. So other than sleepin’ with a beautiful woman, what’s to recommend it?”

“She’s a friend, and she really, really wants this. She’d be a great mother too. I’d like to help her make her dream come true, but is there really such a thing as ‘no strings attached?’”

“Dang. That’s a good question. What did the contract say?”

“Basically that I’d have no rights or responsibilities. I’d plant the seed and go on my way.”

“Is that what you want?”

“Hell, I don’t know.”

“Seems like she knows exactly what she wants, but you have to figure out what it is that
you
want? If they jive, great. If not, say, no.”

“Sure. It’s simple if it’s not happening to you.”

“Big problems can usually be boiled down to something simpler. Turn up the fire and see what happens. Not too hot though, or your troubles can bubble up and spill over. But if you keep it on the fire too long, some things become harder.”

“Seesh. Is Rebecca’s bakery having an effect on you?”

“Maybe. She lets me stir her caramel sauce and it’s mighty tricky to get just right.”

Ethan laughed. “You’ve got it bad for her, Dru.”

“Tell me about it. Hey, you’re comin’ to the hand-fastin’ aren’t ya?”

“Only if it’s up here in the seacoast area. I’m on-call twenty four hours a day, seven days a week. Don’t be insulted if I run out on your nuptials. By the way, hand-fasting is not considered a legal marriage. You know that, right?”

“We’re goin’ to have a hand-fastin’ up there, then a weddin’ and a barn dance down here.” 

“Good. When?”

“Don’t know yet. She’ll be sure to invite y’all whenever it’s settled.”

“I’ll be there, if I can.”

“Thanks buddy. You were real helpful to me and Rebecca when we were just gettin’ together. Maybe I can return the favor.”

“Oh, no. I’m never getting married. And neither is Brigit. At least we’re both firm on that.”

Dru chortled. “Yeah. Sure you are.”

“W
elcome to our Mabon celebration,” High Priestess Hanna Meriwether said. “It’s not often we can enjoy a Sabbat and a full moon on the same night. Let’s make the most of it. As you know Mabon is the fall equinox. Our days and nights are equal in length. We’ve just entered the sun sign of Libra and the moon sign of Cancer...”

Hanna continued to drone on, but Brigit couldn’t concentrate. She had assured Ethan that during their ritual circles, she could look at him as a friend and fellow coven member
only
, not as her child’s father. As of this moment, he was still her hypothetical baby’s potential daddy, yet she couldn’t look at him at all. Not only that, but her face heated the minute he entered the room. She must be bright red since the feverish feeling hadn’t subsided.

She dragged her focus back to what Hanna was saying.

“Mabon celebrates the harvest. It’s when we give thanks for our good fortune. Last month we did spells for prosperity. Before we begin casting new spells, would anyone like to share any good fortune they received as a result of last month’s spells?”

Rebecca raised her hand fist. “I’m excited to announce my spell for a new baker worked, and here she is!” She put an arm around the girl next to her. Brigit recognized Dru’s sister from the emergency circle they’d called to help her.

Hanna’s smiled widened. “Which brings us to welcoming our new member. Everyone, this is April. You probably remember her from our special circle three weeks ago, but I’m not sure she had a chance to meet all of you. Perhaps we should introduce ourselves in order. I’m Hanna, although my real name is Hazel. I’m the concierge at this hotel.” She looked at the person on her right. 

“Hi, I’m Celestia. My real name is Cassandra. I’m a women’s studies professor at UNH.”

Ethan seemed relaxed and cordial as he introduced himself by his witch name, Aubrey, then his real name and profession.

“You’re an actual tug boat Captain?” April asked, obviously impressed.

Ethan chuckled and said, “I am.”

Next was the member who often confused new members. Brigit watched to see what April’s reaction to Keith might be. As usual, he was in full drag, dressed as Cher.

“Hi. I’m Raven,” he said. “My real name is Keith and I own a nightclub where I sing as Cher.”

April simply smiled and nodded. It seemed like their new witch sister was open-minded, and Brigit relaxed a smidge. Now it was her turn.

“I’m Brigid, and my real name is Brigit, and I’m a vet tech. I work at an Animal Shelter.”

“Cool,” was all April said before they moved on.

“I’m Luna, although you know me as your hairdresser, Lana.” She got a big grin from one of the Tranquility Spa girls. Next to Lana was her coworker, who also had an extra bright smile for her and said, “And I’m Isis, although you know me as Isabelle, the esthetician you met when you came to get your hair done. It still looks good, by the way.”

“Thank you,” April said. She turned to the woman on her other side. “And of course I know you, Rebecca.” Rebecca took her hand and gave it a squeeze.

Next up was their youngest member. She had to lean a bit to make eye contact. “I’m Ariel, but my real name is Abigail. I’ve been an Au Pair for six long months, but I’m job hunting for anything that doesn’t involve taking care of little brats.”

“Aw, you don’t like kids?” April asked in her Texas accent.

“Not taking care of them,” Abigail said. “They’re all right from a distance—if they’re not crying, pouting or potential delinquents.”

Brigit made a mental note not to hire Abby to take care of her future child or children, even in an emergency.

Yvonne introduced herself as Myranda’s assistant at the local occult shop, and Myranda’s introduction rounded out the circle. They never did mention their real names. Brigit figured those two pretty much lived their witch identities twenty-four hours a day. Maybe that was the reason. Or maybe they just wanted to hurry up and get to the spell-casting.

“It’s mighty nice to meet y’all,” April said. “I guess I should mention my real name is Shasta, and I’m very happy to be here.”