Free Sweet Nothings: A Karma Café Novella by Tawny Weber Page B

soup. She sipped, held the soup on her tongue like a wine connoisseur might test for bouquet, then tossed in a pinch of this and a shake of that before setting the spoon in the sink.
    It wasn’t until she’d crossed the room to the three-dozen crusts and leftover dough that she met her granddaughter’s frustrated eyes.
    “Shades of gray,” she said. “It’s not forbidden. It’s not even a bad place to work, Anja. But it does demand a very clear purpose, a strong awareness of the possibilities. And, of course, a ready acceptance of the threefold return.”
    Anja didn’t need to reminded that the threefold law—that all things sent out returned times three, a witch’s take on Karma—meant the repercussions of playing in the gray would fall on her. Not on Bianca, or Jacob, or anyone else. Even though Bianca had requested it, Anja had cast the spell. She’d called down the energy and infused that turnover. Whatever price Bianca paid, be it good or ill, Anja would pay triple.
    Worth it if Bianca found happiness. And, Anja realized with a sigh as her shoulders sagged, she’d not only deserve anything harmful that came her way, she’d willingly take on the undesirable results so Bianca didn’t have to.
    But magic didn’t work that way.
    Casting the spell didn’t mean she got to pick and choose who was dealt the results. Only that results would ensue.
    Her stomach churning, worry a tight throbbing in her temples, she crossed to her grandmother and held out her hands.
    “The storm was coming, one way or another,” she said quietly. “I didn’t bring it. I simply gave, I hope, the strength to face it.”
    “Shades of gray,” Odette said quietly, taking Anja’s hands in her own. The older woman’s fingers looked frail. Wrinkled and spotted with age, they should be fragile. But they gripped Anja’s with the strength and power of the Crone. The Wise Woman.
    “You made your choice, when you stirred up magic for Bianca,” Odette said quietly. “She made hers when she turned to you for help. And he, of course, made his when he sought her here. Now you’ll all deal with the results.”
    Anja didn’t how her grandmother knew.
    She wasn’t even surprised.
    She slid a glance toward the ceiling, wondering what was going on up there. But her gift was magic, not sight.
    So all she could do was hope. Hope like crazy that her spell had been a blessing for Bianca. For Jacob.
    And not a curse that was going to come back and kick them all in the ass.

Chapter Nine
     
     
    Bianca stood outside the Karma Café, glaring over the candy-striped awning at the apartment windows above. Her stomach clenched even tighter than the fists at her sides and she took three deep breaths.
    She had to go in. She didn’t have a choice.
    She wasn’t a wimp, dammit.
    She took one more deep breath, and ignoring the knots in her belly, she pushed the door open.
    A quick scan showed the café’s post-breakfast, pre-lunch lull. Perfect timing.
    She could do this. She’d seduced the hell out of a very sexy man just one day ago. She could do anything she set her mind to. She pressed her hand against her stomach. Yep, anything. Although she might have to throw up first.
    A flash of color in the corner caught her eye. Aha. Her feet almost flew over the hardwood as she crossed the room.
    “I have to talk to you. Now. Please.”
    Anja’s eyes widened and she gave the tiniest wince as she took in the frantic look on Bianca’s face. Before she could protest, or make an excuse, Bianca laid a pleading hand on her arm.
    “Please,” she repeated. “It’s important.”
    After a quick look toward the kitchen, Anja let out a breath, set her tray of dirty dishes on the table and nodded.
    “Of course. Do we need to go upstairs?”
    God, no. Bianca rubbed her hands on her arms to try and avoid shuddering. Not letting herself even look toward the staircase, she refused to consider the temptation on the second floor.
    “Here is okay, if you don’t