Free Don't Hex with Texas by Shanna Swendson

the grocery store. It’s my day to get off ‘early.’” She formed air quotes with her fingers. “That means I get to go home at a normal hour after working a normal day, and Dad works the desk until Ramesh gets to start a little later on the overnight shift. This is practically a weekend for me.” She whirled a finger in the air in a halfhearted show of celebration. “Whoopie. Hey, I have an idea. We should do something tonight.”
    I looked around at the sleepy town square, then spread my hands to indicate all that nothingness. “Like what?”
    “We could eat out and go to a movie. It’s a Tom Cruise movie this week.”
    “Eww.” I made a face. “I can’t stand him.” Besides, the last thing I wanted to do right now was look at a dark-haired, blue-eyed man who wasn’t Owen.
    “Your lack of aesthetic sense is not my problem. He’s pretty as long as he keeps his mouth shut. And it’s not like we have a lot of options. There’s one movie screen in town, and that’s what’s showing. Otherwise, we could watch Bollywood musicals with my mom or crime dramas with your dad, or I guess we could find an empty motel room and watch HBO.”
    We’d actually had some cool slumber parties doing that when we were kids, but the idea wasn’t as thrilling now as it had been back then. “Okay, you win. Dinner and a movie it is.” Plus, being out and about would help me spot any additional magical weirdness that might ensue. It was almost like I was getting to be part of the investigation.
    Nita bounced off the bench. “Cool! Now we just have to get some groceries and take them home to Mom, and then I’m free.”
    “I could wait here for you.” I wanted to talk to Sam some more, and the wizard seemed to be most active at this time of day.
    She shook her head vigorously while she grabbed my arm and tugged me off the bench. “No, I need you with me so I can escape. If you’re with me already, Mom won’t be able to come up with an excuse for me to stay in.”
    We picked up the groceries, then rode in Nita’s ancient Escort to the little house behind the motel where the Patels lived. Mrs. Patel greeted me with her usual combination of warmth and suspicion. I always got the feeling that she liked me but didn’t quite trust me not to get her daughter in trouble—never mind that it was almost always the other way around. Moving a mile a minute, Nita dashed through the kitchen, putting away the groceries she’d bought and chattering nonstop about our plans so that her mother couldn’t get a word in edgewise to object. When we were back outside in the car, I was out of breath just from watching her performance.
    The café on the town square was practically full when we got there—not that there were too many tables to begin with. Dean and Sherri were there, seated front and center. I gave them a wave as we headed to our own table but didn’t stop to talk. “I still can’t believe he married her,” Nita said when we sat down. “He was so hot, he could have had anyone.”
    “Nita, he’s my brother.”
    “So? He’s still hot, and I’m not related to him. Okay, so he’s a bit of a jerk, and I could have thrown myself at him naked and he wouldn’t have noticed, but that doesn’t mean I don’t like looking at him.” She craned ever so slightly in her seat to get a better view.
    “Between this and your Tom Cruise thing, I really think you need to get out more.”
    “Thank you! I’ve been saying that for ages.”
    She reluctantly ordered the vegetable plate, saying that her dad was bound to get a report if she ordered pot roast and was seen eating it in public. I ordered the pot roast, with plans to sneak her a piece or two. We chatted about her latest scheme for updating the motel while we waited for our meals, and our food was served before she could get sidetracked into talking about my love life. We were enjoying lemon pie for dessert when a commotion arose from one of the front tables. I cringed when I