The Professor Woos The Witch (Nocturne Falls Book 4) Read Online Free PDF Page A

met Ulysses and Gertrude once, at a family reunion when I was a kid. That was it. And I don’t remember it.”
    “I’m so sorry about your mom.” She couldn’t imagine losing her mother. Pandora’s heart ached for Cole. And for Kaley, who’d lost her grandmother. “That must have been hard.”
    “It was. Still is.”
    She was quiet for a minute. Then she spoke softly. “Related or not, your distant great-aunt was a witch.”
    Cole got a look on his face like he suddenly knew how to put an end to the conversation. Pandora recognized the look because it was one witches got from normies a lot. Normie was what witches often called the non-magical. The younger generation had kind of glommed on to muggle , though.
    “You honestly believe you’re a witch.”
    “I know I’m one.”
    “Then prove it.”
    And there it was. The challenge that always came from the disbelieving. Turn my ex into a frog. Make a million dollars magically appear. Show me your broom. “No.”
    “Because you can’t.”
    “I could if I wanted to, but I don’t want to.” Because her magic never worked right. Sometimes, it went horribly wrong. And neither was a humiliation she enjoyed. She put her fork down. “Time for me to go.”
    “Dad!” Kaley grabbed Pandora’s arm. “See? Now you know what I’m dealing with. Please don’t go.”
    The legs of Pandora’s chair squeaked across the tile as she got up. “Sorry, kid, I have to get to work. Have a good day at school.”
    Then she looked at Cole. Pretty, pretty, naïve Cole. “You have a good day, too. You and your small little mind.”
    She turned and stormed out before he could say another word. He was damned lucky too, because at that moment, if she’d been capable of it, she totally would have turned him into a frog.

A sullen, angry Kaley sat across from Cole as their front door slammed shut. He’d known that would be the outcome of his challenge, and while he wasn’t happy Kaley was upset with him, it was better she understood now what was real and what wasn’t. He sipped his coffee. “Eat your breakfast. School’s in twenty minutes.”
    She glared at him. Probably wishing she could do witchcraft. “I’m not hungry.”
    “You will be later.”
    More glaring. Now with sighing. “Did you do the same thing to Mom?”
    He looked up from his plate. “What do you mean?”
    “Make her leave too, because you didn’t believe she was a witch.”
    His turn to sigh. “Your mother left because she wasn’t—”
    “Ready to be a mother and she had to work on herself. I know all that. But why did she really leave? You made her, didn’t you?”
    “No, Kaley, I didn’t, but the truth is, your mother wasn’t a witch any more than you are or Miss Williams is.”
    “You didn’t give her a chance.”
    “Who? Your mother or Miss Williams? Actually, I did. Both of them.”
    “It wasn’t nice what you did to Miss Williams. She was going to teach me things. She was going to help me find a mentor.”
    “Kaley, she’s a real estate agent. Not a witch. It’s all just a gimmick because of this town. People like to pretend they’re something more than they are. That’s what they do here.”
    “It’s not just a gimmick.”
    “Yes, it is. This town makes its money on the idea that every day is Halloween. Honey, I know you’re disappointed. But being a teenager is hard enough without trying to be something you’re not. Now, please eat your breakfast.”
    “What’s so wrong with pretending? You can’t even do that.”
    Math wasn’t about fantasy and pretending. Math was about practicality and absolute truths. Just like construction. You couldn’t pretend to put a header in or your wall would only pretend to stand up. “Because that’s not how life works, Kaley-did.”
    “I hate that nickname.”
    “You didn’t used to.”
    Kaley went quiet, and her plate remained untouched. She stared at him with strange intent. Then her dark brown eyes narrowed down to slits. “Your