The Misadventures of Anna Cabbot

Lines in the Sand

Jamie wrestled his henley over his head and swore he'd set the coffee pot up the night before. He hadn't, apparently, and he fumbled quietly with the bag of grounds. Lenny was up, of course, but Carson had only moved enough to roll over onto his back and Jamie had left Anna snuggled in with Merry upstairs.

He set the brew cycle for 8:45 and then went to see where Lenny was at.

"J.H.? I need help with my tie."

"Sure, buddy. Pop your collar and come here." Jamie knelt and took Lenny's striped tie from him. "Do you want a regular knot or a fancy one today?"

Lenny looked at the ceiling. "May I have fancy?"

"Absolutely." Jamie deftly did a trinity knot. "This is Thom's favorite one to do." To break up the monotony of Catholic school uniform life, he and Thom had spent an entire Saturday watching YouTube videos on how to tie different knots and practicing. He could do about a dozen variations for someone else, and only about half those on himself.

"T.M. Used to wear ties?"

Jamie couldn't wait to tell Thom how priceless Lenny's incredulous expression and tone was. He had to swallow back a laugh as it was.

"He hated them. He might still hate them. I'd have to ask him." Jamie turned down Lenny's collar. "You're all set. Your helmet's in the closet."

"Thanks, J.H."

"No problem, buddy."

Lenny waited patiently by the door with his coat and backpack on, helmet dangling at his side. Jamie had bought him one painted like Iron Man's, and he loved it.

Jamie locked the door and dumped a little more magic into his wards. His witchsense brushed across the edge of Anna's; he caught a whiff of cinnamon and wood smoke.

"Remind me who picks you up today?" Jamie asked once they were outside on the sidewalk.

Lenny squinted in the morning sun; Jamie moved to block it with his body as best he could.

"Today is Thursday so it's T.M."

He gave Lenny a thumbs up, then helped him strap his helmet on. Lenny wormed his earbuds up into his ears — he liked riding a motorcycle but he didn't like the noise — and grinned even as Jamie pushed his visor down into place. Jamie straddled his bike then twisted to help Lenny climb on behind him. Lenny clung to him like a squirrel; Jamie secured his own brain bucket and fired up the Ducati. He waited for two taps against his ribs through his leather jacket — Lenny's preferred signal that he was all set — and then they were off.

It took around 40 minutes to get to the drop off line. The woman in a Mazda behind him outright stared at the two of them.

"Thom will pick you up this afternoon."

"Then we go to the gym and then go somewhere for dinner." Lenny smiled up at him.

"Tell him to take you somewhere good tonight."

"T.M. Usually lets me pick."

Which meant Thom would end up taking him someplace for a burrito, since it was his favorite, then probably out for ice cream.

"Have a good day, kid. Remember your manners and be kind, okay?" Jamie held his arms out for a hug; Lenny gave him one, then scampered off toward the door partly because Lenny liked school and mostly because it was really damn bright out this morning.

The woman in the Mazda was still staring at him. He waved at her, and got back on his bike. He'd pop out to Sheridan for Paula's Donuts and then take a trip to Thom's. If he hurried he'd catch his brother before he went to sleep for a few hours and find out what, if anything, happened at the warehouse last night.

Except Wednesday was Thom's night with the S and R team, so he'd have been out with Hudson, Tori, and Julia. Les would have covered the warehouse.

He stopped for a stop sign and blew out a breath. Right. Donuts. Thom. Back home to Anna and Carson.


Thom lived in the upstairs half of a Queen Anne duplex in Elmwood Village. Jamie parked his bike behind Thom's Nova and unstrapped the donut box. They seemed to have survived okay, and weren't too squished.

Jamie popped the lock on the outer door with a bit of magic and went up the stairs. Thom's downstairs neighbor was a high school science teacher who slept like a rock — Thom's words, not Jamie's — so Jamie wasn't concerned about excess noise.

Thom's inner door opened into his kitchen and dining room. To Jamie's right was the living room and door to the balcony. Thom appeared from the shadowy hallway to the left in a pair of track pants that seemed to have been designed to end at the knee.

"Are those donuts?" Thom rasped.

"Two for you, and for you to send home with Lenny." Jamie got a plate down from one of the cupboards.

"S'Thursday, isn't it."

"Yeah. You have to be at the pick up line at 2:45."

Thom nodded. He glanced over his shoulder toward the bedrooms. Jamie reached subtly with his witchsense — Thom was wet pennies and dead leaves in a crisp breeze — and found...someone else.

Jamie's eyebrows rose. "Do you...have company?"

He snorted. "It's just Hudson. Julia dropped us here about an hour ago." His nostrils flared and he straightened a bit. "You've been near Fishy recently?"

Thom's habit of giving people awful nicknames was going to come back to bite him in the ass one day. In this case, Carson might toss him in the nearest body of water, and Jamie would happily stand back and watch.

"Carson and Anna are at the loft," Jamie said slowly. Why did he always forget Thom's sense of smell was so sharp?

"I knew she had to be there — you smell like her perfume."

Jamie eyed his brother flatly. Thom held his hands up, palms out.

"Everything was quiet last night," Thom said. "Nothing weird or unusual. Shit, we even convinced Julia to finally try Mighty Taco."

Mighty Taco was a Buffalo staple. Julia, a recent transplant from Ohio, wouldn't have even heard of one before.

"I'm rather impressed Nana let you have those journals."

Jamie crossed his arms over his chest even though he knew Thom would see it as a defensive posture. "It's amazing what happens when you ask nicely."

Thom's eyebrows rose. "I know you like her, but are you willing to risk the consequences of violating the no interference clause?"

"I don't think I'm there yet," he said slowly. "I don't think we need to have this conversation because that's — we're nowhere near that kind of idiocy."

And yet Thom continued to stare at him to the point where anyone else would have been highly uncomfortable. Finally, Thom laughed sharply and looked away.

"If — if — I go over that edge, I will gladly let you say 'I told you so'. Until then give me at least a little credit." Jamie wasn't that much of an idiot.

"Come here. Then get out of my hair so I can sleep and you can go back to Anna and Fishy." Thom held his arms out.

"I will laugh my ass off if he throws you in the lake if he ever finds out you've given him a nickname," Jamie muttered, hugging Thom tightly.

"Not a chance."

"He's got the muscles to do it."

"And then some."

Jamie picked up his Paula's box. "Is there...should..."

"Have a nice day, James."

Alrightthen. Jamie could read between the lines. Thom turned back toward his bedroomand Jamie let himself out of the apartment.