Husband Rehab by Curtis Hox Read Free Book Online Page A

lasted all the way through high school. Her goodwill was rewarded when he chose to go to the prom with her, over Stella Spivey. Sure, he ended up marrying her, but in that one grand moment, Josie and Lennox had a wonderful time while Stella sulked on the other side of the dance floor.
    “It’s all over town, Mom. Thanks to Aunt Emma.” He winks at Josie, before leaving the landing for his room.
    Josie descends the final stair. “You didn’t know?”
    Christine crosses her arms. She looks like she might start tapping her foot. “No, but I should have guessed. Lennox has been itching to assert himself for some time. He’s like you … a non-traditionalist.  
    “Non-traditionalist? What do you mean?”
    “You might as well know. It’ll probably come out now. He’s like both of us, if you know what I mean.”
    Josie feels her pulse sky rocket at the admission: Lennox Cruz, celebrity warlock. Christine’s years of secrecy means she must be more conservative than she pretends. Sure, she’s open to breaking the rules of keeping witchery hidden from the public’s eye. She’ll even allow a young hopeful like Josie to work her craft in the open, if it means helping the women of Merrell. Yet she still can’t imagine a world in which men practice magic because men get up to no good—even her own son. Josie, though, knows women can be just as irresponsible when it comes to craft. She encountered at least one true sorceress of dark powers in Richmond, Virginia. She saw the woman from a distance after a friend pointed her out and said the sorceress worked some cosmic magics that could fry a person’s soul.
    Dangerous .  
    She shudders. Her kindred power with the objects of everyday life is something she would never risk losing. The fear she sees in Christine’s eyes makes her realize that the world outside Merrell County could come calling. Josie has to be prepared to justify what she’s doing, when the old witches hear about this, especially High Priestess Lady Dooley.  
    Christine puts her arm around Josie’s shoulders and leads her into the drawing room. “So, tell me, what do you have planned for them?”  
    Josie pushes her fear of Stella Spivey and dark witches from her mind. Lennox is here. He refused to go home with this wife. That’s all she needs. She’ll fight for him, to her last breath. Husband Rehab’s success means Lennox and Josie’s success. At least, that’s what she tells herself to make it all feel right.
    * * *
    The next morning, Josie sits with Mr. Arney Jenkins over plates of scrambled eggs. Alice has made fresh orange juice and filled two glasses. Josie and Mr. Jenkins sit in the old servants’ kitchen where Lady Birchall’s staff used to make food for a house of twenty. It was converted into a simple place to eat decades ago. Josie used to spend her summer lunches here, playing on the cold white tiles, while her grandmother made fried chicken.  
    The room is dominated by a beat-up, hickory table the help consistently carve initials into. All around the table are sinks, cabinets, pantries, hanging pots and pans—everything you’d expect in a kitchen, instead of a dining room.
    Today, she and Mr. Jenkins stare across the large wood table dominating the room. An entire wall of windows allows plenty of morning light to fill the space. He has taken one end, as if he’s the head of the table. Josie sits at the other.
    “So, my wife called this morning,” he says, filling his copious mouth with a spoon full of eggs. “She apologized about the Ferrari. But she said I have a problem. She said you’ll let me know what it is …”
    Josie sips her juice. Christine instructed her last night how individual therapy should go. The men should be told their wives’ grievances, but Josie shouldn’t do it in an accusing manner. She should simply tell them. This delicate approach is to encourage them to talk. The idea is for them to understand the problem. That way, true emotional and