Kick The Candle (Knight Games) by Genevieve Jack Read Free Book Online Page A

no noise. Plus, paranormal investigations are very popular these days. We might be able to capitalize on the trend.”
    My jaw hinged open. Dad’s face split into a told-you-he-was-serious smile. He raised eyebrows in my direction. I was speechless and completely out of magic.
    “Robert, I will be in touch with my offer. Thank you for accommodating me on such short notice.”
    “You’re welcome!” my dad said. “No problem whatsoever.”
    He didn’t even bother with the bedrooms. The two men descended and Dad opened the door for his client. They exchanged a firm handshake and then Mr. Nekomata was gone.
    With a slow thud, Dad closed the door and pivoted toward me. The look he gave me was one I hadn’t seen since my teen years, a quiet anger that told me I was in big trouble.
    “Don’t you have to drive him back to your office?” I mumbled.
    “Nope. He met me here.”
    “You promised me you’d let me buy this place.”
    He blinked slowly and shook his head. “Grateful…”
    “You promised me.”
    He shook a finger at me. “There is no way you are going to raise $250,000! I said I’d give you six weeks; I gave you eight. Now, get over it.”
    “All I have to do is qualify for a loan. I’m making good money now. If I pay off my debt, it could happen.”
    Dad put his hands on his hips and lowered his head. After a few moments, he gave an exasperated sigh. “I’m sorry, Grateful, but if Nekomata offers me above market price for this house, I’m selling.”
    “But—”
    He placed his hands on my shoulders and rubbed. With a sigh, he met my eyes. I thought he’d cave, give me a month or something. But I was wrong. “You’ll thank me someday. Your attachment to this place is unnatural. You belong in the city where you can have fun, meet people. We never intended this to be permanent, and frankly, with the way this house shook today, I’m not comfortable with you staying here much longer. It might not even be safe.”
    “But, Dad…” Crap . In hindsight, the earthquake was a bad idea.
    Before I could say another word he pulled me into his embrace. “You’ll see. It’ll be for the best.”
    At this point, what could I say? Yes, I want to live in a house that will soon be swallowed by a sinkhole? I was so stupid. My ruse had been a double-edged sword. After the rat and the earthquake, there was no way Dad was going to do anything to help me stay here. I was lucky he hadn’t insisted I move out immediately.
    For the second time since I’d moved in, I thought about telling Dad the truth. Coming clean about the nature of the house and my role as the witch might solve the problem. But just like before, my conscience wouldn’t let me. For me, learning about the supernatural was like waking up to find myself living in a nightmare. Before I’d accepted my role as witch, I’d been overwhelmed with helplessness. At least now, I could defend myself. Dad would have no such luxury. In this case, ignorance truly was bliss.
    I reassured myself that I could fix this without ruining my dad’s life with the truth. Nekomata was only a man after all, and I had a book of magic on my side. Maybe I was getting ahead of myself, anyway. Mr. Nekomata might change his mind and not make an offer. Even if he did, buying a house took time. Likely, I’d have months before the closing to do what I needed to botch the sale. Perhaps his financing wouldn’t go through or some other misfortunate event would render the sale impossible.
    With a deep sigh, I took a step back. “What do you want to do about Thanksgiving?”
    He glanced around my foyer as if he expected it to crumble around us at any moment. “I don’t think we should have it here.”
    Stupid. Stupid . Why had I made this house seem dangerous? I offered an olive branch. “Your place?”
    “One o’clock?”
    “Sure. A late lunch would be fine with me.”
    He shook his head. “Oh no. We’ll be having dinner. I need you there at one to help me cook the bird.