Witch Weigh (A Paranormal Romantic Comedy) by Caroline Mickelson Read Free Book Online

to help her. Some fairy godfather he’d turned out to be. The only words she wanted to hear out of his mouth were instructions on how to get out of this fat suit and back home.
    She turned away from him, preferring to struggle for air without an audience.
    Breathing just as heavily, Bethany and Claudia joined them.
    “All ya’all go ahead back down without me,” Claudia panted, flopping down on the grass. “Just send a helicopter to come pick me up.”
    Liam and Bethany laughed but Tessa rolled her eyes. She’d taken a close enough look at Claudia’s flashy diamond rings to know the stones were real. The southern belle accent she wasn’t so sure about.
    Her gaze flitted over to a red faced Bethany. Her two team mates couldn’t be more different. Bethany was in her early thirties, Claudia tried to appear in her early fifties. Bethany was the wife of a soldier stationed in Afghanistan, Claudia was the wife of a prominent trial attorney in Shreveport. Both were mothers, although Claudia’s two sons were in college. Both women stood to lose a good hundred pounds. Tessa had nothing in common with them.
    “Let’s all sit for a moment,” Liam said, joining Claudia on the grass. “We can take a minute to talk before we head down. Once we’ve lit up our muscles it’s okay to take a short break. We’re still burning calories.
    Bethany obediently plopped down on the grass beside him.
    “Join us, Tessa,” Liam’s voice held just enough of a command that she did as he bid.
    Fine, she’d play it his way, just until she figured out her own game plan. She sat, momentarily taken aback by how hard it was to sit with her legs crossed. “Okay, Coach Kennedy, what’s so all fire important that we need to talk about?”
    “Let’s start by establishing some common ground between you ladies.” He looked straight at her, the challenge in his eyes unmistakable. “Why don’t you go first? Tell us what brought you here.”
    “It’s a mix-up of the worst order, and you can believe a man is behind it. But mark my words, I’ll get it straightened out. And I don’t have anything in common with anyone at this godforsaken facility,” she scoffed.
    Bethany looked confused. “Didn’t you come here so you could work on your, um, you know, losing weight?”
    Tessa raised an arched eyebrow and favored her with a well-practiced, haughty look. “I do not have a weight problem.”
    Claudia burst into laughter. “That’s rich, honey. Not only do you have a weight problem, you’re sitting on it.”
    Her amusement fueled Tessa’s already smoldering anger. “You cow,” she hissed, her eyes fixed on Claudia. “You’re one to talk. I could turn your backside into a barn door and no one would be able to tell the difference.”
    “You little witch.” Claudia grinned, seemingly not the least bit unnerved by Tessa’s rage. “Save your spells. They won’t work on me.”
    Her words were like cold water thrown on the flames of Tessa’s anger, leaving only smoke. As much as it galled her, Claudia was right. Tessa couldn’t cast a spell to save her life right now. She bit her lip. If ever there was a time to change tactics it was now. Anger was only going to draw her further into Liam Kennedy’s trap. She’d have to forego reacting and think her way out of this one.
    “I’m sorry.” The words sounded strange coming from her. She doubted she’d ever said them before without tacking “that you’re a prize winning idiot” on the end.
    “Forget about it. We’re all hungry. And in my world, that means crabby,” Claudia said. “Back to business. I’m here because my husband and sons are spending the month at some Nascar speedway in Florida. I’m so sick of watching those damn cars chase after each other, ripping up that track and spewing exhaust into the air that I decided I’d torture myself here rather than there. At least here I can get a decent mani and pedi.”
    Tessa had little experience hanging out with mortal