Read Online I Wish by Elizabeth Langston - Free Book Online

have one to spend.”
    “Oh.” Tirade off again, for good this time. “Where did the pine straw come from?”
    A smug smile appeared. “Mrs. Williford has dozens of pine trees.”
    “Mrs. Williford? What did you have to sacrifice?” Our nosy across-the-street neighbor had never given away anything for free. Not even a hello. I didn’t want to be in her debt.
    “I bartered.” He rolled his head around, then flexed his arms, his face contorting in discomfort. “Half of anything I raked up in her yard I could keep.”
    He didn’t have on a shirt, and his upper body was, well, perfect. No wonder Mrs. Williford was nice to him. The sight of all that bronze skin stretched over sculpted muscle must have bewitched her. “You worked on her yard before doing ours?”
    “Indeed.”
    Should I apologize? Hug him? Offer to give a foot massage? Henry’s shout saved me from making a decision.
    “Hey, Lacey!”
    I looked over my shoulder. My family was tramping across the yard. When they got a few feet away, my mother halted. Henry kept going until Mom grabbed his arm and yanked him back to her side.
    “Are you going to introduce us?” she asked.
    There was no logical way to explain a Benevolent Supernatural Being, so I would skip the details and hope for the best. “Mom, Henry, this is Grant. He’s going to help around the house for a few days.”
    Mom crossed her arms, bristling with suspicion. But not my brother. Released from his mother’s stranglehold, Henry darted to Grant. “What kinds of things can you do?”
    “Ask.”
    “Do you play soccer?”
    My BSB crouched to Henry’s level, his expression calmly curious. “I do.”
    “Would you practice with me?”
    I tried to catch Grant’s eye, shaking my head violently. Bad idea. Bad.
    “Certainly,” he said. “Early in the evening, perhaps? About seven?”
    “Great.” Henry started to walk away. Then he glanced back, worry reflected on his face. “Are you any good?”
    “I am. Quite good.”
    My brother smiled. “Awesome. See you later.”
    We watched Henry swagger toward the front yard. My brother was happy. I was horrified. The last thing I needed was for my family to bond with a genie.
    Mom waited until her little boy was out of earshot before launching her interrogation. “Who are you?”
    “I’m Grant,” he said, rising slowly, “and I’m here to help.”
    “I picked up that much from Lacey.” She frowned. “Grant what?”
    “Just Grant.”
    She glared. “Why are you here?”
    “My profession requires me to serve humans in need.”
    Humans ? He used the word humans ? I had to take over. “He’s a handyman, Mom.”
    Her glare shifted to me. “How much are we paying him?”
    “Nothing.” For some reason, her question irritated me. As if she ever thought about where the money came from. “He’s doing it for free.”
    “Nothing is ever free.”
    For months, my mother hadn’t questioned anything. The decisions I made were fine as long as I left her out of them. Now, all of a sudden, when I didn’t want her involvement, she had pulled herself together enough to act like a normal parent. “Please, Mom. I have this under control.”
    She gave me an insincere smile. “Where did the two of you meet?”
    “At the flea market. About a week ago.”
    “I cannot agree,” he said. “We met in the studio.”
    I swung around to face him. “Are you correcting me?” In front of her?
    “Indeed.”
    Mom snorted. “Who do you work for?”
    “Me,” I said in a rush.
    “I have a boss,” he said.
    It was all I could do to keep from gagging him. “Could you shut up and let me handle this?”
    He clamped his lips.
    “Thank you.” I turned to Mom. “What else do you want to know?”
    “How old is he?”
    Of course she would ask something I didn’t know the answer to. Vagueness would have to work. “He’s legal.”
    “Eighteen,” he said.
    Grant was only a few months older than me? I frowned at him. “That’s all?”
    “How old did