Corruption (Grumpy Old Wizards Book 2) Read Free

business-like and concerned.
    “Is there something wrong?”
    “Not as such,” Josephine said. “I’ve been thinking long and hard about my life.”
    Josephine found herself at a loss for words and an uncomfortable silence ensued.
    “I think it’s so cool to finally meet you! You’re like a legend!” Mark gushed.
    Josephine regarded him with surprise. “Are you serious?”
    “Everyone talks about how fast you solve cases when you’re called in.”
    Jake threw Mark an amused smirk. “This is only your second day, how can you say you’re excited to FINALLY meet my grandmother?”
    “You should hear what everyone says about her,” Mark said. “I wish I was a category six.”
    “It’s not all it’s cracked up to be,” Josephine said.
    “You seem too young to be Jake’s grandmother.”
    “I age well. It’s one of the few perks of being a six.” Josephine leveled a pleased smile at Mark.
    “You’re beautiful,” Mark said.
    “Thank you, young man. I think it runs in the family. Jake is a real looker, too. I keep telling him he should model,” Josephine said.
    Jake laughed with mirth and shook his head no.
    “You could model, too,” Mark suggested.
    Josephine cocked a bemused brow. “I don’t think so.”
    “You’re gorgeous. I think you’d do extremely well.”
    Josephine turned her attention back to her grandson and cleared her throat as nervousness began to take hold.
    “Jake, I’ve decided with how much energy I have and all things considered, I should go back to work. There’s a position open for a full-time psychometrist specialist,” Josephine said.
    Jake’s smile dropped away as his expression reflected the utter shock her words elicited from him.
    “I think that’s a great idea! You’d be a shoe-in,” Mark said with great enthusiasm.
    “What do you mean by that?” Josephine regarded him with puzzlement.
    “PD’s hardly ever get a six to work for them. They usually don’t tolerate the stress of picking up the psychic impressions of violent crime very well,” Mark explained.
    “He’s right. You might want to think about another avenue to work in,” Jake suggested.
    “I want to work in law enforcement and this is one of the safest positions,” Josephine said. “I’ve been doing part-time consulting work for you and Detective Whiney for years. I know I can handle the psychic energy from crime scenes.”
    The kitchen timer rang to indicate the lasagna was ready. Josephine pulled it out of the oven and served everyone healthy portions. They gathered at the dining room table to eat and continue their conversation.
    “If you can handle the work, I think you should go for it,” Jake said.
    “I wanted to talk to you first before I did anything because I wasn’t sure how you would feel about working with me,” Josephine said.
    “I think it would be great to see you more often.” Jake offered an encouraging smile before he took his first bite of the lasagna. “This is great.”
    “It sure is. Thank you for including me,” Mark said.
    “Any friend of Jake’s is a friend of mine.” Josephine threw him a gracious smile.
    “I was wondering if you might want to go out for drinks sometime,” Mark said.
    Josephine started at the obvious attempt for a date and wondered if this youngster was even past the age of consent yet. Even so, she couldn’t imagine ever feeling comfortable going steady with a guy fresh out of high school.
    “I’m not sure that’s a good idea. Exactly how old are you?” Josephine asked.
    “I’m eighteen and a legal adult,” Mark said.
    “But you aren’t old enough to drink,” Josephine pointed out.
    “So?”
    “How can we go out for drinks?”
    “I was thinking coffee,” Mark said.
    “I see.” Josephine mulled this over for several seconds then decided to throw in a compatibility test she had devised over the years. “How do you like your coffee?”
    “With plenty of cream and sugar,” Mark replied.
    “Do you prefer tea or