Roller Rink Witchcraft (Extended Edition): Supernatural Witch Cozy Mystery (Harper “Foxxy” Beck Series Book 1) by Raven Snow Page A

your forehead,” Cooper said, mouth overflowing with chocolate puffs. “Did Dad beat you up?”
                  “Does your father bring home many women he’s abused?”
                  Crunch. Crunch. “You answer a lot of questions with questions. Dad says criminals trying to get away with something do that.”
                  Wyatt stomped into the kitchen, throwing off his coat and pouring an inordinately large glass of milk. “Criminals and brats. Which one are you, Harper?”
                  Grinning, I stretched, and over half of my bones popped at the same time. “They’re not mutually exclusive.”
                  “Wanna see my room?” Cooper chirped, springing from his seat.
    Frowning, Wyatt said, “Maybe climbing stairs isn’t the best idea right—“
                  But Cooper had already taken my hand and was dragging me towards the stairs. I had to crouch over a little just to allow him access to my hand, but the whole thing was very sweet. His eager expression tugged at heartstrings I didn’t know I had.
                  “Bye, Dad!” Cooper called back.
                  “Yeah, bye, Dad,” I said, grinning back at Wyatt.
                  The boy’s room was a lot more organized than I could have hoped— his bed was made, no clothes cluttering the floor. I even had the sinking suspicion his books were organized alphabetically. At least the Batman sheets were typical enough.
                  Just like in the bathroom earlier that day, once Cooper and I were alone, words started pouring from his mouth like someone had forgotten to put the stopper in. There was the usual talking-up of his father. I was beginning to expect this, but it took on a cuter light since I knew who he was talking about.
                  After that, I got the grand tour. First, he showed me the model of the solar system he was making, which looked much too official and meticulous for a kid.
                  “How long have you been working on this for?” I asked, peering closer.
                  He shrugged. “My teacher only assigned it a couple days ago, but I’ve got all day after school to work on it.”
                  “Wouldn’t you rather hang out with friends or do sports or something?”
                  He bit his lip. “No.”
                  I didn’t have to be a cop to see through that, but I was a guest, not his therapist. Interfering came naturally for me, so letting it go and following Cooper back downstairs was like trying to breathe water.
                  Being with Cooper was almost like hanging out with myself at that age: awkward, on the outside of society, not sure of his place. That last one is true of everybody, not just Cooper and me or other children. Still, it’s especially hard when you don’t have friends who are going through the exact same stuff as you.
                  The rest of the night was spent eating Chinese food and watching nighttime television. Cooper had control of the remote, and he always chose crime shows, shouting out who he thought did it at any random moment.
                  I grinned over at Wyatt when he did it, saying under my breath to him, “I think you’ve got another detective on your hands.”
                  Wyatt sent Cooper to bed far later than I would’ve thought for a ten-year-old, and he went, moaning and groaning the whole way. I watched him disappear with a smile on my face, but listened for the sound of a door shutting before I said anything.
                  “He’s cute.”
                  Wyatt raised an eyebrow, stood to turn off the TV, and sat next to me on the leather couch. “I thought I was cute.”
                  I leaned closer, resting my shoulder against his.