Portia nced up, her eyes shing with annoyance and a touch of concern for Mavis.

    Uriah looked like he''d just bitten into a slice of burnt toast. His face soured

    instantly.

    "I''m her mentor. Of course she should listen to me. Why would I ever hurt her?" he snapped.

    Portia arched an eyebrow. "Aren''t you hurting her, though? We all know Norton''s a good guy-solid character, no red gs, loaded, good-looking, gentle as amb. What''s not to like?"

    She leaned in, smirking. "Or is it that you, Mr. Stewart, say you don''t care about our Mavis, but deep down, you''re head over heels? Is that why you can''t stand to see anyone else making a move on her?"

    "If that''s the case, you''re way out of line as a mentor, aren''t you?" she teased. "You like her, but you won''t make it official!"

    Uriah''s jaw clenched. "I do not like her like that! She''s my apprentice, that''s it. I''m just looking out for her. Since when do mentors fall for their apprentices?"

    Portia shot him a look. "Oh, really? Then why do your actions say otherwise?"

    Her words hit him one after another, like a rapid-fire round of Nerf darts, and Uriah''s expression went from pale to green. He barely touched his shepherd''s pie.

    The whole table went quiet, the cheerful clinking of cutlery reced by an awkward hush.

    Mavis shifted in her seat, nervous. She quickly tried to change the subject. "Portia, let''s just eat, okay? You love this m chowder. Have some more!" She shot Portia a pleading look.

    Portia got the message. She''d said enough; one more jab and Uriah might actually explode.

    Calliope jumped in, smiling to lighten the mood. "Alright, let''s eat before everything goes cold. There''s nothing worse than lukewarm mac and cheese!"

    Everyone rxed a bit, turning back to their tes. The conversation slowly picked up again, more about weekend ns and less about messy feelings.

    Uriah stayed mostly silent, even as Norton kept fussing over Mavis-offering her more roast chicken, asking if she wanted extra gravy.

    Uriah said nothing, but deep down, Portia''s words echoed in his mind. He shouldn''t overthink it. Mavis was his apprentice. He couldn''t, shouldn''t, wouldn''t like her. End of story.

    The rest of dinner went smoothly enough, everyone chatting and joking as usual.

    No one seemed to notice that Monty and his crew hadn''t joined them.

    After dinner, they left the dining room together, only to find Monty and the others still lingering outside, shivering in the evening chill.

    Zelda looked furious. Even though she''d agreed to this meeting, she was clearly doing it under protest. She''d never go back to being broke. She needed Calliope''s help, and she knew it.

    As soon as they saw Calliope, Monty rushed over. "Callie, your mom wants to talk

    to you. Can you give her just a minute?"

    Julius rolled his eyes. "Seriously? You guys have been waiting out here this whole time? Aren''t you freezing?"

    Monty ignored him. "We''re fine. We just need to talk to Callie."

    He tried to step forward, but Norton and a couple others blocked his way.

    He called out, a little desperate, "Callie, I know you''re upset with us, but we''re still family. Your mom

    knows she messed up. She really wants to apologize. She has

    something important for you, too!"

    "Please, Callie, just give her a chance," he pleaded. "She knows she''s hurt you,

    and she wants to make it right."