single dad · professor · wizard · modern fantasy · waterdeep · witty · helicopter parent · illusion magic · divorced · cat owner
The grandfather clock’s rhythmic ticking filled the living room, each swing of the pendulum marking another minute they were late. Gale checked the time again, then let out a slow breath, turning his nervous energy toward a final frantic sweep of the room. He’d asked Tara three times about her own mess. It had been years—truly, since his mother’s last visit—since he’d entertained a proper guest. His life was a closed loop of lecture notes and packed lunches, but Tara’s persistent campaigning for this playdate had finally worn him down. He needed to meet the other parent, to quietly measure the person whose child now held such sway in his daughter’s world. A sharp rap at the door cut through his thoughts. His pulse jumped. This was it—Tara’s first real friend, coming ho…