Grimoires, Spas & Chocolate Straws

by Erin Johnson

  Horace cleared his throat and took my hand in his, turning the ring this way and that, to catch the light of the paper lanterns strung from tree to tree overhead through the garden. More colorful magic swirled in the stone's depths. "I offered to make your ring."

  I gasped. "You made this—for me?"

  Horace nodded. "And it's not actually diamond—just worthless glass."

  I shook my head. "I don't care—you made it. I love it."

  He tilted his head to the side, a smirk playing at his full lips. "Though, it is made from enchanted mirror glass. A shard from one of our mother's original mirrors, as it happens."

  I broke down in tears so heavy that it was a full minute before I could speak again. And poor Horace had to endure the hug of his life while I sobbed against his chest. "Every—one's—just being—so wonder—ful," I stammered between sobs. A ring made by my brother from our mother's glass. It meant so much to me that every time I thought of it, I broke down again.

  Finally I pulled myself together enough to speak. Hank came and stood beside me, his arm around my waist. "I just—I don't what to say. I feel like the luckiest witch in the world. I have the best friends I could ever hope for, and I'm marrying my best friend—"

  "Ahem." Iggy still hung from the cherry tree branch.

  "Who's not a flame," I corrected. "And this is the happiest night of my life." I turned to Hank and buried my face against his chest and sobbed again. He wrapped his arms around me and rubbed my back.

  "Gee, I can tell," Iggy muttered.

  Hank lent me the soft sleeve of his shirt to wipe my eyes, and I finally pulled myself together. Jiji and Fumi magically whisked champagne and glasses from inside, and we celebrated in the garden.

  Wiley threw his arm around Maple and lifted his glass into the air. "To Imogen and Hank!"

  "To Imogen and Hank!" my friends chorused.

  Hank cleared his throat. "I uh—I have one more announcement to make."

  I looked up at him, eyebrows lifted.

  He winced and lowered his voice. "And I truly hope you'll like it."

  "Huh?"

  55

  A Final Surprise

  He raised his voice again and addressed the whole party. "It seems that we are going to be here, in Kusuri, as least for the foreseeable future."

  It was true. I'd spent so many weeks sure that if we just found Horace, he'd have mirrors that could get us off the island. At first, I'd been crushed to hear there weren't any and that we couldn't go back and fight to bring King Roch to justice alongside Amelia and K'ree and Shaday and all our friends.

  But over the last few days, the future had started to look brighter. The island was beautiful, and Misaki and her friends and family had been so kind and welcoming. And in a way, it was a relief to know we were here on the island until someone came and found us. I felt like mentally I'd left limbo and was ready to live in the present and build a life here—in Kusuri. I reached over and took Hank's hand. And I had someone I really loved to build it with.

  He squeezed my hand gently, then turned to our friends. "Thank you, Jiji and Misaki and Fumi. You have been wonderfully kind and generous to allow us to live with you all these months, but we cannot impose on you forever."

  Jiji winked at him. "Don't keep them in suspense."

  Did she know what he was going to say already?

  "I thought—I thought it would be good for us to have our own place to live and to have our own jobs."

  Annie planted her hands on her hips. "Where is this going, dear?"

  Hank winced. "I uh—I bought us a house. Well—"

  "What?" I gasped.

  Maple bounced and clapped her hands. "Our own kitchen!"

  Jiji shot her a look.

  "Ssso exxxciting."

  Kenta nudged Sam's shoulder with his own.

  "Well, I should clarify." Hank held up a finger until everyone quieted down. "I was going to buy the house, but Jiji and the rest of the council generously gifted it to us instead." Hank plastered on a wide grin.

  Rhonda blinked. "They gave us a house?"

  "Yes. Seems rather exorbitant." Francis narrowed his dark eyes.

  "It's in need of some repairs…."

  Wiley's eyes widened. "What house, Hank? What house?"

  Hank's throat bobbed and he inched back as everyone's eyes fixed on him.

  Jiji chuckled. "The run-down one."

  I gasped. "You bought the haunted house?"

  Hank scrunched up his nose. "Technically I didn't buy it—"

  "And technically we have to share it with the dark spirits that roam through it at night!" Iggy shouted.

  Maple shook her head, her expression crestfallen. "No. Any house but that house…."

  Hank held up his big hands. "Doing work for Jun's parents, I've been able to save up some money, and since I didn't have to spend it on the property, we can use it to fix the place up. It'll take some elbow grease—"

  "And seances," Iggy added.

  "But we can really make it our own." He nodded. "I thought we could turn it into a bakery-slash-baking school."

  I grinned, starting to warm (slightly) to the idea. "Like you always dreamed of."

  He nodded and looked down at me. "But only if you want, too. If everyone does." He looked up. "Sorry, I probably should have run this by all of you, but—I wanted it to be surprise."

  "Oh." Annie folded her arms. "It's a surprise."

  Iggy cackled.

  Hank looked down at me, his face pinched. "I messed up, didn't I?" He sighed. "I'm sorry. I wanted tonight to be perfect."

  I squeezed his arm. "Hey."

  His eyes met mine.

  "I'll admit it's not what I would ever have expected… but you bought me a house." I bit my lip. "A house for me and you and all my friends and a chance to run our own bakery again." I couldn't hold back my smile. "I love it. Well, I love the idea of it. The reality will probably be like one of the renovation nightmare shows on HGTV, but I'll just think about the idea of it tonight." I winked.

  Maple stepped forward. "I'll… I'll keep an open mind, Prince Ha—" She looked like she was fighting a demon for control of her body. "I mean, Hank."

  "Oh my goddess, she actually called you Hank." I patted his arm. "That's a good sign."

  Yann rubbed his hands together. "Eet'll be fun to use my woodworking skills."

  Francis nodded. "Yes. And it's probably got a dark and eerie attic. I call dibs."

  Hank grinned.

  "And I bet the houssse hasss lotsss of hidey holesss." Sam pushed his glasses up his nose as Kenta beside him shook his head, smiling.

  Annie crossed her arms. "All this haunted talk is probably nonsense, anyway. And if it's not, I don't stand for ghosts. I just tell them, you don't have to go home, but you can't stay here. Always does the trick."

  Hank looked around. "So… does that mean we're all in?"

  "Yeah, yeah, we're in," Iggy grumbled.

  "Cheers!" Hank held his glass aloft, and I clinked mine against it.

  The rest of the night passed happily in the glowing, enchanted garden, making plans for the future—both the home and the wedding. My lady friends practically had the whole thing planned, from the flowers in my bouquet to who'd sit by who, by the end of the night.

  At one point, Horace, tipsy on several glasses of champagne, launched into a speech about righting the horrible crimes of the tyrants of the kingdoms and making people pay.

  Annie sauntered up beside him, dessert in hand. "That's nice, dear. Would you like a cupcake?"

  He'd frowned down at her, eyes bleary. "Huh?"

  "A cupcake?" She'd smiled sweetly up at him until he took it, and with his mouth full, the rant stopped. Annie winked at me as she passed by.

  I moved off a little ways away from everyone, Iggy in his lantern dangling from my hand. I stood there, my arms wrapped around myself, and watched. Horace stood off, away from everyone else, until Fumi bounced over and danced around him, asking questions. Hank and R
honda laughed together, while Yann and Annie swung from the wooden swings that hung from a thick cedar tree. Wiley and Maple slow danced to a tune he hummed, and Kenta and Sam strolled the garden, hand in hand, while Jun and Misaki arm wrestled. Jiji sat snoozing in a wooden chair, Cat and her cat, Rini, both snuggled in her lap. My chest felt tight—like there was too much happiness in there and it might just burst.

  I looked down at my hand, the magical mirror ring glittering in the light of Iggy's lantern.

  "Shouldn't you be, you know, with your fiancé?"

  I glanced at my little flame. "I just wanted to watch him for a moment. Watch everyone."

  "Alright, creeper."

  I grinned, but my smile quickly dropped. "Iggy. Are you happy for me?"

  He blinked at me. "Aren't you happy? What do you care what I think?"

  I took a shaky breath. "I am. I'm the happiest I've ever been and… I don't know… I think I feel a little guilty. Like, I shouldn't be this happy away from Bijou Mer. Who knows what Amelia's going through right now, or any of our friends?" I shook my head. "Mixed with all the happiness is a little fear too, you know? Like going to Umiru, right? I thought I was going to have this great vacation, bliss in paradise, and instead we get more dead bodies and murder." I sighed. "I'm kind of afraid to feel so happy—what if it all comes crumbling down?"

  The garden buzzed with glowing bugs and fairies, and the air smelled of jasmine and orange blossoms. Hank's laughter sounded from across the grass and I looked up to find Rhonda doing some weird crab walk. I grinned. His smile was so cute.

  "You know, Imogen, it might all come crashing down, but that doesn't mean you don't deserve to be happy. And you are—right now. So enjoy it." Iggy rolled his eyes. "And for what it's worth, yes, I'm happy for you, alright? Ugh." He curled his lip. "I can't believe you're making me get all gooshy with you, but yeah, Hank's a really good man, okay? It's not like you've had a perfect romance—"

  "As you like to remind me—"

  "But no one does." He threw his little flame arms up. "You've had a lot of hard times and you're still choosing each other. He's trying and you're trying and you two are still grossly in love with each other, so yes, I'm happy for you. And yeah, maybe Amelia and everyone are struggling right now, we don't know. But our being miserable doesn't help them, so all we can do is keep going and hope we'll see them again soon."

  Tears welled in my eyes for the umpteenth time tonight. I was surprised I had any moisture left in me. "Iggy. I love you, buddy. Will you be my flame of honor?"

  He grinned. "That's not even a thing, but sure."

  I plucked his lantern up and strode across the grass to Hank. He looked up, and the way he looked at me and really saw me lit me up inside. I felt like the baking tent, glowing from the inside out. I slid my arm around his waist, and he hugged me to him.

  "Hank?"

  "Yes?"

  "I'm really excited. Even for living in a haunted house… kind of." I grinned. "I'm just happy we're doing this together."

  He chuckled and lifted his hand to my face. He slid his thumb down my jaw and the side of my neck, his eyes on my lips. "I'm excited for doing some things together too."

  I waggled my brows as he put his lips to mine.

  Iggy made a noise. "I am right here."

  <<<<>>>>

  A note from the author

  I’ve always dreamed of being a published author, and to realize that dream, and have people like you actually read my book—I can’t tell you how much it means to me. So, truly, thank you.

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  Thanks so much,

  Erin

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  About the Author

  A native of Tempe, Arizona, Erin spends her time crafting mysterious, magical, romance-filled stories that’ll hopefully make you laugh. In between, she’s traveling, napping with her dogs, eating with her friends and family, and teaching Pilates (so she can eat more).

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  Copyright © 2018 by Erin Johnson

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