A Witchly Influence

by Stephanie Grey

  I looked out the window, hiding my frown. I hadn’t thought about that.

  “Don’t worry, Ms. Devereaux. This townhouse is in a great location, it’s been remodeled with new everything, and turnkey is what people want. You’ll sell it for twice as much as you paid for it.”

  “Twice as much would be wonderful,” I said absently. The snow was really beginning to churn outside.

  “It’ll go on the market first thing tomorrow morning,” Patty promised. “We’ll have a contract in no time!” She reached forward and I shook her hand. Her handshake was delicate.

  Sliding into her coat, she said, “We’ll talk soon!”

  I watched her walk to her car. She was practically beaming as she slid into her heated leather seats. As she backed away, I noticed it wasn’t snowing anymore and closed the door. Turning back toward my living room, I stopped in my tracks. There was snow churning even faster on the other side of the window and I went out onto my small back patio. There was a privacy fence around the space, but I looked around to make sure I was alone. “Hello,” I whispered.

  The snow stopped, falling to the ground at once. It formed into a tiny snowman, though it had no eyes, nose, or mouth. It moaned as if trying to speak through closed lips. I held out my hand and buttons appeared, which I carefully arranged to create a face.

  “You couldn’t spring for a hat, could you?” asked the snowman. “It is cold outside.”

  A beanie floated down and rested on top of his head.

  “A beanie? What am I, some hipster teenager?”

  “It’s a toboggan.”

  “That’s a sled.”

  “You can use the same word for more than one thing.”

  “Yeah, and that’s why I called it a beanie. To avoid the confusion.” The snowman looked upward at his hat. “I guess this will do,” he grumbled.

  “Is there something you wanted?” I asked, starting to grow impatient.

  “I’m Lenny the Snowman.”

  I chuckled and Lenny cut me off. “I don’t make fun of your name, so don’t go making fun of mine.” He teetered a little as he huffed. “I’m almost eighty years old, so treat me with some respect.”

  “I’m sorry,” I said, a hint of laughter still in my voice. “What can I do for you, Lenny?”

  “I’m going to be your liaison to Fate.”

  “I thought I answered to Simon.”

  Lenny huffed again. “I’m your direct link. Think of me as a compass to help you when you need it.”

  “I haven’t even started to Influence yet,” I said. The sun had fallen behind the horizon and the temperature was dropping quickly. I rubbed my arms.

  “Genius, aren’t you?” Lenny’s button eyes were narrowed. “I’m here to tell you who to help.”

  “Ah,” I said simply, not wanting to further aggravate the snowman.

  “Abby Windsor.” A photo fell next to Lenny and I picked it up. She was my age with chestnut hair styled into a pixie cut and warm brown eyes. She was a little heavier, but her smile was happy and she looked friendly. “She’s a teacher for middle school children,” Lenny was explaining.

  “How am I supposed to meet her?” I asked.

  Lenny scowled. “I don’t know. You figure it out.”

  “You’re really helpful.”

  “I don’t need your lip. It’s been a long day. Do you think you’re the only link I have?”

  “Sorry,” I apologized once more.

  “Here’s the other one. A male.”

  I paused, stunned. A picture appeared of a male in his mid-thirties with a neatly trimmed beard, dark brown eyes, and was wearing a camouflage baseball hat. The hair underneath was also dark brown but it was thinning, which is why he wore the hat. “Finn. You chose my stepbrother?” I asked, incredulous.

  Lenny leaned closer to the photograph. “That really your kin?” he asked.

  “Yes.”

  He laughed so hard he started to cough, little flecks of snow puffing out into the air. “I guess Fate decided you’re the best one for the job.”

  “What’s wrong with Finn? He’s a construction worker who duck hunts on the weekend when it’s in season. He’s happy.”

  “He’s got a bigger role to play. You’re going to help him find it.”

  “What is it? What about Abby? What are they supposed to do?” I prodded.

  “I don’t even know that.”

  “Then how am I supposed to Influence them down their better paths?”

  “You’ll know. That’s why you were chosen for the job. Listen, it’s late and I’ve got another person to get to. He lives in Florida, which is going to be hell for keeping this body together. You don’t mind if I keep the buttons, do you?” Lenny was already fading.

  “Thanks for the help,” I said.

  “Yup.” Lenny’s voice was all that was left and then, like the sun, he was gone.

  Percy Pattinson was a tall, very attractive man. He also was well-aware of this and he walked smugly through the large house, arms spread wide as he explained the details of what the seller had done. “They’ve installed this crown molding, which is just something you don’t see often these day. It really polishes the room, don’t you think?” He flashed a smile, his teeth bright white and perfectly straight. His hazel eyes twinkled.

  “It does,” I answered politely. “This house is much bigger than I had expected.”

  “I assumed it would be for you and your boyfriend.”

  “No. It’s just me.”

  Percy feigned surprise. “Aren’t you just a strong, independent woman,” he said.

  “Oh, yes, I have a job that pays me well and I take care of myself. It’s a really different way of doing things this day and age,” I said, not holding back my sarcasm. I smiled sweetly.

  His eyes widened. “I didn’t mean anything by that,” he said, trying to backpedal. “I just meant that it’s nice seeing someone who can take care of herself without any help.”

  “Yes, that makes it sound better,” I said, walking away toward the front door. “Show me something else, Percy.”

  “Of course.” Percy locked the house while I waited. He rushed down the front steps and opened the door to his overly priced BMW, a fake smile spread across his tan features.

  I slid into my seat and stared out the window as Percy took us to the next house. Elm Street was lined with trees, all bare this time of year. The house sat away from the curb, a beautiful lawn in front of it. It was an older home and reminded me of England. The roof was made of rust-red slates and the siding was a textured beige. There was a large deck off the side of the house and I thought that tall hedges would offer more privacy.

  “This house was built in 1936,” Percy explained. “If you like this, wait until you see the inside.”

  The front door was heavy and had beautiful carvings etched in it. It opened into a large living room filled with light, and there was a fireplace that was crackling warmly. A curved archway divided the living room and the dining room, which boasted an antique chandelier.

  “The light fixture will stay,” Percy said, as if reading my mind. “The owner thinks it’s too perfect for the space to take it away.”

  “How thoughtful of them,” I said, walking into the kitchen through the swinging door.

  “You can remove this door so it’s open to the kitchen,” Percy suggested.

  “What? Then what will hide the mess in the kitchen that I’ve made when I have guests?”

  Percy swallowed. I turned away and smiled. I needed to lighten up on him a little, though I did want to see the rest of the house alone. I pointed to a chair and Percy sat down, claiming he needed to rest and he’d meet me back in the kitchen. I left him to his thoughts and explored the rest of the home, loving that it had a library. Downstairs I found a full bar and family room with the floor tiled to resemble a shuffleboard. This home was perfect.

  “Percy?” I said, entering the kitchen. “I’m finished.”

  He stood, the light ref
lecting off his expensive Italian leather shoes. “I have a few more houses for you to see.”

  “No, I’d like to make an offer on this one.”

  “Before your townhouse in South Bend sells?”

  I could feel my eyes narrowing. “Are you going to continue being a sexist pig or are you going to be my realtor and put in the damn offer?” I snapped. Between him and Patty, my patience had run thin with real estate agents.

  Percy cleared his throat and flashed another one of his award-winning smiles. “My apologies. I’ll get that offer put in and get back to you. Meanwhile, I’ll take you back to your mother’s.”

  He was thankfully silent on the way back to my mother’s neighborhood. It was only the middle of the week, but I felt like I had made plenty of progress. Pulling into the driveway, Percy mumbled something.

  “I’m sorry, but I couldn’t hear you.”

  “I wanted to apologize if I offended you. I just don’t see a lot of single women around here with their act together, you know?” Percy said. He had dropped his smug act.

  “Oh,” I replied, feeling awkward. “No worries.”

  “I hope you get the house,” he said before leaving.

  Mom was waiting anxiously in the living room. She was wringing her hands as I walked through the door. “What did you think? Did you find anything that you liked? I can’t believe you didn’t want me to come along!”

  “I did find a house and I put in an offer.” I sat down in one of her antique, mauve chairs. She had to have enchanted it because it was far more comfortable than it looked.

  “That’s wonderful, sweetie! Listen, you have a message from a Patty Ricardo. She said she couldn’t reach you on your cell and called here.”

  “How did she even get this number?”

  “I might have added it to your card when you weren’t looking. You know you can’t trust those cellular phones and I don’t know why you won’t enchant yours.”

  “Sometimes I’m not upset if I’m out of range,” I murmured, looking over the message my mother had taken. “Give me a second, Mom.” I got up and went upstairs to call my other realtor.

  “I have great news for you! There were a few couples that went through your townhouse and they’ve put in offers today. I haven’t gotten back to their agents yet because I couldn’t reach you.”

  Trying to hide my excitement, I instructed, “Take the highest offer and let’s get it closed.”

  “That’s the great news! You’ve got a couple who can offer all cash and close in a couple of days.”

  “What? Is it a flipper?”

  “No, it’s not a flipper. Some couple who just received money from a deceased grandparent. They don’t want a mortgage payment, so they’re going in with all cash.”

  “Let’s do it, then.”

  “I’ll let them know! Are you going to be back to sign the paperwork or do I need to DocuSign it to you?” Patty asked. I knew she was already spending her commission in her mind.

  “I’ll be back tomorrow.”

  “Just so you know, this rarely happens this fast. It’s like you were meant to leave as quickly as possible.”

  “I bet,” I replied, hanging up the phone.

  “Everything is just falling into place!” Mom rounded the corner and into the bedroom I had claimed as my own temporarily.

  “Mom, you can’t listen to my phone conversations.”

  “I’m your mother. You know I can be nosy. But you love me anyway.”

  I did.

  A week later I found myself frantically waving my arms to rearrange my furniture in my new home. I knew Fate had stepped in and had someone speed up the closing process for the older home Percy had shown me. I wish I knew who that person was so that I could thank him or her.

  Lewis had insisted we gather everyone together to move my belongings inside after the movers arrived with the moving truck. My mother had politely turned him down, explaining I wanted to take care of everything on my own. “We’re family. We help each other,” he had insisted.

  “Really, Lewis, I’ll be fine. I’m paying the movers to do it all,” I had lied. I wanted to tell him the truth, that there were no movers at all because I could just transfer my belongings in an instant.

  Now I was frowning at the layout I had chosen. It didn’t flow very well.

  “I think your problem is that you’ve made the fireplace the center of the room instead of the television,” Siobhan said, suddenly popping in next to me. She looked around critically.

  “There’s a whole room downstairs for entertaining,” I replied, unsurprised at her intrusion. Siobhan had never needed an invitation to visit, something that she decided herself after college. “That’s where the big TV will go.”

  “You want me to worry about drunkenly crashing into your nice Samsung during your house warming party?” Her candy-cane colored nails blurred in front of her as she waved her hands and the couch slid over another two feet. “That’s much better.”

  “I wasn’t aware I was going to have a party. You’ll have to let me know when you’re inviting people to my house. Also, I don’t like that there. I want a conversational spot that’s cozy.” I beckoned and the couch moved back to its original spot.

  Siobhan grimaced. “All right, that’s good, but you need more seating if you’re going to be just sitting in here and talking.” Her bright green heels clicked against the blonde wood floors as she walked to the seating area. She chose a spot between the couch and loveseat and bent down, placing her hand on the floor. As she raised her hand up, an overstuffed chair appeared and stopped growing when her hand reached her waist. She snapped her hands and it became the same blue as my other furniture. “It needs a little something extra,” she said to herself. She placed her hands on top of the new chair and French text flowed out from underneath until it covered the entire piece. She snapped her fingers and matching blue, text-covered pillows appeared on the couch and loveseat. “How’s that?” she asked brightly.

  “I can’t read French,” I said, circling her creation. I sat down in it. It was extremely comfortable.

  “Tess can teach you.” Siobhan giggled. “She’ll love what it says.”

  “Maybe I don’t want to know.”

  “Maybe you don’t.” Siobhan chuckled again. “Your party is going to be next Friday, by the way. I’ll take care of everything since I’m basically throwing a party in your home. Is there anything that you need? This is a great time to ask for gifts.”

  I stared at her. “This is why we made fun of you for suggesting that Tess could have been your assistant.”

  Siobhan jutted her chin defiantly. “You could use taste other than your own.”

  “What’s wrong with my taste?”

  She jumped off the side of the chair and spread her arms. “It’s a little old-fashioned.”

  “The house was built in 1936,” I argued. “It has a laundry shoot.”

  “But you weren’t built in that year,” she said. If she knew only that, technically, I was just built recently. My android was fitting in nicely and doing my old job very well.

  “Not everyone likes the flashy stuff that you do. Your home looks like the Tate Modern.”

  Siobhan smiled proudly. “Thank you, Carmen. That’s the nicest thing you’ve said to me in a while.”

  “No offense, but I’d rather Tess help me with decorating. She’s more open to classic design.”

  “You mean old.”

  “Classic,” I corrected. I conjured a small, marble table with two matching chairs and slid them against a wall away from the seating area.

  “What’s that for?” Siobhan asked curiously.

  “I’ll let you make me a chess set if you stop bitching about my design choices.”

  She wiggled her fingers and geometric figures began to take shape, starting as small puddles and then rising upward. They steamed as they cooled and she flashed a grin. “How’s that?”

  I groaned. She had created simple rectangles for the ki
ng and queen, squares for the pawns, and I wasn’t quite certain which shape she had chosen for the rest of the pieces. I hadn’t done very well in geometry class. Who uses rhomboids anyway? “Sure,” I mustered.

  The doorbell rang and, glad for the interruption, I answered it.

  “Hello, Carmen!” Percy Pattinson said. He was wearing another award-winning smile and a dark green sweater that emphasized his eyes. He was also carrying a bottle of wine.

  “Hi, Percy,” I greeted, stepping aside so that he could enter.

  Siobhan marched forward, her hand held out to shake his. “Hello!” she said.

  “Percy Pattinson, this is Siobhan Waters, my good friend. Siobhan, Percy is my realtor.”

  I watched my friend playfully smack Percy’s arm. “You brought a gift? How sweet of you!” she said, flirting. She took the wine from his arms. “Carmen, why don’t you show me where this goes in the kitchen? Don’t you move, Percy. We’ll be right back.”

  Inside the kitchen, I added the bottle to the wine rack. Before she could even ask, I answered her, “Yes, you can sleep with him.”

  “I never said anything about sleeping with him. We’re just going on a date.”

  I stared at her.

  “I will probably sleep with him, yes, but we’re going on a date first,” she corrected.“You really don’t mind?”

  “Not at all,” I assured her.

  “Any tips for him?”

  “Be the damsel in distress. He hasn’t quite caught up to a woman’s ability to take care of herself.”

  “Oh, really? I can do that.”

  I followed her back to the living room. “Percy, would you like to join us for a little while?” she asked. Siobhan already had her hand over his arm and was steering him toward the sofa.

  “For a little while,” he said.

  “Isn’t it a little chilly in here?” she asked. “I’ll start a fire.”

  “Have you had a chance to make sure the chimney is cleared out?” he asked timidly.