“Do you want me to listen to it or delete it?” Grace asked, holding her finger over the touchscreen.
Hope bit down on her bottom lip. Then she shook her head. “I have no idea.”
“Fine. We’re listening to it.” Grace knew Hope had every reason to be wary of the man. He’d broken her heart not once, but twice. Everyone knew the two were soul mates. They were the type of people who couldn’t stay away from each other. Their connection was too strong. And yet, they kept managing to hurt each other. No matter what though, Grace knew her friend loved him, and if she deleted the message, she’d regret it.
“Wait!” Hope cried, holding her hands up.
“What is it?”
“I need to sit down.” Hope yanked the back door of her Highlander open and plopped down in the back seat.
Grace suddenly had a horrible thought. What if Lucas was calling to say he was getting married? Or worse, had some terrible illness? Hope would never recover. Grace heard the faint whisper of her mother’s voice in the back of her head. Don’t go borrowing trouble, Grace. Stop worrying about things that haven’t come to pass.
“Okay. Do it,” Hope demanded, staring at the phone like it might catch on fire.
Grace didn’t hesitate. She hit the Play button.
“Hey, gorgeous. It’s me. I need the name of a Realtor in Premonition Pointe. Now that Grace’s ex is off the list of possible agents, I’m not sure who to call. Do you have a rec for me? Call me back.”
Grace and Hope both stared at the phone for a few beats. Then they both spoke at the same time. “How does he know Bill’s my ex?” Grace said, just as Hope blurted, “Why does Lucas need a Realtor?”
They spoke over each other again as Hope said, “I have no idea,” while Grace said, “Is his mother moving?”
They both chuckled. Then Grace held her hand up and asked, “When’s the last time you spoke to him?”
Hope shrugged. “Two and a half years ago? When he was home for Christmas.”
“Okay, so it was probably Bell who told him about me and Bill,” Grace guessed, referring to Lucas’s mother, who owned a house a few blocks from Grace’s cottage.
“Maybe.” Hope blew out a breath, looking pained. “If Bell is moving…”
There was no need to finish the sentence. They both knew that if Bell left Premonition Pointe then the chances of Hope seeing Lucas again were next to nothing unless she decided to go visit him. And the last time she’d done that it had been a disaster.
“You should call him and find out what’s going on,” Grace said.
“I don’t want to know.” Hope chewed on her bottom lip, something she only did when they were talking about Lucas.
“Come on, Hope,” Grace urged. “The not knowing is almost always worse than the reality. Maybe he has a buddy who is looking for beach property. We can’t know until you ask.”
It killed Grace to see her friend so flustered by one phone call. It was so hard to reconcile the vivacious woman who was so put together, so confident when dealing with the opposite sex, turn into a pile of nerves when it came to this one man. But maybe that was why she was so confident with other men. She knew who her person was supposed to be, and there wasn’t room for anyone else for anything other than casual dating.
Hope jumped down from her seat and straightened her shoulders. “Enough of this. I have some bakery items to deliver. I can’t sit around worrying about Lucas King. If he needs a Realtor, he can call around. I don’t know why he needs me to rec—”
“Wait.” Grace grabbed her friend’s hand. “Before you go brushing him off, try to remember you have a friend who is actively seeking clients.” She batted her eyelashes at her friend. “One who desperately needs to make a sale if she’s doesn’t want to keep drawing from her savings account.”
“Right.” Hope chewed on her bottom lip one more time and then sent a text. She tapped the phone a few more times before she shoved it into her pocket. “There. I told him to have whoever it is call you.”
“You silenced his calls, didn’t you?” Grace asked.
“Yep,” Hope said as she climbed into the driver’s seat. “I don’t have the luxury of turning into a fool today.”
“Dinner. My house. Tonight at seven,” Grace insisted. “We can work on a restorative energy spell.”
“Did you already tell Joy?” Hope asked, narrowing her eyes at Grace.
“Yes.” Grace slammed Hope’s door shut, mouthed seven, and then tapped the top of the car twice, indicating it was time for her to go.
Hope nodded once and sped off down the street. Grace pulled out her phone, texted Joy to meet at her house later than evening, and then went to the office and started making phone calls. An hour later, she had the name of a witch who specialized in dealing with troublesome ghosts. It was becoming clear to her that if she was going to sell those houses, it was going to take a lot more work than just hoping a smudge stick would do the job. If that were the case, then she never would’ve ended up with the listings in the first place.
Chapter Fourteen
Grace sat at her kitchen bar, sipping a glass of wine and making notes of all the paranormal activity she’d personally witnessed at each of the three houses. The witch she was meeting with the next day wanted a rundown of all the incidents.
By the time she was finished with the Victorian, her hand was cramping. She glanced down at the pencil in her hand and grimaced. When was the last time she’d handwritten anything? Grace had no clue. She eyed her chicken scratch and laughed. If the witch could read her writing, then she truly was magical.
There was a loud knock at the door, followed by someone barging in. “Grace? Are you here?”
“Alyssa?” Grace stood and moved to the doorway between the kitchen and living room. Her sister was standing by the door, pulling her tennis shoes off and muttering something about too much sand.
Grace rolled her eyes. Alyssa was always complaining about something every time she came over. Last week it had been the dog barking next door. The week before that it was the bright pink house two doors down, while apparently this week it was the sand in her landscaping. Not that Grace could do anything about it or wanted to. It was natural. What was she going to do? Lay sod over the sandy earth?
“Where’s Lex?” Alyssa demanded. Her dark roots were showing through her dyed blond hair, and there were circles under her eyes as if she hadn’t been sleeping well.
Grace shrugged. “I don’t know. Work maybe? Or out with Bronwyn. We don’t really check in with each other unless one of us is going to be gone all night. Are you feeling okay? You look a little tired.”
Her sister blinked. “You stay out all night?”
“No. I mean, not usually.” There had been that one night she’d had too much wine and passed out on Hope’s couch.
“That’s what I thought. My straightlaced sister never does anything wrong,” Alyssa said with a little bit of a sneer. “I’m fine by the way. No need to worry about me. And I don’t appreciate being told I look like hell.”
“Whoa,” Grace said, holding her hands up in a surrender motion. “That’s not what I meant, and you know it. What’s going on? Did I do something to piss you off?”
Alyssa dropped her purse in a chair and placed her hands on her hips. “Yeah. Who said you could offer Lex a place to stay?”
“Um, what?” Hadn’t she called and informed her sister the night Lex had moved in? Had she been stewing about the move ever since? Not likely. Alyssa wasn’t the type to brood. If she was upset, she made her displeasure known in no uncertain terms. This was probably prompted by Charlie. Pretty much all of the sisters’ arguments occurred after Charlie riled up Alyssa.
“You heard me. Are you trying to undermine my relationship with her or something? Just because you never had kids—”
“I’m going to stop you right there,” Grace said, suddenly seething. “I think we should both take a breath before one of us says something she’ll regret.”
“Regret?” Aly
ssa let out a humorless laugh. “You know what I regret? All that time I let you spend with my daughter. If I’d known you were going to be talking trash about me, you can be damned sure I’d have never left her alone with you.”
Grace gaped at her sister. What the actual flaming bag of crap was going on at that moment? She cleared her throat. “Listen, Alyssa, I don’t have any idea what you’re talking about. Care to explain what you heard and from whom?”
“Whom.” Alyssa rolled her eyes. “Listen to you and your college education. Charlie was right. You do think you’re better than everyone else.”
Ah. Of course. Grace had been right on target with her suspicions. “Is that what this is about? Charlie?”
“No. It’s about you and my daughter. Why is she living here and not at home?” Alyssa demanded. “You’re not better than me. I’m the one who provided for her, loved her, kept her safe. And now she runs to you? It’s bullshit, Grace. She needs her mother!”
“You’re right, Mom, she does need her mother,” Lex said from the hallway.
Both Grace and Alyssa startled at Lex’s voice. Alyssa turned accusing eyes on Grace. “I thought you said she wasn’t here.”
Refraining from throttling her sister, Grace said, “Actually, I told you I didn’t know where she was, which was the truth. I didn’t know she was home.”
Alyssa turned her back on her sister and muttered something unflattering about Grace under her breath. Then she turned toward her daughter. “Lexie, baby. I didn’t realize you were here.”
“Obviously. I was taking a nap. Your arguing woke me up.” Lex let her mother give her a hug, but she didn’t hug her back.
“Come on, Lexie. You can at least hug your mother hello.” Alyssa said, making no effort to acknowledge Lex’s statement about waking her up.
“What are you doing here, Mom?” Lex asked, taking a step back from her mother to put some distance between them.
“I came to bring you home. You shouldn’t have to be paying rent to your aunt when your room is waiting for you. Charlie and I—”
“No.” Lex crossed her arms over her chest. “I’m not coming home.”
“But, Lexie—”
“And my name is Lex.” There were angry tears in Lex’s eyes, and Grace’s arms were aching to hold her, to soothe away the pain that was shining in her niece’s expression.
How had Alyssa become so clueless? Her daughter was in obvious distress, and Alyssa seemed to be completely oblivious.
“I named you Lexie,” Alyssa corrected.
“I’m an adult, Mom,” Lex said quietly. “I prefer to be called Lex, and you know it. Just like you know I’m never going to marry Jackson. I’m never going to marry a man. And I’m never going to live up to the perfect picture you have in your head of what my life is supposed to look like. So, no, I’m not coming home. I’m staying here unless Aunt Grace wants me to leave, then I’ll sleep on the couch at Bronwyn’s parents’ house until I can find something permanent.”
Alyssa stared at her daughter, her eyes wide and her mouth agape.
“I have to make dinner now,” Lex said softly and brushed past her mother.
“Lexie—I mean Lex,” Alyssa called after her. “I know you’re not going to marry Jackson or any other man.”
Her daughter paused and glanced back at her. “Then why do you keep talking about it?”
“I was just joking. Bronwyn has always been welcome at our house. You know that.”
“Joking, huh?” Lex asked sadly. “It doesn’t feel like joking when Charlie says you still cry over the fact that Jackson will never be your son-in-law.”
Alyssa paled, and for once she actually appeared to be chagrined by her actions. “That’s just… It’s not about you, sweetie.”
“Oh, I know, Mom. It’s about you. It’s always about you. I get it. I’m a huge disappointment. Fine. I can live with that knowledge, but I no longer can live in that environment. So leave Aunt Grace alone. She didn’t do anything but give me a room when I needed one. Would you rather me be here or couch surfing?”
“I’d rather you be at home with me and Charlie where we can work through everything,” Alyssa said defiantly.
“That’s never going to happen,” Lex said with a stony expression.
“But why?” Alyssa asked. “There’s plenty of space for all three of us.”
“You know why, Mom. I’ve told you more than once. He says inappropriate things and makes me and Bron uncomfortable. I’m happy here for now.”
Alyssa’s face turned bright red, and Grace knew her sister was only moments away from having a meltdown. She was about to suggest they go take a walk and cool down a little, but before Grace could offer, Alyssa stalked into the kitchen and demanded that her daughter go with her right then and there. She made excuses for Charlie, implying that Bron and Lex were exaggerating and reading too much into his joking.
“That’s the problem, Mom,” Lex said. “You always pick him over me. And as far as I’m concerned, he’s a deal breaker. He makes me uncomfortable, and I’m done putting up with everything just because it’s easier on you.”
“So you won’t move home because of Charlie?” Alyssa asked. “You’re on this again?”
“Still,” Lex said. “Always. Charlie is a perv, and neither Bron nor I need that in our lives. Go home, Mother.”
“Fine!” She threw her hands up in the air and stormed out.
Grace strode over to her niece, wrapped her arms around her, and let her cry.
Lex kept thanking Grace and promising to stay out of her hair and that she’d be gone soon, even as she hiccupped her way through the brief speech.
“Forget it, sweet pea. You’re stuck with me. In fact, I like having you here. I insist that you stay as long as you want.”
“You’re not going to be pressuring me to make up with my mother, are you?” Lex asked.
“Nope,” Grace promised. “That’s between you and her.”
“And Charlie,” Lex said dryly. Then she shuddered.
“Hell no,” Grace said. “As far as I’m concerned, that jackass can take a long walk off a short pier.” She grinned. “My grandpa used to say that.”
Lex flung her arms around her aunt and hugged her tightly. “I love you,” Lex said, sounding choked up.
“I love you, too, Lex.” Grace gave her another hug, and when she let go, she said, “Come on. Let’s get dinner going. Hope and Joy are on their way over.”
“Uh-oh,” Lex said. “Trouble’s brewing.”
Grace snickered. “No truer words.”
Chapter Fifteen
“Lex, babe, you knocked it out of the park with this halibut,” Hope said as she used a piece of sourdough bread to sop up her remaining lemon-wine sauce. Grace, Hope, Joy, and Lex were sitting at Grace’s table, finishing up the dinner Lex had prepared for them.
When Lex learned that the girls were meeting for dinner, she’d run out and gotten some fresh fish and went to work. With almost no notice, she’d put together one of the best meals Grace had tasted in over a month.
“You know, I never thought I’d say this but these brussels sprouts are amazing. What did you do, spell them to actually taste good?” Before dinner, Grace would’ve sworn she hated them, but whatever Lex had done to them made Grace do a one-eighty on her previous opinion of the vegetable, and she couldn’t get enough.
“It’s amazing how shallots, pine nuts, and butter can really liven a dish up,” Lex said with a wink. “Glad you like them.”
“Everything is fantastic,” Joy agreed. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” Lex rose and started to clear the table.
“Oh no. Nope. Sit down,” Hope said as she took the plates in Lex’s hands. “We’ve got the dishes. She who cooks does not clean.” She turned to Grace. “Neither does the host who supplied us with the booze.”
Grace laughed and let her two friends clear the table. She knew better than to argue with them. Instead, she turned to her niece.
“How are you doing? You okay after what went down with your mom earlier?”
Lex let out a breath and sat back in her chair. “I guess so? I don’t really know to be honest. Cooking helped center me a little.”
“Good.” Grace reached across the table and squeezed her hand. “Want to talk about whatever else it is you have on your mind?”
Lex frowned. “Like what?”
“Like whatever’s making you uneasy.” Grace glanced at Lex’s phone on the table next to her. “And why you keep checking your phone every few minutes?”
“Do you notice everything?” Lex asked, eyeing her aunt.
“Not everything. But when it comes to you? I’m paying attention. What’s up? It’s more than just your mom, isn’t it?”
Tears filled Lex’s eyes, but instead of answering, she unlocked her phone, tapped the screen a few times, and then handed the phone to Grace.
“What’s this?” She glanced down at the screen and noted a string of texts from Charlie. They started off benign enough, but quickly devolved into nightmare territory.
Hey, Lex. Give me a call. I have a question.
You’re not at work. I tried there. Really, I need you to call me. It’s about your mom’s cat.
Where are you? Fucking call me already.
Hey, you little bitch. If you don’t call me, don’t come crying to me if this cat suddenly goes missing.
There was a continuous string of expletives that got more and more abusive, and then the final one: Since you’re ignoring me, I’ll just have a chat with your girlfriend. She’s always been more fun than you are anyway.
“I’ve been trying to get in touch with Bron, but my calls are going straight to voice mail and she hasn’t answered my texts,” Lex said. A single tear rolled down her face. She angrily wiped it away and added, “I’ve texted Mom, too, and she isn’t answering.”
A chill radiated down Grace’s spine, and her entire body went rigid. Visions of Charlie tormenting Alyssa’s cat flashed in her mind, followed quickly by the bastard laying hands on Bronwyn. There was only one thing to do.
Witching For Grace: Premonition Pointe, Book 1 Page 11
