Alyssa rubbed at her red eyes and sniffed, trying to get herself under control. “Don’t tell her what happened over the phone. I don’t want her upset while driving.”
“I have to tell her something,” Grace said.
“Just tell her… I don’t know. Anything other than Charlie tried to break my arm.”
“Got it.” Grace disappeared into her room and dialed Lex’s number.
“Aunt Grace? What’s wrong?” Lex asked.
She should’ve known Lex would realize something wasn’t right. Grace never called her at ten o’clock at night. “Can you come home? It’s your mom. She had an accident and—”
“What happened?” There was a rustling on the other end of the line, indicating that Lex was up and moving.
“She has a sprained elbow and a black eye, but she’s gonna be okay. She just needs to see you.”
“It was Charlie, wasn’t it?” Lex barked into the phone. “I knew that guy was going to go after her one day.”
Grace sighed. There was no use lying. “Yes. It was Charlie. But Lex, please be careful driving home and do not, under any circumstances, stop by your mom’s house. Do not engage Charlie in any way, got it?”
Lex let out a low growl and relayed the information to Bronwyn. After a short lecture from Bronwyn, she said, “Fine. But if he crosses my path—”
“Grace?” Bronwyn’s voice came over the line.
“Yeah, I’m here,” Grace said.
“I’ve got this. I’ll bring Lex home and make sure she stays out of trouble.”
“Thank you.” Grace ended the call and headed back out to check on her sister.
* * *
“Mom?” Lex called the moment she stepped into the house.
“I’m right here, baby,” Alyssa said, her voice cracking with emotion.
Lex ran to her mother and buried her head in her lap as she held on, clutching her tightly. “That bastard. I hope you ripped his dick off for this.”
To Grace’s surprise, Alyssa barked out a laugh. “No need for that, baby doll. Your aunt took care of that for me.”
“What?” Grace’s eyes went wide in surprise. “Why do you say that?”
“Sit down, Grace,” her sister ordered.
And because Grace was dying to know what her sister had to say, she did as she was told.
“You, too, Bronwyn,” Alyssa said.
Grace glanced up to find Bronwyn standing by the front door, clearly not sure what to do.
Bronwyn cleared her throat. “I think maybe I should go and let you three talk.”
“No,” Alyssa said mildly. “This is family business, and you’re Lex’s family. So please, take a seat unless…” She glanced down at Lex. “I don’t mean to overstep. Do you want Bron to stay?”
“Yes,” Lex said, staring at her girlfriend with pleading eyes.
“All right,” Bronwyn said softly and moved around the couch to take a chair next to Grace.
“The fight with Charlie broke out because he was talking shit about you, Grace,” Alyssa said. “I told him to stop ranting about my sister, and that’s when he lost it.”
Grace wasn’t surprised to hear that Charlie wasn’t her biggest fan. She just didn’t know what she’d done that had set him off that night. It wasn’t like she’d seen or spoken to him since the night they’d catnapped the cat. “Why was he mad?”
“Because you cursed his penis, and now he can’t get a full erection.” Alyssa gave her sister a wry smile. “Thanks for that, by the way. I’ve never been happier to hear that news in my life.”
“What?” Lex and Bronwyn said at the same time as both their heads swiveled in her direction.
“Um, it was kind of an accident,” Grace said.
“What does that mean?” Lex asked, frowning.
“I…” Grace cleared her throat. It was really strange to be talking about her sister’s boyfriend’s penis with her sister and her niece. Awkward. “You know that night we went to get the cat?”
“Yeah?” Lex said warily.
“Well, I had a little chat with him and told him I wished he had erectile issues for the rest of his life. I thought it was just talk, but I recently learned that when my ire is up, my wishes have been turning into actual curses. Total accident.”
“Who else have you cursed?” Alyssa asked.
“Bill and Shondra, oh, and Nina at work. But that curse wore off. I’m not sure about Bill and Shondra’s.”
“Good lord, what did you curse them with?” Alyssa asked.
“Erectile disfunction—”
“That seems to be a favorite of yours,” Bronwyn said.
Grace chuckled. “Yeah, when it comes to assholes, sure. Shondra was unlucky and ended up with genital warts.”
All three of them gasped.
“Aunt Grace,” Lex said, sounding scandalized. “That’s terrible.”
“I know. Like I said, I had no idea my wishes were coming true. But then Nina got acne after I wished it on her, and Jackson told me he heard a rumor about Shondra cheating and that due to her genital warts there was no denying it. My anger management issues were a little out of control, and my uncharitable thoughts turned into actual curses.”
Alyssa snorted her amusement. “I’m not sure what Nina did, but the other three certainly deserved what they got.”
Grace grimaced. “I don’t care about Charlie, but I need to make a neutralizing potion for Bill and Shondra. They were assholes to me, but that doesn’t mean I’m comfortable stooping to their level.”
“You didn’t really if it was just an accident,” Bronwyn reasoned.
“Sure, but now that I know…” Grace lifted her hands palms up. “I need to reverse any lingering effects.”
“It’s the right thing to do,” Alyssa agreed. “But don’t you dare do anything about Charlie. That bastard deserves to rot.”
“What happened tonight, Mom?” Lex asked, moving to sit next to Alyssa on the couch.
“Oh, baby.” Alyssa closed her eyes, and when she opened them, there was real pain in her expression. “I’m so sorry. I owe you such a huge apology.”
“Mom, I—”
“Shh, now. I’ve been a terrible mother this past year. The things I’ve said to you about Jackson, my dismissive comments about you and Bronwyn. I know I’ve hurt you. When Charlie parroted my words back to me tonight, I heard them. Really heard how that talk about Jackson must’ve felt to you, and I just…” Her words got caught on a sob. “You deserve so much better. You and Bronwyn both do. I’m so sorry.” Alyssa reached over and hugged her daughter with her one good arm. “Can you forgive me?”
“I… um, think so,” Lex said as she met Bronwyn’s eyes. Bronwyn nodded and gave her girlfriend a reassuring smile.
“Okay.” Alyssa pulled back and dabbed at her eyes again. “I’m sorry. I’ll do better.”
Grace was skeptical that her sister wouldn’t hurt Lex again with thoughtless comments, but it was a start. And that’s what mattered.
“Mom, you still haven’t really told us what happened tonight,” Lex said, and Grace was grateful she knew how to keep Alyssa on track.
“Oh. Charlie was drinking again.” Alyssa wrinkled her nose in disgust. “I’d had it. The man hasn’t worked in I don’t know how long, so I told him to get his ass out. That’s when he blew up and started talking shit about Grace and then you. When I told him to knock it off, he said why and started shouting at me all the things I’d said to you as if I was just as bad as he was. But the worst was when he started talking about how he should’ve moved on to you and Bronwyn already, that I was too old and boring, and that it was too bad the hot piece of ass had already moved out.”
Grace’s stomach turned. Charlie was such bad news she couldn’t understand why her sister hadn’t thrown him out earlier. She imagined he was usually better behaved around his cash cow and kept most of his sick comments to himself. But she was glad Alyssa had finally had enough.
“It was then that I haul
ed off and decked him,” Alyssa said, her voice strong and full of ire. “No one talks about my daughter like that. No one.”
“That’s why you don’t want to talk to the police,” Grace said, understanding that Alyssa had assaulted him first.
“That’s right. And if you don’t mind, can I stay here for a while until I can find a new place? The lease is up on that house at the end of the month. If I just move out, Charlie will have to move somewhere else or face getting evicted, and it won’t be my problem anymore.”
“Of course you can,” Grace said. “The couch is free, or if you want, you can share my bed. Lord knows, no one else is.”
“Is that what you were waiting for?” Lex asked Alyssa. “For the lease to expire?”
Alyssa nodded. “I knew months ago I was done. I just didn’t know how to leave safely. Baby, I’m sorry I put you in that situation. And I know I dismissed a lot of your concerns. I was wrong. I had my reasons, but I was wrong.”
Grace gestured for Bronwyn to follow her into the kitchen. It was time to let mother and daughter have a little privacy.
“I think I’m going to go,” Bronwyn said softly once they were out of earshot of Lex and Alyssa.
“You don’t have to,” Grace said. “I know Lex wants you here.”
“I know. But they need time, and I’m just a distraction. I don’t want to be in the middle of that. Tell Lex to text me later when she’s ready. I’ll be up.”
“I will.” Grace gave the other woman a hug and then watched her slip out the back door. Then before she lost her nerve, she grabbed her phone and made a call to the police tip line to let them know who they might want to start watching if they wanted to crack down on the drug problems in Premonition Pointe.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Grace spent the next three days close to home, fussing over Alyssa and making sure her sister had everything she needed to heal after her altercation with Charlie. Lex had taken time off work, too, and she cooked all of her mom’s favorite meals. The three of them spent the days playing cards, taking short walks on the beach, and talking about how to move forward. The conversations weren’t easy for anyone, especially Lex and Alyssa. The two had a lot of trust to rebuild. But Grace was confident that with some work they could get there.
For the first time since Grace’s split with Bill, she started to feel like she had a real family again. Alyssa’s ordeal with Charlie made Grace furious every time she thought about that man laying hands on her. But she couldn’t regret the outcome. She had her sister back, and for that she was grateful.
On Tuesday afternoon, Grace made her way up the walk of the cute turquoise blue cottage that was just a few streets off the beach. She took a deep breath and knocked. It had been almost two weeks since she’d heard from Hope, and it was time to put this situation with Lucas behind them.
The door swung open, and Hope stood there wearing pajama pants, a stained T-shirt, and big fuzzy puppy slippers. She rolled her eyes at Grace and said, “I figured I’d be seeing you sooner rather than later.”
“I would’ve warned you, but there seems to be something wrong with your phone,” Grace said as she swept past the woman who looked like she hadn’t showered in days.
“There’s nothing wrong with my phone,” Hope admitted as she followed Grace into her small vintage kitchen. “I just wasn’t answering it.”
“I know.” Grace grabbed the tea kettle and filled it. “When’s the last time you had a decent meal?”
Hope shrugged. “I dunno. I had pizza for breakfast.”
Grace raised an eyebrow. “That’s not… never mind. When’s the last time you were dressed and out of the house?”
“Yesterday.” Hope sat at her breakfast table. “There was a breakfast banquet I had scheduled. Trust me, I haven’t been wallowing for a week or anything. I really have been working hard. When I got home yesterday, I crashed and haven’t been able to convince myself to do anything today. I was thinking one day of swimming in my own filth would be just fine… then you showed up.”
Grace chuckled. “Fair enough. Still, if you hadn’t been ignoring me, you could’ve avoided this invasion.”
“I know.” Hope gave her a smile.
Grace laughed. There was no doubt that Hope knew Grace would stop and check on her. By not answering the phone, she hadn’t had to swallow whatever anger she was still holding onto in order to ask Grace to come by. “So, spill it. What’s going on with you and Lucas?”
“Nothing.”
Grace prepped two tea mugs and set them on the table. “Then why are you wallowing in your pajamas?”
“Because I’m angry he’s back. My life was perfect. I was happy. Carefree. Now all I do is think about how he left fifteen years ago. And I hate it. I’m independent, dammit. Ask anyone. I date guys who need to figure out how to move on after devastating breakups and loss. I teach them how to love again and then send them off to find the next love of their life. And now here I am, wallowing about some guy I haven’t talked to in ages. It sucks.”
“Love is hard,” Grace said.
“Is that all you have to say? Love is hard? My life isn’t a meme, Grace.”
Grace laughed as she poured the hot water into the teacups. When she was done, she sat across from her friend and said, “Sorry. Why don’t you tell me what happened back then? Maybe I can be more helpful.”
“There’s not much to tell,” she said with a sigh. “The short version is that he expected me to give up my job, my house, and my coven to follow him across the country to a temporary job that could barely pay the gas bill much less rent.” She paused and gave Grace a no-freakin’-way look. “I told him no way. I wasn’t giving up my whole life to follow his dreams. So he left. And we broke up. End of story.”
“Now he’s back and he wants… what?” Grace asked.
She shrugged. “To go back to where we were fifteen years ago, I guess. But I’m not that girl, and he’s not that guy. If that’s what he’s after, he’s crazy.”
“I think he’s here to take care of his mom,” Grace hedged.
“Oh, sure. He is. But he also wants something from me, and he’s not going to get it.”
“Okay,” Grace said, knowing better than to try to argue any different point of view. “Then it’s a no. It is what it is.”
Hope slumped back into her chair. “I hate you sometimes.”
Grace laughed. “Why?”
“Because you didn’t give me any warning. If I’d known he was coming or was here already, I could've prepared. Instead, I just looked like a pissed-off ex who couldn’t get it together.”
“Were you a pissed-off ex who couldn’t get it together?” Grace picked up her tea and took a sip.
“Yeah.” She ran her fingers through her hair and closed her eyes. After a few moments, she said, “Do you know what it was I wanted back then?”
“Nope. I knew you were working hard to build your art business.” Back in those days, Hope had a gallery where she sold paintings and custom portraits of people’s pets along with other artists’ work. But then she got tired of being tied to a shop, so she sold it and started her party planning business, which was thriving just like the art gallery had been. She was a brilliant businessperson. Grace had no doubt she could do just about anything she put her mind to.
“I wanted a house with enough room for a giant garden, chickens, and maybe goats so I could make my own goat cheese.” She chuckled. “That, along with my gallery and spending my nights with Lucas, all seemed like heaven. But then he wanted me to give up everything I’d worked for and I just… Nope. I watched my mom do that for a man. Forget it. I had dreams, too.”
“The house sounds lovely, Hope. I can see you doing that,” Grace said.
“Yeah. I’d still like to do that, but no room here for goats, or chickens for that matter.” She laughed. “Besides, that would be a lot of extra work for just me.”
Grace nodded, but in her mind, she was already thinking of how Hope just might
get her house with enough room for her animals one day.
“Do you think I can just ignore him, and he’ll go away?” Hope asked, bringing the conversation back to Lucas.
“Probably not, but you can try.” She reached across the table and squeezed her friend’s hand. “You do know that you were right back then to not just pick up and go, don’t you?”
“Of course I do,” she said, almost defiantly.
“Good. Because if you were second guessing yourself, I wanted you to know I agree with you. If Lucas really expected you to leave everything behind for his dreams while he ignored yours, then he was being a selfish jackhole. Nothing was wrong with him following his dreams, but pressuring you to give up yours was.”
Hope stared at her mug for a few beats, and when she looked up there were fresh tears standing in her eyes. “Thanks, Grace. I think I did need to hear that.”
* * *
The sun was setting when Grace finally pulled into her own driveway. By the time she’d left Hope’s, her friend had showered and changed out of her pajamas, eaten a bowl of pasta, and was back to sounding like her sassy, confident self. Grace still didn’t think there was any way Hope and Lucas wouldn’t end up in some sort of relationship, but that was for them to work out. All she had left to do was find Lucas a house, and now she knew just the one. She took a second to send him the link. A few seconds later, her phone buzzed with an incoming call. She fully expected to see Lucas’s name, but instead it was Matt Dahl’s name that flashed on the screen.
“Hi Matt. Is everything okay with the house? Closing is tomorrow, isn’t it?” With the cash offer, everything had gone really quickly, and as long as there weren’t any last-minute disasters, they were good to go as far as she was concerned.
“Yep. Tomorrow. That’s not what I’m calling about, though.”
“No? What can I do for you?” she asked.
Witching For Grace: Premonition Pointe, Book 1 Page 20
