by Lucy May
A smile curled my lips as I turned around to see Gabriel standing there, a basket in his hand. “Hi!”
“You looked like you were really serious about those melons,” he teased.
“I was spacing out.”
“You look exhausted. Did you stay up all night watching those tapes?”
I slowly nodded my head. “Yes, I did.”
“Anything interesting?”
“Nope. Very boring,” I said, not quite ready to tell him what I saw or where the tapes were now.
“I take it by that loaded cart you might be planning to stay a while,” he said, looking at my cart full of snacks.
“I figured with as fast as the sheriff is moving with this investigation, I better be prepared for anything. What doesn’t get eaten I can leave here for when I come to visit. I don’t like being in a house with nothing to eat.”
He chuckled. “Who does? I’m glad to hear you’re planning on visiting.”
I smiled. “I am, if I ever leave. Well, strike that. I’m leaving on Monday, no matter what the sheriff says. I need to get back and check on things at the bakery. If I need to come back again, I will.”
Gabriel’s gaze coasted over my face, but I couldn’t quite read if he had a reaction to my announcement. It wasn’t as if it as news. I’d never planned to stay in Lemon Bliss.
“Do you want to grab dinner tomorrow night? One last hurrah before you leave?”
“I’d like that. Tonight, I am going to pop in one of these dinners, eat and pass out. I am absolutely dead on my feet.”
“I understand. I was just picking up a few things myself. Want to meet for coffee in the morning? That is assuming you’re up before nine,” he joked.
“Ha! I wish I could sleep past six. I’ll meet you there. What time?” I asked.
“Want to shoot for seven? That gives us plenty of time.”
“Yes, I’ll be there,” I said with a smile.
“Okay, see you tomorrow. Go home and get some rest. Quit watching those tapes,” he ordered.
I smiled and nodded, not correcting his assumption about the tapes. “Bye, Gabriel.”
He drifted away and I went back to choosing the right melon. I was really going to miss him when I went home.
Chapter 15
After a good nights’ sleep, I woke up with the sun, feeling refreshed and ready for the day. I knew it wasn’t just the sleep that had me in a good mood. I was excited for my coffee date with Gabriel. This should’ve made me wonder just what I was thinking, but I didn’t quite feel like it.
Sorting through my meager clothing items, I put together an outfit. Grandma’s old washer didn’t work, which I’d discovered last night. If I were going to be spending more time in Lemon Bliss, I would need to get a new one for the house. With my shirt halfway over my head, I stopped. What was I thinking?
I was thinking as if I’d be here. A lot. It was as if it was already decided. I knew that, but some part of me was lagging behind and not quite on board with what was happening.
“Get with the program,” I said to myself while looking in the mirror.
I could lead a double life. The drive wasn’t that bad, I reasoned. I could spend a few days down here every couple of weeks. Right?
I’d have to think about it some more. I wasn’t sure what Gabriel and I were doing, but I felt like the relationship could go somewhere, if I was willing to put in the effort. He could drive up and see me as well.
“Slow down, turbo,” I scolded myself.
I was getting way ahead of myself and already planning a relationship I wasn’t sure would even happen. There was the chance he was simply being nice and keeping me busy while I was in town. One step at a time.
When I pulled up in front of Crooked Coffee, I wasn’t surprised to find it was fairly busy. Most of the people who lived in town had to commute to outlying towns and even New Orleans. That meant they had to be up early and on the road, which made Crooked Coffee the hot spot for early morning commuters.
Gabriel was at a table that was dragged into the adjoining post office. I assumed this was part of the morning rush. The post office wasn’t open, so the coffee shop could use the floor space to handle the influx of business. It was a good idea. If I wanted to open a bakery, I wondered if I could find a place big enough.
There I went again, making plans for a future that was not certain.
“Hey,” I said, walking towards him, doing my best not to bump too many shoulders as I made my way through the cramped space.
“Glad you found me. This place is crazy this morning.”
“Is it always this busy?” I asked.
He shook his head. “Not like this. There’s a rodeo a couple towns over. These people are passing through.”
“Oh, I see. Is one of those for me?” I asked hopefully, gesturing to the two cups of coffee on the table.
“Yes, I figured I better get one for you so you wouldn’t have to wait in line. I got regular coffee. I think that’s what you normally get, right?”
“Yes, thank you.” Slipping into the chair across from him, I was grateful we were out of the way of most of the crowd in the coffee shop.
“Did you get some sleep last night or did you stay up watching exciting surveillance tapes?” he grinned.
“Actually, I slept very well, better than I have in a long time.”
“That’s a bummer you didn’t see anything on the tapes. I was hoping the cameras actually caught a ghost.”
I looked down at my coffee and turned the cup in my hands. “I did see a little something.”
“What? What did you see?” he asked excitedly.
“My mom, your aunt, Magnolia and Lila.”
His eyes widened and he slowly shook his head. “No way,” he breathed out.
“Yes way. They were coming and going all hours of the night. It was strange. Unfortunately, the cameras weren’t placed in every corner of that massive building. They walked right out of the cameras’ view, and I have no idea where they went or what they did,” I explained.
“Wow. That’s strange. I’m sure there’s a reason for it. Did you ask your mom about it?”
“No,” I said a little embarrassed.
“You have to talk to your mom.”
“I went out to visit Magnolia. I wanted to see if she would admit to being there or maybe give me a clue about what they were doing there, but she didn’t. Those women are tight-lipped.”
“Lila isn’t. Ask her,” he replied.
“It doesn’t matter now. Sheriff Smith has the tapes. He can ask them.”
Gabriel’s coffee cup paused inches from his mouth. “What?”
“I said Harold has the tapes. If he thinks they’re worth questioning the women further, he will.”
Gabriel put his cup of coffee down and looked me in the eye. “How did Harold know about the tapes?”
“I told him.”
He nodded his head, as if he were encouraging me to say more. I didn’t.
“Why?”
I shrugged a shoulder. “Because they were evidence.”
He closed his eyes, his shoulders rising and falling with a deep breath. “How did he get the tapes?”
“I gave them to him,” I said slowly as if he were the one having a hard time comprehending my words.
“Why would you do that?” he hissed.
I leaned back in my own chair, putting some distance between us. I didn’t like his attitude. “Because it was the right thing to do.”
“For who?”
“Um, it’s an active investigation. It felt weird to keep them from Harold,” I finally reaplined.
“You could have just landed your mother, my aunt and the others in a load of trouble.”
I cocked my head to the side and studied him closely. “Do you know something you’re not telling me?”
“No, but I know all of them and none of them would ever hurt anyone!” he exclaimed.
I glanced around the coffee shop, hoping no one he
ard him. “Keep your voice down. I don’t know why you’re mad at me. I did what I should have done from the very beginning.”
He was shaking his head. “I’m surprised. I thought you took the tapes to protect your mother, not get her in more trouble.”
“Gabriel, I watched all but a couple of the tapes. I didn’t see anything that incriminated any of them. Yes, they were there in the factory, but I didn’t see them killing a man. Why were they there? I did ask my mom if she had been, but she wouldn’t give me a straight answer.”
I watched as he slowly drank his coffee. His jaw was clenched. He was angry. I had managed to destroy a relationship in record time. Usually it took me a week or two before I chased a man away. I was getting better at it.
“I should probably get going,” he mumbled.
I fought back the disappointment that blackened my earlier mood. “Okay. Gabriel, for what it’s worth, I’m sorry I let you down. It certainly wasn’t my intention. I’m not trying to hurt my mom or any of them. I had to do what I felt was right and that was giving those tapes to the sheriff. I couldn’t live with myself if I held back key evidence. That man’s killer needs to be brought to justice, even if it is my mother or someone I care about.”
He ignored me and stood to leave. “I understand,” he said, in a low voice. “I understand, but I don’t agree with your decision.”
I sighed, before looking up at him to see the disappointment in his eyes. “I’m sorry,” I whispered.
He stared at me for several long minutes before leaving me alone at the table. I fought back the urge to chase after him. It was a sign. I didn’t belong in Lemon Bliss. I had tumbled into some silly fantasy about finding a man worth picking up my whole life and moving for. Gabriel wasn’t that man.
I sipped my coffee, not quite ready to leave yet. I didn’t have anywhere to go or anyone to see. I had never felt so completely lost.
“You look like you just lost your puppy,” Daphne said, plopping down in the chair Gabriel had just vacated. “I saw Gabriel outside. Is everything okay?”
I shrugged. “Sure. I made certain Gabriel won’t call or want to have coffee again.”
“What happened?” she asked, concern in her voice.
I unburdened my soul, telling her about the tapes I had turned over and how it had upset Gabriel.
“He’ll get over it. You did the right thing. I mean, I hope my mother doesn’t get hauled off to jail, but if she did something wrong, she needs to be held accountable. I think he’ll see that as well,” she assured me.
I waved a hand. “Oh, well. It wasn’t like it was going to last anyway.”
She started laughing. “That’s where you’re wrong. Judging by how upset both of you are over this little disagreement, I would say it is most definitely going to last. This is a relationship with potential. Don’t throw it away.”
“I don’t know if I have the final say in that,” I whined.
“Oh, sure you do. He’s going to go to work, blow off some steam and I bet he’ll be groveling by lunch,” she winked.
I laughed. “I doubt that, but it would be nice if we could make up before I left, at least.”
“Speaking of that, stay. Please,” she begged, her hands put together in front of her as she looked at me. “Stay. Live here. You can open a bakery and I’ll help. I’m great with bookkeeping, or you can show me how to bake or whatever. I’m at your service. It’ll be fun. Come on!”
“Daphne, I can’t open a business because it will be fun. It costs money.”
“You have money. I know your grandmother’s inheritance passed to you. Use it to invest in your future.”
I shook my head. “I can’t. I promised myself I wouldn’t use that money unless it was a dire emergency. Besides, that’s the money I used to open my first bakery. I don’t want to dip into it again. The money is supposed to be passed down to my children,” I explained.
She rolled her eyes. “You Broussard women sure are frugal. No wonder you’re all rich.”
I laughed. “You don’t save money by spending it, besides, I don’t know if a bakery would be successful here. I don’t want to open a business and have it fail right away. That would crush my soul.”
“It won’t. Look at this place. We are in desperate need of a real bakery. The Crooked Coffee can go back to being a deli and a coffee shop. Let’s face it; their sandwiches are awesome, but the bakery stuff there is just basic.”
I thought about it for a few seconds. “Okay, I’ll go home and crunch some numbers and do research on the area. I just don’t see how there’s a market for a bakery around here or a place to put it,” I said.
“You leave that to me. I’ve got to get to work. I’ll call you tomorrow and let you know what I find. I expect your report to be finished as well,” she said in a mock stern voice.
I saluted her, “Yes, ma’am.”
“Call Gabriel,” she called as she walked out the door.
Everyone in the shop turned to look at me. I could feel myself blushing as I grabbed my coffee and left. I didn’t need the entire town knowing Gabriel and I had a minor disagreement. I took the long way home, driving down some of the side roads and checking out the town. The idea of opening a bakery was exciting. I loved the thrill of trying something new, but I wasn’t sure I had the stomach for it. I would definitely have to think on it.
Chapter 16
My brain hurt after all the research and number crunching. I finally came to the conclusion that if I really wanted to, I could make a bakery work. It would mean long hours and would be a big risk, but I was convinced it was feasible. The key would be shipping out daily orders to nearby towns. No matter how I figured it, Lemon Bliss alone did not have the population to support a bakery.
I put away my laptop and meandered into the kitchen in search of a snack. There was a nice selection, which made me smile, as I remembered running into Gabriel at the grocery store. It wasn’t long before that smile turned into a frown, once I recalled how things had ended that morning with him. Not good at all.
When I heard the doorbell, I immediately felt butterflies in my stomach. Gabriel!
I ran for the door, swung it open, prepared to apologize, but instead of Gabriel, I found my mother standing there.
“Mom! I wasn’t expecting you.”
She gave me a bit of a dirty look. “If you knew how to use your powers better, you would have known,” she snapped.
“Uh, okay. What’s wrong?”
She pushed past me and walked into the living room. My mother didn’t often get irritated, but I could tell when she was. At that moment, I could practically see waves of anger radiating off her.
Closing the door, I walked towards her, waiting for her to tell me what happened. When she turned around to face me, I saw anger mingled with hurt in her eyes. She didn’t have to tell me. I already knew. Gabriel had told her what I’d done.
“Violet, I’m not mad at you for doing what was right, but how could you not talk to me first?”
“I don’t know how much he told you, but I’d like to explain,” I said, taking a seat in one of the antique wingback chairs.
She sat on the sofa. “He didn’t tell me anything. Coral did.”
“Oh,” I muttered, realizing Gabriel had run straight to his aunt. I hadn’t expected that, but I guess the family bond was far stronger than any little thing we had.
“You could’ve come to me,” she said in a low voice.
“Mom, I tried. I asked you if you had been visiting the factory. When I saw not just you, but all of you on those tapes, I didn’t know what to think,” I tried to explain.
She gently shook her head. “You could have asked. I would have told you.”
“Would you? Because every time I’ve asked a few questions about it, you get all vague,” I said, jumping up, needing to pace.
“Yes, but that doesn’t matter now. Coral has called an emergency meeting of the coven, tonight. We want you and Daphne there.”
I s
pun around, my mouth hanging open. “What?”
“We think it’s time you joined the coven and began to learn about who we are and what we’re about. We’ve held too many secrets for too long. You don’t trust us, and now that distrust may have cost more than we are willing to pay,” she said, in a strained voice.
“Mom, I wasn’t trying to hurt you or your, your coven!” I blurted out. “It was the right thing to do. You raised me to be an honest, law-abiding person and that’s what I am. I couldn’t take the guilt. I had to turn the tapes over.”
“I understand. Please, we need you to be at the factory at midnight. Turn off your headlights and drive around the back. The door will be unlocked,” she instructed.
I was immediately hesitant to go to the factory with them in the middle of the night. I had watched too many movies. Would they sacrifice me for exposing them?
“Oh stop!” she chided as she eyed me. “Quit acting like we’re a bunch of monsters. No one is going to hurt you.”
“How did you know what I was thinking? Were you reading my mind?” I said, stepping away from her.
She rolled her eyes. “My word you have an active imagination. I’ve got to go. I’ll see you tonight,” she said, and walked out the door, not waiting for me to agree or decline her invitation.
It wasn’t an invitation, I realized. It was a demand. I had a feeling if I didn’t show up, they would come and get me. A million thoughts ran through my head. Was I in danger? Should I flee and run back home? Did I dare call the sheriff and let him know what was happening?
I sat back down as the fear washed over me. I needed to get control of myself. I was jumping to conclusions without really knowing anything. This was my mother I was talking about. She would never hurt me. I hoped.
The rest of the day passed way too fast. I was a nervous wreck. I cleaned every room in the house, dusting and polishing away my apprehensions. By the time it was close to midnight, I had worked myself up into a serious frenzy. I had come to the conclusion it would be my last night on earth. The witches had to protect themselves and that meant getting rid of loose ends. I knew I couldn’t hide. I had to face them and be ready to accept whatever they decided my fate was to be.
