by Lucy May
My mouth was hanging open and I knew I must look foolish, but I couldn’t speak. “You know?”
“Yes, I know and I’m okay with it.”
“Wow.”
“Can you find me a big pot?” he asked, as if we had been talking about nothing more important than the weather.
I slid off the stool and started opening cupboards until I found one. “I only just found out myself.”
“I know.”
“What! You knew that too?”
“Aunt Coral explained they had to keep their secret very close. It wasn’t until the death investigation began that they realized they had to tell you. I’m glad they did. You’re going to make a great witch,” he grinned.
I started laughing. That had to be the most ridiculous thing I’d ever heard. “Hopefully I don’t turn anyone into toads or blow anything up while I go through this learning curve my Mom promised me. I’m still not quite used to the idea myself.”
“I’ll make sure not to make you mad.”
“I can’t believe you’ve known this whole time and never said anything.”
He shrugged a shoulder. “What was I supposed to say? It doesn’t change anything.”
“Good. I’m glad you’re so okay with all of this. I think you took it better than I did.”
He allowed me to help him a little. Together we made coconut shrimp and fried rice. It smelled so good I wanted to dive in. I managed to mind my manners and set the table. We sat down and enjoyed our meal. It was a absolutely delicious, and Gabriel was downright charming. Plus, the man could cook.
“I hear you’re tossing around the idea of moving here,” he said, wiping his mouth with a napkin.
“I’m thinking about it. I need to work some things out before I can just up and move,” I explained. “I don’t know why my mother and the other ladies can’t understand that.”
“Of course you do. I think they do understand it by the way, but they don’t care. They just want you here. So do I.”
He stood and began to clear the table, but I ordered him into the living room. “You cooked, I’ll clean up. Please, sit a minute, relax, put your feet up, and I’ll be right there.”
He didn’t put up much of a fight. I quickly cleared the table and rinsed the dishes, leaving them in the sink to deal with tomorrow. Thankfully, Gabriel was a tidy cook and didn’t leave a mess. I had to admit he had a number of major points in his favor. I had yet to find many marks against him. Even the small mark after our fight had been erased. I now understood why he had been upset.
I refilled the glasses with wine and carried them into the living room.
“I suppose you heard about Lila’s confession?” I asked, sitting down beside him on the couch.
“I did. I guess that means it’s all over now?”
Letting out a long breath, I replied. “I hope so. Harold came by earlier, and he was kind of a jerk. I have a feeling we are all going to be watched very closely. He all but told me not to come back.”
“Don’t worry about Harold. He doesn’t have a clue what goes on around here. He just wants to feel important. I think he’s had a crush on Lila for years. The fact she didn’t tell him what happened had to have stung a little, too. He’ll get over it and forget all about this supernatural investigator stuff soon enough.”
“I hope so. If I’m going to start a new life here, the last thing I want is the sheriff breathing down my neck. I’m too new at this and I know I will make mistakes. I don’t want to end up blowing everyone’s cover.”
“You’ll do fine,” he said, wrapping an arm around my shoulders and squeezing me in close.
I rested against his side for a few minutes, enjoying his clean, masculine scent and his warmth and strength. I thought about what it would be like to see him more than temporarily. I could certainly get used to it.
“Do you work tomorrow?” I asked, fighting back a yawn. The wine and full belly combined with my lack of sleep the night before were making me very sleepy.
“Nope. I don’t usually work on Sundays.”
I took a deep breath, gathering my courage. “Would you like to stay?” I whispered.
His arm tightened around me. “I’d love to.”
I let out the breath I had been holding, relieved he hadn’t rejected me. I had no idea what I was doing with him, but I was ready to give it a try. What’s the worst that could happen? Oh right, a broken heart. I’m sure there was a spell to fix that.
Chapter 20
“Will I see you before you leave?” Gabriel asked as he stood by the front door the following day.
“I’m going to go by and see my mom and then I’ll probably take off. The sooner I get back and start figuring out how I can run two bakeries, the sooner I can come back here,” I said, wrapping my arms around his neck.
“Okay. Call me tonight and let me know how things go. If you can’t swing it, don’t worry about it. We’ll figure something out,” he said, before kissing me and walking out the door.
I stepped out on the porch and inhaled the heavy perfume from the hundreds of blossoms. It was a smell I could certainly grow to love. It was heady and a little powerful, but it had a way of lifting the spirits. I looked at the rows of lavender and decided they were the reason for my fabulous mood. Well, there was that and Gabriel.
After a quick shower, I stripped the bed and made a mental note to have a new washer and dryer delivered. For that, I would use my inheritance. It was for grandma’s house after all. Grabbing the perishables from the fridge, I put them in a bag to take to my mother. If it took me longer than I hoped to wrap things up, I didn’t want to come home to a fridge full of spoiled food. I took one last look around the house and smiled.
“I’ll be back, Grams,” I said with a smile.
A cold breeze brushed over my arms. I had a feeling I was going to have to get used to that if I lived in the house. I would ask my mom, but I was sure that was the spirit my mother had referred to before.
After locking up, I paused in the yard and glanced around. The faint scent of lemon drifted to me. Spinning around, I looked to the abandoned lemon orchards in the distance behind the house. Even after Grams closed up the lemon tea business, she tended to those orchards. Although now that I reconsidered, it occurred to me she probably didn’t do too much work. She likely cast a few spells to make the lemon trees happy.
With a wistful smile, I turned away and headed to my mother’s house. I never did understand why she hadn’t just moved into my grandmother’s house. It made more sense it would be passed to her, rather than me. I already knew what she would say if I asked her. She’d always made it clear that she believed the house was part of my destiny.
“Mom?” I said, knocking on the door before pushing it open.
“I’m in here,” she called out from the kitchen.
I walked into the kitchen to see her at the table with Lila, Magnolia and Coral. I was instantly embarrassed. They all knew, I could see it. The knowing smiles on their faces were further confirmation.
“How was your night, dear?” Coral cooed in a high falsetto.
“Leave her alone,” Magnolia scolded.
I knew there was a reason I’d always liked her the best.
“My night was fine, thank you,” I replied.
“What’s that?” my mom asked, pointing to the bag.
“Stuff from my fridge. I didn’t want it to spoil.”
“You’re leaving?” Lila asked, shock in her voice.
I nodded my head. “Yes. I have to. This was a nice visit, but I need to get back to my life. Before I make any decisions, I need to figure out what I’m doing with my bakery.”
Magnolia smiled. “We’re so glad you came, dear. You’ve discovered your true calling. That is a very big deal.”
She had a point. “You’re right. I am very happy to have learned the truth, and I do look forward to learning more, but life calls. I’ll see you ladies soon, I hope.”
“I’ll walk you out,” Mom sa
id, following me to the door.
She followed me back outside, pausing beside my car with me. “I know it’s a big decision, but just know I will support you in whatever you decide. Even if it takes you several months or longer to get things situated, I’ll be here. I can’t wait to share this journey with you,” she said, hugging me tight.
“I know, Mom. I know I’ll be back, I just don’t know when.”
She nodded and winked, “But, you will be back. I’m glad you can admit that to yourself.”
I laughed as I climbed into my car. Waving goodbye, I headed towards the Crooked Coffee to get my fix before I hit the road. I was going to miss the little place. It was nice not having to wait in line to grab a quick cup of coffee. It was definitely one of the perks of small town living.
“You’re leaving, aren’t you?” Daphne stopped me when I got out of my car.
“Daphne, I have to.”
She was shaking her head. “No, no, no. I have to talk to you. Are you going in to get coffee?”
“Yes.”
“Great. I’ll get some and we can sit down and chat before you go. You have to know there is no way I’m letting you get away that easy.”
I giggled. “As long as you don’t bust out handcuffs, I’m okay with you holding me here for a bit longer, but then I have to get going. I have a long drive home.”
“This is your home. You’re going back to that other place to pack, but this is where you belong,” she corrected me.
I didn’t argue with her. We ordered our coffees and sat down. I could tell she had something to tell me. She was practically oozing with excitement.
“Lay it on me. What’d you do?”
She clapped her hands. “It isn’t what I did. It’s what we’re going to do!”
“What are we going to do, Daphne?” I asked, feeling I should humor the girl who was clearly very excited about her news.
“I got the loan!”
My mind spun trying to replay our previous conversations and find the missing piece of the puzzle. “What loan?” I asked, when I realized I had no idea what she was talking about.
“Our loan! For the bakery we’re going to open!” she practically shouted.
I glanced around and noticed several people staring at us. “Daphne, I didn’t say I was ready to make that step.”
She waved away my words. “No, you didn’t, but you didn’t have to. I know you too well. I went and had a meeting with the manager at my bank. He gave me preliminary approval for the loan. Of course, we’ll need collateral and we’ll both need to sign, but he’s on board. It was strange, like a little too easy,” she said, rubbing her chin in deep thought.
My eyes widened. “Did you charm him?” I hissed.
“What? Charm him. What do you mean? I am charming and most men do find me attractive, but if you’re implying I flirted with him to get the loan, no. I’m not quite that desperate, Violet. Sheesh, give me some credit.”
I rolled my eyes. “Not like that. I mean charmed,” I said, emphasizing out the word.
I looked into her clueless eyes. Clearly, Magnolia hadn’t gotten that far in her witch training with Daphne.
“Violet, really, what are you talking about?”
I leaned forward and lowered my voice to a whisper. “Charming is something witches do. You can charm a person to do what you want.”
Her eyes bugged out and her mouth fell open. She slapped a hand over her mouth and shook her head. “Oh my, what if I did? I didn’t mean to, but it was a little too easy.”
I started giggling. “Oh well. It isn’t like I’m not good for the money, and it was an innocent accident. I think as long as we are responsible and make our payments on time, there isn’t anything truly wrong with it. I hope so anyway. I don’t want there to be some horrible repercussions for using our magic for personal gain. We really need to talk to our moms about this stuff.”
“I can’t believe I did that. How come my charms weren’t enough to keep my husband faithful?” she grumbled.
“I think you should count yourself lucky you found out his true character before you had children with him.”
She nodded and took a drink of her coffee. “That’s true. Okay, so does that mean you’re ready to do this?” she asked with a wide grin, her eyes pleading.
I let out a long breath. “I am, but I have to figure out what to do with my other store. And, we still need to find a place for the bakery. It will take months or more to get the necessary equipment, get the wiring done that will be needed to run it, and so on. Starting a business takes a lot of work.”
She looked down at her coffee cup. “Well, I happen to know a handyman that will probably jump at the chance to take care of a lot of that stuff.”
“Oh no. You heard, too?”
She started giggling. “I went by your house this morning to tell you about the loan. I saw his truck in the driveway and figured I better keep on going.”
I put a hand to my forehead, “Well, that’s embarrassing.”
“No, it’s not. You’re both single, and he’s totally into you. I think it’s cute and I’m very excited to get some free work, or at least steeply discounted work around the bakery.”
“We need to contact a realtor and see if there are any commercial properties available,” I said, quickly changing the subject.
“Done.”
“What? Dang, you move fast.”
“Want to see it before you leave?” she said, dangling a set of keys in front of me.
“You already have keys?” I said, in astonishment. “Did you charm that person, too?”
She chuckled, “No, I just know the guy who owns the building. I asked if I could check it out and he gave me the keys. I’m giving them back tomorrow. The realtor thinks this place will be perfect, but I haven’t seen it yet. Come on, let’s go see it. It won’t take long.”
I checked my watch. “Fine, but I can’t stay long. I want to get on the road so I don’t hit the weekend traffic out of New Orleans.”
She squealed and jumped up from the table. I followed behind her in my car. When she pulled up in front of the building that was once a convenience store, I was immediately unsure. It would take a lot of work to transform the place into a bakery. I doubted a loan would cover the operating costs along with the labor and equipment, which meant Grandma’s money would be getting put to use.
“Don’t let the outside fool you,” she said, unlocking the door and pushing it open.
I took a look around at the broken shelves littering the area along with a lot of dirt and debris. “What about the inside?” I mumbled.
“This is easy. A big dumpster and a little elbow grease, and soon this will all be good as new. Look, we could have the counter there with some little tables dotting this area. Think pink. Isn’t pink a good color for a bakery?” she asked.
“Uh, I don’t know. Let’s go look at the back-room area,” I said, walking behind the small existing counter.
I groaned. Daphne gasped.
“It’s okay. We can clean this up.”
“The ceiling, Daphne. There must have been a water leak or it may have been damaged in a hurricane. This could cost a lot of money to fix,” I warned her.
She was smiling, “It’s okay. This is it. This is our bakery. Can’t you feel it? I can practically smell baking bread. Close your eyes and inhale. You can smell the yeast and sugar.”
I did as she suggested and remarkably, I could smell the scents I was so familiar with in my bakery back home.
I opened my eyes and she was staring at me with tears in her eyes.
I smiled and nodded, “This is our bakery.”
She screamed and grabbed me in a bear hug. I hugged her back, hoping this was the right choice.
Epilogue
“Is this Mr. Cannon?” Harold Smith asked.
There was a long pause on the other end of the line before supernatural investigator George Cannon replied, “Yes, this is he.”
“This is Sher
iff Smith from Lemon Bliss. I was the one you spoke with after the death of your partner in that old lemon tea factory. I was wondering if we could get together and talk.”
“Why?”
“I have some questions and I’m hoping you can answer them for me,” Harold explained.
“I don’t know that I have the answers you are looking for.”
“Then it couldn’t hurt to talk, right?” Harold pressed.
“Fine. Where?”
“Not here. Not in Lemon Bliss,” the sheriff asserted. “It isn’t safe here.”
“Fine, Ruby Red work for you?”
“I’ll be there. Can I meet you in an hour?”
“Yes.”
Harold hung up the phone and looked around his office. He knew he was stepping in it, but those women were up to something, he just knew it. All the rumors—there had to be something to it. Those women were making him look like an idiot. Walking around like they owned the town. Enough was enough. They wouldn’t make him the laughing stock of the county.
“I’ll be out of the office for a few hours,” he told the elderly secretary sitting at the desk outside of his own office.
He climbed into his old truck and headed out of town. He passed the old factory and stared up at the big chimney reaching into the sky. He had suspected there was something strange about that place for a long time, but had always taken the position that if they didn’t bother him, he wouldn’t bother them. That was over.
Lila had crossed a line. The woman had made him look like a chump. It was time to dig in and fight back.
He pulled into the diner parking lot and went inside, looking around. When he saw his target, he made a beeline for the man and slid into the booth. The waitress appeared almost instantly, delivering a glass of water and taking his order. He wasn’t hungry but figured he better order a cup of coffee, at least.
As soon as the waitress walked away, he turned to face the investigator.
“What can I help you with, sheriff?”
