Cornbread & Crossroads

by Bella Falls

  “You just miss having Bea’s help when the three pixies get a little out of hand,” Matt accused with a raised eyebrow.

  My brother knew me too well. The brownie had been helpful in wrangling Mug, Nug, and Bug and keeping them from breaking too many of my things.

  “That reminds me, I need to let Blythe know I have room for a new resident. At least our spell phones still work if we’re calling someone in Honeysuckle proper.” I pulled mine out of my pocket and stared at it.

  “I’m glad you found a way to talk to Mason,” Matt said. “Is he coming back?”

  I winced at the reminder of my conversation with the detective over the mirror last night. “He doesn’t know yet. When he tried to bring up the status of the case to Detective Clarkson, things didn’t go well. I think he wants to return but doesn’t know what to do.”

  Matt thought for a moment. “Maybe I can get Big Willie to call up to the other detective’s boss and tell him that Mason’s needed back here.”

  My eyes widened. “Do you think the sheriff would do that? It would mean lying to the higher-ups in a much bigger city.”

  “Pfft,” my brother dismissed. “Willie doesn’t give two hoots and a holler about anyone who would try and make it seem like he’s something less than them just because he works here. Plus, there are definitely some weird things going on around here. Like the spell phone issue.”

  “And today’s town hall meeting. I mean, why is it permanent residents only? That’s kind of unraveling all the goodwill we built up at the potluck.” We both knew the real reason behind the segregation, but after our talk the other night, I didn’t want to bring up the issue of our aunt again.

  “Maybe the council wants to present the welcoming committee’s findings and talk about next steps?” Matt suggested. “Whatever the topic is, I’ll meet you there later. But seriously, try to get a little rest. And a shower to boot.”

  I rolled my eyes. “Yes, Dad.”

  Instead of teasing me further or ruffling my hair, my brother pulled me in for a tight hug. “Someone’s gotta take care of you.”

  Before he could make me cry yet again, I patted him on the back and pulled myself away. “See you later.”

  Once I got back to my house, I ignored the sounds of high-pitched bickering erupting from the kitchen and dragged my tired soul upstairs to my room. Picking up Peaches from the exact middle of my bed, I flopped down and curled up around my little kitty. Her buzzy purrs drowned out my worries and lulled me to sleep.

  A loud thud interrupted my rest, and I sat up in bed, disoriented. I’d forgotten to set an alarm, but a quick glance at my spell phone relieved my initial panic. With a yawn, I trudged out into the hallway to find out who’d done what and where.

  Grumbling and more crashes emanated from Beau’s room, and I followed the tumult to find my roommate knee-deep in a mess of his things.

  “What are you doing?”

  Beau whipped around, his mouth drawn down in a pouty frown. “I’ve been invited on a trip.”

  His reaction befuddled me. “Okay, usually people are happy and excited when they say those words.”

  Beau shook his head, the little wisps of hair on top of his head waving around. “No, you don’t understand. They’re going away and they want me to go with them.” The more he explained, the more his frustration grew.

  Not wanting my roommate to carry his tantrum to other rooms of the house, I took cautious steps through the melee of messiness and invited him to sit next to me on his bed. He collapsed next to me, his shoulders slumped in defeat.

  I put a comforting arm around his shoulders. “Now, make me understand so I can help. Who are they?”

  “My girls. All the women who I’ve courted.” Beau listed off a bunch of names, some that surprised me to no end.

  “Wow.” The word hung in the air between us as I processed the sheer number. “That’s practically all of the women of a certain age in Honeysuckle.”

  My vampire roommate sighed. “I know. And it’s all Cordy’s fault. She’s the one who got them all riled up, and now they want to go on a cruise to some tropical destination.”

  I’d met Cordelia Jenkins at the retirement home when I went there to investigate the death of my old teacher, Mrs. Kettlefields. I remembered Cordelia as a very enthusiastic friend of Beau’s and could see how she might be a natural ringleader to some shenanigans.

  “What’s so bad about a cruise?” I asked.

  Beau fidgeted and gazed up at me with pleading eyes. “It’s one thing for us vampires to live here in Honeysuckle. We get to be ourselves, just living our lives. I’ve always had issues in places that are new, and it takes me a while before I feel…comfortable enough to be me.”

  When I’d first connected with him after Uncle Tipper’s death, he’d been so distraught that I questioned whether or not he could function on his own. Because of my initial pity for him, I’d invited him to stay with me when I inherited the house. Over time, he had flourished into a Casanova figure for the elder ladies and a staunch friend to me.

  Glancing around us, I gestured at the clothes and items strewn about. “If you don’t want to go, why go through your things?”

  “I’m stuck, Charli. A part of me wants to go with them, so I was looking for appropriate attire. Which, there isn’t any for such a sunny destination.” Beau picked up a nearby outdated flowing puffy shirt with long sleeves and flapped it in my face like a flag of surrender. “We vampires can walk about all we want, but too much sun still isn’t such a good idea.”

  “So, you’re saying you’re stuck between wanting to go in theory and thinking it wouldn’t be a good idea?” I clarified.

  My vampire roommate nodded, his big puppy-dog eyes glistening with fresh tears. “They’d be gone for so long, and maybe they’d each find someone new who liked to travel.”

  My lips twitched into a slight grin, a little amused that Beau’s jealousy was at the root of his despondency. I patted his arm in sympathy. “When are they supposed to leave?”

  “I don’t know,” he pouted again. “Cordy’s having issues getting ahold of the travel agency. She keeps calling them but nobody answers.”

  That little detail captured my attention. “Do you know if she’s using a spell phone to call?”

  He shook his head. “No, she doesn’t like the newfangled technology. Says she doesn’t trust it.”

  My gut churned, and I noted the bigger communication problem developing in Honeysuckle. “I might bring this up at the town hall meeting.” I pulled him to his feet. “Come on, let’s go together, and maybe we can figure out your problem later.

  “Thanks, Charli,” Beau muttered, accepting my comfort with a grin. “I’ll try to sit between Cordy and Flossy and convince them to do something local. Maybe a staycation! Perhaps I could host it here since you’ve been staying over at your grandmother’s place.”

  The thought of my roommate wooing several women under my own roof gave me the heebie-jeebies. Not wanting to crush his heart any further, I uttered the only answer I could. “Maybe, but don’t make any promises.”

  When I left his room, I gagged a little at the mental images swimming in my head and did my best to cleanse them out with a hot shower. Before I left my bathroom, I snagged a small compact mirror from the drawer with my rarely used makeup and shoved it into the opposite pocket from my spell phone just in case Mason tried to get in touch.

  Beau and I walked into the center of town together, and I suffered through each of his ideas of what he and the ladies could do on staycation. We joined the throng of residents walking up the steps into the town hall, and I breathed a sigh of relief when Beau left my side to join a few of his girlfriends.

  Blythe waited for me with Ben and Lily. “Why do you keep shivering and gagging?”

  “You do not want to know,” I assured her. “Where’s Lavender?”

  “She’s still at the flower shop, talking with Nick,” her cousin Lily tattled. “She said there’s something fascina
ting about his aura.”

  “I’ll bet there is,” I snickered. “No shame in a single woman like Lav having a little flirty time with a hot new guy.”

  “That’s what I told her,” Lily exclaimed, patting Ben’s hand. “Not the hot guy part, sweetie.”

  The advocate let her off the hook far too easy. “I knew what you meant. Besides, I don’t mind if you look as long as that’s all. I’m going to go inside and make sure Lee’s helping to save seats, not just sitting there trying to solve the phone problem.”

  Lily huffed after he left. “Sometimes, I wish he’d be a little jealous. Then I’d know for sure where I stood with him.”

  Blythe reassured her before leaving us to talk to Mrs. Wilkes. I offered Lily my arm to act as her escort. “Is there something wrong between you two?”

  “No,” she huffed, accepting my invitation. “But I wish our timelines for our future together were in sync.”

  As we stomped up the stairs, a disturbing sight stopped me in my tracks. Henry stood at the top of the landing, shaking hands and greeting every single resident walking inside. A big grin spread right across his face. The sight of the unusual expression caught me by surprise.

  “Charli!” my assistant shouted as soon as he saw me. “Isn’t this a fabulous day to get together?”

  I stared at him, gazing up and down his body with suspicious scrutiny. “Seems like any other time that we have a community meeting. What’s that on your face?”

  Henry’s hand touched his cheek. “What?”

  “That smile. I didn’t know you knew how to do that,” I teased, preparing to receive some of his signature snark.

  Instead, he beamed at me. “Oh, you’re being silly. Of course I’m grinning. Why wouldn’t I be? Life in this small town is practically perfect. Isn’t that right, Lina? Look how tall your boys have grown.”

  Nodding at Ms. Moseley and saying hello to Eric, one of my former spell-permit class students, and his brother, I told Lily I’d follow her inside in a moment. I grabbed Henry by the arm and turned him to face me. “What’s really going on?”

  For a second, wrinkles of worry furrowed into his forehead, but after a few blinks of his eye, a smile returned to his weathered face. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. All I’m doing is being pleasant.”

  I pointed an accusatory finger at him. “There, that. You’re hardly ever pleasant. In fact, I’ve heard you crow about being a proud curmudgeon.”

  Henry shrugged his shoulders. “I guess I figured that time was short and I shouldn’t waste it being grouchy. Feeling happy is better, don’t you think?”

  Lavender caught my attention and waved at me as she hustled up the stairs. She looked between Henry and me with puzzlement, and I allowed her to take me away from the alien posing as my assistant.

  “Are you okay?” she asked.

  I didn’t know how to answer that question. With all the added stresses to my life, maybe everything was getting to me a little too much. “I think so. At least, I hope so.” Wanting to ignore the churning in my gut, I asked her about Nick.

  Her cheeks reddened and she avoided my gaze by searching for our seats with our friends. “We’re just talking.”

  “Did he ask you out or anything?” I pushed.

  She shook her head. “And even if he did, I don’t think I’d go. He’s good-looking and charming. Maybe a little too charming. He did ask me to consider working with him part-time to adjust auras.”

  “That sounds like an interesting idea,” I admitted. “Are you considering doing it?”

  “Maybe,” she said as we found our row. “But I don’t want him to get the wrong idea. And if I did work at his place, I definitely wouldn’t date the boss. We’ll have to see.”

  I greeted my friends as I sat down and leaned in to say hey to Matt and TJ seated in front of us.

  Matt beckoned me with a crook of his finger so he could whisper something. “Did you see Henry?”

  “Uh-huh.”

  “He’s being weird, right?” my brother checked. “It’s not just me?”

  “Nope.” I didn’t get a chance to say anything else as the meeting started.

  With very little pomp, the members of the town council entered from stage right and took their places behind their seats. The largest chair for the high seat remained empty, and my heart ached with Nana’s absence.

  I barely listened to Tucker’s introductory remarks, spending the time observing Aunt Nora’s behavior. The list of abnormalities kept growing longer to the point where they shouldn’t be ignored. Odd things were going on in Honeysuckle, and I intended to figure out why.

  Chapter Eleven

  Tucker finished reading off the minutes from the last meeting. An awkward silence followed with the lack of Nana’s guidance as to what to do next.

  Aunt Nora cleared her throat. “Thank you, Mr. Hawthorne.”

  I leaned over to my right and whispered to Lavender, “My aunt’s formality is freaking me out. That’s her son-in-law.”

  “I know,” my friend agreed. “Don’t be mad with me, but I miss you grandmother being up there. Without her, this whole meeting seems…wrong.”

  Lavender put voice to my exact thoughts. I became hyperaware of the rising sounds of discomfort with others shifting in their seats as well as coughs and whispers.

  My aunt took it upon herself to lead the meeting. “No doubt you have all heard about the status of Vivian’s health. I know her grandchildren are both in attendance tonight.”

  Bodies and eyes turned in our direction, and I resisted the urge to slink down in my chair.

  “Please pass on our sincerest well wishes. Should you require any assistance, please be sure to inform me,” she finished in her formal tone.

  Matt spoke up, “Thank you, Aunt Nora.”

  Her pursed lips conveyed her displeasure despite his gratitude. How anybody in the room could think the woman held an ounce of sympathy in her cold frame was beyond me.

  “With the high seat committee member absent, I shall humbly take on the mantle of authority for the purposes of this meeting,” Aunt Nora offered.

  “Humble as a fox standing square in the middle of a henhouse,” I mumbled, noticing the melting of my aunt’s icy exterior as she took charge.

  Glancing at the paper in her hand, she continued, “Next up will be Mr. Hollyspring, who shall give us a report on the welcoming committee’s findings.”

  “Thank you, Nora,” Flint said, hopping down from his chair.

  My aunt’s brows furrowed at the familiar use of her name. No doubt she would scold him after the meeting.

  With the short stature of the gnome a disadvantage since the table hid most of him from view, he stepped up on a small stool to be seen. “The welcoming committee has compiled a list of concerns for the council to consider. With the influx of newcomers, housing remains one of the biggest challenges we face. There have been a few suggestions made, but at this time, we’d like to encourage anyone who is willing to host some of them in your own homes to please see Ms. Blythe Atherton after the meeting.”

  My friend stood and waved at everyone. “I’ll meet all volunteers at the front of the stage after the meeting.”

  “Thank you, Blythe,” Flint said, perusing the other information on the sheets of paper he held. “I want to take this opportunity to thank those of you who have provided supplies to help out as well as offer the town’s gratitude to those who have provided employment for those who wanted to work right away. With teamwork such as this, our town should flourish and continue to succeed at fulfilling what the founders desired it to be—a safe haven for all magical kind.”

  Applause broke out through the crowd, and I joined in, clapping my hands together with pride. Perhaps I took a little too much pleasure in my aunt’s soured expression.

  Aunt Nora pasted a wan smile on her face. “Thank you, Mr. Hollyspring—”

  “Furthermore,” Flint cut her off, “we also owe a huge thanks to Ms. Clementine Walker Haw
thorne for leading the committee. Her attitude of inclusiveness has been a beacon for all of those willing to embrace new residents into our community. I’d ask for her to stand to accept our recognition of gratitude.”

  My cousin rose with shy trepidation but forced herself to smile and nod her head at everyone clapping for her. She glanced up at Tucker who beamed down at her with pride. I emitted a shrill whoop of support and a few others followed my lead.

  The mention of her own daughter forced Aunt Nora to paste on the same fake smile she reserved for me. She’d perfected the perfect expression that said “Bless your heart” and “Watch your back” at the same time. But when she gave Clementine her full attention, the smile softened into a genuine grin.

  As the tumult died down, Flint took the opportunity to press forward. “And now, I’d like to speak as head of security for our town.”

  “Mr. Hollyspring, that is not on our agreed agenda.” Aunt Nora waved her sheet of paper at him.

  The gnome brushed his long beard with his finger. “I know, but there are some concerning things that everyone should be aware of if they aren’t already.”

  He hopped down from his stool and made his way in front of the table so all could see him. “I’d like to extend my apologies to anyone who had a less than friendly encounter as you entered Honeysuckle. There seems to have been a misunderstanding of acceptable protocols. However, I can assure you that little hiccup has been dealt with.” Flint shot an annoyed glare at my aunt.

  Placing a hand over my mouth, I snickered. When Lavender asked me what tickled me, I brushed her off, promising to tell her later. I wished I could have been a fly on the wall when the gnome confronted my aunt about overstepping. No doubt she found out that his small stature didn’t match the strength of his character.

  “Also, I feel it’s my duty to inform everyone that there have been some fluctuations in the energy barrier that protects our town.” Flint held up his hands in an attempt to control the rise of disbelief and concern from the audience. “Let me assure you that my entire team is looking into finding the cause of the problem and that as far as I can assess, it doesn’t pose a danger to anyone here.”