Pawsitively Betrayed

by Melissa Erin Jackson

  A text from Jack had popped up on the screen. You need to get back to The Quirky Whisker as soon as possible!

  Her heart lodged in her throat.

  After confirming with the Bowen sisters that they could man the booth alone while she dealt with an emergency, she grabbed her purse and hustled for the exit to the fairgrounds. She called Willow on the way to her car.

  “Hey, Amber,” Willow answered, her tone calm and light. “We—”

  “Are you at the shop? Is everything okay there?”

  “Everything was fine when we left. Aunt G and I are going to grab lunch with … our grandparents! That’s so weird to say. They told us you already met them. Thanks for the news.”

  Her heartrate slowed a little. “I figured you were too busy canoodling with a popstar.”

  “There has been no canoodling,” Willow said. “Yet.”

  Amber laughed.

  “Also, gird your loins because we’re having a family reunion dinner tonight,” Willow said. “We haven’t chosen the restaurant yet, but both Edgar and Raphael said they’re coming.”

  “Oh wow,” Amber said, realizing how charged a reunion between Raphael and his parents could be. It would be the first time they had seen each other since they’d dropped him off at Pleasant Meadows. Yikes. She hoped the restaurant had insurance. “Are you sure everything was okay at the shop?”

  “Yep!” she chirped, then immediately hung up.

  Amber’s anxiety only got worse the closer she got to The Quirky Whisker. What was going on?

  When she turned onto Russian Blue Avenue, she found a ton of people milling about on the sidewalk. She parked on the street a door away, then slowly approached. Jack, Simon, Bianca, and Kim were all there, but so were Ben Lydon and Chloe Deidrick—and they were holding hands, Amber noticed.

  She also spotted Henrietta, Thea, Nathan, and Jolene. Ann Marie and Alan Peterson were here, too. Even from this distance, she could sense how Alan’s intense quiet energy didn’t match the vibe of the rest of the group. Amber had just reached the mouth of the parking lot when Jack noticed her approach. He and the others scrambled to arrange themselves in some semblance of a formation. The long line of people snaking out of Purrfectly Scrumptious across the street were eyeing this spectacle with curiosity.

  Four of her friends were holding something long and white, like a small rolled-up rug.

  “Now,” Jack said, and then unfurled what turned out to be a banner that said, “Grand Reopening!”

  Chloe, Ben, and the Bishops shot off party favors. Kim, Ann Marie, Nathan, and Jolene blew noisemakers. They all cheered as if Amber had performed a great trick. Alan Peterson clapped politely.

  She smiled awkwardly as she reached them. “What’s all this?”

  “You’re too scared to open your shop again,” Jack said.

  Amber flushed a little. “I’m not scared …”

  “You’re totally scared,” Kim said.

  “Yep,” Bianca agreed.

  “Time to fix that!” Jack said. “A few of us can hang up the sign and set up out here. Put the rest of us to work. Ben said he can help you keep the place running until you can get one of the Bowens back over here.”

  Amber bit her bottom lip but nodded.

  “Woo!” Kim cheered again, giving her noisemaker one more excited blast before everyone got to work. Balloons materialized from behind Nathan.

  Jack, Nathan, Jolene, and Kim stayed outside to spruce up the entrance, while the rest filed inside. Amber asked the others to straighten up the shelves, though she’d kept the place in decent shape over the course of the week. In short order, Ann Marie had pulled a folding table out of storage, and she, the Bishops, Ben, and Chloe worked to create a display of Amber’s cat toys, the extra Here and Meow exclusives prominently arranged in front.

  Amber was behind the counter while they worked, restocking and straightening up the apothecary wall. The baskets along the bottom were still in disarray from the day she and Aunt G had rifled through them all in search for the escaped Thea in her hamster form.

  “Amber?”

  She stilled on her hands and knees, wide eyes focused on the apothecary wall, at the sound of Alan’s voice. Amber had no idea if the WBI had gotten to him with their memory wipes. Knowing Alan, he’d stayed off their radar, since avoiding notice was one of his best skills as a private investigator.

  Standing, she brushed off her knees and turned to face him. “What can I do for you, Alan?”

  He stared at her a beat, then cast a quick look over his shoulder to make sure the others were still occupied. “You know I like you, Amber. I don’t like many people. And I’m forever indebted to you for convincing Ann Marie to give me a chance.”

  Amber, slightly relieved, opened her mouth, only to have Alan cut her off.

  “But,” he said, “you and your family are now tied not only to a murder, but potential kidnapping. Not to mention a number of other incidents in town that warrant an investigation. I hope there’s nothing for me to find when I start digging and that there’s a reasonable explanation for all of it—but I just wanted you to have a heads up that I will be looking.”

  Amber swallowed. The WBI definitely hadn’t gotten to him. He’d evaded their attention, and now he was focused on her weird past. “I’m a witch,” she blurted, then quickly scanned the people milling around the shop. No one seemed to have overheard.

  Alan opened his mouth, closed it, then cocked his head at her like a curious cat. “Like … magic?” he whispered.

  Nodding, Amber stared at him intently, hoping her gut was right about him.

  “Huh,” he said after a moment. “You know, that checks out.”

  Amber heaved out a sigh of relief.

  “Does Ann Marie know?”

  “Not yet.”

  “Fair enough. Thanks for telling me,” he said, taking this news in stride just like he did with everything else. “Congratulations on the grand reopening.”

  Within half an hour, everything was ready to go except Amber’s welcome sign. She took the small chalkboard off its hook on the door and stared down at the forlorn cat logo. “Sorry. We’re closed for the rest of the week.” Taking the board to the counter, Amber squatted behind it.

  She cast the familiar spell and then slowly waved a hand over the board. The cat’s downcast eyes were now focused out at his audience. A little smirk lit up his whiskered face. “Welcome!” the sign said now.

  As she emerged from her hiding place, Henrietta headed her way, her face as red as her hair. “Amber, can I talk to you about something?” She wrung her hands.

  “Sure …”

  Lowering her voice, she said, “So Thea filled me in on everything. I mean … everything. Including how you found out about my failed tea business. But, I mean, of course it failed if the missing ingredient is literally magic!”

  Amber fought a laugh.

  “I just wanted to say I’m so sorry about all of it,” she said. “Me trying to steal from you started this whole mess.”

  “Henrietta, no—”

  “Just … let me finish,” Henrietta said, face still flush. “When I met with Molly for our ‘business meeting,’ I realized I’d been duped. She offered to pay me to spy on you. I said no. She started harassing me. She’d show up all over town, threatening me and saying if I didn’t get dirt on you, she was going to expose me for the thief I was. She said she had evidence that I was complicit in my ex-husband’s schemes and that she could get me thrown in jail.” Henrietta sighed. “Molly and I had this bad, blowout fight in your parking lot and I screamed at her that my sister is a lawyer and if she didn’t leave me alone, I was going to file a harassment suit. As I was leaving, I looked in my rearview mirror and Molly was standing there glaring at me, and then I swear to you, for like ten seconds, she was someone else. She was taller, had black hair, and crazy eyes. She was grinning at me and waved, then turned back into Molly. I swear I thought I imagined it. Then a few nights later, I saw the black-haire
d woman loitering in my neighborhood. Now I know she was Patrice Penhallow. I just don’t know how often it had been her, and when it had really been Molly.”

  Amber frowned, feeling terrible that Henrietta had been pulled into all this because of her. “I’m so sorry, Hen.”

  “You’re sorry?” Henrietta asked, incredulous. “If I had just tried getting a job like a normal person, Molly wouldn’t have found out about my dumb idea and—”

  “Stop,” Amber said, holding a hand up. “The Penhallows had been manipulating people for months, if not years. If it hadn’t have been you that Patrice used, it would have been someone else.”

  Amber still hadn’t wrapped her brain around the fact that Molly was going to be working for the WBI, which was possibly just as bad as Molly working with the Penhallows.

  “Anyway,” Henrietta said. “I hope you can forgive me and I swear when I purchase your magical tea, it’ll be for personal use only.” She started to back away from the counter.

  “Where do you think you’re going?” Amber asked. “There’s an opening on the staff if you’re still interested.”

  Henrietta’s eyes lit up. “Really?”

  “Yep. I can make it work,” Amber said.

  “Thank you,” Henrietta said. “Truly.”

  “Ben and I can get you started today, if you’re up for it.”

  “Yes!” Henrietta said, and hurried across the shop to tell Thea the news.

  Amber walked to her front door and hung the welcome sign there. Just as she pulled the door open, a man rounded the corner of the recessed entry. His blonde hair was a bit unruly for him, and he breathed heavily.

  “Did I miss the grand reopening?” Chief Brown heaved.

  “Perfect timing,” Amber said.

  Little footsteps sounded and then Sammy appeared around the side of his dad’s leg. Jessica, with baby Isabelle, joined them a second later.

  “Sorry we’re late,” Jessica said. “Sammy wanted to make sure he had on the perfect outfit for the occasion.”

  “Thank you both for coming,” Amber said, feeling foolish that all these people were making such a fuss over her when her shop had only been closed for a few days. Then she looked down at Sammy and noticed that not only did he wear a button up shirt, but he also wore a rather snappy clip-on paisley bow tie. “Do you know what kind of toy you want today, Sammy?”

  “I want a bear, Miss Amber,” he said, then took off into the shop.

  Chief Brown smiled, squeezed Amber’s arm, and then followed his son inside. Jessica trailed after them, Isabelle’s bright blue eyes widening as she took in the sights and colors of Amber’s unique shop.

  “Excuse me?” someone asked behind Amber, and she turned to see a woman standing on the sidewalk with her young daughter. “Are you open again?”

  Several people milled about outside, peering in the windows or watching Amber hopefully.

  Amber smiled and held the door open wider. “We sure are. Come on in.”

  THE END

  Thank you for joining Amber and me on this journey! The series is done for now, but I may return to Edgehill in the future.

  If you would like to learn more about the Witch of Edgehill series, as well as upcoming series, you can join my newsletter HERE.

  And, as always, reviews are greatly appreciated.

  Thank you for reading Pawsitively Betrayed! If you enjoyed this story, please consider leaving a review. Reviews mean the world to authors. Reviews often mean more sales, and more sales means more freedom to write more books.

  Other books by Melissa Erin Jackson:

  If you’re looking for a slightly darker tale, consider The Forgotten Child, a haunting paranormal mystery starring a reluctant medium.

  The dead can speak. They need her to listen.

  Ever since Riley Thomas, reluctant medium extraordinaire, accidentally released a malevolent spirit from a Ouija board when she was thirteen, she’s taken a hard pass on scary movies, haunted houses, and cemeteries. Twelve years later, when her best friend pressures her into spending a paranormal investigation weekend at the infamous Jordanville Ranch—former home of deceased serial killer Orin Jacobs—Riley’s still not ready to accept the fact that she can communicate with ghosts.

  Shortly after their arrival at the ranch, the spirit of a little boy contacts Riley; a child who went missing—and was never found—in 1973.

  In order to put the young boy’s spirit to rest, she has to come to grips with her ability. But how can she solve a mystery that happened a decade before she was born? Especially when someone who knows Orin’s secrets wants to keep the truth buried—no matter the cost.

  About the Author

  Melissa has had a love of stories for as long as she can remember, but only started penning her own during her freshman year of college. She majored in Wildlife, Fish, and Conservation Biology at UC Davis. Yet, while she was neck-deep in organic chemistry and physics, she kept finding herself writing stories in the back of the classroom about fairies and trolls and magic. She finished her degree, but it never captured her heart the way writing did.

  Now she owns her own dog walking business (that’s sort of wildlife related, right?) by day … and afternoon and night … and writes whenever she gets a spare moment. The Microsoft Word app is a gift from the gods!

  She alternates mostly between fantasy and mystery (often with a paranormal twist). All her books have some element of “other” to them … witches, ghosts, UFOs. There’s no better way to escape the real world than getting lost in a fictional one.

  She lives in Northern California with her very patient boyfriend and way too many pets.

  Her debut novel, The Forgotten Child, released in October of 2018, and her five-book Witch of Edgehill series is complete. All books are available in audio!

  You can find out more about her upcoming books at: https://melissajacksonbooks.com

  Acknowledgments

  Ahh! The series is complete (for now)! It has been such a fun experience. Thank you to all my readers who have been with me from the beginning. When I started to feel daunted by the task of wrapping this series up, hearing from people eager for this latest installment kept me going. I hope you all have enjoyed your time in Edgehill as much as I have.

  As always, thank you to my beta readers … Mom, Krista Hall, Margarita Martinez, Brittany Gray, Christiane Loeffler, Jennifer Laam, Lauren Sprang, Garrett Lemons, Jasmine Warren, Kara Klemcke, Mary Studebaker, Samantha Lierer, Quinn Nicols, Cynthia Sandusky, and John Parker—y’all are the best!

  Thanks to my design team. Maggie Hall for my covers, and Michelle Raymond and Clark Kenyon for all the feline flair.

  Thank you to Justin Cohen for being my favorite proofreader. Can’t wait to work with you on the next one!

  I’m delighted to have found Victoria Villarreal, my audiobook narrator. Edgehill and Amber Blackwood will forever be more real to me thanks to you.

  To my new Sunday accountability group, thank you for being the support I didn’t know I needed during quarantine. Whether we laugh or cry (and sometimes both!), our meetings help give me a boost to get through the week ahead. Rebecca, Michelle, Cecilie, and Lauren, you ladies are great.

  A huge thank you to Sam for the emotional support, the hours of video games, the energy drink runs, and keeping me from falling apart. Times have been rough, but you make them better. And we haven’t murdered each other yet, so that’s a plus!

  I had to say goodbye to my best friend of the last twelve years shortly after I finished this book. Diamond lived to the ripe old of fifteen, which doesn’t feel like nearly long enough. When is someone going to figure out how to make dogs live longer? She helped me through a breakup, took countless weekend trips with me, and went on a cross country road trip with me, Sam, and Boorito. Both our girls are gone now, and the house feels so quiet without them. I miss you like crazy, sweet girl.

  Finally, I want to thank my readers. Whether you’ve been with me from the start, or if you just binged t
he series, I’m so happy that I get to share these books with others. I’m still floored whenever readers tell me how much they enjoy them. I have many more stories in the works, and I can’t wait to share what’s coming up next!