by D. S. Butler
She pointed towards the counter, and I saw a large red and gold, leather-bound book, wrapped in white tissue paper.
I stood up and took a closer look. The writing on the front looked like old English.
“It’s a book of spells,” Jess said, her eyes gleaming with excitement.
I smiled at her enthusiasm, but I didn’t share it. Jess was a traditional witch, like Grandma Grant. She was quite brilliant at spells and especially skilled in protection spells.
I’d never been very good at them. I’d always found it a bit like studying. A pinch of this and a sprinkle of that, and then having to say all the words in the right order. It really wasn’t for me. That wasn’t where my abilities lay.
I had a different talent.
My witchy ability was being able to see ghosts like Loretta.
It was quite disconcerting at first. The first time it happened had been just after my sixteenth birthday. I’d been to the theater with a friend, and we’d just left the cinema and rounded the corner when we saw a group of people gathered on the road and heard approaching sirens.
We were jostled forward, closer to the crowd, and that’s when I saw the old lady lying on the floor.
She’d been hit by a car, and it looked pretty bad. My friend covered her eyes, and I’d wanted to do the same, but something made me keep looking. To my astonishment, I saw the ghost of the little old lady float upward, look down at her prone body on the floor and give a little shrug.
I stared as she spun in a circle and spiraled upwards into the sky until she disappeared.
I blinked a couple of times and put the vision down to the fact I’d just watched a horror movie, but that incident had turned out to be the first of many.
I kept quiet about it at first. I mean you don’t want people to think you’re going crazy, do you? And how exactly do you explain a vision like that to someone?
But Grandma Grant had known. She arrived in New York just a couple of weeks after my sixteenth birthday.
She’d waited until we were alone in the kitchen one evening after dinner, and then asked me whether I’d noticed anything strange lately.
Of course, that could have meant anything. So I hedged around the subject for a bit, not wanting to tell her I had been hallucinating.
After a while, she got tired of it and said bluntly. “Harper Grant, stop giving me the runaround. Are you a witch, or not?”
Naturally, when she found out that I could see ghosts she was very pleased. I was glad someone was. At that point, I would have given anything to go back to being boring old Harper.
Apparently, we hadn’t had one of my type of witch, a ghost-seer, in the family for generations. She’d told me she had hopes for her brother once, but unfortunately, his hallucinations had turned out to be a result of his drinking problem rather than any magical ability.
“It’s the town festival tomorrow. Do you think Grandma is up to something?” Jess asked. “I bet she’s got something planned.”
Grandma didn’t think it was important to keep the fact that we were witches a secret. She didn’t broadcast it, but she didn’t exactly keep it quiet either. Jess and I would prefer people didn’t know. Life could be hard enough as a witch, without your neighbors gossiping about you.
“I’d forgotten about the festival. I hope she isn’t planning anything. She hasn’t even mentioned going, so maybe she’s forgotten about it.”
Jess raised an eyebrow. “Unlikely. She never forgets anything. She’s got a memory like an elephant. Anyway, I have to go. Elizabeth Naggington is making me do tarot readings. Can you believe it? She knows it makes me uncomfortable, but that woman doesn’t take no for an answer.”
Elizabeth Naggington was one of the town’s most notorious gossips. Bossy and self-righteous, she didn’t have many friends in Abbott Cove. She had a brow-beaten husband and son, but most other people, including me, did their best to avoid her.
I nodded as I dished up the cherry pie. Jessica was right Elizabeth Naggington was awful. Luckily so far, I’d managed to avoid being roped into helping with one of the stalls.
“Maybe whatever Grandma Grant is planning involves the festival,” Jess suggested.
“I almost hope it does. Then we could call the whole thing off. Elizabeth does have a habit of taking control of everything and making everyone miserable.”
I know. I’m a terrible person with no community spirit, but seriously? Town gatherings weren’t any fun when you tried to plan them with military precision as Elizabeth Naggington did.
Bossing everyone about was just asking for trouble.
Chapter Three
Lunch was always our busiest time, so I didn’t stay long with Jess. I got back to the diner just as Chief Wickham was leaving. I held the door open for two customers, coming in just behind me, and when I saw who they were, I felt my shoulders slump.
Loretta made a tutting sound behind me. “Oh no,” she said. “Not her again.”
It was Elizabeth Naggington and husband Robert. Nothing was ever good enough for Elizabeth. She was one of those people who found fault with everything.
Last time she’d visited the diner, she complained that the windows were letting in too much sun. On another occasion, she moaned that the salt had come out too fast and ruined her meal. She’d been visiting the diner for years, and the salt shakers were exactly the same as they’d always been.
Her poor beleaguered husband, Robert, followed her around with a morose expression on his face. Occasionally, he would look up apologetically, blink a couple of times and then return his gaze to the floor. It seemed he knew better than to contradict his wife.
Archie must have heard me groan as she walked in.
“Now, now,” Archie said. “The customer is always right.” He gave me a beaming smile, displaying his dimples.
Elizabeth Naggington was a customer who certainly always thought she was right.
“It’s all right for you,” I whispered to Archie. “You don’t have to serve her and listen to her moaning.”
“You’re overreacting,” Archie told me. “She just likes things a certain way. Let me deal with her.”
I shrugged. “My pleasure. Go right ahead.”
As far as I was concerned, the less time I spent talking to her the better. Plus, if I wasn’t serving her, there was less chance of her collaring me to work on one of the stalls for the town festival.
Archie picked up a menu, folded a tea towel over his arm, so he looked like a waiter from a French restaurant and sauntered over to the table.
Elizabeth was already screwing up her nose as she brushed her seat free from imaginary crumbs.
“Look at Lady Muck over there, looking down her nose at everyone and everything,” Loretta said from behind me.
Despite my best intentions, I couldn’t help but smile. Loretta had hit the nail on the head. Lady Muck described Elizabeth Naggington perfectly.
“Isn’t it a glorious day?” Archie was saying to Elizabeth and Robert.
Elizabeth sat down, and her gaze flickered to the window. “The heat plays havoc with my complexion. I prefer the weather when it’s cloudy. It’s completely the wrong sort of weather for this time of year.”
Elizabeth’s mouth turned down at the corners, and she glared at the cloudless sky.
I rolled my eyes. It was a beautiful day. The leaves were just beginning to turn, and the yellow and red leaves set against the vivid blue of the sky made a very attractive sight. Days like today were exactly the reason we had so many tourists visiting our small town of Abbott Cove.
Surely Archie would now have to give up and admit that Elizabeth would never be happy with anything.
But Archie soldiered on, determined to win her over.
“The soup of the day is leek and potato,” he said. “I like all of Sarah’s soups, but the leek and potato is really something special.”
“I just hope the potatoes aren’t too old, like they were last time,” Elizabeth sniped.
That just wasn’t true. Sarah who worked in the kitchen was a fabulous cook and her leek and potato soup was to die for. Archie made sure to buy the best quality ingredients, too.
Archie looked a little taken aback, but he carried on bravely. “We have a fillet of beef that’s—”
“I wouldn’t dream of having fillet of beef here,” Elizabeth said rudely. “Not in a provincial diner like this.”
Archie’s face turned a bright red as he stared down at her furiously.
“I’ll just let you look through the menu then,” he said through gritted teeth, dropping the menu on the table. “Harper will be over to take your order soon.”
He stalked off, and as he passed me, he said, “That woman is simply intolerable.”
I could have told him that.
I gave Elizabeth and Robert a couple more minutes to look at the menu, even though it hadn’t changed much since their last visit. For someone who looks down her nose at the cooking, Elizabeth visited the diner an awful lot.
“Hello,” I said brightly, smiling at Robert and Elizabeth as I walked up to their table to take their order.
“Hello, Harper,” Robert said and gave me a half-hearted smile.
Elizabeth looked at me suspiciously. “I’ll have the shrimp sandwich,” she said. “And Robert will have the chicken salad. We’ll share a pitcher of iced tea.”
“Right,” I said cheerfully, and wrote it down on my order pad.
“Actually, dear, I thought I might try the beef today,” Robert said tentatively.
“Don’t be ridiculous, Robert. You know red meat doesn’t agree with your digestion.” She looked at me pointedly. “He’ll have the chicken salad.”
She glared at me as if she was waiting for me to contradict her, but I didn’t dare.
I hesitated by their table for a moment, but it didn’t seem as if Robert was going to argue the point with his wife either, so I poured them both some water and headed to the kitchen to give Sarah the order.
The lunch rush was particularly busy, as a busload of tourists arrived out of the blue. We were usually forewarned so Archie could hire an extra pair of hands, but now and again we had a surprise arrival.
Archie pitched in to help me, but we were both rushed off our feet.
Elizabeth didn’t appreciate waiting.
As the Naggingtons had ordered before we were inundated by the new arrivals, I’d managed to get their salad and sandwich out quickly, but I wasn’t quick enough topping up their drinks for Elizabeth’s liking.
I had just gone back for the new pitcher of iced tea when I heard a large bang as Elizabeth slapped her palm on the table.
“This is simply unforgivable,” she said in a high-pitched voice.
Several heads swiveled around to see who was making a fuss.
“It’s a disgrace,” Elizabeth continued. “And this is absolutely the last time I eat in this awful little diner.”
She stood up and picked up her purse, tucking it under her arm. “Come along, Robert. We are leaving.”
Robert, who had been just about to take a mouthful of chicken, paused with the fork halfway to his mouth. “But, dear, I haven’t finished…”
Elizabeth gave him such a look that I thought he might burst into flames on the spot.
“We are regulars,” Elizabeth said. “And these tourists are being served before us. No, Robert, I will not stand to be treated this way, and neither will you. Now, get up. We’re leaving.”
Robert quickly put down his fork and walked around the table to offer his wife his arm so he could escort her out of the diner.
I glanced at Archie and could see that his cheeks were bright red again, and he was trembling with rage.
Just before they reached the door, Elizabeth turned around and looked past me to the kitchen hatch, where Sarah stood, peering out to see what all the noise was about.
“And you can tell the cook that was quite simply the worst shrimp I have ever eaten.”
The entire diner was now focused on Elizabeth Naggington as she flounced out.
I heard Sarah mutter a curse behind me. “Someone needs to do something about that woman.”
The rest of the lunch period passed without too much fuss. I enjoyed being busy. I found that the time flew around, and I enjoyed having the tourists visit. It was nice to see new faces, and it was important for Abbott Cove’s economy to get tourists.
I was feeling a little guilty, though. I knew it was my fault. I’d been too slow with the second pitcher of iced tea, and that had caused Elizabeth to go off the deep end.
After the last of the tourists had left, cheerfully waving goodbye, I apologized to Archie.
“I’m sorry. I should have gotten them refills faster.”
“Nonsense,” he said. “Their glasses weren’t even empty. She just wanted something to complain about, she’s just a nasty, old…”
My eyes widened. I’d never seen Archie so angry. He was normally very easy-going.
He shook his head. “Anyway, let’s forget about all that unpleasantness. Things should hopefully quieten down a little now.”
Chapter Four
The afternoon at the diner passed without any more calamities. There weren’t many customers, and we were glad of the chance to get our breath back after such a busy lunch. An hour before my shift was due to end, Archie told me to leave early, and he would finish up.
Sarah gave me three large slices of her delicious carrot cake to take home as she knew I was having dinner with Grandma Grant and Jess.
I called goodbye to Archie and stepped outside the diner, not looking where I was going, and as I stepped forward, I collided with a wall of hard muscle.
My gaze traveled upwards, skimming over a broad chest, muscular shoulders, and a strong jaw and focused on the most sparkling blue eyes I’d ever seen.
I have to admit I gaped a little as I drank in the tall, dark, handsome figure in front of me.
He looked like he had just stepped off the cover of a magazine. His tanned skin, piercing blue eyes and strong jaw were a dangerous combination. He was dressed in a pair of jeans and a smart shirt that hugged his broad shoulders. They may have been casual clothes, but somehow on him, the effect was sharp yet formal. The only relaxed thing about him was his dark hair, which tumbled forward over his forehead.
He raked his fingers through his hair and stared down at me, raising an eyebrow.
“Whoa. Watch where you’re going there, Harper,” said a familiar voice, and for the first time, I realized that I wasn’t alone with this handsome stranger. Chief Wickham stood next to him.
Flustered, I took a quick step backward. “Sorry. My mistake. I was in a rush.”
“No harm done,” the handsome stranger said, his mouth twitching with a smile as he noticed the effect he had on me.
For some reason, I found that irritating.
I tried to act as if I wasn’t bothered by his presence in the slightest. I opened the cardboard carton and checked on my carrot cake, which thankfully had escaped the collision without getting squished.
“Harper, I’d like to introduce you to my new deputy, Joe McGrady,” Chief Wickham said.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you.” Joe held out his hand.
When I placed my hand in his warm one, I felt a tingle run along the length of my arm.
I wasn’t sure whether that was simply my reaction to a good-looking guy -- I was female after all -- or whether it was something magical in the air… Maybe a warning.
I’d been feeling out of sorts all day. Almost as if the universe was warning me something big was about to happen.
I quickly removed my hand and smiled at him and Chief Wickham.
“So, you’ve just moved to town,” I said.
Way to go, Harper. Bowl him over with your incredible ability to point out the obvious.
“Yes, I’ve just moved here from New York City.”
I frowned. “I imagine that’s quite a change. I’m sure you’ll find our little t
own quite boring in comparison.”
“Boring sounds good to me after what I’ve been through. I’m after peace and quiet, and this town appeals to me on all levels.”
Immediately, I was intrigued. What had he been through?
“Well, isn’t he a very good-looking young man,” Loretta said as she hovered behind me.
Loretta chose the worst moments to appear. She didn’t usually stray far from the diner, which was where she felt safe, but obviously, Joe McGrady’s appearance had attracted her attention.
I did my best to ignore her and just grinned like a crazy person at Chief Wickham and Joe McGrady.
“If only I was ten years younger,” Loretta swooned.
Try thirty years, I thought snappily. Plus, the small matter that she was a ghost. I turned to glare at Loretta over my shoulder.
The trouble was, I was so focused on not speaking aloud to Loretta, I hadn’t noticed that Chief Wickham and Joe were both waiting for me to reply to something they’d just said.
Impressive. That had to be a record even for me. In less than sixty seconds, I’d managed to convince Joe I was an oddball.
I felt my cheeks go warm under his gaze.
Chief Wickham was now looking at us both with a frown on his face. “Right, well, don’t let us hold you up, Harper. Say hello to your Grandma and Jess for me. No doubt, I’ll see you at the festival tomorrow.”
“Yes, I’ll be there, Chief. Nice meeting you, Joe.”
I quickly walked past them and continued along Main Street. I had a strong feeling I’d managed to make a complete fool of myself. Sometimes, it was hard to act like a normal person, especially with Loretta hovering over my shoulder.
I sighed. There went my chances of impressing the first good-looking man to wander into Abbott Cove for years. Then I looked down at my takeaway carton and shrugged. I still had cake. Every cloud had a silver lining.
As I walked up to Grandma Grant’s house, I became aware of a strange rustling noise coming from the greenhouse.
I picked my way through the overgrown path, which led to the large glass doors, and then peered in.
