Spencer's Cove

by Missouri Vaun

  “Don’t you know?”

  “No, not really.”

  “It’s magic.”

  “Dark matter is magic.” Foster repeated the words thoughtfully.

  “Like this…like us… Magic.” Abby squeezed Foster’s hand.

  Abby shifted beside her, leaning on her elbow. She placed her palm in the center of Foster’s chest. Warmth spread through Foster’s entire body from Abby’s touch. She closed her eyes and swallowed.

  “Think of all the things that are unseen but still have power.” Foster’s eyes were still closed. Abby whispered close to her ear. “Love, faith, forgiveness, kindness…all these things are magic, life-altering. Miracles to be witnessed and shared.”

  “Abby Spencer, you are all the magic I need.” Foster rolled Abby onto her back and kissed her.

  “Foster?”

  “Yes?” Foster had moved from Abby’s lips to nuzzling her neck.

  “That night, under the water, I heard what you said.” Abby sounded a little timid, self-conscious perhaps.

  Foster raised up to look at Abby, reminded of the shy woman she’d met that first night in the kitchen, haloed by the light of the open refrigerator.

  “Did you mean it?” Abby gazed up at Foster.

  “Yes, I meant it.” Foster brushed the back of her fingers gently across Abby’s cheek. “I love you, Abby. Mind, body, and soul.”

  She kissed Abby, deeply, tenderly, with longing in her heart.

  “I love you, Foster. Thank you for saving me.”

  “I’m not sure who exactly saved whom…I’m just happy to be here with you. You are the only place I want to be.” Foster rolled onto her side and drew Abby close.

  “Tell me a story.”

  Foster laughed at Abby’s innocent request.

  “Okay, I’ve got a good one… Once upon a time, there was a mystery writer who traveled to California in search of a beautiful witch.”

  “Did they live happily ever after?”

  Foster smiled.

  “Even better, they lived happily in love, forever.”

  The End

  About the Author

  Missouri Vaun spent a large part of her childhood in southern Mississippi, before attending high school in North Carolina and college in Tennessee. Strong connections to her roots in the rural south have been a grounding force throughout her life. Vaun spent twelve years finding her voice working as a journalist in places as disparate as Chicago, Atlanta, and Jackson, Miss., all along filing away characters and their stories. Her novels are heartfelt, earthy, and speak of loyalty and our responsibility to others. She and her wife currently live in northern California.

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