The Professor Woos The Witch (Nocturne Falls Book 4)
Page 5
As he took the mirror from her, their fingers touched. A fraction of a second of contact. A centimeter of skin on skin.
That was all it took. A shock jolted through him, and a barrage of sounds and images filled his being. The iridescent gleam of sunlight on black feathers. The brush of wings through the air. The distant cawing of birds. The view of a town—this town—from a thousand feet up.
Then the sounds and images were gone as quickly as they’d come.
He shook himself and blinked as the attic filled his vision again.
“You okay? You look funny.” Pandora leaned forward to peer at him.
“I’m good. Fine. I just…never mind.” He held the mirror up. “What am I supposed to do with this thing again?”
Her staring took on a new intensity. “You felt something, didn’t you?”
“No.” Yes. Crap. “It’s just warm up here.”
She made a small noise and straightened. “We can finish this downstairs.”
“Good.” He put the mirror back on the shelf and, letting her go ahead of him, headed for the steps. His mind fixated on what he’d just experienced. What the hell had that been? Then he realized she’d said something. “What was that?”
She stopped on the landing to face him. “I said I could go for some coffee.”
“So could I.” They both turned toward the kitchen. “I’ll make a fresh pot.” Which gave him exactly enough time to process whatever had happened and then pack it away as something that no longer needed any further mental energy.
“What’s your plan for the attic?” He brought the pot and two cups to the table, handing one to her as he set the pot on a folded towel. She got up and grabbed the sugar and creamer, and he kicked himself for not remembering that’s how she took her coffee. “Sorry. I should have got those for you.”
“No biggie.” She sat back down and fixed her cup. “My plan for the attic is to keep it pretty much the same. Clean it up, definitely, but otherwise, you’re right that it’s a space the new owners can do whatever they like with.” She took a sip of her coffee, then set the cup down. “What we really need to talk about is Kaley.”
That surprised him. “I thought we already talked about her.”
Pandora shook her head, her green eyes sparkling even in the dim kitchen. “Yes, but not enough. I don’t know how I’m supposed to help her when you refuse to bend on your stance about the supernatural. Her mentor, if I can find her one, will feel the same way, I can promise you that.”
He turned his coffee cup so the handle sat at a right angle to the wood grain of the table. This was the last thing he wanted to talk about right now, but how did he tell her that without coming off as a big grump? “I don’t know.”
“You could give me free rein.”
“And then what?” The spark of indignation in Pandora’s eyes put an end to his words. He threw his hands up. “I don’t know how to respond without making you angry, and I don’t want to do that.”
“Really,” she snarked. “What’s changed?”
“I like you. You’re smart and business-minded, and besides the witch thing, you seem totally sane.”
“Wow, thanks.” Her mouth bunched to one side.
He sighed. “I know Kaley needs some female influence in her life. I just don’t want her getting…disillusioned again.”
“You want to explain that? I’m sensing it has something to do with her not-really-dead mother. What’s the story there anyway?”
He drummed his fingers on the table. Pandora was bound to find out sooner or later. Better he give her the story so she’d truly understand what Kaley was going through. “Lila is…not a great mother, and wasn’t even in the early days. I think she tried. Or maybe she didn’t. Who knows with that woman?”
He took a breath, thinking his words through before he spoke them. “She was beautiful in that sort of earth-child, free-love, everything is always cool kind of way.”
Pandora nodded. “And you dug that because that’s your opposite. Makes sense.”
“What do you mean my opposite?”
She smirked. “Cole, face it, you’re a little uptight.”
He made a face but continued. “We were young and dumb and got married before I even realized what had happened. She treated me like I was a king. I was always right. I was the smartest man she’d ever known. She laughed at all my jokes. Waited on me hand and foot. It was nice, at first. Then it got really old.”
He paused, thinking back. “But by then I was already in love with Kaley.”
Pandora squinted. “I don’t get it.”
“Kaley was two when I met Lila.” He smiled. “She was this chubby little doll with an infectious laugh and these big brown eyes that looked up at me like I was her very own superhero. Her first word to me was Daddy. How do you not fall in love with that?”
Pandora’s lips parted, but she said nothing.
“I adopted her when Lila and I got married.”
She canted her head. “I never would have guessed Kaley’s not your flesh and blood.”
That pleased him. “She might as well be. When Kaley was five, Lila’s cheating started. Or at least that’s when I figured it out. I confronted her, and she cried and pleaded and swore it was over. It wasn’t. Long story short, she moved out six months later, leaving Kaley behind. When Kaley turned seven, I filed for divorce and custody. Maybe I was too hasty, but it was a rough year. My mother was dying. And at that point, Lila hadn’t seen Kaley in thirteen months. That didn’t change in the two years it took for the divorce and the custody to be granted.”
“Wow. Rough is an understatement. I guess the judge didn’t struggle with that decision.”
“It helped that Lila didn’t show up for the hearing.” Or his mother’s funeral.
Pandora grimaced. “What kind of woman does that to her own child? That poor kid.”
“Hey, Kaley’s done great with me.”
“I can see that.”
He exhaled, pushing some of the bad memories out. “Since then, Lila’s contact consists of occasional phone calls and a package on Kaley’s birthday. Oh, she shows up every once in a while, but that’s gotten rarer as the years have gone on.”
“And this last package is the one that set everything off.”
He stared at his coffee. “Yes. Except it wasn’t a package. Just a letter and a packet of stickers.” He snorted and looked at Pandora. “Stickers? For a thirteen-year-old girl? Lila has no clue what that kid likes.”
“And this letter was about Kaley becoming a witch?”
He nodded.
“And Lila would know about that because she’s a witch too, right?”
He scowled. “She thinks she is, yes.”
“I’m starting to get the picture.”
“Good. Then you understand why I’m reluctant to let you—or anyone—teach her to be a witch only to have her grow out of this phase and blame me for subjecting her to some kind of crazy brainwashing with another nutty wom—” He stopped himself from finishing the sentence, but the damage was done.
Pandora pushed back her chair, rolled her eyes and muttered something under her breath.
“What was that?”
She glared at him. “I said I really ought to turn you into a frog.”
“You’re welcome to try.”
“You and your smart mouth. You should shut it until you can learn not to insult the people who are trying to help you.” She lifted her hand and flicked her fingers at him.
He tried to respond, but couldn’t make a sound. He put his hand to his mouth. His lips were sealed shut.
Her eyes rounded. “I didn’t think that would work.”
She flicked her fingers at him again, and his voice returned as his mouth opened. “What the hell did you just do to me? What was that?”
“Reason number one why you should never make a witch angry.”
“That wasn’t witchcraft. That was—” He faltered, unable to come up with an explanation.
“Pandora, I didn’t mean—”
“Yes, you did.” Pandora grabbed her purse and stood. “Don’t get up. I’ll see myself out.”
And she did, resulting in his door being slammed for a third time that day.
After a long day of work, Pandora took refuge in her sister’s flower shop. She perched on a stool and inhaled the gorgeously sweet, green fragrance that permeated the space. It was like nature on steroids in here. Of course, it would be. It was a flower shop. But Marigold had a knack for flowers that went beyond the ordinary thanks to her superior witchy gifts with plants. She supplied most of the witches in town with their herbal needs and was generally considered the most adept green witch in the area.
As Marigold lifted a bucket of flowers onto the work table, Pandora resumed her conversation about Cole. “So he’s very hot. But kind of a butthead. I mean, I get why he’s a butthead, but still.”
Marigold stuck a spray of something bright orange into the arrangement she was working on. “You should cut him some slack. He’s clearly not had an easy go of things.” She looked over at Pandora. “And as a single parent myself, I know of which I speak.”
“How is Saffie?”
“Madly in love with Charlie Merrow, which worries me a little.”
“Why? Because he’s a werewolf or because his mother’s a werewolf or because his dad’s the sheriff and a werewolf?”
Marigold made a face. “None of those. Because she’s eight and already in love with a boy.”
“Tell her to sit down and have a conversation with him. That ought to cure it.”
Marigold smiled as she added a few yellow roses to the vase. “I think you like this guy.”
“Don’t go there.”
“He is your type.”
“Seriously, Mari, don’t go there.”
Marigold went to the cold storage and brought back a bucket of orange lilies. “I’m sure he’ll come around. He has no choice if his daughter’s a witch. Sooner or later, he’s going to experience something that can’t be explained away.”
Pandora shifted, leaning against the counter behind her. “You know, something weird happened while we were up in his attic. I handed him this old scrying mirror, and when he took it, he got this kind of blank look on his face but his eyes went sort of wild. Like he was getting some strong vibes off it. Or seeing something. But when I asked him about it, he clammed up. Refused to acknowledge anything had happened.”
Marigold stopped what she was doing and stared directly at Pandora. “Are you saying there’s a bunch of Gertrude Pilcher’s things still in that house?”
Pandora laughed. “I’m pretty sure all her things are still in that house. Based on what I saw, Ulysses threw nothing away.”
“Those are powerful goods, Pandy. They shouldn’t just go to anyone.” Marigold picked up a lily and snipped the end. “At the very least, the coven should put them into safe keeping.”
“I told Cole I’d take care of cleaning out the attic, but technically shouldn’t that stuff go to Kaley? I mean, it’s sort of her inheritance.”
“When she’s ready, yes. Thirteen is no kind of age to take possession of tools that powerful. Who’s her mentor?”
“She doesn’t have one yet. I’m trying to help her with that. You know anyone who might be interested?”
“Not offhand, but bring it up at the next meeting.”
“I will. Hey.” Pandora slipped off the stool to stand. “Do you think touching that mirror could have…fixed my magic?”
“What do you mean?”
“I got a little mad at Cole and cast a sealing spell on his mouth. And it worked.”
Marigold’s brows shot up. “Has he been silenced for life?”
“Very funny. No. I took it back and he was fine.”
Marigold shrugged. “I’ve never heard of touching another witch’s artifacts having that kind of effect, but Gertrude was a…unique creature. You should talk to Mom about that. Congrats on the working magic, by the way.”
“Thanks. I’ll talk to Mom about it tomorrow. Right now I just want to go home, have a glass of wine and tell Pumpkin all about my day.”
“You live such a full life.”
Pandora flicked a petal at her sister. “Tell my favorite niece I love her. Gotta run. I need to hit the Shop and Save before I go home. I’m almost out of that diet cat food.”
Marigold made a skeptical face. “Didn’t you just put Pumpkin on that diet like three days ago? How are you already out of food?”
“She clawed the bag open in the middle of the night and ate most of it.” Pandora shook her head. “Don’t judge. She gets hangry.”
Marigold laughed. “See you at dinner Saturday?”
“Wouldn’t miss it for the world,” Pandora said as she headed for the door.
Saturday nights were family dinner night at their mother’s house, which meant Stanhill would be there. He was basically family at this point anyway. Charisma, their other sister, always came too when she was in town. Her job as a life coach meant she traveled a lot, although Nocturne Falls would always be her home. Pandora stopped with her hand on the knob. “Charisma here?”
“Yep.”
“All right, see you then.” Both sisters, her mother and Stanhill? Oh boy. Pandora would get some serious grilling this Saturday. No way her new friendship with Cole wasn’t already a main topic of conversation. The Williamses liked to talk. Especially about each other. It was born out of love and caring, but there was no escaping the family scrutiny.
By the time Pandora got home, she was more than ready for her evening glass of wine and a little snuggle with Pumpkin.
Her cat, however, didn’t meet her at the front door. Instead, Pandora found Pumpkin sitting in front of the sliders, staring at the backyard.
“Nice to see you not sleeping for a change.” Pandora decided to pour her wine first and take it with her into the bedroom. She could drink it while she put her comfies on.
Pumpkin meowed pitifully.
Pandora stared at her cat. “Have you lost that much weight that you suddenly want to go out and run around?”
More meowing, this time with longing.
“All right, keep your panties on, I’m coming.” Pandora opened the slider and Pumpkin shot out. Well, maybe not shot out. Lumbered with haste was a more apt description.
Pandora took her wine into the bedroom and came back five minutes later, hair up, tank top and shorts replacing her work clothes, and joined Pumpkin in the backyard, wine in hand. There was no chance Pumpkin could escape. There was a gate in the wooden fence around Pandora’s property, but that led out to the front of the house and definitely required opposable thumbs.
She took up her spot on the glider and looked around for Pumpkin. Her Royal Fatness was sitting in front of the shed door, pawing at it with no real effort. Still, just the fact that Pumpkin had put in the work to get to the shed was saying something. “What’s in there, Plumpkin?”
The cat ignored her and kept pawing.
Pandora’s witchy senses kicked in. Even if they hadn’t, she still could have guessed what Pumpkin wanted. She sighed, set her wine down and headed toward the rear of the yard. She opened the shed door. “Out, Kaley. Before Pumpkin has a beef-jerky seizure.”
Kaley heaved out a sigh and looked at Pumpkin. “Traitor.”
“You’re the one with the delicious meat products.”
Kaley trudged out. “Please don’t send me home.”
“I have to. But you can come hang out on the porch for a bit if you want.”
The teenager exhaled another sigh that made it seem like the weight of the world was on her shoulders. “Okay.”
They walked back to the porch, Pumpkin at Kaley’s heels in a last-ditch effo
rt to cute some jerky out of her.
Pandora rolled her eyes. “Give it up, Pumpkin. You’re not getting any people food.” She picked up her wine and sat back in the glider. “What’s up?”
Kaley flopped down on the wicker chair and ottoman, her backpack slumped on the floor. “I love my dad, but he can also be a jerk.”
“Kaley, don’t say that. He works hard to take care of you, and I know you don’t agree with him, but he means well. He’s just trying to protect you.”
She slanted her eyes at Pandora. “Great. You like him now, so you’re siding with him.”
“I don’t like him. I mean, I don’t dislike him. Too much. But I’m definitely not romantically interested in him. We’re going to work on the house together. It’s the deal I made with him so you and I can spend more time together. And while I do that, I’m going to work on him too.”
Kaley sat up a little. “What do you mean?”
“I mean, I’m going to get him to believe.”
“Really? Does that mean I’m getting a mentor?”
“It means I’m working on it. But I need you to help me out with your dad.”
“Is this the part where you tell me to behave and do what my dad says?”
“Basically, yes.”
Kaley treated Pandora to yet another bodily sigh. “Yeah, all right. But you’re still going to give me witch lessons?”
“Someone will.”
“Why not you?”
“Because I’m…I have a lot on my plate already.”
Kaley squinted. “This has something to do with your aura being all cracked, doesn’t it?”
Rotten child. “I’m going to talk to my mother about where to start, and then at the next coven meeting, I’ll ask about a mentor.”
Kaley’s mouth fell open. “There’s a coven meeting?”
“Yep. Once a month.”
“You guys are so lucky. Can I get in on that?”
“We’ll see.” Pandora wasn’t sure how Cole would react to that. Actually, she had a pretty good idea.
“Hey, you said your mom’s a witch too, right?”
“She is. And my sisters.”
“Can I meet them? Please? It would be so awesome.”