“Just that there’s a proposed development for Breakers Beach. We didn’t know Seth owned part of the property until we were hired for tonight’s event. He’s never talked about it. We always assumed he was renting the cottage down there.”
“If only he were just a renter, life would be so much simpler.”
“What do you mean?” I asked.
“Breakers Beach is split into three parcels,” Lydia explained. “We each own one, and in the terms of my father’s will, the land can only be sold if all parties are in agreement. Grant wants to buy my parcel and Seth's, and as much as I hate giving Grant what he wants, I’m ready to sell. Now we have to convince Seth.”
“I hope I don’t sound nosy, but why do you have to convince him? Doesn't he want to sell?”
“You’re not being nosy at all.” Lydia sighed and leaned back in the seat. “I'm sure he would love to sell his parcel, but he won’t sell because he’s holding a grudge against Grant. Isn’t that ridiculous?”
I nodded in agreement, but in truth, it didn’t sound all that ridiculous to me. I grew up with two sisters—grudge-holding was (and, to be totally honest, still is), a normal part of life in our house.
“When Seth turned twenty-one and received his inheritance, he moved to New York to attend art school. Grant had tried to convince him to come and work for him instead, but Seth refused. He told Grant he didn’t want to be like him, that money wasn't important. Grant told him he had no talent, and he’d be broke in five years. Unfortunately, he was right about the ‘broke’ part.”
“And that’s why he moved here?”
“Yes, the money from his inheritance was gone, his art wasn’t selling, and Grant refused to help him financially. Seth is just lucky that his parcel of land has the cottage on it.”
“But Seth had the land—why didn’t he just sell it to Grant back then?” It seemed like the obvious answer to me.
“He tried to—he was so desperate to stay in New York—but at that time Grant wasn’t ready to develop the land. He had other projects going on and said his money was tied up. But I think more than anything, he did it just to be mean. Seth knows that, and now he’s refusing to sell, even though I’m sure he wants to. It would be his ticket back to New York.” Lydia shook her head. “But he won’t even look at the development plans. Grant mailed them to him and Seth sent them back, unopened. They’re both so stubborn. It’s frustrating.”
“And you’re stuck in the middle.”
“Yup, I’m that little speck you find between a rock and a hard place. And it’s my job to get the hard place to talk to the rock."
“I know that feeling well,” I said, “When my sisters go at it, I feel like I’m refereeing a game where everyone speaks a different language.”
Lydia laughed. “Well, at least they’re speaking, Seth refuses to talk to Grant, and when I call him he barely says anything. The last time I spoke to him, I tried to talk to him about the property, but he hung up on me. Now he won’t answer his phone at all, and as far as I know, he doesn’t even know about the party tonight. I keep hoping if I can see him face-to-face he might listen to me.”
“Will he?” I was doubtful. If he was hanging up the phone and sending back mail, it didn’t seem like a face-to-face was going to help. I knew all too well how obstinate Seth could be. In the café, if something wasn’t to his liking, he had no problem sending it back—repeatedly. When he’d first started coming to the café, he and Ember had gotten into a couple of arguments over things like soup temperature and wilted lettuce. After their last disagreement (fish that tasted too fishy), she finally refused to serve him anymore, and left it up to Raine to deal with him. Since he liked Raine, and she had the patience to deal with his complaints, it was a win-win situation.
“If I can convince him that he would be doing it for me and not for Grant, then he might. We used to be close.” Her voice took on a wistful tone. “After our mother died, I was the one Seth would come to whenever my father or Grant would jump on him. But that was years ago. He’s changed a lot, and I don’t know if he trusts me anymore. He might just see me as Grant’s gopher.”
“And if he refuses to listen to you, what then?” I glanced over at Lydia. She looked at me with a half-smile. Tears had filled her eyes.
“I’m sure Grant has a Plan B.” She opened her purse and dug through it for a tissue. “Sorry,” she said and wiped her eyes.
“That’s okay,” I said. “I understand.”
“Oh! This looks familiar,” Lydia said as she looked out the window at the passing landscape.
“The entrance to the road is just up there.” I jutted my chin to the right. “There used to be a sign—”
“There it is!” Lydia pointed to a barely visible sign with the words BREAKERS BEACH nailed to a tree.
I turned onto the gravel road and we were immediately enveloped by a thick stand of trees on both sides.
“I wish Nick were here to see this,” Lydia said.
“Is that your husband?” I asked.
“Boyfriend. He was at the café this morning. You must have seen him; he was the one wearing the Hawaiian shirt.”
Seriously? I didn’t see that coming. The man with the loud voice and shirt to match didn’t seem to be Lydia’s type. Maybe the old saying was true—opposites attract.
“Is he an investor as well?”
Lydia laughed. “Goodness no. He’s a teacher like me, but he’s taken a leave of absence. We met a few months ago and hit it off right away.” She looked down at her stubby fingernails. “I haven’t had a boyfriend in a long time. I had just about given up on ever meeting anyone, and then he came along. In fact, once we get the property situation settled, we’re getting married.”
“Congratulations! That’s wonderful.” I kept my eyes on the road. The rain from this morning had left puddles that covered up the potholes hiding beneath them. My little car bounced along, splashing in and out of the puddles.
“Thank you. We haven’t told anyone yet. We want to get this business out of the way and then we’ll announce it.”
We had reached the end of the gravel road; in front of us was a large open area full of weeds.
“Oh my, it certainly has changed,” Lydia said, and got out of the car.
Beyond the weeds was the beach. A sagging dock jutted out into the water. To the right of us sat a small, rundown cottage. It looked like it had probably been blue at one time, but the paint had peeled off so much that only small hints of it remained while the rest of the wood siding was a weather-worn gray. Three stairs led up to a small porch. There was an old vinyl kitchen chair leaning against the wall and next to it stood an overflowing trash can. A rusted piece of corrugated metal served as a roof over the porch.
As she walked toward the cottage, Lydia waved her hand at a bare, circular spot near a stand of trees. A few pieces of rotted lumber were scattered around. “There used to be a gazebo there. My mother had it built the first summer we spent here.” She stopped and looked at the spot for a moment. “She had this idyllic notion that we would we all sit out there in the evenings and play board games or talk like happy families are supposed to.”
Her shoulders dropped a little and she thrust her hands in her pockets. “My father laughed at her and said if she wanted that to happen, she’d better get a new family.” She looked over at me. “My father was not an easy man to get along with. Grant’s a lot like him. If I had a choice, I wouldn’t sell. Emerald Island would be a lovely place to spend our old age.”
“Why not keep it then? I asked.
“Nick and I are planning on traveling after we get married. If we find a place we really like, we might move there for a few years and maybe teach. I’d love to live in a little village in Tuscany. But to do that, we need the money from my parcel of land.” She sighed deeply. “I’ll be glad when this property business is over.”
I followed behind as she walked up to the cottage door and knocked. No one answered, but the door was unlocked. L
ydia disappeared inside and came back out a moment later.
“He isn’t here.”
I turned and looked around the grounds. “I don’t see his bike anywhere.”
Seth’s bike was a bone of contention for a lot of the shops in town. It was an adult-sized three-wheeler with a little trailer attached to the back. He was in the habit of leaving it parked on the sidewalk in front of whatever store he was going into. Anyone trying to get past would have to walk into the street to get around it.
“Do you want me to take you back into town?” I asked.
“Thank you, but I think I’ll wait for him. It’s been so long since I’ve been here, I wouldn’t mind having a look around.”
“Are you sure? It could be a while before he shows up.” I didn’t like the idea of leaving her out here alone.
“I’ll be fine. If he doesn’t come back soon, I can use Seth’s phone to call a taxi.”
“Well, if you’re sure.”
“I am, and thank you so much for all of your help. You’ve been very kind.”
“You’re welcome. I assume we’ll see you tonight at the gallery?”
“Oh yes, Nick and I will be there. Seth too, with any luck.”
I got in the car, tooted the horn, and headed back to town. I decided I’d take my time and run a few errands before heading back to the café, just to bug Ember. After all, what’s a big sister for if not to annoy her?
Chapter 5
My usual parking spot was taken up by Jason’s delivery van. There was only one reason he would be back again. As soon as I walked through the door, I knew I was right. Jason and Raine were huddled together near the walk-in cooler. Raine had her head down and Jason was talking quietly. He had the tail of her braid in his hand. I closed the door behind me a little louder than necessary. They both jumped, and Jason dropped Raine’s braid.
“Oh hi, Bree,” Raine said. “Jason just came by to check what time you needed him for tonight.”
“Same time I told him this morning.” I hung my jacket on the hook beside the door and looked at Jason. “Having a senior moment?”
He blushed. “Just wanted to be sure, that’s all.”
“How did you and Ember manage?” I asked Raine.
“Fine. It was pretty quiet. We only had four tables, and the last of them just left. Except for the Potter sisters; they’re still here.”
The door to the kitchen opened and Ember stuck her head in. “About time you got back. We were run off our feet. What took you so long?”
I laughed.
“What’s so funny?” she demanded.
I looked at Raine. She winked at me. We were both used to Ember’s diva moments.
“Nothing,” I said. “And I wasn’t gone that long.”
“Well, it seemed like it. Did you find Seth?”
“He wasn’t there, so Lydia’s going to wait for him. Poor thing.”
“Why do you say that?” Raine asked.
“She’s stuck between two stubborn brothers and all she wants to do is sell her land and go off and get married.” I explained what Lydia had told me about Grant and Seth.
“Well, I hope for her sake it all works out,” Ember said.
The bell over the front door jingled, and Ember looked behind her. “Guess what, Raine, your favorite customer is here.”
Raine peered through the round window in the door. “Eww, it’s Seth Bateman.”
“Oh good. Well, sort of good,” I said. “You can tell him his sister is waiting for him at his cottage.”
“Why don’t you tell him? And you can take his order while you’re at it.” Raine smiled at me sweetly.
“Not a chance. I’ve got to finish prepping for tonight, and don’t ask me to send Ember to do it. She had to serve him while you were in Europe, and let’s just say it didn’t go well.”
“Not my fault,” Ember said. “He’s the one who said I wasn’t as friendly as Raine, so I gave him a little extra cayenne pepper in his soup. You know, as a gift, to show him I can be friendly too.”
Raine had just spent a month touring Europe with our cousins from England. It was what she wanted for her twenty-first birthday. Ember, Gigi, and I had agreed, but only if she paid for half the trip. We would pay the other half. None of us relished the idea of her traipsing around on the other side of the world, and we had secretly hoped that she wouldn’t be able to save enough to pay for it, but she’d surprised us all by working in the café every day for three months.
“Fine, I’ll serve him, but if he says anything creepy, I’m going to dump coffee in his lap.”
“If he bothers you, tell me. I’ll straighten him out,” Jason said, puffing out his chest.
Raine smiled at Jason. “I’ll be fine. He’s all bark and no bite.”
Ember moved aside to let Raine through the doorway. “When do you want me to put up the CLOSED sign?”
I looked up at the old electric clock above the sink, and did some mental calculations. “Let’s give it another hour. That’ll give us enough time to change our clothes and get back here to meet Jason and load up the van. Are you coming to the house with us or are you changing at Matt’s?”
Matt Spencer is Ember’s longtime boyfriend. They live together—sort of. It all depends on Matt’s shift. He’s the senior deputy for the Emerald Island Police Department. Ember doesn’t like to stay alone at Matt’s, so when he’s working she stays with us.
“The house,” Ember answered. “My black pants are there, and I told Gigi I’d have a look at the website. She said she’s having a problem with emails or something.”
“She mentioned that. How many are out front right now?”
“Other than Seth, just the Potter sisters. And Bennie.” Ember shivered. “God, I hate that thing.”
Bennie is one of Eleanor and Esther Potter’s dolls. The elderly sisters own the Dollery, a tiny shop a few doors down from us that sells handmade dolls and nothing else. They’ve been a fixture on the island since long before I was born. How they’ve managed to stay in business is anyone’s guess. When we were kids, we used to stand in front of their store and see if the dolls would follow us with their eyes. They did. Ember used to run screaming every time. Oddly, that never her stopped her from coming back.
Bennie goes with them everywhere. He’s a creepy little thing. He has a porcelain head, a sad little brown wig, and it looks like something happened to his neck at one time, because his head is permanently tilted to one side. And he’s missing a hand.
“I’m going to go through my list and make sure everything is ready to load up.”
I turned around and saw that Jason was still in the kitchen. “Hey, don’t you have to get back to the bakery?”
But instead of answering, he bolted through the doors and out into the café.
Ember and I followed him. Raine was standing next to Seth Bateman. He was seated at a table, his hand wrapped around hers, and she was trying to pull it away.
“Let her go,” Jason said. His face was red and a vein throbbed at his temple. He took a step closer to the table.
I moved in quickly and put a hand on his chest to stop him.
What happened next made no sense. The air around us suddenly grew cold, and the full cup of coffee sitting on the table tipped over, pouring its contents onto Seth’s lap. The cup rolled off the edge, hit the floor and broke.
“What the hell are you doing?” Seth said to Raine as he jumped up and frantically wiped at the coffee that now stained his crotch. “You stupid cow!”
“Don’t talk to her like that!” Jason roared, and pushed me aside. He reached across the table and grabbed Seth by the collar with both hands.
Esther Potter let out a feeble scream and held her purse up in front of her face. Eleanor grabbed Bennie and dove under the table, burying her face in the doll’s chest. Ember ran over to calm Esther down.
“Let go of me, bakery boy,” Seth sneered, and latched onto both of Jason’s wrists.
“Screw you!” Jason sh
outed as he struggled to pull free.
The veins in Seth’s neck bulged and his face turned beet red.
If I didn’t do something, one of them was going to be seriously hurt. I had only one option—I had to use my powers. Fast.
Pushing Raine out of the way, I placed one hand on Seth’s arm and the other on Jason’s. Neither man noticed, they were both so intent in their battle to gain the upper hand.
“Raine!” I whispered fiercely. She looked at me and realizing what I was about to do, gave me a quick nod. I glanced over at Ember and she did the same. I could do this on my own, but with my sisters’ attention focused on me, I was stronger.
I closed my eyes, took a deep breath and spoke quickly. “I call upon the energy before me to follow my will. Reverse your course and flow through me; gather the energy and set it free.”
A crackling noise filled the room, and my hands grew hot as the negative energy radiating from Jason and Seth transferred to me. They instantly stopped shouting and struggling and turned to look at me with wide eyes.
I shot a quick look at Ember and mouthed, “Help.”
“What’s that?” she shouted to distract them, and pointed to the window. Jason and Seth turned to look at her, Esther Potter peered out from behind her purse. Eleanor still hid behind Bennie. With their attention diverted, I raised my hands above my head, and whispered the words, “So shall it be.” I released the built-up energy.
The lightbulb in the hanging lamp above the table grew bright and then exploded. Raine dropped the coffee pot. It hit the floor, but didn’t break. Both men released their grip on each other; Seth collapsed onto his chair and Jason stumbled backwards. Raine ran behind Jason and steadied him.
“What happened?” Seth looked up at the broken lightbulb with a dazed expression. “What was that?”
Ember let go of Esther, hurried over to the table, and took control. “Good timing and a faulty bulb is what that was. I believe it’s time for you to go, Mr. Bateman,” she said firmly. She took his jacket off the back of his chair.
“But the lightbulb,” he said, looking at all of us, his eyes wide. “It just exploded.”
Stuck in the Middle Witch You (A Middle Witch Mystery Book 1) Page 3
