Tequila for Two: An Althea Rose Mystery (The Althea Rose Series Book 2)

by Tricia O'Malley

  And now Trace was living it up with Orange Bikini while I had a missing boyfriend.

  “He hasn’t even said he’s your boyfriend,” I reminded myself and yanked out a simple black maxi dress, made of soft linen that sort of flowed and skimmed over any lumps and bumps I might have. A shiver rippled through me as I thought about whipping the dress off under the stars.

  Maybe telling Cash I was dancing around naked with other women in the moonlight would bring him hurrying down to Tequila Key to make sure I didn’t suddenly switch teams on him, I thought as I discarded my underwear with a gulp and pulled the dress over my head.

  Glancing in the mirror, I breathed a sigh of relief. The dress was voluminous enough to conceal the fact that I was wearing no underwear, and a higher neckline hid my ladies – which typically could never be without a bra.

  “Luna, is it bad if I wear black?” I shouted down the stairs.

  “Not if you want to summon demons,” she called back.

  I stopped short. Shit, I didn’t want to call down evil spirits.

  “Kidding,” Luna called again.

  “Thinks she’s soo funny,” I muttered and switched off the light before pounding downstairs, stopping at the base of the stairs with my arms wide open. “Here I am, in all my almost naked glory.”

  Luna gave me a once-over. “Perfect. Want to get a bite to eat before it gets dark?”

  “Duh,” I said, calling Hank and pulling a new toy out of my rotating drawer of toys for him. Hank came scrambling inside and huffed at my feet, his head cocked as he eyed the fuzzy banana in my hand.

  Who comes up with these designs for pet toys anyway? I launched the banana across the room and Hank went scrambling across my wood floors in delight.

  Luna waited by the door and I couldn’t help but notice that she wore all white. I mean, she was a white witch after all, but here I was all in black.

  “Are you Glenda and I’m the Wicked Witch of the West?” I asked, pointing between our dresses as we stepped onto my porch.

  “More like the wicked bitch of the Keys,” Luna sang out as she hopped behind the wheel of her white VW convertible with white leather interior. Did I mention that Luna does white well? I, on the other hand, don’t think I actually own anything white, except a new maxi dress that I was going to try and gently break in.

  It’s the wine stains that usually get me.

  “You’re just cranky because you haven’t gotten laid in a while,” I grumbled as I climbed in her car, the black of my dress a stark contrast to the leather.

  “Neither have you, if I might remind you?” Luna said.

  The witch had a point.

  CHAPTER FOUR

  “DO YOU THINK Beau’s at Lucky’s, or working on the new restaurant?” I asked as we cruised in what could be called dinnertime traffic on a Friday night. Luna insisted on having the top down even though the heat was as one would expect for September in Florida. I slid a glance at Luna.

  Her face didn’t even glisten with sweat.

  I could already feel my curls expanding in the heat, so I punched up the AC and glared at Luna when she glanced over at me.

  “Okay, first order of business with this whole magick thing – I want you to write me up a spell that makes me impervious to the heat,” I demanded.

  “Oh yeah, like that’s a thing,” Luna scoffed.

  “It’s a thing. Look at you. Even your linen dress doesn’t wrinkle and everyone knows that’s virtually impossible. People keep insisting that linen is a great fabric but we all know it wrinkles the minute your butt hits the seat,” I said, glancing down at my already rumpled dress.

  Luna shrugged one shoulder and a corner of her mouth quirked up.

  “I knew it! You do charm yourself,” I said, slapping my palm down on the dashboard.

  “Calm down, Diva. I’ll teach you some glamour spells and whatnot as we get a little deeper into all this,” Luna said.

  “Yes!” I shouted, throwing my hand into the air, as we turned down the street with Miss Elva’s house. “Hey, pull to the side and see if Miss Elva’s on her porch.”

  Miss Elva is Tequila’s Key’s one and only voodoo priestess. A mountain of a woman, with sun-kissed brown skin, she smells like cookies and can curse a man at twenty paces. I loved Miss Elva just as much as I feared her.

  “Think she’s cursed Craig yet?” Luna murmured as she pulled to a stop in front of a weathered shake house with a wide porch. Miss Elva was sitting in her rocking chair in the corner, a caftan covered in a radiant red hibiscus print floating around her. She lifted a hand in greeting, a wide smile splitting her face. Ella Fitzgerald played softly from an old radio plugged into an outlet on her porch.

  “Ladies,” she called, her voice surprisingly melodic.

  “Hey Miss Elva,” we called, getting out of the car to climb her porch steps and lean against the railing. Miss Elva only had one visitor’s chair on her porch, her message about overstaying your welcome loud and clear.

  Miss Elva ran her eyes over my dress.

  “What?” I demanded, shifting under her gaze.

  “You’re making her go skyclad?” Miss Elva asked, turning with a raised eyebrow to Luna.

  “Damn it. I knew people would know I wasn’t wearing any underwear,” I complained to Luna.

  “It’s Miss Elva. She knows everything. You’re fine, I promise,” Luna rushed to reassure me, reaching out to run her hand down my arm.

  “Child, I hope you know what you’re pulling her into,” Miss Elva warned.

  “Miss Elva, come on now. You know she has magick. I’d rather she learned it from me than try something stupid when I’m not around,” Luna said, her hands on her hips as she pleaded her case.

  “Hmpf, I suppose so,” Miss Elva said, turning a critical eye on me again. “How strong do you think she is?”

  “Stronger than she realizes. She was able to break open cuffs and a door, and she clearly used your magickal pouch just fine, so I’m interested to see what else she’s capable of. First she needs to learn to protect herself, though.”

  “You be careful with her. This one doesn’t always like to follow directions,” Miss Elva warned.

  “Don’t I know it,” Luna said, huffing out a sigh and crossing her arms over her chest.

  “Um, guys, I’m right here,” I said, annoyed that they were acting like I was a small child.

  They both ignored me.

  “Will you be going to the Mabon Festival?” Miss Elva asked.

  “I plan on it. I’ll take Althea with me too,” Luna said.

  “I’ll come with you as well. I’m not sure you two should walk into that alone.”

  “Why?” I demanded, “Aren’t Pagans supposed to be peaceful?”

  “Most Pagan groups are peaceful. Much of what they practice is kindness, harnessing the earth’s energies, and honoring Gods and Goddesses. I have no quarrels with the Pagans. However, I don’t like this Horace character.”

  “You know him?” Luna asked.

  “I know of him. This is your warning, girls. Tread carefully with that man,” Miss Elva turned her eyes on me. I swear she gave me an extra doubting look.

  “I can handle myself, jeez,” I muttered.

  “And who didn’t heed my warning last time something bad happened around here?” Miss Elva’s voice rose. I hunched my shoulders and couldn’t bring myself to meet her eyes.

  “That would be me. But blame Luna, she got us into that mess,” I said.

  “Hey!” Luna said, smacking me lightly on the back of the head. We both snorted and laughter bubbled up.

  “Speaking of, did you take care of Craig?” Craig was the reporter who had written that nasty article about Luna when she’d been accused of murdering her lover.

  “He won’t be working around here anymore,” Miss Elva said, a small smile playing across her face, changing her expression from welcoming to sinister.

  “Do I want to ask?”

  “Let’s just say that every time he
tries to write an article, he can only type cuss words.”

  I was shocked – I had suspected something far nastier. And yet the curse was simple in its brilliance.

  “So he can only write an article of swear words?”

  “So long as he stays in Tequila Key,” Miss Elva amended.

  “I love you, Miss Elva,” Luna said with a smile, bending over to wrap her arms around Miss Elva.

  “I love you too, girl. But you need to come to me. We have some things to discuss. October is arriving soon,” Miss Elva said.

  Halloween. A big night for the undead. I wondered what Miss Elva and Luna might need to work on together, and then decided to push that thought from my mind. I had enough things to worry about.

  “We’ll come pick you up tomorrow?” Luna asked.

  “Yes, let’s go in the early evening, please,” Miss Elva shifted in her chair and began to hum as the music changed to Howlin’ Wolf.

  “We’ll be here,” Luna said, bending over to kiss Miss Elva’s cheek.

  “Bye, Miss Elva,” I said, wrapping an arm around her and inhaling her vanilla scent.

  “You listen to Luna tonight, child. I don’t have a good feeling about this,” she murmured in my ear.

  I pulled back to meet her eyes.

  “Are you warning me?” I asked, searching her face.

  “I’m telling you to listen to Luna.” She clamped her lips together and began to rock in earnest.

  “Everyone’s always so damn cryptic around here,” I muttered as I followed Luna off the porch.

  “I heard that,” Miss Elva called after me.

  “I said I could use a damn beer!” I shouted over my shoulder.

  “Child, I ain’t raised yesterday,” Miss Elva hooted with laughter and I couldn’t help but grin as I climbed into Luna’s car.

  As I said, Miss Elva is a favorite of mine.

  CHAPTER FIVE

  “AHH, TO WHAT do I owe the pleasure of having such beauties join me for an evening?”

  I rolled my eyes at Beau but leaned over the bar and smacked a kiss loudly on his cheek. Beau was one of our best friends and completed our little trio. We were the perfect foil for each other, Beau with his steadfast manner and dry wit, Luna with her kind heart and on point observations, and me…well, let’s just say that I added a little extra flavor to the group – if you can believe that a group made up of a psychic, a witch, and a gay guy needed any more flavor.

  “We’re just here for food, not drinks,” Luna said pointedly as she pulled up a barstool. I rolled my eyes and shook my head slightly at Beau, indicating that he could ignore that particular order.

  Lucky’s Tiki Bar was the hot spot in a town that consisted of one main street winding along a rocky stretch of beach. Space was at a premium here and Fins, the local general store, jockeyed for position with the ice cream parlor and the nail salon. Beau had purchased Lucky’s just out of high school with the help of an inheritance and had transformed it into the best restaurant in town with a not-so-secret after-hours gay club in the basement. Recently he’d acquired a new space at the other end of the strip, which he planned to transform into one of Tequila Key’s only upscale restaurants.

  “We weren’t sure if you’d be here or at the new restaurant,” I said as I sat down, happy that Beau still saved us our regular spots at the long circular wooden bar. The restaurant was packed, and a line of people waiting to eat straggled out the door.

  “We’re slammed this weekend so I need to be here. Construction is coming along nicely though,” Beau said as he made our drinks behind the bar. When Luna was looking at her phone, Beau poured a healthy dose of rum into my mojito and I gave him a quick smile.

  “We can’t wait to come check it out,” Luna said.

  “Yeah, and doesn’t your investor need to be here checking things out more often?” I asked, raising an eyebrow at Beau.

  “You need to cut that man some slack. He’s very busy, you know,” Beau said, admonishing me for being annoyed that Cash hadn’t been back to Tequila Key but once since he’d left for Miami weeks ago.

  “Excuse me? I am also a very busy person, I’d like to add,” I sniffed at Beau and sucked rum-soaked mojito through my straw.

  “Busy being a pain in my ass,” Beau said sweetly before turning to help a customer at the other end of the bar.

  “Yeah, like I’m a pain in the ass,” I scoffed, then turned to Luna. “I’m not a pain in the ass, am I?”

  “Yes, but you’re our pain in the ass,” Luna said smoothly, studying the menu. “I think I’ll go with the blackened tilapia.”

  Of course she would. My thoughts of a cheeseburger and fries were replaced with the sadness that was the salad menu.

  “Sounds great. I was just going to get a garden salad,” I said nonchalantly, flipping the menu over while Luna laughed at me.

  “Why don’t you get a bowl of chowder and a side salad? Something heavy and something light?”

  “Good call.” I reminded myself that I was about to be prancing around naked on a beach in a very short time. One less burger tonight was not going to do much for the extra pounds that would be bouncing around on the beach later, but women have a way of deluding themselves about these things.

  I found myself reaching for my mojito again.

  What’s one to take the edge off?

  “You need to not let those insecurities of yours kick in. Cash really does like you,” Luna observed.

  “Listen, I can’t help if I’m weirded out by Cash not being around. He was all full court press and then poof! I’ve seen him once since then.”

  “And how was that one time when you did see him again?”

  My thoughts flashed to a tangle of limbs in my sheets, my body glistening with sweat while I gasped for air and Hank hid downstairs.

  “I suppose it went well,” I admitted. Luna smacked her forehead.

  “The man leaves a very pressing situation in Miami, spends forty minutes checking on Beau’s restaurant – one in which he’s invested heavily, mind you – and does not pass go until he’s wrapped around you for the rest of the night. I wouldn’t get too worried about this,” Luna said, holding up a finger to signal Beau.

  “When you put it like that…” I said, a blush creeping up my cheeks.

  “What did I miss?” Beau demanded.

  “Thea’s convinced that Cash has given up on her,” Luna said sweetly.

  “Thea,” Beau cocked his arm on his hip and glared at me. “We’ve discussed this. You’re beautiful. The man is besotted. If you’re going to have a hot man like that as your boyfriend, you’d better get used to him being busy. His world doesn’t just stop because you waltzed into the picture.”

  “I don’t even know how to waltz,” I protested, smiling a bit when I saw Beau make me another stiff drink.

  “You did a damn good impression of it when you danced around Trace’s eager arms and landed in Cash’s,” Luna said, looking up from her phone.

  “Hey now,” I began, but Luna waved me off.

  “Beau, can we get blackened tilapia for me, and chowder and a side salad for this one,” Luna said, jerking her thumb at me.

  “Really?” Beau raised an eyebrow at me.

  “Yes, really.” I shot Beau a glare. It wasn’t like this was the first time I’d ever ordered a salad.

  “Being all lovesick must have gotten to your appetite,” Beau said, moving away to enter our orders on a computer screen.

  “Remind me why we’re friends with him again?” I said, crossing my arms over my chest. I was getting even more annoyed with where this evening was going.

  “Free booze. And he’s easy on the eyes,” Luna said.

  It was true. If hadn’t known that Beau was gay since, like, forever, I’d probably make a pass at him myself. His easygoing style struck a nice balance between high-end chic and casual surfer. It worked for him and – judging from the number of eyes, both male and female, tracking his movements in the bar tonight – it worked f
or a lot of other people too.

  “Truth.” I smiled at the server as he brought me my cup of clam chowder. I briefly wondered if I should have gotten a bowl, as Lucky’s clam chowder was legendary. “So, one more time, run me through what we’re doing tonight?”

  Luna leaned back in her chair, crossing lightly tanned legs as she fingered the pentagram necklace that hung between her breasts.

  “I’m going to teach you to cast a circle of protection. You’ll generally want to use this when doing any sort of spellwork or rituals.”

  “Or what? I’ll burn the town down or something?” I joked and took another swig from my drink.

  Luna turned her blue eyes on me, her face serious.

  “You could. Or you could summon bad energy. Or cause a spell to be visited upon you threefold. It’s nothing to play around with.”

  “Then how come you let me do a spell without protection?” I asked, shoveling another spoonful of chowder into my mouth, not caring how hot the soup was.

  “Because the breaking spell was a minor spell, and the intent was pure. Typically you’re fine doing small kitchen-type magick like that. But when you start to get into rituals and bigger spells…a circle is needed.”

  “So what you’re saying is not to get too full of myself because essentially the only magick that I’ve actually performed is akin to producing a quarter from behind someone’s ear? Lovely, got it,” I said, grumpy at the thought that my magick wasn’t anything special.

  Luna laughed softly and wrapped an arm around me to buzz a kiss on my cheek.

  “Everyone starts somewhere, my friend. Think about the first time you had a tarot deck in your hand – it’s not like you could have actually given a solid reading. Magick isn’t like in the stories…you need to learn and build on your skills.”

  “You know I never liked school, Luna,” I said, watching a grimace cross Beau’s face on the other side of the bar. A rush of anger hit me and I sat up, cutting Luna off with a wave of my hand. Scanning the room, my eyes landed on the source of the emotion. I cut off a curse as I looked into the eyes of a nemesis of mine.