“If I’m lucky,” Hope agreed.
“I just wanted to let you know I’m heading out for the rest of the day. I’ll be back for dinner. Do you want me to cook something?”
Hope shook her head. “No thanks. I’m going out with the girls.”
Her mother eyed her with suspicion. Hope just raised her chin slightly, silently daring her to question the statement. “Okay. Text me if anything changes.”
“It probably won’t,” Hope said and tried to ignore the pangs of regret. She’d always envied Joy’s relationship with her mother. They were tight. The best of friends. It was something she’d wanted, especially considering she didn’t have any other close family. Instead, she’d ended up making Grace and Joy her family. It worked for her, but that didn’t mean she didn’t feel the loss, nonetheless.
Angela nodded as she left the kitchen. A moment later, Hope heard the front door close softly as her mother left to do whatever she was going to do. Hope hadn’t even bothered to ask. Who did that?
Hope flopped down into a chair at her dining room table and buried her head in her hands. She was the worst daughter ever. First, she’d been rude, not once, but twice. And then, she’d lied about her dinner plans knowing her mother would see right through her.
She groaned and mentally berated herself for how she was handling her mother’s visit. If she kept being so childish, she was going to have to see a therapist about her mommy issues. She’d end up hating herself if she couldn’t find a way to meet her mother in the middle.
Hope got up from the table and moved into the kitchen. Without even thinking about it, she started pulling flour, sugar, and chocolate chips from her cupboard.
Forty-five minutes later, as she was pulling the cookies out of the oven, there was a loud knock on her door, followed by Grace calling out, “We’re here! Oh, son of a chocolate fairy. Do I smell cookies?”
“Yep. I’m in the kitchen.” Hope pulled two mugs out of her cabinet and set them on the counter.
Grace appeared first, wearing a chic white suit. Her auburn hair was tied into a sophisticated twist, and she looked like a million bucks. Joy followed her, and Hope did a double take when she saw her. Joy was the one who was always put together, but shockingly, she was wearing yoga pants and a gray T-shirt that said Not Today, Satan on the front. Her long blond hair was tied into a messy braid on one side, and her eyes were red as if she’d been crying.
“What happened?” Hope asked, automatically handing Joy a cookie.
Joy popped the entire cookie into her mouth and collapsed into one of the chairs at the table.
“It’s that bad?” Hope went to the kitchen and poured each of them a cup of coffee.
Joy nodded and mumbled something around the cookie.
“I think that means yes,” Grace said, grabbing the plate of cookies.
Considering Joy’s state, Hope grabbed the bottle of Irish whiskey and put it on the tray with the coffee mugs.
Once they were all seated, Hope passed Grace her mug and then slid one to Joy and said, “Decaf just for you.”
Grace grabbed the Irish whiskey, and without even asking, she poured a dollop into each of their cups.
“I’m glad someone else did it so I didn’t have to feel guilty about day drinking,” Hope said, giving Grace a high five. Then she turned her attention to Joy. “What’s up, sweetie? Is everything okay with the kids?”
Joy nodded and took a gulp of her coffee. “Kids are fine. Hunter is going to lose his shit on his dad when he finds out, but they’ll survive.”
“Did he have an affair?” Grace asked tentatively.
“No. I don’t think so. In fact, I’m pretty sure the man has forgotten how to use his dick.”
Hope couldn’t help it; she let out a startled bark of laughter. “Surely that’s not something someone just forgets, is it?”
“Paul seems to have mastered it.” Joy’s tone was bitter and full of finality.
“Are you sure he doesn’t need some help in the form of a little blue pill?” Grace asked.
They’d had the erectile dysfunction discussion before, and Joy insisted that wasn’t the issue.
“Oh, no. It works. I’ve seen the evidence every morning for as long as I can remember. Except instead of letting me help him with it, he prefers to jerk it in the shower. He’s always said he’s not able to deal with anything until his morning coffee. Can you believe that? What man doesn’t want a freakin’ blow job first thing in the morning?”
Hope cringed. She’d known Joy and Paul had been having trouble in the bedroom for a while now, but she supposed she hadn’t realized just how bad it had gotten.
“Okay, so you’ve finally had enough?” Grace asked. “Did you throw him out?”
Joy scoffed. “Who me? Throw him out over sex? No. Just two nights ago we had the big sex talk. You know, the one about how we need to find a way to connect. That we have to try. That he has to try. That I can’t be the only one who cares about reviving our sex life. I thought it went pretty well. We’d scheduled a date for last night, just the two of us. No pressure. Just a night to shower together. Maybe a massage. Some cuddling. And then we’d see where things went. But do you know what I got instead?”
Hope was almost afraid to ask. “Don’t tell me he got you a dildo.”
A look of pure irritation flashed through Joy’s bloodshot eyes. “You know, I think I would’ve appreciated that gesture. At least it would’ve communicated that he cared about my needs. But no. I didn’t even get that much. Instead, he told me I was demanding too much. That I was oversexed, unreasonable, and that he was just done.”
“Done? What does that mean?” Hope asked, wanting to jump up from the table and run down to Paul’s accounting firm so she could bitch-slap him for the way he’d treated Joy. She deserved the world, and the fact that the man hadn’t even come close to giving it to her just pissed Hope right off.
“He’s moving out. Says he wants a trial separation, and he’s already rented a small beach house on the other side of town. Which means he’s known about this for at least a week, even before our big talk. Even though he thinks I don’t pay attention to the finances, I noticed a four-figure withdrawal. I didn’t ask him about it because I thought maybe he was trying to surprise me with a gift. You know, jewelry or a trip or something. The man just doesn’t spend money unless it’s on something special. Now I know it was first, last, and a deposit on a house. There’s no surprise coming other than the fact that I don’t have to listen to his snoring for the time being.”
“He wants a trial separation, but he went ahead and signed a lease? For how long?” Grace asked.
“He said the lease was for six months.” Joy grabbed her coffee and took another long gulp. “But that’s a lie. I called and found out the lease is for a year. Paul is done. Grace, I think I need the number of your divorce lawyer.”
“Sure, honey.” Grace draped an arm around her friend and gave Hope a what-the-hell look.
“He just dumped this on you today? All because you wanted to work on your sex life?” Hope asked, trying to understand.
“Yeah. I guess.” Joy sniffled. But when she looked up her face was set with determination. “You know what? I’ve tried everything. Been the most patient wife known to man. And if he doesn’t appreciate me, then all I can say is good. I don’t need to waste any more time on that asshat. I’m going to be like you two. Sign me up for a younger man or casual sex, or hell, even just someone who doesn’t go to bed at nine o’clock. I’m smart. I can get a job and find someone who doesn’t think I’m past my prime.” She pulled her phone out of her pocket and started tapping on the screen. “What do I need to do, sign up for Tinder? Or is there another hookup app out there I don’t know about?”
Hope let out a choke of laughter and took the phone from her friend. “Okay, slow down just a touch.”
“Why? Do you know how long it’s been since I’ve had an orgasm with someone else in the room?” Joy asked.
&n
bsp; “Uh…” Hope grabbed a cookie and stuffed it in her mouth, exceedingly grateful that her telepathy seemed to be on the fritz at the moment. The last thing she wanted was a visual of whatever was going on in Joy’s mind.
“I think what Hope meant was that maybe you should give yourself a bit of time before you jump back into the man pool. You know, settle just a little. Make sure you know what it is you’re looking for before—”
“Orgasms, Grace. Orrrrgasms. You know, the thing you get on the regular with Owen?” Joy insisted. “That’s all I want or need from a man. And the sooner the better.”
“All right then.” Hope grabbed Joy’s phone and got busy downloading the Tinder app. One she had it open, she quickly made Joy an account. “Got a picture you want to use?”
Joy blinked at her. “You want me to put my picture on the internet? On a profile in an app that is specifically for hooking up? Are you crazy?”
“It’s not just an app for hooking up, Joy,” Grace said, rubbing her temple as if she were getting a headache. “People do meet on there and actually start dating. You know that, right?”
“Yeah, whatever. But that’s not what I’m looking for. Not after over twenty years of Paul and his damned schedules.” She turned to Hope. “Make sure you put I’m not looking for anything serious.”
Hope chuckled. “I’m not putting that in there. You’ll end up with every random horndog from here to San Diego messaging you. How about we just put in a few of your interests and go from there.”
Joy rolled her eyes. “Fine. But I’m still not putting my picture up.”
“You already did.” Hope grinned at her.
“What?” Joy grabbed the phone out of Hope’s hand and started scrolling through her profile. When she saw the picture, she looked up and smiled. “That one actually makes me look pretty.”
“It makes you look sexy.” Hope took the phone back and showed the picture of Joy to Grace. It was a profile of Joy on the beach in a bikini with a wraparound skirt and her blond hair blowing in the breeze as if she were in a shampoo commercial. It had been taken a few years ago, but Joy hadn’t changed one bit. Hope handed the phone back to Joy and said, “You’ll have your pick of the local hotties soon enough.”
“That’s good.” Joy nodded but started to look unsure. “It’s good to move on, right?”
“Of course it is.” Grace reached over and squeezed her hand. “Just maybe don’t put any pressure on yourself.”
“Grace is right,” Hope said. “It’s fine to try to start a new chapter. We just want you to take care of yourself and do whatever is going to make you happy. If going out on a date is what you need, go do it. Have fun. You deserve some fun. But you might want to give it some time before you dive into anything.”
“You mean four hours isn’t enough?” Joy asked, letting out a half laugh, half sob.
Hope and Grace both got up and wrapped their arms around Joy and held her as she cried.
It wasn’t long before Joy gently brushed them off and wiped at her eyes. “I’m okay. Thank you. I just… He blindsided me, you know?”
“We know,” Grace said, handing her a tissue from her purse.
“You know the strange part?”
“What’s that?” Hope asked.
“I don’t think I’m actually going to miss him. I think I’m more upset that I couldn’t figure out how to make it work.” Joy let out a sigh. “And I’m worried for the kids. They’re going to be upset.”
“I’m sure they will be,” Hope said. “But they’re adults. They’ll be able to handle it.” Joy’s oldest was twenty-six, and the youngest was twenty-two.
Joy nodded. “You’re probably right.” Then she let out a big breath and said, “Enough of that. I don’t want to think about Paul anymore. Let’s get down to business. What do you have for us?”
Hope glanced at Grace. Grace raised her eyebrows and shrugged slightly as if to say that if Joy was ready to move on, it was time to move on.
“Okay then. Grace, were you able to get a list of new residents in town?” Hope asked.
“You know I could get into big trouble for taking this list from the database, right?” Grace asked as she passed over the names of people who’d used her agency to either purchase or rent space in Premonition Pointe over the previous few months.
“I just want to use this list to cross reference who was at Lucas’s open house. And then we’ll burn it, okay?” Hope asked.
“That’s fair.” Grace grabbed another cookie and sat back with her coffee mug.
“I’ll read the names off and, Hope, you can scan the guest book,” Joy said, taking Grace’s list. “We’ll go one by one.”
“Sounds good.” Hope grabbed a pen and they got to work.
An hour later, they had the list narrowed down to three people: an interior designer named Vincent Valencia, a freelance writer named Lanie Barnes, and an artist named Crosby Quinn.
“None of these people scream hardened drug criminal,” Hope said with a sigh.
Grace looked at the list. “I helped Crosby find his studio space. He’s a sweet, shy guy who mostly paints seascapes. He’s showing his work at North Star Gallery.”
“And Lanie joined the Arts Market co-op. As vice-president, it’s my job to look over each application,” Joy said. “She makes felted affirmation witches. They say things like Be your own witch and Confidence makes the witch stronger and Love your inner witch. They’re very sweet.”
Hope pressed her fingertips to her temples. “Vincent is an old friend of Lance’s. He’s been an interior designer for years, and he moved here to be with his boyfriend and to slow down and enjoy the beach. Do you know what this means?”
“We just wasted an hour instead of getting out and talking to everyone on the list?” Grace asked.
“You got it,” Hope said. “If any of these three are involved in moving drugs, I’ll run naked down Main Street declaring how brilliant they are. I mean, talk about a convincing cover.”
“Be careful with your declarations,” Joy said, her voice full of mirth. “You never know. Maybe the reason they’ve been able to fly under the radar is because they don’t even come close to giving off criminal vibes.”
“Yeah, any one of them could be the kingpin drug dealer of the California coastal towns,” Grace added.
Hope rolled her eyes at her friends. “Ha-ha. Very funny. To make you two jokers happy, we can stop in on them and I’ll try to listen in on their thoughts. But if any of them turn out to be dirty pervs who subject me to their depravity, I blame you.”
“If they’re dirty pervs, that might be a reason to look closer,” Joy said, pumping her eyebrows.
“I think we’ll leave that to you,” Grace said, laughing as she gathered up their mugs and took them to the kitchen. “For now, it looks like we need to head downtown and let our bestie spy on some folks.”
Chapter Nine
Hope led the way into Magical Touch, a co-op design studio that was on the square across from city hall. The showroom was decorated in all white with touches of turquoise and pale yellow. Everything about the place screamed beachy elegance.
“Good afternoon,” a familiar looking redhead said from behind the desk. “How can I help you ladies today? Do you have an appointment?”
“Oh, no. We’re just out window shopping,” Grace said. “Our girl here, Joy, is looking for a home makeover. You know, out with the old, in with the new, and we thought we’d see if Vincent and Walt could help her out.”
“Well, they are two designers. They don’t usually work on jobs together unless it’s a special circumstance. One specializes in modern design and the other in contemporary. Do you have a preference?” the receptionist asked.
“Um, I don’t know. I kinda like the furniture from Against the Grain. Whichever works with that esthetic,” Joy said.
Hope smiled to herself. She just loved her friends. Joy hadn’t wasted even one moment before bringing up Lucas’s shop.
“Oh,
Lucas King’s work,” the redhead said, her voice suddenly turning husky, making it sound like she wanted to have a love affair with one of his end tables. “That man is very talented.”
Uh, what? Hope thought and immediately zeroed in on the woman. She recognized her now. The woman was one of Gigi’s neighbors, and she’d practically stalked Lucas at his opening before he’d brushed her off. The memory had Hope giving the woman a fake smile. “I hear he’s off the market.”
“He is?” she asked, surprised. “That’s news to me considering we have a date on Friday night.”
“Uh-oh,” Grace breathed.
“You’re dating Lucas?” Hope asked breathily as if she’d been gut-punched. Had Lucas actually asked the redhead out?
“Yeah. Oh!” she said, her eyes brightening. “Maybe you heard rumors about us and that’s why you thought he was off the market. Well, I wouldn’t say it’s official, but after Friday, who knows?” She shrugged one shoulder and winked, making her intentions very clear. “Goddess knows I deserve a hottie after the jackass I divorced last year. He made good money, but he was way too tightfisted for my tastes. I just hope Lucas is good about taking care of his woman, because I’m not really cut out for working. You know what I mean?”
Hope was so tense there was no chance she was going to be able to access her telepathy. Not after learning that the redhead had her hooks in Lucas. She peered at the woman’s nametag. “Listen, Serena, as lovely as it is to hear about your love life, perhaps you can let us know if the designers are in?”
“Oh, sorry.” She giggled, and suddenly Hope got a flash of the woman running her hand down Lucas’s chest as he stared down at her with an unreadable expression. The vision disappeared just as quickly, leaving Hope agitated and on the verge of biting the woman’s head off. “Let’s see. Vincent is here, but he’s with a client. And Walt is out on an appointment.” She turned to Joy. “But I can set something up with them if you want.”
Witching For Hope: Premonition Pointe, Book 2 Page 6
