Kiss and Make Up (Bachelors of Buttermilk #3)

by Robyn Neeley

  “Well, this is just my luck.” Caitlin stood and threw her hands in the air. “I not only have a ghost, but possibly a pissed off one to deal with. Terrific.”

  Josh grabbed her arm and led her up the aisle. “Let’s get out of here and go over to the Sugar Spoon. I want to see the box and mixing spoon.”

  Caitlin headed for the crib, lifting Jacob out and handing him to Josh. “Let me power down everything in the projection booth and turn off the lights. I’ll meet you two in the lobby.”

  “We’ll wait.”

  “Josh, I’m not scared.” She frowned. “Okay, maybe I am a little. Hold on.” While Caitlin ran up to turn off what she needed to, Josh entered the hallway, looking directly at the picture of the mysterious woman. “Who are you?” he whispered.

  They were going to find out. He held Jacob to his chest with one hand, while removing the picture from the wall with his other.

  “What are you doing?” Caitlin came up behind him.

  “I want to take this with us while we’re doing some detective work.”

  “Good idea. Here.” She reached for Jacob. “Hi, sweet pea,” she said to their son, giving him a kiss on his head and heading for the lobby. “We’re going for a little stroll to see Cousin Emma.” She set him in his stroller and then turned to Josh. “Look, I didn’t grow up around magic. I don’t know what to do. Do we do a séance? Does she need to cross over?” She lowered her voice, her lower lip quivering. “Will she hurt us?”

  “I’m no warlock, but . . .”

  “But what . . .”

  He stared down at the photo in his hands. “I feel like I know this woman. We have some connection.”

  “Really? Like a relative?”

  “I don’t know.” Tucking the photo underneath his arm, he held the door open for Caitlin to push the stroller through. “Possibly.” He glanced up at the theater marquee. “When Abby and Emma showed me the blue spoon, I had a vision.”

  “Of what?”

  He put his arm around Caitlin and they began to walk away from the theater.

  “Josh, what was your vision?” Caitlin asked again.

  “I saw the woman in the photograph. She was drenched.”

  “Wow,” the only word Caitlin said, but she said it a few times on their short walk to the bakery.

  Once at the Sugar Spoon, Josh held open the door for Caitlin to push the stroller through.

  “Josh!” Emma came from behind the counter and threw her arms around him. “I didn’t know you were coming home.”

  He hugged her back. “No one did. Good to see you, Em. Listen, we’ve got a little issue.”

  Emma motioned for them to take a seat in a corner booth while she fetched two cupcakes from the glass display. “I’m thinking my red velvet cheesecake cupcakes might be needed for this conversation.” She handed one to Caitlin and then the other to Josh.

  Josh eyed his cupcake. “Got anything stronger in the back?”

  “Unfortunately, no.” Emma gently squeezed Jacob’s little hand before sliding into the booth across from him and Caitlin. “So, what brings you by?”

  Josh could speak freely since they were the only ones in the bakery at the moment. “Caitlin and I were in the theater’s auditorium today, and I saw something.”

  Emma raised an eyebrow. “By your tone, I’m guessing it wasn’t a mouse or stray alley cat.”

  “No.” Josh picked up the framed picture he’d set by his side and placed it in the center of the table. “It was her. This photo was taken in 1937. I saw this woman sitting near the front of the auditorium, and that’s not all.” He glanced over at Caitlin. “She was soaked to the bone. We found a small puddle of water under the chair.”

  Emma peered down at the picture. “This is the photo that was hanging in the theater. Abby told me about it. That certainly looks like the blue box.”

  “Can I see the box?” He sighed. “And the spoon.”

  “Sure.” Emma slid out of the booth and disappeared into the kitchen.

  “Why do you think this woman is so enchanted with the theater?” Caitlin asked, taking a bite of her cupcake. She reached down for Jacob’s tiny hand, his little, chubby fingers grabbing onto hers. When he started to fuss, she picked him up out of his stroller and began to bounce him on her lap.

  “I wish I knew,” Josh said and touched her shoulder. “I know this stuff might spook you. It’s going to be fine. I promise.”

  She sighed. “I’d feel much better if I knew who this woman was, how her box containing the blue spoon ended up in Brandon’s inn, and why our names are on it?”

  “So many questions, Nancy Drew,” he joked, and she laughed back just as Emma returned, setting the box and spoon in the middle of the table.

  Caitlin grabbed the spoon and waved it in the air. “So, if this woman is the owner of the spoon, could we deduce that she was a witch?”

  Emma nodded. “I thought the same thing, and if this picture was taken in 1937 that would make her around the same age as Grandma Stevens.”

  Josh picked up the box and studied the top. “Maybe a cousin?”

  “Maybe,” Emma said, her expression revealed she wasn’t convinced. “But it seems like we would have heard of the blue spoon. That we didn’t even know there was one seems weird to me. Our grandmother wasn’t known for keeping secrets.”

  “What are you thinking?” Caitlin asked Josh.

  “That we should have dinner tonight with my Aunt Sheila.”

  “I think that’s a good idea,” Emma agreed. “If there was a cousin of our grandmother’s with magical abilities, my mother might know.” She gave Josh a sheepish grin. “Abby and I haven’t told her yet about finding the blue spoon.”

  Josh’s eyebrow shot up. He would have thought they would have gone running to Emma’s mother with that juicy news months ago. “Why not?”

  “I didn’t want her to get some crazy idea in her head that she should come out of retirement and start doing the Batter Up spell on bachelorettes every Tuesday night. You know how excited she gets about new magic.” Emma nodded down to the spoon. “And it might be an old spoon, but it’s definitely new magic to us.”

  “Failed magic,” Caitlin muttered and gently set Jacob back into the stroller.

  Josh looked over, trying to keep from smiling. He agreed with Caitlin. It certainly didn’t get her soul mate right. He picked up the spoon and returned it to the blue box. “Why don’t we go back to your place, and I’ll call Aunt Sheila and see if she can join us for dinner. If that’s okay with you? I could grill,” he offered.

  “I like the sound of not having to cook.” Caitlin slid out of the booth, putting her hands on the stroller. “Emma, can you join us?”

  “Sorry, Abby’s got a big catering event tomorrow and asked me to help her in the kitchen tonight.”

  Josh chuckled. “Or you don’t want to be there when I show the spoon to your mother.”

  “That, too,” Emma conceded. “But I’m sure I’ll hear all about it tomorrow. Can you put in a good word for me and tell her I wanted her to focus on being a great aunt to all of these precious babies and not a sorceress? I had only her best interests in mind.”

  “I’ll see what I can do.” Josh patted his cousin on the shoulder, and he and Caitlin headed out of the bakery with Jacob. He carried the pink bakery bag Emma had given him to hold all the evidence. She gave him specific instructions to call her when dinner was over, and she’d meet him back at the bakery to lock the spoon in the safe.

  He still didn’t believe Abby’s claim that the utensil ransacked the bakery earlier this month. He could probably keep the spoon until morning.

  After helping Caitlin set Jacob into his car seat, he put the stroller into the back of her SUV and headed to his rental. Getting in, he glanced in the rearview mirror at the theater and instantly felt a shiver down his back. He’d never fully embraced his magic roots, but it looked like he was about to.

  One thing was damn sure. Caitlin had just scored herself a
personal handyman and babysitter because there was no way in hell he’d leave her and the kids alone in the theater.

  10

  Caitlin finished cutting up the tomatoes and started adding the mozzarella and basil leaves to her bowl. While Josh was outside on her deck firing up the grill, she’d decided to make a fresh salad. His Aunt Sheila had been thrilled to get his invitation to join them for dinner and would be arriving any minute.

  “The kids are out like a light,” Penny said, joining Caitlin in the kitchen.

  “Thank you, Penny. I don’t know what I would do without you.” Caitlin reached for some balsamic vinegar. “Why don’t you head home now?”

  “Are you sure?” Penny’s eyebrow rose, probably because Caitlin was never able to let her leave early.

  “Yes. It’s been a long day, and I’ll be fine.” She pointed the vinegar bottle toward the deck. “I’ve got Josh’s help if I need an extra hand.”

  “Hmmm . . . A man who cooks and is excellent with babies. Does he have a brother?” Penny grinned, adding, “. . . that looks exactly like him?”

  “Nope, only a sister.” Caitlin couldn’t help but grin back, stealing a glance toward the patio. Josh’s back was to them, and yeah, his butt looked pretty amazing in the jeans and black polo he’d changed into before he came over.

  “Too bad,” Penny said.

  Caitlin lowered her voice, admitting, “He is quite a hunk, isn’t he?”

  Penny nodded enthusiastically just as Josh turned and opened the screen. Caitlin and Penny giggled.

  “You two definitely look like you’re up to something.”

  Caitlin unscrewed the top from her bottle and drizzled the salad. “Just getting things ready before your aunt gets here.”

  “See you, tomorrow, Josh.” Penny threw her denim hobo bag over her shoulder.

  “You leaving?”

  “I gave the best nanny in Buttermilk Falls a much-deserved night off,” Caitlin said. She shooed Penny out the door and turned back to her salad, her cheeks warming. Really, Caitlin. It’s not like he saw you gawking at his butt or heard you admit how handsome he was.

  She was glad they had this time before Sheila arrived. She’d wanted to tell him all day about the mess she’d created with Adam before he heard it from anyone else—or received a wedding invitation at the rate Marilyn was going.

  It wasn’t like Caitlin would ever go through with the zany plan, but she’d gotten several voice mail messages from the dress shop owner who’d taken the liberty to set up appointments to talk about her dress, venue, and wedding cake. Caitlin wasn’t looking forward to breaking the old woman’s heart. With all the hoopla that happened this afternoon, she hadn’t had a chance to return her calls.

  She hadn’t talked to Adam all day, but she did send him a quick text asking him to ignore any rumors he may or may not hear until they had a chance to speak. He’d mentioned he was on his way to a race car derby a few towns over and wouldn’t be home until later tonight. Hopefully that would keep him far from the gossip.

  They’d have to come up with a plan to break up—a public one so there would be no question that they were over. Maybe they could arrange for him to cheat on her with Rachel, and she could call their fake engagement off in front of spectators. She laughed at how fun that would be. Give him one of her infamous slaps in the town’s park or the Buttermilk Tavern and declare that she hoped he and Rachel would be happy together.

  “Hey, what are you thinking about?” Josh came up beside her.

  “Nothing.” She turned and flung her arms around his middle. An impulsive move, but it felt good to be in his embrace.

  He hugged her back and then ran his hands up and down her arms. “What was that for?”

  “Sorry.” She reached up and smoothed her hair. “I’m just so glad you’re back. I don’t want to take on a ghost alone.”

  “You won’t have to.” He smiled down and touched her chin, gently lifting it so their eyes locked. “I’m not going anywhere for a while. I promise.”

  Her heart pounded at that news flash. “I should probably finish the salad,” she said, turning away. He was staying in Buttermilk Falls. She smiled widely, knowing he couldn’t see it.

  “I’ll be outside.” Josh disappeared back onto the patio.

  Caitlin hummed to herself as she tossed the salad and then grabbed a semi-dry Reisling from the refrigerator and three wine glasses. Ghost to deal with or not, the fact was that Josh Stevens was back in town, and he wasn’t going anywhere for the time being. Maybe she should thank this mysterious spirit for choosing her theater to haunt.

  Headlights coming into the kitchen window announced Sheila Stevens’s arrival, and two minutes later she strolled through the front door.

  Caitlin always admired Sheila’s bohemian fashion choices, even in her mid-sixties. Tonight’s green and yellow, loose-fitting dress was no exception.

  “Caitlin! Where are those gorgeous triplets of yours?”

  Caitlin greeted Sheila with a warm hug. “We put them to bed, but if you’d like to see them . . .”

  “No, that’s okay. We don’t want to have to try to get three babies back to sleep, now do we?”

  Caitlin grinned. “No. We do not.”

  Josh joined them, giving his aunt a kiss on the cheek. “It’s so good to see you. We thought we’d eat outside if that’s okay with you, Aunt Sheila?”

  Caitlin watched as Josh placed his thick arm around his aunt and escorted her out to the deck. Not only did the empirical evidence show that Josh had grown into a handsome man, but when had he become such a gentleman? It was such a departure from the moody jerk she’d grown up with. Maybe he’d changed, too.

  She gathered the wine bottle and glasses and headed out to the patio. Caitlin adored Emma’s mom and was excited to have her over, even if the conversation would inevitably turn to ghosts. Not only was Josh’s aunt full of energy, she had forgiven Caitlin for all the mean things she’d done to Emma through the years. Sheila even admitted that she hadn’t always been a saint growing up. In her book, the past was in the past.

  Although Caitlin couldn’t imagine Sheila Stevens doing anything malicious to anyone, she appreciated Sheila enthusiastically welcoming her and the triplets into the family. It had meant a lot those first few months when Josh was still grappling with the fact that their one-night stand turned into something binding them forever.

  While Josh brought over the burgers, Caitlin set down the salad and opened the wine. They spent the next few minutes catching up on all the fun and frivolous Buttermilk Falls gossip. Sheila had gotten her hair done at the Spring Curls beauty salon this afternoon, so she had a ton of it.

  It didn’t go unnoticed by Caitlin that Sheila didn’t mention Caitlin and Adam’s fake engagement. Caitlin had held her breath during much of the conversation, but Sheila either hadn’t heard about it or didn’t feel she should bring it up in front of Josh. Caitlin suspected the latter and gave Sheila a silent thank you.

  Sheila sipped her wine as her gaze darted from Josh to Caitlin. “So, I have a sneaking suspicion you two didn’t invite me over to chat about Ernie’s new toupee or that all the girls in the salon are betting Abby will be pregnant again by next summer.”

  “Well, I’ve already done my part in establishing a Stevens’s baseball team,” Josh joked and grabbed the wine bottle, offering more to his aunt. “How about a refill before we start?”

  “Yes, that’s probably a good idea.” Sheila chuckled and let Josh refill her glass. “Okay, let’s hear it.”

  “So, the night of Brandon and Abby’s wedding, the gang found something upstairs in the inn’s attic.” Josh got up and went inside, returning with the Sugar Spoon’s pink bag. “Don’t freak out, and don’t be mad at Emma for not telling you sooner.”

  Sheila gazed curiously at the bag. “Go on.”

  Josh pulled out the blue box and opened the lid, propping it toward his aunt.

  Sheila’s hand flew to her mouth, she brought it down slow
.

  “We all had the same reaction,” Caitlin said, setting down her wine glass.

  Josh picked up the shimmering blue spoon and handed it to his aunt. “Have you ever seen this before?”

  “No.” She took it from Josh, running her fingers across its shimmering handle. “My mother never mentioned enchanting a blue spoon.”

  Caitlin’s ears perked up, and she could tell Josh’s did to. “But she did the pink one?”

  Sheila took a slow drink of her wine before she answered. “Yes. My mother was a bit of a loner as a little girl. She spent a lot of time on the family farm with her imagination. It was early on that my grandparents realized she had a special gift.”

  “Gift,” Caitlin repeated.

  “Magic,” Josh whispered.

  “Oh, right.” Caitlin reached for her wine. She really should have a bit of a buzz for this conversation.

  “When she was ten,” Sheila continued, “My mother and her only friend, Mary, had taken the pink mixing spoon and infused it with magical properties. It’s possible my mother also enchanted a second spoon. Maybe she didn’t think the enchantment worked on the blue one.”

  Josh pulled out the picture of the ghost and set it down. “Could your mom’s friend, Mary, be this woman?”

  Sheila stared at the picture and then the box. “You think this is the same box as in the photo?”

  Josh nodded. “It certainly looks like it, and look what is on the lid.” He turned the top over and pointed to his and Caitlin’s names.

  “How did that get there?” Sheila asked, her voice in a whisper.

  “Don’t know,” Josh replied. “And there’s more.”

  “In the box?” Sheila asked.

  “No. Something happened earlier today. Caitlin and I were at the theater and I experienced something.” He turned to Caitlin, and she gave him a supportive smile. “I saw this woman.” He pointed to the picture. “She was sitting in the auditorium and completely soaked.” His voiced lowered. “I think I saw her ghost.”

  “A ghost,” Sheila repeated.

  “Do you think she’s Grandma Stevens’s friend? Could she have been back in town all those years ago to return the blue spoon to Grandma?”