Bewitching the Baker: A Paranormal Chick Lit Novel (Witchy is the New Forty Book 1)

by Elizabeth Kirke

  I shrugged and laughed, then started rummaging through my desk for a pen. “Some silly magless thing I got for my birthday. It's cute.”

  My familiar snorted in amusement. “That's one word for it.”

  “I think it's sweet that magic-less people try to, you know, do magic.” I flipped the paper over and carefully wrote my wish, then stepped back and then held it out and studied it.

  I wish that I could learn to decorate cakes

  just like Chef Sorrel Glaze

  I said it out loud for good measure and even though Belle laughed a little, I could tell that she wished the same for me.

  I flicked my wand to light the candle and then carefully held the piece of paper over it, letting it catch fire. It occurred to me, a little too late, that the fire was going to burn my fingers, so I quickly switched to levitating the paper before it could.

  When it was nothing but a small pile of ashes I settled it down in the dish of one of my many flower pots, then stared at the burning candle. I very carefully picked that up and set it in the dish as well, so it wouldn't catch anything on fire while it burned.

  “What now?” Belle asked.

  “I guess I sit back and wait for my wish to come true,” I laughed.

  “Just as long as you remember what happened the last time you cast a spell that magless humans dreamed up.”

  I groaned at the reminder of the Worst Love Spell Ever that I cast, as it would happen, exactly twenty years ago tonight.

  “That spell was a bunch of nonsense and it didn’t work,” I told her firmly.

  Even so, there was always a part of me that wondered sometimes, especially after bad breakups and botched first dates, if the spell really had worked...

  As I climbed into bed and started to drift off to sleep, I found myself thinking of that fateful night. Sure, it had been a fake spell but there were times that I couldn't think of anything else to explain why Lavender, Rose, and I were all still chronically single, twenty years later. Although not for lack of trying.

  I told myself that if the spell really were somehow real that this would be the year I would find out. With that thought in mind, I fell asleep.

  Chapter Two

  Twenty Years Earlier

  “Ahh, that was the best birthday ever,” I said, flopping back onto my bed.

  Rose and Lavender stretched out in their sleeping bags.

  “You say that every year,” Rose pointed out.

  “Well, this year I mean it.”

  The three of us burst into a fit of giggles. In just a few short weeks, it would be Rose’s turn and then Lavender’s and we would be having the same conversation.

  “What should we do now?” asked Lavender.

  “It’s two in the morning,” Rose laughed.

  “I’m not tired,” Lavender said.

  “I don’t think I am either.” I sat back up. Belle groaned and curled into a tighter ball at the foot of my bed. I couldn’t see my friend’s familiars anywhere, but there was a suspicious looking lump at the bottom of Lavender’s sleeping back that may have been Candal.

  While we tried to think of things to do, Rose went over to the stack of books I had gotten for my birthday.

  “Mind if I read any of these?” she asked.

  “Go for it.”

  “Oo, a spell book! And lore, interesting.” She eagerly grabbed it and flopped back down on her sleeping bag.

  “Ancient Spells and Lore,” Lavender read, leaning over Rose’s shoulder. “A Beginner’s Guide to Witchcraft?”

  “Somebody gave me a beginner’s guide?” I asked indignantly.

  “Actually…” said Rose slowly. “These spells are weird… I think it’s a magless book!”

  “How can magicless people write a spell book?” I asked.

  “It’s some new trend they’re all into,” Lavender said. “It’s all hokey spells for love and money and success in school.”

  “I’m sure you’d love a success in school spell, Rose,” I teased.

  She closed the book and laughed. “Actually, that’s pretty exactly what’s in here.”

  “Well if they don’t work, no harm in casting one for fun,” said Lavender. “Let me find one.” She tossed the book up – to a squeal of dismay from Rose – and it fell open on a love spell page.

  “This looks promising!” Lavender said.

  I couldn’t argue. I had recently had a bad breakup with my high school boyfriend and was in the mood for some success.

  “Why not?” I said.

  “Oo, look, there’s a way to modify it for multiple people,” Lavender said, pointing to a small footnote. “Although… Mom did always say never to cast a spell if you aren’t sure of the source.”

  “I don’t think that includes spells that some magless dreamed up,” Rose said.

  “On board now?” I asked.

  “Curious.”

  I leaned over and looked at the ingredients. “What a weird bunch of ingredients. It looks like someone just went into a spice cupboard and made a list.”

  Rose looked them over; she was studying to be an apothecary and I trusted she’d know if there was an issue. “You’re not wrong,” she giggled. “Half of this stuff doesn’t go into real potions and the rest doesn’t belong in love spells.”

  “Let’s do it!”

  Soon, we were racing around the house, trying to gather ingredients without waking my parents. Our familiars couldn’t sleep through the chaos, so they got up and watched in amusement.

  We met back in my room with a small cauldron, a candle, a bunch of random ingredients, and a bottle of water.

  “Are you sure about this?” Rose asked skeptically.

  “You don't have to join if you don't want to,” Lavender, opening up the book and settling back.

  “I think it'll be fun,” I said.

  “Fun to watch,” Belle said, as she settled onto my bed next to the other two cats.

  “From a safe distance,” Candal chuckled.

  “But don’t blame us if it goes wrong,” Booke added, tucking himself under a blanket.

  “Thanks for the vote of confidence,” Rose said dryly.

  “Let’s do this thing,” I said, yawning. “I’m getting tired.”

  Lavender read the instructions while Rose and I measured out and dropped the weird ingredients into the cauldron, then poured the bottle of water into it. We figured a little real magic wouldn’t hurt, so we lit a fire under it and waited until it was simmering.

  “Okay, last step,” Lavender announced. “Add the ingredient that represents you, and stir three times clockwise, while saying your wish for love.”

  I bit back a giggle and heard Candal laugh outright, although the other two cats were clearly trying not to.

  “Birthday girl?” Rose teased.

  “Fine.” I grabbed the violet petals I had chosen and dropped them into the cauldron, then began to stir. “I wish… um…” I thought for a moment and the first thing that came to mind was the silly fantasies I had been having about meeting someone. “I wish that when I meet Mr. Right, we have a fun story about how we met, like a movie or something.”

  “Oh, I like that,” said Lavender. “Okay, my turn.” She sprinkled lavender buds in. “I wish that it’ll be love at first sight and we’ll be married within a year and live happily ever after.”

  “Wouldn’t that be nice,” I said.

  Lavender held the spoon out to Rose. “You’re up.”

  “I don’t know,” Rose said, taking the spoon with a frown. “I haven’t really thought about it, I want to get certified as an apothecary and start my shop first.”

  “It’s a magless spell anyway,” Lavender said. “Just wish for whatever.”

  “Fine, fine.” Rose added rose petals to the cauldron. “I wish that um… that I’ll meet the perfect guy when I’m forty.”

  “Forty?!” Lavender squealed.

  “Then I have time to do everything I want to do.”

  I laughed. “Okay, what no
w?”

  “Now…” Lavender checked again. “We each get a cupful and drink.”

  “If you say so…” Rose waved her wand and carefully filled three cups.

  “Cheers,” I said, raising mine.

  “Happy birthday,” Lavender said.

  “May all our wishes come true,” laughed Rose.

  We clinked our cups together and all drank. The “potion” wasn’t as gross as I was expecting; I could taste the mint and cinnamon.

  “Well, that was interesting,” Rose said, examining her cup and wrinkling her nose.

  “I wonder what else is in here,” said Lavender, flipping the page in the silly spell book. “Oh!” she cried.

  “What is it?” I asked.

  “Well… it is a fake spell, so I guess it doesn’t matter,” Lavender giggled.

  “What doesn’t matter?”

  ‘There's a paragraph on the next page…” Lavender held it out so we could see. “Why would you add the final step to the potion on another page, with absolutely no indication there’s more?” she said indignantly.

  “There’s another step?” I asked, feeling alarmed even though it was a magicless book. “What is it?”

  Lavender read it again. “It says if you’re doing the spell as a group, you’re supposed to take a cupful first and then drop your personal ingredient in and drink from your cup.”

  “Does that make a difference?” I asked.

  “I guess, technically,” Rose said, “if we did it altogether then all the wishes would come true for everyone.”

  “So,” I said, reminding myself it was a joke, “we’re all going to have a cute meeting story, fall in love at first sight, and be married within a year…”

  “When we’re forty,” Lavender snickered.

  “Let this be a lesson,” Belle said. We turned to see the three cats watching us. “When you’re casting a real spell, make sure you learn the entire thing first.”

  “We will,” the three of us chorused.

  “Good thing it was just a magless spell,” said Rose.

  “Could you imagine?” I asked.

  We all laughed.

  Chapter Three

  Present Day

  When I walked into the bakery the next morning I could tell that the owner, Tracey, was practically bursting with excitement. We all took our places around the kitchen, prepping different stations and waiting for the usual morning meeting, everyone shooting her curious glances as she paced nervously. When the last employee arrived, she spun excitedly and clapped her hands.

  “Okay everyone,” she said breathlessly. “I got a phone call last night that you are not going to believe.” We all exchanged a curious look. She took a deep breath, looking as if she couldn't believe what she was about to say. “It was a call from a streaming service. They're filming a new series called Spreading the Magic, where the bakers on the show from Cake Magic travel around to different small town bakeries and teach them some of their techniques.” She paused and let out an incredulous giggle and her grin widened. “They've chosen us for the first season!” she practically squealed. “And Chef Sorrel Glaze himself is going to be here to work with us!”

  The room broke into a cacophony of screams and squeals. My own cheer of joy died in my throat as I thought of my wish; wished with make-believe magic, that couldn't possibly have come true and yet, I had wished to learn to decorate cakes just like Chef Glaze and now he was coming here to teach.

  It just wasn’t possible.

  I sat in stunned silence, only half listening as Tracey answered a flurry of questions. Everyone was abuzz with excitement as we started for the day. I accidentally added twice as much sugar as necessary to my first batch of cupcakes because I was so distracted. It wasn't until I was wondering why the batter looked so weird that I even realized something was wrong. Luckily, it wasn't so far gone that I couldn't just double the recipe. So I did, silently chastising myself for screwing up. That was something I couldn't afford to do when Chef Glaze was here.

  As the day went on the excitement faded and everyone slowly got back into the working groove. By the time I got home, my shock at the unusual turn of events had turned into something more like joy, maybe even hope. At last, this was my chance; not just to learn a skill that I needed to follow my dreams, but to learn from one of the best.

  It wasn't until I was spilling the news to my friends that I realized learning from him meant I would actually have to meet him; I felt nervous all over again. As dinner began to wind to a close, I decided to drop the final bombshell.

  “So,” I said slowly. “This whole thing with Chef Glaze...”

  They both looked up at me.

  “Yes?” Rose said.

  “This sounds kind of, well, crazy,” I began, “but you guys know the...’ I cleared my throat. “The Worst Love Spell in the World?”

  Rose groaned and Lavender rolled her eyes at mention of it, then they both looked at me in surprise.

  “You think this cake decorating guy is going to be the one?!” Lavender asked. “I mean, you are forty now…”

  “No,” I said quickly, “I didn’t mean that.”

  “The spell didn't work anyway,” said Rose. “It was a fake magless thing. It's just an excuse we've been telling ourselves because we have really bad luck with men.”

  “The thing is,” I said quickly. “I cast another magless spell last night.”

  They both turned to look at me incredulously.

  “You what?!” Rose cried.

  “You still have that book?” asked Lavender.

  “No, not from that book; I got a present from work and it was this candle that you're supposed to write a wish on and…” I trailed off. “Anyway, last night I wished that I could learn how to decorate cakes, just like Chef Glaze, and now today I find out that’s actually happening.”

  They exchanged a wide-eyed look, then turned back to me.

  “That's a coincidence,” Rose said slowly.

  “Is it?” I asked. “What are the chances, really?”

  “But if that ridiculous sounding wish spell did work,” Lavender said, “then who's to say the one we cast didn't too…”

  “But it wasn't real magic,” Rose protested. “We threw a bunch of random ingredients into a cauldron and drank some.”

  “Potions are real,” I said. “And we made a potion.”

  “More like a concoction,” corrected Rose. I wasn’t sure why we were arguing, we had gone over it all a thousand times before. “Potions are complex and involve very specifically measured, prepared, and mixed ingredients. We threw a bunch of herbs and spices—”

  “Grown in a magical greenhouse,” Lavender interjected.

  “To a pot,” Rose went on. “Without so much as waving our wands and then drank it. There was nothing magic about it at all.”

  “Except for you,” Booke said suddenly.

  We all glanced up to the high shelf where he was lounging. The tip of Booke’s tail flicked back and forth as he paused, waiting for our full attention.

  “You are witches, after all,” he said. “I never personally believed in the magic of that silly spell, but you can't deny that even if whatever you made was not a real potion, it was made by real witches. Maybe…” He paused for a moment and his tail stilled. “Maybe, somehow, a silly fake potion concocted by magicless people, developed its own type of magic when mixed by witches.”

  “You're not actually saying you think that potion worked?” Candal asked from somewhere else in the room. I looked in the direction of his voice, just as his black head popped out from between the curtains. He hopped off the windowsill and padded toward us tail, lashing.

  “All I'm saying,” Booke said calmly, “is that it has been twenty years and our witches love lives have been – no offense, ladies – abysmal ever since they cast that spell.”

  “If it was real,” Lavender said, “then that means this year… when we’re forty…”

  There was a long silence. I was sure she ha
d thought about that before; I certainly had. But none of us had voiced it out loud. In fact, even though we discussed it at great length when we were younger, we talked about the spell less and less as we grew older, and now it was referenced only as a passing joke – a scapegoat for the way our relationships seemed to keep ending in flames, if they began at all.

  “I guess we'll find out,” I said softly. The others nodded in agreement, as I felt Belle brush against my leg supportively.

  “What was it again?” Lavender said softly. “Love at first sight and married within a year?”

  I suppressed a shudder, imagining myself married by this time next year. “A fun meeting story,” I said.

  “And not until I’m forty,” Rose said softly. “I’m sorry.”

  “For what?” asked Lavender.

  “I’m the one who wished for it to take twenty years and if it really did work…”

  “If I did work,” I said, “then I should thank you, because I don’t think I ever would have discovered cake decorating if I ended up tied down with someone sooner.”

  “Yeah,” said Lavender. “To be honest, I’ve enjoyed all the extra time we’ve been able to spend together. I hope that, if this all works out, we all stay close.”

  “Of course we will!” I said.

  “So, there’s no need to apologize,” Lavender added.

  “Besides, you made the wish that was right for you,” I said. “You had know way of knowing we’d all be sucked in, assuming it was real at all.”

  “I guess be on the lookout for Mr. Right,” said Belle. “You may all be on the verge of a funny, love-at-first-sight meeting story, followed by a whirlwind relationship and marriage.”

  “That sounds a lot more foreboding than it did twenty years ago,” I said.

  They nodded in agreement.

  Lavender was right though, it had been nice staying single with my best friends for so long. Not to mention I certainly wouldn’t have been at this point in my life. I supposed I was grateful I was able to focus on myself for so long. With these cake decorating lessons, I’d be much closer to achieving my dream of opening my own bakery. If Mr. Right was on the way, he’d have to be on board too.