“I always said the biggest rule was, ‘Do as I say, not as I do,’” Aunt Tillie reminded her. “As for the rest, well, it was supposed to be fun.”
“I don’t think Nelson had fun at the diner tonight,” Landon pointed out.
“It was supposed to be fun for me,” Aunt Tillie clarified. “As for reversing the spell, that’s been my intention from the start. Unfortunately, I was a little drunk when I cast the spell and I can’t remember everything I included. I tried dropping a reversal spell in tonight – that’s when Bay and ‘The Man’ caught me, by the way – but I’m pretty sure it didn’t work.”
“Well, you’d better come up with a spell that does work,” Mom warned, her temper getting the better of her. “We wouldn’t allow the girls to act up this way when they were younger, so there’s no way we’ll allow you to do it as an adult.”
Aunt Tillie offered up a theatrical eye roll as she crossed her arms over her chest. “I think you’re being a little dramatic. Things aren’t that bad.”
“No, but they’re going to get worse,” Landon said. “You said the wishes would turn. That’s going to start happening fast. We need to reverse the spell before that happens.”
“No, what you need to do is get people to reverse their wishes,” Aunt Tillie argued. “If they do that, it will buy us time so I can remember the ingredients I used in the spell.”
Hope flared in my chest. “Will that work?”
“If they reverse their wishes? Yes. The only problem is that you’ll have to get them to do it without explaining why.”
Huh. I hadn’t thought of that. “This is a mess,” I muttered, rubbing my forehead. “How can we possibly accomplish that?”
“We’ll figure it out.” Landon didn’t look particularly perturbed as he reached for another cookie. “How long until those chickens are ready? I’m starving.”
I knit my eyebrows as I regarded him. “That’s it? You’re acting awfully calm, given the circumstances.”
“If I’ve learned anything it’s that you can do whatever you set your mind to,” Landon said, breaking the cookie and offering me half. “This is no different. We’ll work together to figure it out.”
It was a nice sentiment, but I couldn’t help but be dubious. “What if that doesn’t work?”
“Then we’ll blame Aunt Tillie and dump the cleanup in her lap.”
“Hey!” Aunt Tillie was affronted.
“That sounds like a plan.” I mustered a smile. “Do you want to get drunk with me and watch Aunt Tillie conduct her research?”
Landon grinned, the expression lightening up his handsome features. “Absolutely! There’s nothing I would rather do.”
Aunt Tillie made a disgusted sound in the back of her throat as we walked to the door. “I liked it better when our biggest worry was your lice, Landon.”
Landon was unruffled when he responded. “Get working, woman. You need to set this right … and soon.”
“You’re not the boss of me.”
“No, but I am,” Mom interjected. “If you don’t reverse this spell within twenty-four hours, you’ll be sleeping in the greenhouse until you do.”
“Well, this just bites,” Aunt Tillie groused. “I have to do all of the work.”
“You broke it, so you need to fix it,” I called over my shoulder. “You can’t blame us for this one.”
“That shows how much you know. I can blame you for anything. I just … crud! This is totally going to ruin my weekend.”
I wish the world was made up of bacon and we lived in a tree overlooking a maple syrup river. We could maybe add in a nice couch made of eggs and a table made of toast. Ooh, and a bed made of pot roast. I’d probably get fat, but at least I’d die a happy man. You and me in a world full of bacon … yeah … I’m pretty sure that’s my idea of Heaven.
– Landon Michaels when explaining his version of a perfect world
Ten
“I say we hit Nelson first,” Landon announced over breakfast the next morning. He was surprisingly upbeat despite the fact that we drank a little more than we should have the night before. Once we got started we found it difficult to stop, and I was nursing a hangover that he didn’t seem to have, even though he still looked weary. “He knows something odd is going on. After his experience last night he’s probably ready to put this entire thing behind him.”
“I don’t think it’s going to be as easy as that, but I agree he’s the most logical place to start because his wish almost ended in bloodshed last night,” I said, picking at my eggs and hash browns. “After Nelson, we can try to figure out who is flying over the property.”
“You need to eat,” Landon instructed, tapping the edge of my plate. “I know you’re a bit hungover, but the food will make you feel better.”
“You shouldn’t have let me drink so much.”
Landon snorted. “Since when am I the boss?”
“Men are never the boss,” Aunt Tillie announced from her seat at the head of the table. “You give them too much power if you make them believe that … and the last thing a man needs is too much power. Trust me. I know.”
Mom generally allowed Aunt Tillie to run off at the mouth to her heart’s content, but today was apparently a different story. “When did Uncle Calvin ever have power over you?”
I’d only met Uncle Calvin when traveling to the past in Aunt Tillie’s brain a few months ago. He died long before I was born. His spirit whispered to me a few times when I was a kid – encouraging me to go to Aunt Tillie or do something special for the family – but I got the feeling that he was a big pushover when it came to the Winchester women. That’s probably why he was remembered so fondly.
“I never let him have power,” Aunt Tillie replied. “That’s why I know it’s a bad idea.”
I sighed as I rolled my neck. “Landon has half the power in this relationship and I have the other half. We’re fine with things being equal.”
“I don’t want to start a fight, but I’m pretty sure you have seventy-five percent of the power,” Landon argued.
“I do not.”
“You do so.”
“I do not!”
“Oh, geez.” Mom slapped her hand on the table to get our attention, ignoring the odd looks from the guests at the other end of the table. “Do you guys have to make this a thing? Sometimes I think you feed off the drama. Now is not the time for us to grapple with that.”
“That’s what I said.” Aunt Tillie pulled out a haughty smile. “You and your boyfriend are far too dramatic. It wears on us all.”
“Given what you’ve been up to, I wouldn’t cast stones,” Landon warned, reaching for the bacon platter. “Leave Bay alone. She’s had a rough couple of days … and come to find out, you’re the reason.”
“Oh, bite me.” Aunt Tillie rolled her eyes. “I said I would fix it, so I’ll fix it.”
“And you’re not leaving the house until you do,” Mom ordered. “In fact, you’ll be spending the entire day in the kitchen so we can monitor your research activities. We’ve divvied the day up into shifts. The good news for you is that I’ve got the first shift.”
Aunt Tillie looked as if that was the worst news she’d ever heard. “I don’t need a babysitter.”
“Obviously that’s not true,” Thistle offered, grinning like a madwoman from her spot at the center of the large rectangular table. “Perhaps we should divvy up babysitting shifts for every hour of every day from here on out to make sure you don’t get in trouble. How does that sound?”
“It sounds as if you’re going to be at the top of my list until the next millennium,” Aunt Tillie fired back, incensed. “I don’t understand why you guys are so worked up about all of this. It was an honest mistake … and it’s one I have every intention of rectifying, so suck it up.” Aunt Tillie blew a dismissive raspberry, causing the guests to giggle as I focused my full attention on them for the first time this morning.
“Where are the Leerys?” I asked, my stomach twisting. “Has an
yone seen them?”
“I saw them last night,” Twila offered. “They were feeling each other up in the library. Mr. Leery was actually trying to remove Mrs. Leery’s bra without taking off her shirt, because that’s something they used to do back in the day.”
I inadvertently cringed at the visual. Mrs. Leery had quite the rack. Those things could be dangerous if they weren’t harnessed correctly. “Oh, well, at least they’re not hurting anyone.”
“Unless Mr. Leery really does make good on his promise to rock Mrs. Leery’s world,” Twila supplied. “I think he could very well throw out his back if he goes that route.”
“Okay, well, we’ll track them down later,” I said, trying to ignore the fact that Landon’s shoulders were shaking with silent laughter. “We should definitely start with Nelson. Given what happened last night, he should be easy to persuade.”
“Maybe you can use that special place you have in his heart,” Landon teased.
“Oh, stuff it.”
“NO WAY!”
Nelson took everyone by surprise when we approached him before he entered the coffee shop the next morning. We thought it would be an easy matter to walk him to the wishing well, have him reverse the wish, and then send him on his way.
We were wrong.
“What do you mean ‘no way’?” I asked, confused. “After what happened last night I’d think you’d be all for this.”
“Well, I’m not.” Nelson was defiant as he crossed his arms over his chest. His gaggle of girlfriends stood by the front door of the coffee shop – all of them glaring at Thistle and me as we positioned ourselves on either side of Nelson – and I couldn’t help but wonder if the spell would cause them to jump us if we weren’t careful.
“Well, you’re doing it,” Thistle snapped. “If I have to spend my entire Sunday tracking down people who made ill-conceived wishes, I’m not putting up with any crap. Start marching in that direction.” She pointed toward town square. “It will take five minutes and you’ll be done.”
“I’m not doing it,” Nelson said, his voice low and gravelly as he clenched his hands into fists. “I don’t care what you say. You can’t make me take my wish back. This is the best thing that’s ever happened to me.”
My mouth dropped open as the confusion washed over me. “People tried to burn you at the stake last night,” I reminded him.
“Did that happen?”
“No, but that’s only because Chief Terry stepped in when he did,” I replied, staring him down. “Who knows what would’ve happened if Landon and I hadn’t shown up when we did.”
Nelson slid his eyes to Landon and offered him a derisive snort. “Oh, please. This guy didn’t do anything. You did all of the work to save me. I’m very thankful for that, by the way.”
Landon narrowed his eyes as he tilted his head to the side. “Excuse me? Do you have a problem with me or something?”
“Oh, I definitely have a problem with you,” Nelson snapped. “You’re not even a part of this town and you waltzed in here and stole the hottest woman.”
“Hey!” Thistle was affronted. “I am way hotter than Bay.”
“I told you.” I’m not a fan of smugness on a normal day, but I couldn’t help but bask in Nelson’s mini-crush given the remnants of my lingering hangover. “You didn’t believe me, but I told you he was warm for my form.”
“No one says that,” Landon complained.
“You’ve said it before.”
“As a joke.”
“Are you saying you’re not warm for my form?”
Landon opened his mouth to argue and then snapped it shut. “I can’t believe we’re having this conversation. Every single time I think things can’t get more immature or worse when I visit Hemlock Cove, I’m always proved wrong.”
“Perhaps you should quit visiting then,” Nelson suggested.
His tone caught me off guard. He was usually an amiable, if sometimes misguided, kid. “Don’t talk to him that way,” I admonished. “He’s with the FBI. He deserves your respect.”
Instead of being appropriately abashed, Nelson crossed his arms over his chest, defiant. “This is his fault in the first place. If he didn’t insist on coming around town all day I wouldn’t have made that wish in the first place. Besides that … well … how do you even know the wishes are to blame? I think it’s something else.”
His argument made no sense. “What do you mean that it’s Landon’s fault?”
“I’m more interested in why Bay is the reason you made the wish in the first place,” Landon prodded. “What exactly did you wish for?”
“Forget all that,” Thistle snapped. “I want to know why you think Bay is hotter than me when I’m clearly the hottest Winchester.”
I snorted, genuinely amused. “You are not.”
“Oh, I totally am.”
“This is an argument for another time,” Landon said, raising his voice to drown out whatever angry words we were about to muster next. “I want to know what you wished for, Nelson. Tell me right now.”
Nelson’s new argumentative nature slipped a bit as she shifted his gaze to his feet. “I would really rather not say.”
“You either tell me what you wished for right here or I arrest you and haul you into the police station and you can tell me there,” Landon threatened.
Nelson’s face drained of color as Thistle wrinkled her nose.
“On what charge?” Thistle challenged. “What can you arrest him for?”
I was mildly curious about that myself, but there was no way I’d bring it up when we had an audience. I planned to file it away for later, but Thistle relieved me of the worry by challenging Landon.
“Disturbing the peace,” Landon replied, not missing a beat.
“How did I do that?” Nelson protested. “I was minding my own business last night when those guys attacked. It’s hardly my fault that things got out of control.”
“That’s not how it will read in my report.” Landon crossed his arms over his chest and arched a challenging eyebrow. “Do you want to answer me now or go to the station and be logged into the system?”
It was a lame threat and I knew Landon wouldn’t arrest Nelson, but his tone was enough to prod the teenager into responding.
“Fine.” Nelson heaved a sigh. “I was feeling sorry for myself at the party the other night because none of the girls would look at me. They were all interested in the football players … and the basketball players … and the soccer studs. Heck, they were throwing themselves at the golf guys.”
“The golf guys? Really?” Thistle didn’t look convinced. “That’s a little sad. Do they wear those sock things to parties?”
Nelson ignored the question. “I’m not good with girls. I’ve never been good with girls. I polished the well plaque like I was supposed to do and then I saw you at the police station.” Nelson’s lip curled as his gaze landed on Landon. “I knew why you were in town. Everyone knows that you come every weekend to see Bay.”
“That’s hardly a secret,” Landon shot back. “She’s my girlfriend. We’re moving in together.”
That was obviously news to Nelson, who looked crushed by the fact. “What? Why?”
“That’s not important right now,” I said, resting a hand on Nelson’s forearm as I shot Landon a warning look. Even though Nelson was a minor for a few months more, I worried Landon might punch him in the face if he took things too far. “What did you wish for, Nelson?”
“You.”
“Me?” My heart rolled painfully. “Why would you wish for me?”
“Because you’re pretty and you always laugh at my jokes,” Nelson replied, averting his gaze. “You never make me feel stupid or less than human because I’m not athletic.”
“Oh, that’s kind of cute.” I couldn’t help but be flattered.
“It’s not cute,” Landon argued, flicking my ear. “It’s disturbing. You’re my girlfriend. Although … why didn’t his wish work? If the wishes are supposed to work at the be
ginning and then turn bad, why didn’t you go wild for him like the other girls?”
That was a pretty good question. “I’m not sure.” I chewed on my bottom lip. “Nelson, tell me exactly how you worded the wish.”
“Why is that important?”
“Because I need to know.” I didn’t want to embarrass the boy further, but I had to know exactly what he said if I expected to walk back the wish.
“I said that I wished you would see that jerkoff for what he was and fall for a real man,” Nelson gritted out, refusing to make eye contact. “I also added that I wanted to be the sort of man women chased. I wanted you to chase after me. I didn’t think they would.” He gestured toward the group of girls watching us.
“That’s how you phrased it?” I couldn’t help but be surprised.
Nelson nodded, miserable. “I’m sorry. You’re just … so pretty.”
“I told you he had a crush on me,” I hissed at Landon, smirking. “That must be why you look so tired to me, though. He wished that I would see you for what you really are … and you’re exhausted.”
“I’m not that tired,” Landon protested.
“You are tired, though,” Thistle said, adopting a pragmatic tone. “Keeping up your relationship with Bay while still living in Traverse City is taking a toll on you. That’s why you’re so excited about the move. You know that will make things easier.”
“I don’t think you should move in with him,” Nelson offered. “He’s not right for you.”
“You need to mind your own business,” Landon instructed, extending a finger. “She’s too old for you.”
“Hey!” Now it was my turn to be offended.
“You know what I mean,” Landon said, softening his tone. “This could explain why you’ve been so worked up worrying about me. I still don’t understand why you didn’t fall all over this kid like he wanted.”
“Because I’m already in love with you,” I explained. “I told you. Curses and spells can’t change what’s in someone’s heart. It doesn’t work like that.”
Make A Witch Page 9
