No Shoes, No Shirt, No Spells

by Rose Pressey

“Oh my God, are you all right?” He held me at arm’s length and looked me up and down.

  “I’m okay.” I nodded, taking in a deep breath.

  He pulled me close again, hugging me tightly. My heart thumped. His chest felt so right pressed against mine.

  “What the hell happened?” he asked with an edge to his voice. Rory looked as if he wanted to punch both of them.

  “It was all a misunderstanding. They thought I still needed to be rescued from Kim.”

  Rory responded with a lift of his eyebrows. Charlie stepped from behind the wheel and Bob fumbled with the lock on the other door. He finally shoved it open and jumped out.

  “Right fellas, everything is okay now?” In spite of wanting to clobber them earlier, I kind of felt sorry for them now.

  “Yeah, sorry about that, man. Let us know if we need to have your front door fixed.”

  Rory scowled. “Don’t worry, I will. Come on, let’s get out of here.” Rory led me by the elbow toward his truck.

  He glanced back several times, frowning at Charlie and Bob. He was none too happy with those two. I hopped in his truck and he closed the door behind me, then went back to the limo where Bob was getting into the vehicle. Uh-oh. Did I need to break up a fight between these three? I wasn’t sure Rory could take on these two meatheads although, as mad as he seemed, maybe he wouldn’t have any problems.

  The men talked and Rory pointed back at me. Bob held his hands up in surrender, then Rory stomped back to the truck and climbed in behind the wheel.

  “Everything okay now?” I asked.

  “I can’t believe that they’d just break into someone’s home like that. What if I’d had a gun? But I guess they had guns too, huh?”

  “It would have been an ugly situation, I’ll admit that. But they had my best interests at heart.”

  He let out a deep breath as he started the truck. “Yeah, I suppose they did. It was just a bit of an adrenaline rush, that’s all. It’ll take me a minute to get over it.”

  “I understand. I was freaking out, too. I’m really sorry about all this.”

  “It’s okay now. I need a minute to calm down, that’s all. It’s not every day someone breaks into your home with guns.”

  “I’m sorry I dragged you into all this.”

  “You didn’t drag me into anything. If I didn’t want to be here, I wouldn’t be.”

  Chapter Forty-Seven

  Rory turned the truck around and headed back in the direction of his place. As much as I liked the thought of going back there, spending time alone without worrying about ex-girlfriends and magic spells, there was one last thing I needed to take care of in order to reopen the café.

  And one last thing needed to be settled before I continued any kind of relationship with Rory. The magic. I had to make sure the spell was reversed. Plus, I could show Rory that I wasn’t a complete nut-job. Our relationship would be stuck in neutral if I didn’t right my wrong. When he saw the sparks from the spell, he’d have to believe me.

  “Are you hungry?” I asked. “How about some good down-home cooking?”

  “Are you trying to add magic again?” He steered the truck, not taking his eyes off the wheel.

  I frowned. He’d never eat another bite of my food.

  “Sorry, forget I said that.”

  “Consider it forgotten.” I pushed forward with my mission. “You must have burned up a lot of calories with that adrenaline rush. How about we go back to the café and I’ll fix us some food. The picnic wasn’t much.”

  No more secrets, I reminded myself. I didn’t want to tell him what I was trying to do. Maybe he’d rush to get out from under the spell. After all, women still followed him almost everywhere he went. Two cars full of women tailed us now. I wasn’t sure, but I thought I recognized one of the women behind the wheel of a gray Buick as my first grade teacher.

  “No, it sure wasn’t much. Kim never could even make a sandwich, although she liked to think she was a gourmet chef. I’m still trying to wrap my head around what went on today, though.” He glanced over at me. I didn’t think he’d noticed the women following us.

  “I know it was weird and, in hindsight, perhaps I could have dealt with things differently.” I looked in the side mirror and willed the women to go away. It didn’t work, they continued their trek.

  “No, you did what you had to do, I understand that.”

  “She broke into my bedroom, you know. I still can’t believe she did that. I think the city smog may have gotten to her.”

  “Well, apparently the small-town fresh air didn’t reverse it,” he said.

  “Do you still have feelings for Kim? I know you said you didn’t love her but, deep down, I think she might have some redeeming qualities. Somewhere.”

  A small smile crossed his lips. “I’ll always have feelings for her, but not in that way. Not the way I feel for you.”

  My stomach tingled against my will. I couldn’t stop the smile from spreading across my face. That was the answer I’d wanted to hear.

  “I stopped loving her a while back. She wasn’t exactly an ideal girlfriend, if you know what I mean.”

  “So I’ve heard.” I placed my hand on his shoulder.

  “There’s a lot of talk in this small town, huh?” Rory steered the truck onto Main Street.

  “Everyone knows everyone, no way to hide much. That’s the way it works.”

  “Yes, it does. And since it’s hard to hide much, you want to share more of this magic story with me?” he asked.

  Not really, but I knew I had to. “Apparently, my grandmother has been performing a little magical intervention on Mystic Café patrons for years now. She wanted to retire to sunshine and golf in Florida. Heck, knowing her, she probably wanted to find a younger boyfriend.”

  He chuckled.

  “Anyway, as you know, she left me the café. But she didn’t spring the full job description on me until she was on the way out the door. No wonder my mother didn’t want to take over the business, well, that and the fact she’s a terrible cook. The spells are all good, only to help people feel better—physically and mentally. A little love.” I cast a glance and grinned. “Maybe something to take away the aches and pains. That sort of thing.”

  “Doesn’t sound like black magic or witchcraft.”

  “Really, it’s not. What made you think it was?”

  “Nothing specific. It’s just that a lot of people might think evil when they hear about magic spells. Especially in a small town like this. Like I said, my mom’s friend used to cast spells. She used herbs and oils. As far as I know, she didn’t have special powers.” He gave a little shrug of his shoulders. “Maybe she did, I don’t know.”

  “Yeah, the whole evil thing is probably why people in Mystic don’t know. Not because it’s bad, but because they would assume it was.” I glanced in the mirror to see the carload of women still trailing us. I hoped they didn’t storm the truck, toss me out, and ride off into the sunset with Rory. He still didn’t seem to notice them or, if he did, he didn’t mention it.

  “Huh, I guess that’s why it’s called Mystic Hollow.”

  As we pulled up to the café, the two cars drove past, but pulled into a nearby parking lot. With any luck, I would reverse the rest of the spell before they formed an angry mob.

  I shrugged, answering his question, but distracted by the women. “Maybe. I don’t know, but there are a lot of things I don’t know.”

  My cell phone rang. “It’s Mary Jane, excuse me for a second.” I held up my index finger, indicating I needed one minute for my call.

  “What’s going on? Where are you?” she yelled into the phone.

  “Take a deep breath.” I listened to her exhale, waiting for her to get a hold of her excitement. “I was going to call you, but things have been crazy.” I brushed a stray strand of hair out of my eyes with one hand while holding the phone with the other.

  “Sheriff Jasper told me what happened. I leave to take a test and this is what happens? Am
I going to have to put you on a leash?”

  I laughed. “Maybe you will. I’m with Rory now. We’re having food. Why don’t you come by and bring Sheriff Jasper?”

  She paused. If I knew Mary Jane, she was blushing. “I’ll be by soon and I want the full story. Are you working on a spell for Rory?”

  “Yep.”

  “A reverse spell.”

  “Yep.”

  “I’ll be there soon.” I knew she would and, with any luck, she’d have a police escort.

  When I clicked off the phone, Rory said, “She worries about you, huh?”

  “She does. It’s like having another mother. I have enough as it is with my mother and my grandmother.”

  “Speaking of your grandmother, does she know yet?”

  “No, but I’ll have to tell her soon. I can’t put it off forever.”

  We made our way out of his truck and to the café without incident. The women may have followed us, but there were no signs of the limousine, Charlie or Bob. Or Kim. And for that, I was thankful.

  I wondered if Kim was with Tom. For Tom’s sake, I hoped Kim hadn’t set her sights on him. He was annoying sometimes, but a great guy and he didn’t need Kim’s claws in him. Although, Tom probably wouldn’t fall for any of her silly shenanigans.

  My excitement level spiked when I remembered I was very close to opening the café again. A second chance, and this time I wouldn’t screw it up. I’d learn to work the magic just as grandma had. After all, she’d given me a gift, not a curse.

  “You’re nothing but an adventure, you know that?” Rory said, as he waited for me to fish the café keys out from the deep caverns of my purse. Luckily, he’d thought to grab it from his house when he went back for his truck keys.

  I shook my head. “No, I didn’t know that. Isn’t everyone kidnapped at least once in their lives? Don’t most people inherit their grandmother’s magical café?”

  “No and no.” He chuckled. “And you weren’t just kidnapped once, but twice.”

  “Oh, yeah, thanks for reminding me.”

  “So you didn’t press charges against Kim? Why’s that?”

  “There was no need. She didn’t mean to harm me. She’ll be out of my hair now.”

  “Out of our hair.” He winked.

  I didn’t want to tell him she’d still have to deal with the organization. I’d probably never get used to all their magical rules.

  I unlocked the café door, yanked the Closed sign off and we stepped into the empty space.

  “The glass should be in soon, they said.”

  “Thanks again for taking care of that. It’ll be ready for the reopening soon.”

  Foot in mouth. He didn’t know I’d been forced to close.

  “Reopening? I didn’t know you were ever officially closed.”

  “Well, that’s the thing. After the break-in, the magical organization felt it best if I closed until things were settled. Luckily, it didn’t last long.” He looked confused but didn’t question my answer. He probably thought I was being ditzy. I didn’t bother filling him in on all the details, like the fact that I’d almost lost the café for good.

  “I wondered why when I drove by it looked empty and the lights were off.”

  Being in the café was as if I’d come home again after being away for a very long time. It hadn’t even been twenty-four hours, but it felt like twenty-four days. It was strange every time I saw the café empty. I didn’t like it that way, it felt right when it was packed full of Mystic Hollow residents—as if all was right with the world and everyone was safe and cozy. Of course, the world isn’t really safe and cozy, but it was nice to have that feeling once in a while.

  “Why don’t you take a seat and look at the menu?”

  “I’ll trust you to make whatever you want me to have.” He smiled. “As a matter of fact, why don’t I help you?”

  Chapter Forty-Eight

  He read my mind.

  I beamed. “I’d like that.”

  As we made our way toward the kitchen, the front door opened. We spun around and Rory let out a small groan. Apparently, he still hadn’t warmed up to Tom who waved at us with a huge smile spread across his face.

  “I just came to say goodbye.” He winked at me as he placed his duffel bag on the counter.

  “Oh, leaving so soon?” Rory deadpanned.

  I knew why Tom was there, to make sure the spell was complete. The case would be marked closed and it wouldn’t come soon enough for me.

  “I was getting ready to fix food for us. How about a little something for the road?”

  Rory probably just wanted Tom to beat it, and I wanted the café out of danger as soon as possible, so I’d make the quickest thing I could.

  “How about my southern style chicken salad? It has mustard and a little bit of vinegar. Grandma and I use vinegar in a lot of food. A little bit will never hurt, she says.”

  “Sounds good,” Tom said.

  “Chicken salad it is.” I clapped my hands together.

  Rory followed me to the kitchen and Tom tagged along, too. One wasn’t going to let the other one outdo him. I’d miss Tom when he left. He’d really started to grow on me.

  “So you’re leaving town, huh? Elly finally doesn’t need you anymore?” Rory asked.

  “I suppose she doesn’t.” Tom looked at me and smiled with a wink. “It’s a shame because I’d like to stay around longer, if she’d have me.”

  “Well, I’m sure you have plenty other work to keep you busy.” Rory sounded as if he’d have pushed Tom out the door right then and there if he could have.

  This was awkward. I’d never felt this kind of tension in the air before.

  “I almost forgot the book.” Tom hurried back out to the counter and pulled the book from his bag. “You left the book and spices in my car, so I thought I’d bring them over.”

  That book had a way of keeping up with me and it’s a good thing; I still hadn’t learned to keep a better eye on it, but it had been safer with Tom than with me during my second kidnapping of the day.

  “Thanks.” I wrapped my arms around the large book and carried it to my workspace counter. “This is my magic spell book, Rory, the one I was telling you about.”

  He stepped closer and reached out, touching the cover. “It looks old.”

  “It is, sort of,” Tom said. “Well...the content is old. We’re not sure how old it is really.”

  I glanced at Tom and he nodded his approval at the question he knew I was getting ready to ask Rory.

  “If it’s okay with you, I want to show you the magic. Reverse the mistake I made.”

  “Are you serious?” Rory stared wide-eyed.

  I shook my head. “I’m serious.”

  He glanced from me to Tom, then back to me. “Okay. I’m game. I’ll try anything once. Show me what you’ve got.”

  I started grabbing food and utensils. “I’d be happy to.”

  After spreading the chicken salad I’d made onto the bread, I laid out all the spices in front of me. My shoulder muscles tensed and my heart pumped harder. If I screwed this up, my happy ending would crumble faster than grandma’s cinnamon crumble coffee cake. Steadying my shaky hands, I flipped to the correct page in the book, then sprinkled the first spice on Rory’s sandwich.

  As long as he didn’t get the wrong one this time, everything should work out fine. Without looking his way, I knew he was watching me. I felt his gaze. What was going through his mind? My fingers were crossed that there’d be no more mix-ups this time. As I added the second spice, a fizzing sound bubbled up from the sandwich. Sparks popped from the food, some shooting straight up, and others out to the side in a spectacular little light show. Glancing over at my audience, I waited for a reaction, but there was none. Tom watched on as an approving coach, and Rory looked captivated. Since Rory didn’t ask me to stop, I turned back to the task at hand. I whirled my hand around and through the blue and red streams of sparkles, hoping this might help ease Rory’s reservations and
show him it wouldn’t hurt anyone.

  “Is this safe to eat?” he asked over the whirring sound of the mini-tornado.

  “You ate it before and it didn’t kill you.”

  “Good point,” he said.

  When I added the third spice, more sparks ignited, flashing up into the air.

  Rory looked on wide-eyed. “I’ve never seen anything like it. It’s like mini fireworks. Either I’m crazy, or you’ve rigged some kind of special effects, or you were telling the truth.”

  “I wanted you to know the truth.” Under my breath, I spoke the words I felt would make the spell go away for good. “So mote it be,” I whispered, finishing off the spell. Before adding another slice of wheat bread to the top, I dashed one last sprinkle of cilantro over the sandwich.

  “Take a bite.” I stretched the plate toward Rory.

  “What will happen when I eat it?”

  “Nothing, since it’s a reverse spell,” I said.

  “Why do I feel like a guinea pig?” he asked.

  “Because you kind of are.” I laughed. “Don’t worry, the only time the spells are bad is when the wrong person gets them, so you’re safe now.”

  “Now.” He smirked.

  “That little mix-up you experienced rarely happens,” I said, casting a glance over to Tom. “Right, Tom?”

  Tom raised a brow. “Yeah, rarely.” He rolled his eyes.

  Rory picked up the sandwich and slowly moved it toward his mouth. I held my breath.

  He looked at me again, and I motioned for him to go ahead. He raised it to his mouth and took a bite. He chewed and swallowed.

  Chapter Forty-Nine

  “This is delicious,” Rory said with a mouthful of food. “I don’t know about the magic, but I never knew a sandwich could taste so good.” He took another bite.

  I wiggled my brows. “What can I say? I’ve got a magic touch.”

  Tom and Rory laughed, then looked at each other as if shocked they’d actually shared a moment of mutual agreement and not gotten into a fistfight yet.

  “I can’t argue with that,” Rory said, then took another big bite.

  The feeling of unease that I’d experienced since the spell slipup vanished. A heavy weight had lifted from my shoulders with the first bite Rory took. Gone was the malaise that had hung so heavy in the air. It had been replaced by a new feeling, one of exuberance and confidence. Tom smiled with a nod. He felt it, too.