The Cupcake Coven

by Ashlyn Chase

  She almost bumped into someone as she breezed into the kitchen. “Oh!”

  The woman turned around. Tall, white-haired Fayleen sported a bright smile and a short, yellow sundress. “Good morning, Rebecca. I came to see you about your father.”

  Skipping all the pleasantries, Rebecca just said, “What about him?”

  “I understand a number of people are looking for him.”

  Rebecca snorted. “Yes. Why do you want to get in line?”

  “Me? I don’t.” She stared at April until the girl fidgeted and moved to the storefront. “I think you may need to find him soon though.”

  Rebecca tipped her head and studied the woman. She was a gifted high priestess, so she may have had a flash of psychic insight or something. “Look, before we get into that, I need permission to tell Dru’s sister what’s going on. It’s unrealistic to expect her to deal with all kinds of craziness and ask no questions.”

  Fayleen glanced in the direction of the storefront. “Go ahead. She’s eavesdropping anyway.”

  Rebecca chuckled.

  “Just warn her about being indiscreet. She could lose her memory again if she tells anyone.”

  Rebecca’s jaw dropped.

  “Nah,” Fayleen said. “I wouldn’t do that.”

  Schooling her relieved expression, Rebecca asked, “So, getting back to my father. Do you know something?”

  “Yeah. I know there’s another group of witches doing locator spells to find him. If you know where he is and why they’re looking for him, you might give him a warning.”

  What the heck? “Another group? Are you sure they’re witches?”

  “Positive. And they’re pretty bad-ass witches too. The Stregheria.”

  Rebecca dropped into one of the chairs at the bistro table. “I wish I knew where he was. I’ve created sigils to protect me, Dru, and the shop, but I really need to create one to protect my father.”

  “So, why don’t you?”

  She was tempted to roll her eyes, but considered who she was talking to. “Because I don’t know where he is.”

  “It never occurred to you that you could create a sigil to find him and another to protect him?”

  Rebecca dropped her forehead into her hand. “No. It didn’t, I’m embarrassed to say.”

  Fayleen waved away the thought. “Never mind that. I can figure it out.”

  “You can? Then why did you ask me if I knew where to find him?”

  “I don’t need him. You do.”

  “What do I need him for?”

  “To pay back the money he loaned you.”

  “If I could do that, we’d all be in great shape. There’d be no need for locator spells, real estate brokers, or sigils at all. I could just concentrate on making my bakery a success, work for the next forty years, and retire in Florida.”

  “Are you saying you don’t have the money?”

  Rebecca stuck a hand on her hip. “Excuse me, but I put all I had into this business, and I thought I could pay him back in reasonable monthly installments like a normal person.”

  Fayleen tipped her head and her brow furrowed as if something weren’t adding up. Eventually she shrugged. “Oh well. I may have gotten ahead of myself. Ta ta.”

  The mysterious high priestess disappeared.

  “What the f…?”

  April peeked around the corner. “You can swear in front of me, you know. I grew up around a bunch of guys. They tried to mind their language if they knew I was there, but I liked to hide and observe their natural habits.”

  Rebecca laughed. “That must have been educational.”

  “Better than TV.” She strolled back into the kitchen. “This chick. She knows something.”

  “Yeah, but what?”

  “If you don’t know, I certainly don’t. Who is she?”

  Rebecca remembered that Fayleen was absent on the night the coven included April. “Her name is Fayleen and she’s our coven’s new elder. She has a shitload of power, so don’t piss her off.”

  “Wow. I guess you can swear with the best of them.”

  Rebecca grinned. “Be careful what you wish for.”

  “I’m still not all that familiar with the New England witches, but anyone who can materialize inside a locked bakery and disappear just as easily has my attention.”

  Rebecca couldn’t help being impressed with how unflappable April seemed to be. That tendency would come in handy if the business situation continued as it had been. But something about Fayleen’s visit had her scratching her head. She said she was ‘getting ahead of herself.’ So, something is about to happen. But what?

  Rebecca was getting pretty good at making sigils. She could probably whip up two more in a matter of minutes.

  “April, can you hold the fort? I have a spell to do upstairs.”

  “Considering we’re not even open yet, yeah, I think I can handle it.” She grinned. “Hey, assign me something to bake while you’re gone. I need the practice.”

  Rebecca grabbed the recipe book and opened it to her cinnamon rolls recipe. “Try getting started on this. It’s Ethan’s favorite, and I think he’s coming in today.” She gave the girl a quick hug and silently thanked the Goddess for sending her a baker.

  “Rebecca! What the heck am I doing here?” her father demanded as he marched almost sideways into the bakery that evening.

  She locked the front door behind him and turned over the closed sign. “Let’s go upstairs.” She led the way through the industrial kitchen and up the stairs to her apartment.

  “Have a seat, Dad.” She pointed to a chair beside her small kitchen table.

  “You didn’t answer my question.”

  “All right. You haven’t answered a few of my questions either, and that’s why you’re here. Now, sit.”

  A frowning Mr. Colby strolled around the table and took a seat on the padded bench. “But, how did I get here? I was driving down the coast when my car seemed to grow a mind of its own. Now here I am. I figure it must be some of your magical nonsense.”

  “I would have thought the experience might have convinced you that magic isn’t nonsense.”

  “Okay. Fine.” He raised his hands and gazed at the ceiling, crying out, “I believe,” in evangelical fervor.

  Rebecca let out a huff. “That wasn’t necessary. Can I get you a glass of O.J. or anything?”

  “I’m fine, thanks.”

  “Are you sure? I’m having one.” She took her glass from the sink and refilled it.

  “Knock yourself out,” he said.

  I’m tempted to knock you out, old man. She took the chair across from him and launched right into a summary of what had happened, because of his actions.

  He listened and sometimes appeared contrite. At other times he cringed. He even laughed about the giant penis cake coming through the front window. In a way it was as if she was just enjoying a normal visit from her father.

  Only this visit wasn’t normal.

  She glanced at her watch. “I’ll have to excuse myself for a moment. Wait here. I’ll be right back.”

  “Before you go…Do you have anything stronger than orange juice?”

  She raised her eyebrows. “Vodka’s in the freezer. Help yourself.” Then she jogged up the stairs to her bedroom, closed her eyes and imagined herself in Dru’s Texas cabin.

  As soon as she opened her eyes she spotted Dru and April on his couch. They were having an animated conversation, but stopped and smiled when they saw her.

  “How did it go?” Rebecca asked.

  “You ain’t gonna believe this, darlin’,” Dru said. He rose gave her a kiss. “Our daddy named us in his will.”

  April grinned. “We know who he is—er was, and apparently he was filthy rich.”

  “Really?”

  “Yeah.” Dru stroked Rebecca’s shoulder and arm. “The lawyer said, he wanted to marry our mamma and claim us, but his parents wouldn’t let him. A ranch cook wasn’t good enough for their Golden Boy. They tried to fix him
up with all kinds of debutantes, and he refused to marry anyone else. So, I guess this stalemate went on our whole lives, and we knew nothin’ about it.”

  “It’s kind of romantic when you think about it,” April said.

  “Kind of sad too. Why do you think he never reached out to you?” Rebecca grasped Dru’s hand and interlocked their fingers.

  “Probably didn’t want to drag us into a contentious situation. Besides, he did reach out. He left us a shitload of money, a mansion, a couple cars, and well…everything.” Dru shook his head slowly as if he still couldn’t believe it.

  Rebecca was suddenly taken aback. Would this change anything between them? Might Dru decide to become an International jet setter and leave her in the Texas dust?

  “What’s wrong,” he asked.

  “Oh, nothing. Sorry. I’m happy for you. Both of you. It must have come as quite a surprise.”

  “You can say that again.” Dru pulled her close for a longer kiss. April sat quietly while their lips enjoyed a little deeper exploration.

  When they finally broke apart, April said, “And there’s more good news.”

  “What’s that?” Rebecca sat beside her on the couch.

  “Apparently my coven did some kind of locator spell and found the guy who raped me. They had a little chat with him…Told him the cops had his DNA and that if he didn’t turn himself in, I was going to testify against him.”

  Rebecca held her breath, hoping April would be spared a nasty trial.

  “And he did! He confessed.”

  “Oh, April! I’m so relieved to hear that.” She reached out and pulled her into a tight hug. April returned the gesture just as enthusiastically.

  “Our lawyer talked to his court appointed lawyer and said the judge didn’t go easy on him. He’s goin’ to jail for a long time.”

  “You must be so relieved.”

  “That’s an understatement. But it’s true I’d feel a lot safer in Portsmouth . And…” She winked. “Now Mike won’t have to wonder if I like him for his money.”

  Rebecca had heard all about the EMT’s gold-digging ex-fiance, so she understood what April was talking about.

  Dru smirked and offered her his hand. “And now you’ll know I have no designs on your fortune.”

  Rebecca burst out laughing. “What fortune? Oh, that reminds me…I left my deadbeat dad in my kitchen. We should get back.”

  April held up her hand. “Before we go, I’d like to make a proposition.” She and her brother exchanged almost imperceptible smiles.

  “Sure,” Rebecca said. “What is it?”

  “I’d like to become partners in your bakery. How much do you think it’s worth? I’ll give you half, in cash.”

  Rebecca’s eyebrows shot up. “Huh? Are you serious?”

  “Yeah. I never did decide what I wanted to do when I grew up, but I love to bake.”

  “What about your degree?”

  She shrugged. “I’ll finish it online or at night or something. I’m not worried about it.”

  “Are you sure you won’t miss Texas? I know you have friends here.”

  “Not close friends. Being the only girl on a ranch was kind of lonely. School friends are nice, but none are so important that I couldn’t leave them. Now would be the time to start over somewhere else. That’s not the reason I’d want to move there and work with you though—if you’ll have me. I don’t know how you feel about me, but I already love you. After what we went through together, and all your support…”

  “Please. You don’t know how I feel about you? I already love you too.” Rebecca turned so she could see Dru’s face. “Are you all right with this?”

  “Yup. I just want my sister to be happy. If workin’ in a bakery that she half owns is what she wants to do, so be it. I can think of a lot worse things.”

  Grinning, Rebecca reached out to April and shook her hand. “Welcome aboard, partner.”

  April quickly dropped the handshake and gave her a huge hug. “Thank you.”

  “What are you thanking me for? I should be thanking you. Now I can pay back my dad, and he can set up some kind of loan shark payment plan, if there is such a thing.”

  “About that,” Dru said.

  Uh oh. Here it comes. She suspected Dru had some kind of conditions about never loaning her father money in the future or something along those lines…Even though her dad had loaned her the cash when he was doing well and she needed his help.

  “In case he owes more than Shasta’s money—”

  “April,” his sister corrected him. “I’m gonna change it legally.”

  He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “Fine…April’s money might not cover what he owes, but I’ll cover the rest. I just want his cronies out of our lives.”

  “Oh.” She didn’t hear any conditions. Where were the conditions? “Well, thank you. I’ll pay you back when I can.”

  He chuckled. “A wife don’t have to pay back her husband—her rich husband.”

  “You still want to marry me? Even after all the craziness I put you through? I thought you’d be on the next plane to Cannes or Monte Carlo.”

  “Darlin’…” He bracketed her face with his big hands. “Why would I go there when the whole of my heart is in the good ol’ USA?” He leaned down and kissed her, tenderly.

  She smiled. “Okay. I’m relieved, but we’ll need to work out the details later. I can’t stay much longer. I told my dad I’d be right back.”

  “Oh, right. He’s sittin’ in your kitchen. Does he know what you can do?”

  “Nope, and we’re going to keep it that way.”

  “Smart.” Dru interlocked their fingers. “So where are we goin’ to land?”

  “In my bedroom. I’ll just say you were taking a nap and I wanted you to join us.”

  “Works for me.” He held out his other hand and said, “Are you comin’, April?”

  “I’d like to stay for a couple hours to visit with everyone. Is it okay if I meet you behind the main house at eight-ish?”

  “Is it private?”

  “It is at that hour. Most of the guys will be in the bunk house, watchin’ TV. If they step out to have a cigarette, they can’t see behind the house from the porch.”

  “And what about you?” she asked Dru. “Are you coming back tonight?”

  “We can stay here or at your place. As long as I get to sleep with the woman I love tonight and every night, and then reappear in my cabin, ready for work tomorrow morning.”

  “You will.”

  “Are you finally answering my proposal?”

  “Yes.”

  “With a yes?”

  She said ‘yes’ about a dozen times and punctuated each one with a kiss.

  Fayleen burst into the hotel and yelled, “Holy Hanna. I can’t believe this!”

  Hanna rushed over to her from the concierge desk and hissed, “My name is Hazel at work.”

  “It was just an expression. We have an emergency.”

  “Come with me.” Hanna grabbed Fayleen’s hand and led her to an empty meeting room. As soon as the door was closed and locked, she whirled on her. “Now, what’s so damned important?”

  “The grail. It’s gone!”

  Hanna’s jaw dropped. “Gone?”

  “Gone.” Tears glistened in Fayleen’s eyes. “I didn’t put it back in its hiding place after we let Rebecca use it, because it was Ryan’s turn to babysit the damn thing. But before I was able to give it to him, it disappeared.”

  “How?”

  “I don’t know. Maybe it sprouted legs and walked.”

  “If it were any other object, I’d know you were joking.”

  Fayleen dropped into a chair and her face fell into her cupped hands. “What are we going to do,” she mumbled through her fingers.

  “We?”

  “Yes…We, dammit. I need your help.”

  “How on earth can I help? I don’t know where it went.”

  “Help me think. I’m so freaked out, I c
an’t even think right now.”

  Hanna sat next to her distraught friend and slid a comforting arm around her shoulders. “Take some deep breaths. Maybe you’ll remember what could have happened to it.

  Trapped in the goblet the witches so irreverently called the Unholy Grail, the alchemist stared out of the cloudy jewels. A maid had brought it home and stuck her kid’s crayons in it. They said it was so ugly, they didn’t want it.

  Now he was sitting on a table surrounded by other unloved and discarded items. A mechanical bird poked his beak into the empty cup, adding to his insult.

  “How much for the dippy bird?” someone said.

  “Five dollars.”

  “Five bucks? You’ve got to be kidding. This is a yard sale, not a novelty shop.”

  “They don’t even make these anymore. It’s a collector’s item.”

  The guy snorted. “Tell you what…I’ll give you three bucks and take the ugly-ass cup with it.”

  “Sold.”

  Bloody Hell.

  Get a sneak peek at book 2 in the Cupcake Coven Series:

  “Damn it, Charlotte, where are my keys?” Ethan Cox tossed the couch cushions on the floor. Hands on his hips, he spun in the direction of Charlotte’s disembodied tinkling laugh. “This isn’t funny, Charlotte. I’m on call.”

  “I’m not telling you where your keys are until we play the game.”

  “I told you, we’re not doing that anymore.”

  “Why not? It’s fun.”

  “Yeah, it was fun in my teens and early twenties. But I’ve grown beyond that now.” He lifted a candy dish and set it back down. “Charlotte…”

  The ghostly voice seemed to be getting closer as she chanted, “Rate that date. Rate that date. Rate that date!” Wild applause followed.

  “That’s it. I’m not letting you watch TV game shows anymore.”

  “Nooo…I get so bored without the TV when you’re not here.”

  “Then tell me where my damn keys are.”

  A long suffering sigh was his answer. “Fine. They’re where you usually keep them.”

  “Huh?” Ethan strode to the kitchen and saw the keys dangling from the peg next to the refrigerator. “I swear they weren’t there ten minutes ago,” he mumbled.