Marley stuck out her tongue. “You’re lucky and you know it.”
“Jefferson is running your bath,” I said. “And there’s a clean dress on your bed.”
Artemis looked at me in disbelief. “You were serious about the makeover, weren’t you?”
“As serious as a vampire’s fangs,” I replied. If that wasn’t already an expression here, I was making it one.
“Mom brought a cosmetics bag, too,” Marley said. “There’s a new toothbrush and toothpaste in there. Bubble gum flavor.”
“Bubble gum flavor,” Artemis repeated. “Well, I do declare. I shall have to try that.”
“It’s my favorite,” Marley said.
Clementine appeared at the foot of the chair, mewing at Artemis.
“It seems my bath is ready,” Artemis said. “Miss Marley, can we continue this game another time?”
Marley looked at me for approval and I nodded.
“Yes, please,” Marley replied.
“I’ll have Jefferson keep the board intact,” Artemis said, rising to her feet.
“You keep the cosmetics bag and experiment with the colors,” I said. “Choose whatever you like.”
“I will,” she said. “Thank you, my sweet.”
“See you later, Miss Haverford,” Marley said with a cheerful wave.
I plucked my phone from my pocket and called the driver to come and get us. We gathered our cleaning supplies and headed for the door.
“Thanks for letting me come, Mom,” Marley said. “I had a lot of fun.”
Only my child would express enjoyment over a visit to an old witch’s haunted house where she dusted furniture and played chess. She was weird, but she was mine.
“Come back soon,” Artemis called. “Next time we’ll tackle the kitchen.”
Sweet baby Elvis. The kitchen was probably a disaster zone. I glanced at Marley and sighed.
“We’re going to need a bigger mop.”
Chapter 15
In Aster’s perfectly managed schedule, the ideal time to introduce me to the Wish Market fell between one o’clock and three o’clock on Friday. As long as I was finished before the middle school day ended, it suited me fine. Naturally, Bentley gave me the stink eye when Aster turned up at the office to drag me away.
“Just because the boss is a frog doesn’t mean you’re free to do as you like,” he said under his breath. He wasn’t foolish enough to be overheard by Aster.
“She wants to show me the Wish Market,” I said. “I haven’t been.”
“It is impressive,” he admitted.
“What do you care?” I asked. “The less I’m here working, the more likely you are to win the bet.”
Bentley rubbed his chin. “I hadn’t thought of it that way.” His narrow face brightened. “Go on, Ember. What are you waiting for? All sorts of goodies at the market.”
I followed Aster out the door and we walked the two blocks over to where the outdoor market was located.
The Wish Market defied belief. The walls of the outdoor market stretched as high as the eye could see. It almost seemed like an optical illusion. Wicker baskets were stacked at the entrance and Aster plucked one off the pile and handed it to me.
“You’ll definitely be needing one of these,” she said.
“I don’t know where to look first,” I said.
My eyes darted from the jars of exotic spices to the lanterns to the brass hospitality stars that adorned many of the gates around town. Food, textiles, hats, trinkets. Anything you could imagine seemed to be available within the confines of the market.
“Take your time,” Aster said. “It’s easy to get overwhelmed.”
“Why is it called the Wish Market?” I asked. “Because everything you could possibly wish for is here?”
“Not quite,” she replied. “If you see something you like, you wish for it in your mind and it appears in your basket. Take that hat, for example.” She pointed to a wide-brimmed sunhat high above us on a floating pedestal. “If I decide I want it, I simply picture it in my basket and voila.”
I glanced down to see the hat in my wicker basket. “Sweet baby…what is it you guys say here? Stars and rocks?”
“Stars and stones,” Aster said with a smile. She was incredibly beautiful, but even more so when she flashed those pearly whites.
“Stars and stones,” I repeated. “I just walk around and look? What if I accidentally picture something in my basket that I shouldn’t have?”
“Returns are simple,” she said. “You picture it back where it came from.”
“Is that a boogie board?” I asked, pointing to a stall to the left. One of my favorite childhood memories was crashing through the waves on the Jersey shore with my flamingo-covered boogie board. My father had loved the beach, probably because it had reminded him of home.
“Not just any boogie board,” Aster replied.
I studied the green board featuring a large silhouette of a black cat. “Let me guess. A magic one?”
She shrugged. “What else?”
“What does it do?”
“Buy one and see for yourself.”
“Marley would love it,” I said. “How can I get it to fit in my basket?”
“Easy as an incubus,” Aster said. “Just wish it smaller in your mind. Then when you get it home, wish it back to its usual size.”
“The wishing will work once it’s out of the market?”
“Yes, because you bought it here. Or you can simply wish it back to your cottage. That way you don’t need to carry it if you don’t want to.”
My brow creased. “Doesn’t that encourage stealing?”
“Not here,” Aster said. “The market knows when and how an item leaves the premises. You’ll be charged before you leave the market’s border.”
“Very cool, and yet kinda creepy,” I said.
Aster nodded toward the board. “Go ahead and try it.”
I pictured the boogie board in my head and then imagined it appearing in the living room of the cottage. I leaned it against the side of the sofa.
“Done?” Aster asked.
“I think so,” I said, and then noticed that the boogie board in the market was gone. “Okay, I guess I know so.”
“Anything else you’d like? Something for the cottage?”
“Not for my place, but I’d like something for Artemis.”
Aster balked. “Artemis Haverford? Whatever for?”
“I’m pretty sure she hasn’t updated her decor since the Civil War,” I said. “The house needs a touch of something modern.” I wasn’t a big shopper, but even I recognized the need to spruce up your environment once in a century or two.
“Well, if we head down this lane, we can browse home interiors.” She hesitated. “You might not want to mention to Mother that you’re taking an interest in Artemis.”
“Why not?” What could Aunt Hyacinth possibly have against the elderly matchmaker?
Aster remained vague. “Trust me, Ember. Mother won’t approve.”
“The list of things your mother approves of is short and sweet, isn’t it?”
“It’s all about standards, darling,” Aster said, in a perfect imitation of her mother.
After a few rows of crystal and brass hospitality stars, I spotted a sundial for the wall with the image of a cat in the middle.
“That one,” I said, gesturing to the wall.
“That?” Aster wrinkled her nose. “Are you sure?”
“Don’t worry, Aster. It’s not for you.” I couldn’t imagine an item like the cat sundial as part of Aster’s white Pottery Barn-style decor.
She looked relieved. “If you think Artemis would like it…”
“I do.”
She shrugged. “Then wish it wherever you’d like it to go.”
“Can I send it directly to her house?”
“You can,” Aster said. “Imagine it with a note from you.”
“Seriously?” Take that, UPS. I closed my eyes and imagined a n
ote to Artemis, along with the sundial. When I opened my eyes, the sundial on the wall was gone.
Aster linked her arm through mine. “You’re getting the hang of this, cousin. You shop like a true Rose.”
“I should probably get going,” I said. “I need to pick up Marley from school. If the weather stays nice, maybe I’ll take her to the beach to try out her new present.” Her new present. I couldn’t remember the last time I bought Marley a present for no reason. Probably never. How our lives had changed so drastically in such a short time. Holy crap, I was grateful.
“The weather will stay nice,” Aster said. “This is Starry Hollow, after all.”
Marley and I strolled down to Balefire Beach so that she could try out the new magical boogie board. I had no idea what to expect, but I was pleased that Marley was willing to try something new. Then again, what ten-year-old wouldn’t want to try out a boogie board?
“How fast do you think it goes?” she asked. She stood at the water’s edge, clutching the top end of the board.
“Apparently, as fast as you want it to go,” I said. “So don’t go overboard.”
Marley groaned. “Mom joke alert.”
“That one was unintentional.”
I set up my beach chair and umbrella and settled down to watch Marley embrace her inner daredevil. She dipped a careful toe into the water before deciding it was warm enough and calm enough to proceed. The sand was smooth and soft, without the numerous broken shells and seaweed that populated Jersey beaches.
“The water’s so clear,” she called over her shoulder.
“Go ahead,” I encouraged her. “I want to see that magic board in action.” I cracked open The Final Prophecy and began to read.
I only made it through the first few pages when a shadow passed over me. “I see you managed to get your hands on one of his books.”
I shielded my eyes from the sun and peered up at Ben. “Hey there. Fancy meeting you here.”
“This is one of my favorite spots,” he said, dropping down in the sand beside me. “It’s never very crowded.”
“I’m so used to being around a lot of people,” I said. “In apartments, in cars, in stores. Moving here is like being on a permanent vacation.”
“Except you need to work and continue your same responsibilities,” he said.
I shrugged. “Trust me. I’m busy, but it’s a good busy. Even though I’m still wrapping my head around this whole new life, it’s still a hundred times better than where I was.”
I clapped loudly as Marley grabbed her first wave. The board skimmed the top and inched slowly toward the shore. Even the roll of the wave seemed to slow in order to accommodate her comfort level.
“She’s cautious, huh?” Ben said.
“She’s very safety conscious,” I said. “She’ll gain confidence the more times she does it.”
I watched as the board did a U-turn and carried Marley straight back out to catch the next wave. She didn’t need to do anything but stay on. Her smile was so big, I could count all her teeth from my beach chair.
“I think she’s enjoying it,” Ben said.
“That’s all I need to be happy,” I said, and heaved a sigh of contentment. I’d take all the craziness Starry Hollow had to throw at me if it meant a safe and happy child.
“There’s a lot more she can do with that,” Ben said. “Would you like me to show her?”
“That’s nice of you, but I’d rather let her move at her own pace,” I said. “She’ll resist if she senses someone is pushing her to move forward before she’s ready.”
“Stubborn, huh?”
I smiled at him. “Runs in the family.” I opened a bottle of water and took a long sip. “What brings you here at this hour? Shouldn’t you be at your shop?”
“This tends to be the quiet time of day. Robina keeps an eye on things when I want to escape for a bit.”
“Did you hear about Alec?” I asked.
Ben cocked his head, which somehow accentuated the pointy tip of his elven ear. “What about him?”
“He’s joined the bachelor frog brigade.”
His kind eyes rounded. “You’re kidding. Alec Hale? Someone’s either very brave or very stupid.”
“I’m keeping him safe at my cottage,” I said.
“That’s sweet of you,” Ben said.
“Wow. I don’t think anyone’s ever called me ‘sweet’ before.” Unless you counted the construction workers that called me ‘sweet cheeks’ and ‘sweet meat.’
Ben chuckled. “You don’t fool me. That tough chick thing is your persona. The real you is quite sweet.”
I cast a sidelong glance at him. “I think you’ve been drinking magical Kool-Aid. I don’t even hold doors for people. Not on purpose, though. I just don’t even think about it until the door is partially closing and then they have to catch it before it bashes them in the teeth.”
“That’s not tough,” he said. “That’s just inconsiderate.”
We laughed. “I’m trying to be better, for Marley’s sake. She deserves a kinder, gentler parent. She doesn’t have a father to balance me out.”
Ben looked thoughtful for a moment. “Did you manage to speak with Artemis Haverford? Maybe that’s why Alec was targeted? If she thinks he sent you to do a story.”
I dusted sand from my shins. “It’s not Artemis. I can see why we needed to question her, but she’s completely innocent.”
“How do you know?”
“Because I do. I’ve even been back to see her since then.”
He choked back a laugh. “Seriously? She didn’t put the fear of the gods into you?”
“The whole place was super creepy,” I admitted. “But it’s looking better now. And she’s out of that hideous white doily she pretended was a dress.”
Ben gaped at me. “You…fixed her up?”
“Not completely,” I said. “Her teeth need more help than I can give. I’m not a professional, for Pete’s sake. And there’s still plenty of work to do on the house, too, but it’s a good start. At least the heavy drapes and dust are gone. It was high time that pale skin got licked by the sun again.”
“I don’t even know what to say.” He shook his head. “Why did you feel compelled to go back?”
I’d asked myself the same question. “Because one day I might be a scary old witch living alone and I might secretly want someone to come by and tell me that I matter by changing me out of my butt-ugly clothes and having my ghost manservant run me a bubble bath.” I took another sip of water. “See? Not sweet at all. I did it for purely selfish reasons.”
“Yeah, totally selfish.”
“You should talk, anyway,” I said. “You’re the one who decided to appoint a former criminal as your mother figure and business partner. Talk about sweet.”
He inhaled the salty sea air. “I honestly don’t know where I’d be now if it weren’t for Robina. Her magic changed my life.”
“You mean her friend’s magic,” I said.
Ben blinked. “Yes, of course. It was Robina’s ideas that we implemented, though. She was the mastermind.”
Mastermind. Interesting choice of words to describe a criminal.
We turned our attention back to the ocean, where Marley was gliding across the water at a slightly increased speed. Her hair was blown back by the breeze and her smile was as wide as the stretch of beach. Observing her now, I felt the stirrings of maternal pride.
Ben gave me a shy look. “Ember, would you like to go out again soon?”
Did I want to? Not for romantic reasons, but I didn’t object to the idea of a new friend.
“I wouldn’t mind seeing more of the town that’s off the beaten track,” I said. “I’m helping Aster on the tourism board and I’d like to highlight some of the more interesting aspects of the town. She seems determined to emphasize every grain of sand on the beach instead of elements that might actually interest tourists.”
“I can definitely help with that,” he said. “How about later t
onight? Eight o’clock? My apartment building is smack dab in the middle of town, so it’s the perfect starting point. If you take the elevator to the penthouse, I have the whole top floor of the building. It’s not the view from the Lighthouse, of course, but it’s nice.”
He gave me the address.
“Great,” I said. “Sounds like a plan.”
Chapter 16
I sat on the edge of my bed, completely absorbed in The Final Prophecy. I peered over the top of the book at Alec the Frog, resting comfortably in the dog crate on my dresser.
“You really know how to write a page turner, Alec,” I said. “Most fantasies take forever before anything cool happens. And there’s usually way too much description of every flower petal and article of clothing.” I pretended to yawn. “Your story moves much faster. Your heroine is awesome.”
I continued to read and discuss the passages in the book with the frog as though, at any moment, he might miraculously answer.
“Did you always want to be a writer?” I asked. The frog blinked. “I don’t know why you waste your time working for my aunt if you’re such a big deal author.”
Marley poked her head in the doorway. “Mom, are you talking to the frog again?”
I tried to disguise my guilty expression. “Maybe.”
“Aren’t you supposed to be getting ready for your evening out?”
I frowned. “What time is it?”
“Quarter to eight,” she replied. “Mrs. Babcock is downstairs with Starry Hollow Monopoly and a teabag.”
“She knows I have tea here,” I grumbled. “I don’t know why she insists on bringing her own.” I set the book on the bed. “I still need to get dressed. I got distracted by the book.”
Marley laughed. “Now you sound like me. What are you reading?”
“Alec’s book,” I said. “I had it at the beach, remember?”
“I was riding my boogie board,” Marley said. “For once, I wasn’t paying attention to a book.” She opened the inside front cover. “Who’s Tatiana?”
“I don’t know. Why?”
“He dedicated the book to her.” Marley held up the dedication page that I’d skipped over.
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