Adam and I sat forward, unsure where she was going.
Evangeline met our eyes and gave a heavy sigh. “Holly, the first thing I would like to say, is that I am very sorry for invading your privacy and breaking into your potions cabinet. If you’ll allow, I’d like a chance to explain, not that it’s excusable.”
I offered a flat smile. “Go ahead.”
“When I first arrived here at the manor, I told you all that it was only a three month stay while the taping of my TV show was on hiatus. However, that’s not quite the truth.” She hesitated, her fingers knitting together. “The truth is that I was fired from The Wednesday Witch.”
Lacey gasped like she’d just been doused with a bucket of ice water. “How could they fire you?”
Evangeline looked miserable. “I made some mistakes and fell out of favor with the studio that produced the show. After being fired, I needed to find a place that would be quiet so that I could regroup and figure out my next move. I quite literally picked a place on the map and moved. I made up the story about needing to improve my magic so that I could possibly learn some kind of spell to cast on my old bosses to make them give me my job back.”
I resisted the urge to groan. Tactics like that were the reason witches and wizards ended up with a bad reputation among other supernaturals.
“Anyways, when I got here, and met you, Holly, I got a new idea.”
“What exactly does that mean?” I asked, pursing my lips.
In no way did I want to be connected to the plot she’d cooked up to get revenge on the studio execs that had canned her from her show.
She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and gave a nervous nod. “Well, it came to me when we were hiking. We were talking about love potions and I’d already been looking into starfire spells. I thought that if I could harness the power of a star, I could spread the effect of the love potion to the entire LA Haven and then my fans would rise up and demand that I be returned to my show.”
This time I couldn’t hold back a groan. I buried my face in my hands, slowly shaking my head back and forth. “Of all the idiotic plans—”
“I know,” Evangeline snapped. She marched over to me and I looked up just as she produced the vial of Fated Flirt from her pocket. She dropped it unceremoniously into my hand and then went back to her original place in the middle of the room. “I said I was sorry. It was dumb and desperate and unforgivable. But you need to know that I wasn’t going to try and use it to steal Adam away from you and I wasn’t trying to steal all your potion ingredients.”
“No, just the secrets from my family’s potions book,” I retorted.
Evangeline’s shoulders sagged. “I’m sorry, Holly.”
I leaned back against Adam’s arm that snaked over the back of the loveseat and stared at Evangeline. She truly did look remorseful but it was hard to shake the violated feeling in an instant.
“Now what will you do?” Posy asked. “If you’re not following through with this plan.”
Evangeline gave her a wistful smile. “Well, in all my studying and searching and practicing, I fell back in love with spellcrafting and I think that I’m ready to give up acting. At least, for now.”
“No!” Lacey moaned.
Evangeline smiled at her. “What I would like to ask from each of you is whether or not I have your permission to stay here at the manor. If even one of you says no, then I’ll pack my bags today, and fly out this evening.”
Lacey jumped in first, “Of course you can stay!” She cut Adam and me a frosty glare, silently daring us to cross her vote.
Adam shrugged. “It’s fine with me as long as you’re done going through Holly’s stuff and you tell your little band of love-sick fans that they need to stay away from Siren’s Song unless they plan on ordering something and tipping every now and again.”
I glanced up at him, surprised he’d even noticed. Then again, maybe I’d mentioned it…a time or two.
“Agreed,” Evangeline answered.
Posy chimed in next. “It’s all right with me. It would be nice to settle in a little and stop the revolving door of occupants for a little while.”
All eyes swiveled to me. “Holly?” Evangeline asked.
I sighed. “All right, it’s fine with me too.”
Evangeline smiled brightly. “Thank you, Holly.”
“What will you do if you’re not acting?” Posy asked.
“I’ve thought about it a lot, and I’ve decided to lease the abandoned gardening shop next to Siren’s Song.”
“Really?” I asked. “I didn’t know you gardened.”
“Oh, no, I don’t. I want to turn it into a day spa!”
“A day spa?” Lacey jumped up from the couch and did an absurd little victory dance like she’d just won the lottery.
Evangeline laughed and added, “Yes, and Lacey, we’ll have extended hours so that all the lovely ladies in town can come and see us. I do hope that you and your friends will come and see us.”
Adam snorted and I jabbed him in the ribs with my elbow.
Lacey shot Adam a nasty look before quickly replacing it with a demure smile directed at Evangeline. “Of course we will!”
“Oh, goody! An entire undead princess parade!” Adam jested.
“Can’t you do something about him?” Lacey asked me.
I laughed. “You’re seriously asking me that?”
She scoffed and turned away.
“I think the spa will be lovely, Evangeline,” Posy said, ignoring Adam and Lacey entirely. She was learning.
“Me too,” I chimed in. “I’ve needed a manicure for about…well, a year now. I haven’t gone into Lucky Lady Salon. I’d fear for my sanity.”
Posy snorted. “It would be very distracting to pretend that Gwen wasn’t right there, probably talking your ear off.”
“I didn’t even think about that!”
Posy laughed. “Lucky Lady is her second home. In fact, it might actually be her home. I’ve never really asked.”
“What I would like to do is have different special events that would interest supernaturals into coming out so I can practice my magic and maybe even brew up my own beauty remedies!”
I grinned at Evangeline’s sudden entrepreneurial streak. “I do have a pretty killer mud mask recipe.”
Adam groaned and we all laughed.
Even Posy.
The grand opening of Evangeline’s day spa, The Emerald, came six weeks later and the first day went off without a hitch. In the weeks leading up to the opening, we had all pulled together to help her get ready. Adam had worked on a lot of the design elements. Lacey accompanied Evangeline on countless shopping trips to make sure that every throw pillow, candle holder, and picture frame was perfect. I’d even gotten involved, and helped Evangeline come up with a custom line of—slightly magically enhanced—beauty products. So, by the time the spa opened, we were all just as nervous as Evangeline to see how it would be received.
Our worries were pointless though. Evangeline was a natural born charmer and had all the ladies of Beechwood Harbor eating out of the palm of her hand by the end of the day. Nearly everyone in town stopped by the shop at some point during the day, even the owner of Lucky Lady Salon, who was surprisingly helpful instead of jealous. By the time I left to go back to work next door, they were talking about cross-promotions and sharing the cost for a billboard in Seattle to get people to come out for a weekend of beauty.
Cassie and I had made up weeks earlier, when she confessed that she had in fact been a little jealous of Nick’s attention. But she was happy with Jeffery and apologized for her petty accusations. I—of course—forgave her and we picked up right where we left off. Adam and I were happier than ever and although I still wasn’t sure where we were headed, I was content to follow the road to wherever it would lead.
As for Cassie and Chief Lincoln, they made their first appearance as an official couple at the grand opening and had the gossip mill churning into overdrive once Mrs. Grady and Mrs.
Brooks spotted them kiss outside as they said goodbye. Nick popped by and even purchased one of the lotions Evangeline and I had crafted together.
It was a quintessential day in Beechwood Harbor. Lots of laughter, chaos, and of course, a healthy sprinkle of gossip.
Once night fell, Adam, Lacey, Posy, and I all met up and went down to the shop for an exclusive after party. Evangeline surprised us with a three course meal and small gifts for each of us as her way of thanking us for all of our help. Lacey received a signed box set of The Wednesday Witch and a t-shirt that Evangeline told her had been worn by the lead male star of the show—which I suspected would be the centerpiece in some kind of shrine in Lacey’s bedroom by the end of the day. Posy received a new stack of vinyl records, that Evangeline promised to swap out for her on a weekly basis so she could get some variety into her life. She gifted Adam with a set of silver cuff links—an odd gift, considering I’d never seen him in a suit. And for me, she had a gilded wand with wards carved into the soft wood.
After opening my present, I shot her a quizzical look. She laughed. “You said you don’t use a wand because you always lose them. This wand has a charm built in so that it always reappears in the same spot after twenty minutes. So, if you set it down, twenty minutes later, it will reappear in your chosen place if you haven’t touched it.”
I laughed and ran my finger over the carved wards. “Thanks, Evangeline. That actually might work!”
She grinned and looked around at each of us in turn before reaching for her wine glass. She lifted it high. “Cheers to new beginnings, in new places, with a new family.”
“Cheers!”
Everyone—minus Posy—clanged their delicate glasses together and sipped deeply.
When the dinner party was over, Posy, Lacey, and Evangeline all went back to the manor, while Adam and I decided to go for a walk through town.
Once we got outside, I leaned into Adam and he wrapped an arm around my waist. “I can’t believe we all pulled this off,” I said, marveling up at the emerald and gold lights that circled the glittering sign.
“Just in time too. I think if I had to sit through one more of her and Lacey’s so-called design meetings, I’d permanently lose my appetite.”
I laughed out loud. “Now that would be something.”
He grimaced. “Yeah, well, just remind me to steer clear of downtown on ghoul’s night out.”
I elbowed him in the ribs. “Be nice.”
He chuckled and kissed my temple. “You got room for dessert?”
My mouth dropped open. “You do realize we just plowed through a huge chocolate cake, right?”
Adam shrugged. “Well, now I’m in the mood for cookies.”
I flicked my eyes to the heavens. “What am I gonna do with you?”
“I could make a few suggestions.” He gave me a lingering look that made me blush.
“I’m sure.” I laughed softly. “As for the cookies, I hate to break it to you, but the bakery is closed and we sold out at Siren’s Song at about three o’clock this afternoon.”
“Bats,” he grumbled.
“Hey, that’s my line.”
He chuckled. “Guess you’re rubbing off on me.”
We wandered through town together, with no particular destination in mind. It was enough to have each other and a nice, balmy breeze, with the soundtrack of the ocean lapping in the background as we walked.
“Do you ever think about Katerina?” Adam asked as we passed the entrance to the neighborhood that Cassie lived in.
I nodded. “Sometimes. I just hope that whatever she’s found in the Otherworld, it makes her happy. She deserves it.”
More often than I’d like to admit, I wondered what was on the other side of this world. My parents were there already, waiting for me, but I wasn’t in a hurry to get there. I had a lot of things left to discover on this side.
“Are you happy?” I asked Adam, glancing up at him.
“Of course I am, gorgeous.” He pulled me in tighter to his side. “I have you. Now, if you could just stop stumbling into murder investigations, it’d be smooth sailing,” he teased, his eyes sparkling with mischief.
I laughed. “Well, I’ll do my best, but I’m not making any promises.”
Author’s Note
Thank you so much for reading! I hope you enjoyed your visit to Beechwood Harbor and will return soon! If you haven’t picked up the prequel novella, A Witch of a Day, please visit me at www.daniellegarrettbooks.com/newsletter and I’ll send it to you for FREE!
Also, please come say hello on Facebook. I would love to hear from you!
About Danielle Garrett
FROM A YOUNG age, Danielle Garrett was obsessed with fantastic places and the stories set in them. As a lifelong bookworm, she’s gone on hundreds of adventures through the eyes of wizards, princesses, elves, and some rather wonderful everyday people as well.
Danielle now lives in Oregon and while she travels as often as possible, she wouldn’t want to call anywhere else home. She shares her life with her husband and their house full of animals, and when not writing, spends her time being a house servant for three extremely spoiled cats. For more about Danielle and her work, please visit her at:
www.daniellegarrettbooks.com
or at
www.facebook.com/daniellegarrettbooks.
Twice the Witch: A Beechwood Harbor Magic Mystery (Beechwood Harbor Magic Mysteries Book 2) Page 20
