Witch Way to the Bakery

by Zoe Arden

  As we finally approached the walkway that led to Sadie's door, we held our breath, afraid that a rain cloud might appear overhead any second. If it did, then I supposed we'd at least have our answer. That would be a sure sign that the dark spirit was here.

  There were no rain clouds, though. There was sort of a soft grayish patch in the sky but it was a distance away from us, back toward the bakery, and didn't appear to be a rain cloud, at least not yet. Anyway, it was nowhere near Sadie's building and didn't seem to have anything to do with anything.

  I rang the doorbell and a moment later Sadie answered. Her skin was sallow but her eyes were more alert than last time I'd seen them and her nose was a bit less red.

  "You're looking better," I told her as she invited us into her apartment.

  "Thanks. I'm feeling better. Not great but better." She sat back on the couch, then thought better of it and stood up, offering us some refreshments.

  "No, no. You sit," said Eleanor. "If Ava or I need anything, we can get it ourselves. We came here to see you and make sure you were getting on all right."

  "Thank you," she said, sitting back down. "I think the antibiotics Dr. Dunne gave me are really kicking in. He said they would."

  "So, you're feeling better?"

  "Yes. At least a little. I think a few more days and I'll be my old self again."

  "That's good to hear," Eleanor said and I nodded. "We brought you something to give you a little energy boost." She handed Sadie the plate of cookies.

  "Oh, thank you so much," Sadie said, taking the plate and setting it on her coffee table.

  "Aren't you going to have one?" Eleanor asked after a minute.

  "Oh, I'm not very hungry right now, I'm afraid. I think it's the medicine. It's been making my stomach a little queasy."

  "But they're your favorite!" I exclaimed, looking at Eleanor, who gave me a warning to hush up with her eyes.

  "That's perfectly all right, dear," Eleanor said, reaching over and patting Sadie's hand. "I only worry that it might hurt Eli's feelings a bit if you don't eat one. He helped prepare them, you see, and was so hoping that you would enjoy them."

  "Eli helped make them?" she asked, taking another look at the cookies.

  "Yes, they're molasses cookies. He told us they're your favorite."

  Sadie bit her lip. "They are." I could see her thinking. "Couldn't you just tell him I ate one?"

  "I wouldn't want to lie. Don't worry, though. I'm sure he'll understand." Eleanor stood up and I followed her lead. "You eat them when you're ready. Right now, Ava and I should be off. We've got a pile of work to do for the Goblin Ball."

  "Wait," Sadie said and grabbed a cookie off the tray. She took a bite, swallowed, took another bite, then popped the whole thing into her mouth. Her eyes lit up. "They're delicious!" she said and grabbed another one. And then another one.

  Eleanor whispered, "I added a dash of addiction extract just to make sure she ate more than one." She winked at me, and I watched as Sadie finished off the plate.

  "Oh," she said when she was done, her cheeks flaming red. "I'm so sorry. I didn't leave any for you. They were so good, though. Do you have any more?"

  "Not with us but we're happy to make some for you," Eleanor said. We stood there waiting for something to happen. After a minute, when nothing had, I looked at Eleanor, who shrugged uncertainly at me.

  "Um... how do you feel?" Eleanor asked.

  "Terrific," Sadie said. "Better than I've felt in days."

  "That's great," I told her. We continued standing there. Finally, I looked at Eleanor and said, "I guess we should go."

  She hesitated then moved for the door. We had just pulled it open when there was a flash of lightning right outside the apartment. There was no rain but the lights in Sadie's apartment flickered then went out. They came back on a moment later and Sadie stood looking frazzled.

  "What was that?" she asked.

  "I'm not sure," I told her.

  Eleanor was beaming. "Nothing," she said. "Just a storm cloud passing by. Feel better. Get some sleep."

  Sadie nodded. When Eleanor and I were outside, I looked over at her. She was smiling from ear to ear.

  "Did it work?" I asked her.

  "I can't say for sure," she said, "but I think so. I think that flash of lightning and the dip in electricity was the dark spirit passing out of her. It just took a moment longer to happen than I'd thought it would."

  I sighed, relieved. "Good. It's over."

  Eleanor nodded. "The dark spirit is gone, and Sadie and your father never need to know it was in her to begin with."

  I bit my lip as a new thought occurred to me.

  "What's wrong?" Eleanor asked.

  "Nothing."

  "Ava."

  I sighed. "It's just that... when Lucy and I went to Whisper Crossing, she told me she'd done some research..."

  "Yes...?"

  "People who are inhabited by dark spirits usually have a mark on their body somewhere. Usually the palm of their hand." I paused. "I didn't see any marks on Sadie when she reached for the cookies."

  Eleanor looked unsettled. "I doubt that means anything. You were there, you saw what happened. The lightning... the electricity. I'm certain it's over." Only she no longer sounded certain.

  "You're right," I said. "I'm sorry I brought it up. It's over. Finally."

  * * *

  CHAPTER

  TWENTY

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  I walked through the doors at Trattoria Bella and looked around for Colt. The scent of garlic sautéing in a pan hit my nostrils, energizing me. I loved garlic. It was probably one of the reasons Colt had chosen this restaurant for our dinner this evening.

  Trattoria Bella was one of the fanciest restaurants in Sweetland Cove. The owner, Pete Stokes, was the son of our neighbor, Betty Stokes. Pete had built the place several years ago from what I understood, with the intention of giving The Golden Goose a run for its money. The Golden Goose was the most popular restaurant in all of Heavenly Haven. It was in Mistmoor Point but so good was the food and so lively the atmosphere that even Sweetlanders admitted it was the best and traveled across the island to dine there on a nightly basis.

  Pete Stokes had hoped that Trattoria Bella might become the Sweetland Cove equivalent of The Golden Goose. Though the restaurant was indeed popular, it had never quite gained Golden Goose status the way Pete had hoped. Still, if you lived in Sweetland and wanted a night out without traveling to Mistmoor, this was the place to be.

  "Good evening, Ava," Pet said, welcoming me into the restaurant.

  "Hi, Pete." I still didn't see Colt anywhere and suddenly worried that he was stuck at work and had forgotten to text me.

  "Colt's already seated."

  "He is?" I asked, relieved to hear it.

  "Yes. He's reserved a very special table for the two of you this evening," Pete said with a smile and a wink. I blushed, and he turned toward the main floor. "Follow me, please."

  I followed him through the restaurant toward a secluded table in the back. It sat near a window that overlooked one of my favorite parts of Sweetland Cove—the town center. There was a giant willow tree that stood in the distance, known as Wanda's Willow, and just looking at it made me feel less nervous. There was a legend that went with Wanda's Willow. It said that whoever sat under it would feel peace and tranquility for the rest of their day. Whatever was causing you anxiety was supposed to get sucked up into Wanda's branches and leave you with nothing but joy and comfort. It was a silly legend but one that I took comfort in.

  "Hi," Colt said, greeting me by standing and pulling out my chair. He kissed me lightly as I took a seat and Pete handed us both menus.

  "Your waiter will be with you in a moment," Pete said and disappeared back to the front as more people began to flow in.

  The restaurant itself was fancy but not overly done. White tablecloths covered each tabl
e. The walls were painted with scenes from an Italian countryside but it wasn't done in a cheesy way. It was actually quite beautiful. You almost felt as if you were really in Italy when you looked at it. The ceiling overhead was a plain, dark blue, almost black, like you were outside looking up at the night sky. The decorator had wisely left out any stars, though; that might have pushed things from elegant to over-the-top, which was not what Pete was going for with his restaurant.

  "Wine?" Colt asked.

  "What?" I murmured.

  "Would you like some wine?" he repeated, and I realized my nerves weren't quite as calm as I had thought they were.

  "Oh, sure. Yes."

  He smiled at me and, when our waiter came by, he ordered the finest bottle of Merlot the restaurant offered.

  "That wine you just ordered is over a hundred dollars," I said, looking at him with wide eyes and a crinkled brow.

  "I know but you're worth it."

  I felt my cheeks redden and picked up the menu, staring at it but not reading anything. The waiter came and poured us two glasses. Colt asked for a few more minutes for our meal selection. The waiter nodded and disappeared.

  "Here's to us," Colt said, lifting his glass.

  I nodded. "To us." We took a sip and I returned my eyes to the menu, my foot twitching under the table.

  "Do you know what you want?" Colt asked.

  "Lasagna," I finally said and set the menu down. I hadn't read through any of the descriptions or meals; I'd simply assumed that an Italian restaurant would offer lasagna. It seemed like a safe choice. Colt ordered the fettuccine and the waiter left us fresh bread with warm butter. I picked up a piece and shoved it into my mouth, not so much because I was hungry but because I knew that with a mouth full of food the chance I'd have to talk would go down.

  "So," Colt finally said as I swallowed the last bit of my bread. "I've been thinking. About us."

  I quickly grabbed another piece of bread and didn't even bother with the butter this time, I simply shoved it into my mouth and began to chew.

  "I know that you're still a little... uncertain about marriage," he said.

  There it is, the "M" word.

  "But I think there's one thing you're not uncertain about—that I love you and you love me."

  I nodded, chomping off another slice of bread.

  "Ava..."

  I reached for another piece of bread but he grabbed the basket before I could get to it.

  "What are you thinking?" he asked.

  I took a big sip of my wine and exhaled. Why was this so hard?

  Because you love him and don't want to hurt him. Maybe you should marry him; you know you love him.

  I congratulated my inner voice on being so wise, then told it to shush and mind its business for the rest of dinner.

  "I'm thinking that sometimes I really miss New York," I said. "I love living on Heavenly Haven but sometimes the city..."

  "I meant what are you thinking about us?" he asked.

  "I... I don't know," I finally said, and it took all of my effort just to get those words out.

  "Why not?" he asked.

  I shrugged and wished I could crawl into the wine bottle, like a genie, and hide for the rest of the evening, maybe the rest of my life.

  "Ava," Colt said and took my hands in his. "I love you."

  "I know."

  "Do you love me?"

  I sighed. "I do."

  "Then what is it that's holding you back? I know you're young but I don't think that's it."

  I picked up my spoon and began to tap it against the table. "I guess... I guess it's my parents."

  He furrowed his brow. "What about them?"

  "Well, my dad has never really gotten over my mom since she died, you know? I mean, not until now, at least. And I don't think he's over her, not really, just sort of moving past it finally. But it's taken him my whole life to get to this point—over twenty years."

  Colt was squinting at me. He looked so cute when he looked confused. Part of me just wanted to lean across the table and kiss him as hard as I could.

  "So, you're afraid that if you marry me... I'll die, and you'll never get over me?"

  I shrugged. When he said it like that, it sounded silly. "I guess. I don't know. I just... I just don't want to spend the rest of my life alone and miserable."

  "So, you think that by not marrying me, you'll never be alone?" He was looking at me like I was nuts and hearing him say this stuff out loud suddenly made me feel like a fool.

  I covered a laugh.

  "Oh, my roses, I don't know what I'm thinking, I guess," I finally told him. "I love you, you're right. And I want to be with you but we don't need to decide this tonight, do we?"

  "Well... no. Not exactly."

  "Not exactly?" My heart skipped in my chest. "Colt, this isn't some sort of ultimatum, is it?"

  "Not exactly," he said.

  My jaw dropped open.

  "I wouldn't use the word 'ultimatum.' " He sighed. "Look, there's something else going on. Something I have to tell you. Only..."

  "Only...?"

  "Only you're not gonna like it."

  Oh, my roses. Was he finally going to tell me whatever it was Dean had expressly forbidden him from telling me?

  "First, there's one thing I need to do," he said and pulled something from his coat pocket. It was a small, black velvet box.

  "Oh, my roses. Colt—"

  "Ava, just let me do this."

  He cleared his throat. "Ava Rose Fortune," he said, and I thanked the witches that he hadn't dropped to his knees to do this. "I love you. I don't want to be with anyone but you. Ever. I know you feel the same way, and I just... will you marry me?" He opened the box and the diamond ring inside shone brilliantly back at me. Square cut. Platinum setting. Breathtaking. A few people turned their heads toward us.

  I opened my mouth to say no, that I wasn't ready, but nothing came out.

  "Marry me, Ava," he said again.

  "Colt... I..."

  His phone rang then. Colt sighed and ignored it but when it didn't stop and I still hadn't answered him, he took his phone out and looked at the number.

  "It's Sheriff Knoxx," he said. He set the ring on the table, still in its box. It stared at me, shiny and beautiful. It looked expensive—it must have cost him a whole paycheck just to buy it.

  "Sheriff," he said, "what's going on?" His brow crinkled tightly, and he looked at me. He was nodding his head absently, as if the sheriff were standing before us instead of on the other end of a phone.

  "I'll be right there," Colt said and hung up. He looked at me. "There's been another murder," he sighed. "I guess I'll need a raincheck on dinner."

  * * *

  CHAPTER

  TWENTY-ONE

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  "Ava, you can't go with me," Colt said, exasperated.

  "Of course, I can," I said, equally exasperated.

  He had just paid our bill and was asking Pete to give our food to the staff, so it wouldn't go to waste, since neither of us wanted to eat anything just now and we didn't have time to wait for it. I followed him out the door as he turned left, walking faster than usual.

  "It's not safe," he said.

  "Why? Is the killer still there? Do you know who it is?"

  It was infuriating me that he'd given me no further details. He'd simply told me that there'd been a murder and he had to go, as if that was supposed to be enough for me.

  "No," he said. "At least I don't think so. I have an idea or two but nothing that's—"

  He stopped talking and shook his head. "Why am I telling you all this? You're not a cop, Ava. You shouldn't be going to crime scenes."

  "It's not like I've never been to a crime scene before," I retorted.

  "That doesn't mean you're going to this one."

  I stopped walking, a horrifying idea occurring to me.

  "Colt... where is th
e crime scene?" When he didn't immediately respond, I drew in a breath. "It's not at Mystic, is it?" I asked, horrified.

  "What? No!" He sighed and put his arms around me, pulling me into a hug. "If it was at Mystic, I would have told you."

  I exhaled a long breath. "Then where is it? What are you hiding?"

  He shook his head and pulled away from me. "Fine, I guess you'll find out soon enough anyway." He rubbed his temples like he had a headache. "It's at Coffee Cove."

  My jaw dropped open. "Wh-Who?"

  "Not Lucy," he said right away when he saw my face. "But she was there when it happened."

  "Thank the witches," I sighed, relieved, then drew in a fresh breath as irritation washed over me. "Who's dead then? William? Don't even tell me it's Melbourne."

  William and Melbourne were the owners of Coffee Cove. Melbourne was Trixie's boyfriend and also a vampire. If he'd been found murdered, it would have been ten times as alarming as anyone else being found murdered. Vampires didn't die easily.

  "No. It's Red."

  "Red?" I squealed. "The teenager?"

  "He was eighteen, and yes."

  "Poor kid," I mumbled. "How'd he... you know?"

  "Broken neck."

  "Someone broke his neck?" I asked.

  "Yeah. Sounds like they knocked him out first, hit him with a coffee mug or something, then... you know."

  I shuddered.

  "Now that you know the details, will you stay here?" Colt asked hopefully.

  I laughed. "Now that I know the details, there's no way I'm not going with you."

  He sighed and finally, wisely, gave up.

  We got to Coffee Cove in record time. Then again, everything in Sweetland was relatively close to each other. It was such a small town that it never took more than ten or twenty minutes to get anywhere, even in traffic.