by Amy Boyles
She beamed. “Thank you. I’m so glad there are no hard feelings about this.”
I shook my head. “Absolutely not. I’m just glad you’re both getting along so well and that Rufus is doing good.”
“Thanks,” Carmen said.
I waved the bag. “No, thank you. I’m going to enjoy these beauties for a while.” I pulled some cash from my pocket. “What do I owe you?”
“Nothing,” Carmen said as she moved toward the door. “They’re on the house.”
I thanked her again before Carmen disappeared out the door.
She was only gone a few seconds when Axel strode in, his arms stretched out wide for a hug. I melted into him and inhaled the musky scent of his skin as I pressed my head to his chest.
“What’s up with the unexpected visit?”
He ran his fingers through my hair. “Nothing. Just wanted to see how my girl was doing.”
That seemed wrong. Axel did often stop by unannounced, but he usually brought food or something sugary for me to nibble on.
I pulled out of his arms. “Are you sure everything’s okay? Something about your tone isn’t right.”
“Nothing.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “It’s just…I had this weird dream last night.”
Not again. Was everyone having weird dreams? “Join the club. It’s like there’s something in the water. Everyone I’ve spoken to today is saying the same thing. It’s crazy. I dreamed a monster was chasing me through the forest behind our new house. Thank you again, by the way.”
I playfully tugged his T-shirt. “Carmen just came in and told me she had a bad dream that Rufus Mayes went, well, old-school Rufus Mayes on the town. Even my cousins and Betty had nightmares.”
Axel forced a smile. “I’m sure it’s nothing.”
“Do you want to talk about it?”
He shook his head. “No thanks.” Axel inhaled deeply and straightened his spine. “Anyway, thought I’d stop by and see if you wanted me to drop by lunch a little later?”
I wove my arms around his waist and grinned up at him. “That would be great.”
After Axel left, the rest of the day passed by uneventfully. I didn’t ask anyone else if they’d had a nightmare and no one said they had, so I was glad about that.
I locked up and headed toward home. Hugo had greeted me at the store, but I told him I wanted to walk. So the dragon flew above me, dipping and diving in the sky.
I watched until he disappeared past the trees, and I kept right on heading toward home.
I was about to cross my street when a truck zipped by. I instantly recognized it as Garrick’s. I waved but he didn’t return the gesture.
I did, however, notice a dark-haired woman, someone I’d never seen before, sitting in the seat beside him.
I chuckled to myself. Oh, when I saw Cordelia, I would tease her about this. Surely it was just coincidence that she’d dreamed of a mysterious woman and then Garrick wound up with one in his car.
I entered the house and saw her first thing, setting the table. “I just saw your boyfriend with his new girlfriend,” I teased.
She scowled. “What are you talking about?”
So I told her. Cordelia’s face turned green.
“Are you okay?”
She slowly sat in her chair. “I called him today, but Garrick never called me back. And now you’ve seen him with this woman?”
Oh, so maybe teasing Cordelia about this hadn’t been such a good idea. “Cord, I’m sure it’s nothing.”
She shook her head. “What if it is something?”
“Seriously, I wouldn’t worry about it.”
My cousin suddenly bolted up, her eyes sparkling. “That’s it! We have to spy on him.”
This didn’t sound like a good idea. “I’m sorry?”
Cordelia clapped her hands as if it was decided. “Don’t you see? We go over to his house and stake it out, discover who this woman is. I’m sure at some point Garrick will either get a phone call or she’ll show up there.”
I placed the back of my hand on Cordelia’s forehead. “You’re not hot. No fever.”
She slapped my hand away. “I’m serious, Pepper.”
“I know you are. That’s what has me worried. Cordelia, you’re talking about spying on your boyfriend just because he hasn’t called you today.”
“And you saw him with a woman.” She gripped my arm, her fingers digging into my flesh. “It’s just like in the dream! Just like it! What if my dream was a prophecy?”
“I don’t think I’d go that far,” I murmured. “Pretty sure it’s just a dream.”
Amelia entered the front door. “What’s going on here? You two okay?”
“No,” Cordelia snapped. “I want to spy on my boyfriend, and Pepper won’t help me.”
Amelia pegged her purse on the coatrack. “Well, Pepper, what’s wrong with you? If Cordelia wants you to help her do crazy things, why aren’t you? We are sweet tea witches, after all.”
She was teasing, obviously, but guilt gnawed at me. I didn’t support random acts of crazy, but I loved my cousins.
I unhooked my arm from Cordelia’s grasp. “So, you just want to go over there and spy on Garrick? What if he calls?”
“Then I say we still spy on him,” she said.
“Are you going to ask him about the woman?”
She shrugged. “If he’s cheating, he’s only going to lie about it. It’s better if I see with my own eyes.”
Amelia clicked her tongue. “She has a point.”
She did. Very few men who ever cheated admitted it unless caught. “But Garrick’s not the cheating type.”
“None of them are,” Amelia said. “Until they are.”
“Oh, shut it,” I countered.
Amelia whimpered, her feelings hurt. She’d get over it.
“Please, Pepper.” Cordelia threaded her fingers and placed them to her chin. “It would mean so much to me.”
“I don’t know…there’s something icky about this.”
“Well, I’m going to do it with or without you,” she said stiffly. “It doesn’t matter to me if you help.”
Amelia plopped onto the couch. “But you’d rather that if you’re going to make a fool of yourself, we do it as a team.”
“Exactly,” Cordelia confirmed. “As a team.”
I raked my fingers through my hair. There was nothing about this that I liked. Nothing. But my cousin needed me. If she suspected Garrick was cheating and he was, she’d really need me there for emotional support.
“Okay,” I sighed. “I’ll come. We doing this tonight?”
Cordelia’s eyes glittered. “Yes, we are.”
Chapter 8
“Did anyone bring hot chocolate?” Amelia asked, the hope in her voice palpable.
We sat in an old hunter’s ground blind that was housed in Garrick’s backyard.
The thing was tattered in a few spots and made of nylon that barely kept out the cold. We’d had to magic up three chairs as there was only one stool when we entered. Between our choices of hiding in bushes or the ground blind, the blind was at least more comfortable.
We were out of the wind and there was no danger of getting poked in the rear end from the bushes. Which I figured to be a win-win.
When no one answered Amelia, she asked again, “Seriously. It’s cold. Did anyone bring cocoa?”
Cordelia snapped her fingers, and a cup of steaming liquid appeared in her hands. She passed it to our cousin. “Here you go.”
“I could have magicked some up myself,” Amelia replied, sounding annoyed. “But thank you, anyway.”
“You’re welcome.”
I watched the dark house. “What time does Garrick normally get home?”
“Around this time.” Cordelia’s face lit up as she thumbed her phone to life. “So he should be here any second.”
I watched the house, wondering what I would do if I were in Cordelia’s situation. My boyfriend hadn’t called, my cousin saw him with another
woman and I had a dream he was cheating on me.
I admit I’d be worried. Very worried. It just didn’t make sense. Why wouldn’t Garrick call Cordelia back?
“What happened with Garrick wanting to go out of town with you?” I said. “Remember when you thought he was going to propose?”
Cordelia nodded. “I told him I’d go but then he got too busy with a case and it just didn’t work out.” She paused, her eyes closed. “I just hope I didn’t push him away too much. I worry that this is my fault.”
A sound of sympathy rumbled from Amelia’s mouth. I took Cordelia’s hand and squeezed. “First off, we don’t even know if anything bad is going on. Secondly, let’s see what happens.”
Just then a truck rumbled into the driveway. The three of us straightened, glancing out the slice of the ground blind we’d secured back.
“This is it,” Cordelia said. “Please just let him be alone.”
She pressed on her phone and scrolled until she found Garrick’s name. Her finger tapped the screen, and the phone started ringing.
Garrick stepped from the truck and stopped. He pulled out his phone, glanced at the number and pressed it off.
My eyes widened. “What the heck?”
Cordelia shook her head. “You see?” she whispered. “He’s not taking my calls.”
I had to admit this did look bad.
I watched as Garrick rounded the truck’s bumper, opened the passenger door. A tall, lanky woman with long brown hair stepped out. Garrick wrapped his arms around her in a hug. The woman fell into him, looking like she was leaning on Garrick for emotional support.
At that point even I was angered. Who was this woman, and why was Garrick ignoring Cordelia and hugging this other lady in plain sight?
“What a dog,” Amelia said. “I say we go get him.”
Cordelia grimaced. “Should we?”
“Why else are we here?” I pointed to Garrick and the woman, who were still hugging. “He’s being a jerk.”
Cordelia wiped beneath her eyes. Her words came out hard, bitter. “Let’s go get him.”
I threw out my hand, and the blind flew into the air, revealing us.
Garrick heard the sound. He broke his hold on the mystery woman and gaped at us.
“Cordelia!”
Cordelia pointed at the woman. “Is she the reason why you haven’t been calling me? Been too busy with her? Whoever she is!”
Garrick waved his hands. A look of absolute surprise washed over his face. “Cordelia, I know this looks bad but it isn’t. I can explain!”
We stopped only a few feet from them. Cordelia jutted out one hip, tossed her luxurious blonde hair over one shoulder and scowled.
“Save it,” she said, biting the words. “You can just save it! As far as I’m concerned, we’re through! I give you my blessing for you and her to be together.”
“Cordelia,” Garrick pleaded. “Listen to me! Give me a minute.”
Cordelia whirled on him. “There’s nothing to say. You haven’t called me back. I just watched you! I called you and you were too busy opening the door for this”—she gestured at the woman—“floozy to bother answering the phone. I don’t know what’s going on and I don’t care. We’re done! It’s over!”
Garrick opened his mouth to speak, and Cordelia flung out her hand, silencing him with magic.
I’d never seen Cordelia act this way. I didn’t know if it was the dream or what, but she’d pretty much lost her cool.
“Let’s go,” I said before she did any more damage—to Garrick or herself.
In less than a second, before Cordelia could work any magic on the woman with Garrick, I whisked us several blocks away.
We stood for a moment listening to the silence of the night.
Cordelia’s shoulders sagged. She was feeling it, the weight of her breakup with Garrick. Sadness would now replace the anger. We needed to go before she completely fell apart.
After about five minutes of walking, Cordelia finally spoke. “I don’t want to talk about it. There’s nothing to say.”
“Had you ever seen her before?” Amelia asked.
Cordelia shook her head. “No.”
Her phone rang. Cordelia looked down at the name and laughed bitterly. “Now he calls.” She turned the phone off. “I guess my spell wore off.”
My heart broke for her. I hated that Cordelia was experiencing sadness when I had so much joy about to begin in my life. It hurt me that she would be going through this.
“What do you want to do?” I asked. “Eat an entire gallon of ice cream?”
Cordelia shook her head. “No, I don’t think so.”
“You know what I think we should do?” Amelia said.
“What’s that?” I asked.
She clapped her hands. A bucket of red delicious apples appeared in Amelia’s arms.
She smirked proudly. Clearly this was going to be an amazing idea. “You know what I like to do when I get angry?”
“What’s that?” I said.
“I like to throw apples.”
I exchanged a confused look with Cordelia. “At what?”
“At trees.”
Strangest idea I’d ever heard. I flared out my hands. “When you get angry, you throw apples at trees.”
“Yep,” Amelia confirmed. “But not just any trees—barking dogwoods.”
My eyes widened. “You mean the really annoying trees that like to bark at just about anything?”
She clicked her tongue. “Those are the ones.”
I hiked a shoulder to my ear and nodded in Cordelia’s direction. “What do you think?”
“Why not?” All the fire had vanished from her voice and posture. Her head hung and I knew my cousin needed something to lift her from the doldrums. “What else am I going to do? Eat ice cream and get fat?”
“Not a good idea,” Amelia said. “You’re single now. You need to keep your figure more than ever.”
I shot her a scathing look. Amelia shrugged. “What? It’s true.”
I hooked a hand around her arm. “Let’s just go throw some apples.”
A few minutes later we stood at the edge of a copse of barking dogwoods. The blooms had long gone and the leaves had turned yellow, but that didn’t alter the spit and vinegar these trees held.
They yipped and growled, barked and snapped at us. Their branches reached out, trying to snip our fingers, bite our clothes—attack us, essentially.
Y’all, these were some seriously hostile trees.
Amelia dropped the basket to the ground and plucked an apple from the middle. “Who’s annoyed that these trees keep barking even though we’re not doing anything to them? I am!”
She tossed the red delicious and hit one of the trees in the middle of its trunk. The tree shook in anger.
“Um. This sounded like a good idea, but I’m starting to think we’re picking on innocent trees,” I said.
It was true. Guilt bled into me as I watched the immobile vegetation.
“Go on over and stand real close,” Amelia said. “They’ve only barked at us before, but they’ll do worse if you get close enough.”
Wanting to justify this, I gingerly crossed to a tree. “There’s a good boy,” I said. “Let me stroke your trunk. I know you don’t mean to sound so mean—Oh!”
A branch jutted out and grabbed my hair, twisting the ends. The tree pulled. I could feel my hair starting to rip at the roots.
Pain radiated across my scalp. “Ah! What the…? Let go!”
But this tree wasn’t listening to reason. Another branch wrapped around my middle, and the next I knew, I’d been hoisted in the air.
“Stop it! Put me down!”
I opened my hand to shoot magic at the dogwood, but another branch slapped me away.
“Ouch!”
Amelia and Cordelia ran up as close as they dared. “Let go of our cousin,” Cordelia yelled.
She threw out her hand and an arrow of magic zipped in the air, hitting the tree. I thou
ght that would be it, I’d be released, but the dogwood only snarled and tightened its grip on me.
“It isn’t working,” I yelled.
Amelia opened her hands. “That’s because the thing that fights dogwoods are…cattails!”
Suddenly a field of cattails sprouted from the earth, encircling the dogwoods. The brown-topped grass swayed and meowed, hissed and spat.
The dogwood tree that held me gave one last yank of my hair. I fired a bolt of magic at a branch, and the tree whimpered, dropping me.
I landed with a thud on the ground. Pain jacked up my tailbone, and I cried out.
Cordelia plucked me from the ground. “Let’s get a safe distance away.”
I scrambled to my feet. “Ow,” I whined.
Cordelia zapped my rump with magic. The pain instantly vanished.
“Oh, thank you,” I said, my voice dripping with appreciation.
“You’re welcome.”
We got a safe distance away and watched the spectacle. Trees swatted their branches at the cattails, which hurled themselves at the trees, uprooting their fragile bodies to attack their aggressors.
Amelia scratched her face. “Is it just me, or do y’all almost feel a little bad about this?”
I rubbed the raw spot on my scalp, knowing I’d barely avoided having a decent-sized chunk ripped out. “I don’t know. I don’t think it was awesome of us to arrive with a basket of apples to throw on rooted trees, but when I tried to be nice, I was attacked.”
Cordelia leaned on one leg and surveyed the scene. “I feel like all in all, this worked out the way it was supposed to.”
For the first time all night she laughed. A really hearty sound that came from the pit of her stomach. “Watching these cats and dogs fight it out is just about the best thing I’ve seen in ages. What do y’all think?”
I snatched an apple from the basket, sat and took a big bite. All the while the ruckus kept right on happening.
“I say we sit awhile, find out which plant wins.”
Amelia and Cordelia each grabbed an apple and joined me. When it looked like the cattails had depleted most of their army and were on the losing end against the trees, Cordelia spoke.
“Thanks for this, y’all. I’m still hurting but at least we had a little fun tonight and I had the chance to forget about what’s going on with Garrick—for a little while.”
