How to Date a Witch

by Rose Pressey

  HOW TO DATE A WITCH

  by Rose Pressey

  “Rose Pressey’s book are fun!”

  Janet Evanovich

  Praise for Me and My Ghoulfriends by Rose Pressey

  “Rose Pressey spins a delightful tale with misfits and romance that makes me cheer loudly.”

  Coffee Time Romance

  “Her characters are alive and full of quick witted charm and will make you laugh. The plot twists keep you turning the pages non-stop.”

  ParaNormalRomance

  “I absolutely loved this book! It had me chuckling from the beginning.”

  Fallen Angel Review

  Werewolf and paranormal matchmaker extraordinaire Rylie Cruz has a romance emergency. A witch comes to Rylie needing a date ASAP! That’s when things get exceptionally hairy. The witch's date disappears, and other strange events occur… like Rylie being stalked by a dangerous witch, and a hunk on a motorcycle with unknown motives. Rylie’s a werewolf, not a witch. How’s she supposed to fight witchcraft? Nevertheless, Rylie has to solve the mystery or her days of howling at the moon are over. Actually, her days of everything will be over.

  Rose Pressey’s Complete Bookshelf (click title to preview/buy)

  Paranormal P.I. Series

  What the Hex?

  The Hex With It

  Chase Charley Series:

  Book 1: For Old Crimes Sake

  Book 2: Seems Like Old Crimes

  Haunted Tour Guide Mystery Series:

  These Haunts are Made for Walking

  A Walk on the Haunted Side

  Haunt the Haunt, Walk the Walk

  Walk this Way, Haunt this Way

  Take a Haunted Walk With Me

  Haunted Vintage Series:

  Book 1 – If You’ve Got It, Haunt It

  Book 2 – All Dressed Up and No Place to Haunt

  Book 3 – Haunt Couture and Ghosts Galore

  Book 4 – Haunted is Always in Fashion

  Book 5 – Untitled 2016

  Maggie, P.I. Mystery Series:

  Book 1 – Crime Wave

  Book 2 – Murder is a Beach

  The Halloween LaVeau Series:

  Book 1 – Forever Charmed

  Book 2 – Charmed Again

  Book 3 – Third Time’s a Charm

  Book 4 – Charmed, I’m Sure

  Book 5 – A Charmed Life

  Book 6 – Charmed Ever After

  The Hadley Wilds Series:

  Book 1: Dead Girl’s Guide to Style

  The Rylie Cruz Series:

  Book 1 – How to Date a Werewolf

  Book 2 – How to Date a Vampire

  Book 3 – How to Date a Demon

  The Larue Donovan Series:

  Book 1 – Me and My Ghoulfriends

  Book 2 – Ghouls Night Out

  Book 3 – The Ghoul Next Door

  Book 4—Ghoul of My Dreams

  The Mystic Café Series:

  Book 1 – No Shoes, No Shirt, No Spells

  Book 2 – Pies and Potions

  Book 3 — Spells a la Carte

  The Veronica Mason Series:

  Book 1 – Rock ‘n’ Roll is Undead

  A Trash to Treasure Crafting Mystery:

  Book 1 – Murder at Honeysuckle Hotel

  Book 2 – Honeysuckle Homicide

  The Haunted Renovation Mystery Series:

  Book 1 – Flip that Haunted House

  Book 2 – The Haunted Fixer Upper

  All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form, (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of the copyright owner. This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, incidents, places, and brands are the product of the author’s imagination and not to be construed as real. The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of various products referenced in this work of fiction, which have been used without permission. The publication/use of these trademarks is not authorized, associated with, or sponsored by the trademark owners.

  Dedication

  This is to you and you know who you are.

  Acknowledgements

  To my son, who brings me joy every single day and is the love of my life. To my mother, who introduced me to the love of books. To my husband, who encourages me and always has faith in me. A huge thank you to my editor, Eleanor Boyall. And to the readers who make writing fun.

  Index

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 1

  How to Date a Witch Rule #1

  Don’t mention her cackling laugh

  “Oh, yeah? Well, I was going to give you a nasty look, but I see that you already have one.” Lily Friedman pumped her fist at me.

  I glared at her. “Well, you’re so evil, the devil worships you.”

  I had to admit I was kind of proud of that one. Insulting Lily came easily. The words slipped right off my tongue. After dealing with her nasty remarks I’d learned to dish out my own.

  Lily’s ginger hair glistened like a penny in the afternoon sun. Her blue sundress matched the hue of the cloudless summer sky above. She looked as if she was headed to a picnic, but in reality she’d just stopped by to pick a fight. That was her hobby. Some people knitted, other people painted, Lily argued.

  Her mouth dropped open, as if she couldn’t believe that I’d dared to insult her. She should believe it. I wasn’t trying to be mean on purpose, but she pushed me to my limit. Lily hurled the most atrocious insults my way on a daily basis. There was only so much I could handle. Most of the time I refrained from physical fights with Lily. In fact, it had been a while since we’d thrown punches at each other. Other than the incident when I’d shoved a sock in her month last month. In my defense, she shouldn’t have followed me to the laundromat.

  My best friend Jennifer Matthews said I should just ignore Lily. This was good advice, but not something easily followed. I tried, really I did, but it was too much. I didn’t have that kind of willpower. Someone could dangle a steak in front of my face and I could resist devouring it, but if Lily threw insults my way I lost my temper. And losing my temper wasn’t a good thing. A spike in irritation caused me to sprout hair and howl at the moon.

  Yes, I was a werewolf.

  I’d made the mistake of fixing Lily Friedman up once using my matchmaking service. She’d been nothing but a headache ever since. Surprisingly, the matchmaking had eventually been successful. She was with her love of her life now, so why was she was still harassing me? I really thought it had something to do with the curse.

  I’d learned of this curse on my fourteenth birthday. My mother had explained that a witch had placed the curse on my family for becoming a part of the werewolf world. The Cruz Curse. I’d never find love, blah, blah, blah… you get the picture.

  At first I’d thought it was just a wild tale. After years of unsuccessful dates, I’d started to believe it. That was why I’d started the dating service. I figured if I couldn’t find love, at least I could help others locat
e their true love. Maybe the real curse was really just that Lily came around. Her visits were getting worse and not better.

  Now that I’d found Jack Chandler, I thought the whole notion of a curse was absurd. He was one hunk of a man—with thick blond hair that I loved to run my fingers through and blue eyes so beguiling that I often found myself lost in them. His chiseled features sent a jolt of energy through my body.

  Now Jack came around the corner. He spotted Lily standing on the sidewalk and me on the steps to the building where we lived. He knew immediately what we were doing. He’d seen it many times.

  Jack hurried over to me. “Are you okay? Don’t fight with her.”

  Not only was Jack a vampire, he was also a psychiatrist. He had experience with dealing with these kind of situations. However, no matter how much he tried to convince me not to argue with Lily, I did it anyway. I fell into her trap every time. You’d think I’d be smarter than that, but you’d be wrong. I never claimed to be perfect.

  “Oh, look, it’s your bloodsucker boyfriend. Did he come to save the day?”

  I was certainly full of flaws and had more issues than Vogue—trust me. That still didn’t give Lily any reason to insult me. Lily pumped her fist at me once again, turned around, and then stomped off. Lily was a werewolf too. We had our share of fights—literally. Fur flying, fangs exposed… it was a whole ordeal. At least she was gone now though. Good riddance. I hoped I didn’t see her face for a long time.

  Jack wrapped his arms around me and planted a passionate kiss on my lips. This was a full-contact, tongue-probing kiss. I practically slid to the pavement. My legs still turned into wet noodles when Jack was around. Such a romantic moment under the black blanket of sky with the dazzling show of twinkling stars. A hint of a growl slipped just under his breath. When his mouth moved toward my neck, I pulled away.

  I wiggled my finger. “No necking.”

  Finally, he looked at me and smiled. “Are you feeling better now?”

  I blinked several times, trying to regain my focus. “Yes, much better now.”

  “Lily is nothing to be worried about. You should ignore her.” Jack touched my chin with his index finger.

  As Jack and I stood on the steps, the feeling fell over me that someone was watching us. Though perhaps it was because we were standing out there kissing in front of the building. When I peered across the street, I noticed a woman. Her long dark hair reached down to the middle of her back. The black dress she wore hit just above her ankles. It was awfully hot for long sleeves. This was New Orleans. There was hot, and then there was Satan-called-and-wants-his-weather-back hot.

  It wasn’t the first time I’d seen her. She’d made an appearance quite often, actually, and I was beginning to think this wasn’t a coincidence. Sometimes it was just out of the corner of my eye. Or other times she would leave when she realized I’d seen her. As the days went by though she’d started to stay longer and not take off when she realized I’d seen her. What did she want? Was she a potential client who was just too nervous to approach me about fixing her up on a date? She shouldn’t be shy. It was almost a painless experience. Almost. Yes, I knew that my job was outdated now with all the apps and swipe left and all that stuff, but I had a much more personal touch. My couples were truly meant to be. As long as people kept coming to me for mates, then I’d keep matching.

  “You see that woman over there?” I motioned with a tilt of my head.

  “Yes, what about her?” Jack asked.

  “I’ve seen a lot of her lately. I think she wants to talk to me for some reason.”

  “Why don’t you ask her?” Jack leaned against the stair railing.

  “I suppose I could, but I wouldn’t want to embarrass her if she’s not ready. Regardless, it’s too late now, she’s gone. Maybe if I see her again I’ll ask next time.”

  “Good idea,” he said. “Listen, are you all ready for the costume party?”

  “I was thinking maybe I could go as a werewolf and you could go as a vampire.” I smiled.

  “You know, that’s actually not a bad idea, but maybe we should move out of our comfort zone?”

  I sighed. “Shopping for costumes brings back bad memories.”

  Jack brushed the hair out of my eyes. “That was in high school. You have to work through it. So what if you were the only one wearing a costume?”

  “I’ll think about it, okay,” I said.

  I still had a little bit of time to come up with something. The party was two weeks away.

  “I have to get back to work. I’ll see you later?” Jack caressed my cheek.

  “Can’t wait.” I smiled.

  He kissed me again and then we both headed up the steps to our offices. Jack worked across from me in the same building. We also lived across from each other in the second-floor apartments of the same building. It made it convenient to see each other for dates. It was like living together, but the best of both worlds. I still had my own bathroom and TV.

  My work phone was ringing when I opened the door. I rushed in to grab it before it stopped. I didn’t want to miss a potential client.

  “Get a Mate Dating Service, how may I help you?” I said when I answered.

  There was no response.

  Not another prank call.

  Chapter 2

  How to Date a Witch Rule #2

  Don’t mess with her potion bottles

  I hung up the phone and leaned back in the chair behind my desk. The day had gotten off to a weird start, but I wouldn’t let that get me down. I pulled out files from the desk drawer so that I could get organized for the day. This afternoon I had a few appointments scheduled, but my morning looked kind of bleak in the dating matchup game. I wouldn’t lie and say that apps and the other online dating sites hadn’t hurt my business, because they had, but I adapted. I had new marketing ideas and new ways to make my business grow. I marketed myself as old-school with a personal touch.

  The phone rang again and I quickly picked up the receiver. “Get a Mate Dating Service, how may I help you?”

  Did I sound too eager? Again there was no response.

  I sighed. “What is this? Have you nothing better to do with your time than harass me? Get a life!”

  “Yes, excuse me,” the meek voice said. “I’m sorry if I was interrupting, but I want to schedule an appointment to find a date.”

  This was more like it. I supposed I shouldn’t have lost my cool so quickly. It was almost a full moon and my nerves were on edge.

  “It’s okay, you’re not interrupting. When would you like an appointment? I have tomorrow afternoon available.”

  “Oh, I’m sorry, but I need to see you much quicker than that. This is very important. It’s an emergency.”

  A dating emergency? That was a first. I looked at the clock on the wall. “I suppose I have a few minutes right now.”

  Who was I kidding? I had all morning open, but she didn’t need to know that. I wanted to seem as if I was successful and professional. Pretending that my schedule was full would make it seem as if my services were in demand.

  “Great, I’ll see you soon.” Her voice seemed much cheerier now.

  “Wait, what’s your name?” I asked.

  Before I got an answer the phone went dead. Barely thirty seconds later there was a knock at the door. I hurried over to the door, hoping it was Jack. Though he usually wouldn’t knock unless he thought I had a client. My best friend Jennifer Matthews never knocked. She just came in, even if I did have a client. She got a little excited sometimes.

  I opened the door wide to find a woman standing in front of me. Her long brown hair fell past her shoulders. The yellow cardigan she wore was buttoned all the way to the top with a crisp white shirt peeking out from under. Her navy blue skirt hit just below the knees, and her pumps were the same color.

  “Hello,” I said. “May help you?”

  “I just talked to you about an appointment.” The woman peeked into my office with her wide brown eyes.


  “Wow. That was really fast. You must have been outside.” I looked over her shoulder to see where she could possibly have come from.

  “I did call from the sidewalk.” She twisted her purse strap.

  As nervous as she seemed, it must have taken a lot of courage for her to call.

  “Okay, this must be a real emergency if you’re in that much of a hurry. Come on inside.” I motioned and she cautiously stepped into the room.

  She looked around, checking out all the stuff. I’d recently added photos of happy Get a Mate couples to the walls in my office. I just hoped that none of them broke up soon because then I’d have empty frames displayed. Of course that wasn’t the only reason I didn’t want them to break up, but I digressed. Bringing love to others was my motivation.

  The woman still hadn’t given me her name. Maybe if I introduced myself.

  “Please have a seat,” I said, gesturing toward the leather chairs in front of my desk. “I’m Rylie Cruz.”

  She sat perched on the edge of the seat as if she didn’t want to get too comfortable. Her leather handbag was secure in her arms. Maybe she was using that as a shield in case someone attacked.

  We stared at each other for a moment. An awkward silence filled the air.

  Then she asked, “How long have you been matchmaking?”

  “A few years.”

  I didn’t want to give her the exact number. What if she thought it was too short a time for me to be good at my job. I could assure her I had a fifty-fifty percent success rate.

  “Oh, I guess that’s okay,” she said.

  Perhaps it was time that I pushed the conversation forward.

  “I have some forms you can fill out. If you’re more comfortable you can answer the questions on my website.” I pulled out the papers.

  She shrugged. “I suppose I can fill them out now if it will speed things up.”

  I bit back a chuckle. “Yes, I suppose that would speed things up.”

  The woman took her time writing on the pages, which was ironic since she had insisted that she was in a hurry. I glanced at my watch. There were only twelve questions. Apparently she was being thorough. Finally, she looked up at me, as if she’d forgotten I was even here. I took the papers from her outstretched hand.