Spirit of the Witch

by Deanna Chase

  “Dad!” Noel called out. “You didn’t tell her? I thought you said you were going to call and let her know.”

  “I got busy,” he called back as he pulled something that looked a lot like garlic bread from the oven. He placed it on the stove and turned around. “Does it really matter? It’s just dinner.”

  Dread crawled up the back of Yvette’s throat and threatened to choke her. She gripped the back of the couch and forced out, “Please tell me he didn’t invite Isaac. Because I already had one run-in with him today. It did not go well.”

  “You did?” Noel asked, her eyes going wide with curiosity. “What happened?”

  Her righteous indignation came roaring back with a vengeance. “Can you believe he had the nerve to lecture me about…” She lowered her voice and whispered, “about leaving Abby’s wedding with Jacob?”

  “You’re kidding me!” Noel said, placing her hands on her hips. “After how he left your marriage, I can’t believe he went there. What was his problem with it? Did he think you were tarnishing your reputation or something?” Her expression turned from surprised to disgusted. “For a gay man, he’s surprisingly old-fashioned.”

  “Judgmental is the word you’re looking for,” Yvette said as she took a seat on the stool at the counter and nodded her thanks to Clair when the other woman passed her a glass of red wine.

  “Jackass might be closer,” Clair interjected, making both Yvette and Noel laugh.

  “That, too,” Yvette agreed. “But to answer your question, no. He didn’t imply I’d be a sullied woman or anything. He basically said I was too emotional for casual relationships and that he was worried about me.”

  “Ahh,” Noel said, nodding, making a strand of her long blond hair fall over one eye. She pushed it back. “I can see that.”

  “See what?” Yvette took a sip of her wine. “That I’m too emotional or that he’d be worried about me.”

  “Both.” Noel sat next to her and placed her hand over Yvette’s. “Listen, you have every reason to hate Isaac. He blew up your life. Not only did you lose a marriage, you almost lost your store. So I get it. And if you want to build voodoo dolls and stick pins where the sun doesn’t shine, I’ll be there with bells on.”

  Yvette let out a small chuckle. “You would probably sew the dolls yourself.”

  “I am crafty,” she said with a nod. “Anyway, Dad didn’t invite Isaac for family dinner. He isn’t that clueless.”

  “Then who?” Yvette said just as the doorbell rang.

  Daisy darted into the entryway, and a second later Yvette heard the door open, followed by a very familiar male voice.

  Yvette turned and stared at Noel. “Jacob is here?”

  She raised her hands and half-heartedly waved her fingers. “Surprise.”

  “Who invited him?” Her heart sped up as her nerves took over. So much for having a nice relaxing evening with her family.

  Noel pointed at their father.

  Whipping around, Yvette glared at Lin. “Dad! What are you doing to me?”

  “Nothing, Rusty. I just thought it was a good idea for the family to get to know your new business partner, that’s all.” He gave Yvette a pat on the arm as he passed her and held his hand out to the man in question. “Jacob, I’m glad you could make it.”

  “Wouldn’t miss it for the world, Mr. Townsend. Thanks for inviting me. Home cooked meals are a rarity for me these days.”

  “Thank Clair, she did all the work.” Lin turned and smiled at the rest of the family. “Everyone, this is Jacob Burton, the new co-owner of Hollow Books. Jacob, this is everyone.” He quickly finished introducing the family, and while Jacob was saying hello to Drew, Yvette followed her father into the kitchen.

  “Dad, why did you do this to me?” She’d only wanted a nice family dinner. Now she was stuck trying to act normal around Jacob. A tough act to pull off after their Saturday night antics, not to mention her error at the store she hadn’t yet told him about.

  “Come on, Rusty. I didn’t do anything to you. I was just being neighborly. He came by the brewery for lunch. I just happened to be helping Rhys out at the bar when he came in. Once I realized who he was, it seemed natural to invite him over.” He paused and gazed down at her. “I know you two still have some kinks to work out, but is there some reason I should be hostile to him? He is Miss Maple’s nephew, and he seems like a nice young man.”

  “No,” she said, suddenly ashamed of her attitude. Embarrassed, she stared down at her hands as she added, “He is a nice man, and you were right to invite him. I should’ve done it myself, but… well, let’s just say it was a strange day.”

  “I’m sure it’s a tough adjustment, giving up some of the control of your store.” He gave her a soft smile. “Just give it time. You’ll settle into a rhythm soon enough. If not, you’ll work something else out.”

  “Easy for you to say,” she muttered as she grabbed the garlic bread and placed it on the table.

  Jacob excused himself and walked over to Yvette. “I hope this is all right.”

  “Sure. Why wouldn’t it be?” she asked with a bright smile.

  He chuckled. “You know why. But I really like your dad and want to get to know the community, so when he invited me over…” Jacob raised his hands in a helpless gesture. “I had to say yes.”

  “It’s fine, Jacob,” she said, shaking her head. “We’re both adults here. It’s not really a surprise that dad would invite you over. He likes to get to know all the business owners in town.”

  “Okay then.” He put his hands in his jeans pockets and rocked back on his heels. “Then I don’t need to worry that this is about him being an overprotective father?”

  Yvette snorted. “Please. Dad knows I can take care of myself.”

  “I can see that.” He cleared his throat then lowered his voice as he added, “I’m sorry I took off today. I had some unfinished business to deal with, and I—”

  “Jacob,” she said, raising her hand to stop him. “You don’t need to explain anything to me. You’re a co-owner, not staff. You do your thing, and I’ll do mine. As long as we’re checking in with each other, it’ll be fine.”

  “Right.” He pressed his lips together into a thin line as if he was contemplating what she’d said, but before he could say anything else, Clair placed the lasagna in the middle of the table.

  “Dinner’s ready,” she said. “Everyone have a seat.” She glanced at Yvette and Jacob. “You two sit at the end near Lin. He wants to get to know Keating Hollow’s newest resident.”

  Of course he did. Yvette took her seat on one side of the table while Jacob sat across from her. Lin sat at the end. The rest of the family joined them, and Clair got busy dishing up the lasagna.

  Everyone immediately started chattering. Olive and Daisy were at the other end of the table comparing puppy stories. Faith, who was sitting next to Jacob, interjected with a hellhound horror story of her own, then glanced over her shoulder to glare at her shih tzu that was busy trying to tear apart one of the couch cushions. She jumped up, nearly knocking over her glass of wine, and quickly secured her dog into a kennel near the far wall. The pup let out a pathetic whine and then got busy chewing on the blanket.

  Faith reclaimed her seat at the table and let out an exaggerated sigh. “That dog is trying to torture me.”

  “Maybe it needs obedience classes,” Jacob said.

  “Ha! Obedience classes. I wish I’d thought of that,” she said sarcastically.

  “Xena has failed three different puppy training courses,” Yvette said, filling Jacob in. “We’ve started to call her the hell hound.”

  “Three?” he asked.

  “Three,” Lin said with a nod. “She’s also eaten two arm chairs, a bedspread, three different shoes, and a power cord that was still plugged in.”

  “It’s a miracle she didn’t electrocute herself,” Faith said. “You can see how the kennel is a complete necessity. I don’t know how Noel ended up with the angel and I got Satan.”
She pointed at the sweet brindle dog curled up near Daisy. “My karma must suck.”

  Noel looked up from her plate and shook her head. “It’s not you. Buffy had an evil streak to begin with, too. She was just a better student, I guess.”

  “You’re probably a better trainer,” Faith said. “Maybe you should take Xena.”

  “Oh no!” Noel held her hands up in a stop motion. “I have my hands full with Daisy, the puppy, and Drew here. Xena’s all yours.”

  Faith shrugged. “We’ll just keep working at it.”

  “And buying new furniture,” Lin said with a scowl.

  “It’s your fault I even have Xena!” Faith exclaimed and went on to explain that the puppies had shown up at Lin’s house one day and that’s how she and Noel had both ended up with one.

  The conversation remained lively through the rest of the dinner. Yvette listened to Jacob grill her father about the brewery. He wanted all the details of how it’d started, how they kept it thriving, and what his plans were for the future. He seemed genuinely interested, and Lin was all too happy to talk about the business he’d built up over the years.

  Then it was Jacob’s turn. Lin wanted to know all about Bayside Books, how his father got started, Jacob’s role with expanding, and why he’d left recently.

  Jacob got quiet for a moment as his expression went blank. Then it was as if a switch was thrown and he gave Lin a chagrined smile. “My position with Bayside Books was always meant to be temporary until a new business was on solid ground. Once it was up and running we were going to franchise. But…” He shrugged. “That partnership didn’t work out, so here I am.”

  “You didn’t want to just stay in business with your dad?” Lin asked. There wasn’t any judgement in his tone, only curiosity. None of Lin’s own children had shown much of an interest in running the brew pub, so Lin had hired Clay, a talented brew master. It was just luck that he and Abby had finally found their way back together. Now everyone just assumed that when the time came, Clay would run it and Lin’s children would be shareholders.

  “Not really. I was looking for a change,” he said.

  “Well, Hollow Books couldn’t be more different than your dad’s Bayside Books,” Yvette said, raising her wine glass in a toast. “I hope you don’t find it too boring here, Jacob.”

  His chagrined smile turned into pure amusement. “So far, boring is the last word I’d use to describe my new situation.”

  Yvette cleared her throat and glanced away, afraid that if she kept looking at him, she’d turn bright red and die from embarrassment. And she’d already had enough of that for one day.

  Faith chuckled, but quickly covered her mouth with her fist and pretended to cough. She cleared her throat and turned to Jacob as if she hadn’t just made a little scene. “I’m thinking about opening a spa here in town, and I hear you might have some experience with that.”

  Yvette’s fingers tightened around her fork, and she had a fleeting desire to fling it at her younger sister. What was she doing? She knew that was the business he’d been talking about, the one he’d started with his ex. Yvette was one hundred percent positive that Jacob did not want to talk about either his former fiancée or the business he’d walked away from.

  “Some,” Jacob said stiffly. Then his tone turned to one of resentment. “My partner saw to all the details. I was just there because of my deep pockets… or so I’ve been told.”

  “Jeez,” Yvette said, unable to help herself. “That’s really effed up. I’m sorry, Jacob. No one deserves to be treated that way.”

  He took a long swig of his wine. “Turns out I should’ve been more discerning. My lawyer tried to talk me out of it, but I let emotions get in the way of business. It was my fault, and it won’t happen again.”

  “It can be tough to know who to trust when you’ve seen so much success,” Lin said with a nod. “There are times when a man needs to trust his advisors, and then there are times when he needs to trust his gut. What was your gut saying?”

  Jacob stared down at his plate. When he glanced up at Lin, he said, “I think my gut got drowned out by other factors.”

  Lin let out a belly laugh. “I’ve been there, son. I’ve definitely been there. Next time, you’ll remember.”

  “You’d think so, wouldn’t you?” Jacob met Yvette’s gaze. The two stared at each other, and a knot formed in Yvette’s stomach. Judging by the regret reflected back at her, he was thinking he’d made a huge mistake the night of Abby’s wedding. And even though she was certain that was probably true, she hated to admit it to herself. Hated to think that she was a mistake.

  “Jacob,” Faith said turning to him. “I understand that your last business venture was a spa. Is that correct?”

  “Faith,” Yvette said in a hushed whisper.

  Her sister ignored her as she pressed on. “I could really use some advice, if you’re willing. I’ve always wanted to open a high-end spa. Keating Hollow has never had one, and I’d love to change that.”

  Jacob cleared his throat. “Well, Sienna really was the one who—”

  “Sienna was your fiancée and your partner, right?” Faith clasped her hand over her mouth. “Oh… I’m sorry,” she stammered. “Forget I said anything.”

  Irritation flashed in Jacob’s eyes. But then he blinked, and it was gone. He straightened his shoulders and when he spoke again, he was the cool and collected businessman Yvette had met early that morning. “No, need to be sorry,” he told Faith. “Of course, I’d be happy to go over your business plan. Just come by the bookstore when you’re ready, and I’ll take a look.”

  “Really?” Faith’s face lit up as she grinned at him. Then she placed her hand on his arm and squeezed. “You’re a real gem, you know that? Is tomorrow too soon?”

  “Yes,” Yvette interjected, irritated on his behalf. “Give the man a week or so to settle in at the store, then you can pick his brain, okay?”

  “Oh, right. Of course,” she said, squeezing Jacob’s arm again. “I guess I got a little excited. Sorry, didn’t mean to be so pushy.”

  “It’s all right,” he said, but he glanced at Yvette and mouthed thank you.

  She just shrugged. It wasn’t as if she’d gotten him out of it; all she’d done was buy him some time.

  “I’ll fine tune what I already have on paper and meet up with you next week.” Faith let out a nervous laugh. “Hopefully I won’t look too foolish.”

  Jacob glanced between Faith and Yvette then chuckled softly to himself. “Something tells me that when it comes to business, the Townsend sisters rarely, if ever, look foolish.”

  “Well, you do have a point there,” Yvette said. “There are two things dad said we all needed to know how to do: change the oil in our cars and manage the brewery. He said if we could do that, we could do anything.”

  Lin laughed. “It’s true isn’t it? Three of you have successful businesses, and I’m sure Faith’s spa will follow suit.”

  “I sure hope so,” Faith said, twisting her napkin with both hands. “Because I’m seriously considering renting the space.”

  Chapter Seven

  Jacob sat at the counter with Faith Townsend and wondered how he’d ended up elbow deep in the decision making of a hypothetical spa. He couldn’t care less if the massage rooms were finished with wood or stone. But if he was honest, he knew exactly why he was giving Faith Townsend his uneducated opinion on design; it was because he hadn’t been able to help himself. The lure of a brand-new business, the freshness, the possibilities were all too seductive. They’d already talked about strategies, suppliers, and marketing ideas. Faith had proven to be a sponge. She wanted to know his thoughts on everything, so it wasn’t a surprise when she’d asked about esthetics.

  “I like both,” he said. “Why not decorate the rooms differently for a range of experiences?”

  “That will probably cost more,” Yvette said.

  She was standing in the kitchen, a glass of wine in one hand and a coffee in the other. Her
dark hair had been tied back, and suddenly Jacob had an image of her curled up on his couch in front of a fire place, having a friendly debate about the best way to expand their business. To his surprise, the thought very much pleased him. He knew that if he was a sane person, he should get up right then and excuse himself for the evening, but instead he grabbed the wine bottle.

  “More?” he asked both Faith and Yvette.

  “Yes, please,” Faith shoved her glass in front of him.

  Yvette eyed hers then shook her head with a frown. “I’ve already gone past my one glass limit, and I have to drive home.”

  “Oh, come on Vette,” Faith said, giggling. “I’m sure Jacob can give you a lift if you get a little tipsy. He already knows where you live.”

  “You did not just say that,” Yvette said, staring her sister down.

  Faith slapped her hand over her mouth. “Oops, guess I’m the one who’s had one too many.”

  Jacob put the wine bottle back on the counter and said, “Maybe we’ve all had enough for the evening.”

  “I think you might be right.” Yvette swiped the glasses off the counter and took them to the sink.

  “I’m sorry,” Faith said, her smile too wide to indicate any sort of sincerity. “It just slipped out.”

  “It’s fine.” Jacob said. “I think that’s my cue to head out.”

  “Oh, no. But it’s so early,” Faith said.

  “No, it isn’t,” Yvette said as she glanced at the wall clock. “It’s already past nine, and dad needs his rest.”

  Past nine? Seriously? Jacob thought. He should’ve realized it was getting late. Noel and Drew had packed the girls up and had taken off over an hour ago, and Lin had retreated to his couch with Clair where the pair were watching an old John Wayne movie. He stood and glanced at Yvette. “I’ll see you tomorrow?”

  She crossed through the kitchen and rounded the counter as she said, “I’ll walk you out.”