Jake turned. “I thought you said they were here to see us.” She reached for the doorknob on the front door.
“Hello,” a man on the other side of the screen door said.
Jake looked over her shoulder at us. “What can I help you with?”
The man locked eyes with her. “It’s true.” He turned around to speak to the woman behind him. “Do you see it? She looks just like the picture.”
Jake took a step back. “What picture?” She backed into the foyer, about as far away as she could get without walking out of sight.
Elliot asked, “I’m sorry, but I don’t think I heard who you were looking for?”
I rolled my eyes. Why did he always have to sound so polite? What kind of witch hunter was he? Didn’t he have a mean bone in his body?
“Excuse me. This is my house. Is there something I can help you with?” I stopped speaking because the look in their eyes gave me chills. They hadn’t taken their gaze off Jake. “Hello!” I waved my hand in the air. “I’m over here.”
Granny stood at the bottom of the entrance staircase, her eyes fixed on the man. “Get away from my house.”
I hadn’t expected those words to come out of her mouth. I moved toward the door.
Elliot stepped in front of me. “Let me.” He flashed a smile at the man. “Sorry, pal, but I believe the lady of the house asked you to leave.” He proceeded to push the door closed, but right before it closed all the way, the man placed his arm in the way.
“Please don’t do that,” the man said. “I must warn her.”
Jake and I exchanged glances.
“Warn me about what?” she asked as she clutched the doorknob. “Who are you?”
The man looked at the woman. She nodded as if to give him permission to explain. “She doesn’t remember us,” he said, sadness in his eyes.
The woman gripped his arm and pulled him back toward her, shaking her head. “We should go. This was a mistake.” Her eyes filled with tears as she looked at Jake. Her voice breaking with emotion, she said, “I’m sorry we bothered you. We made a mistake.”
Jake swallowed hard, confusion on her face. “Okay, but who were you looking for?”
The woman shook her head. “No one. It’s over now.” She pulled the man with her. “Let’s let them be.”
He walked away, reluctance and sorrow written on his face.
Elliot remained in the doorway, his arm outstretched to his side. I didn’t know whether that was to keep them from coming in or to keep us from chasing after them.
Granny groaned, “Poppy County, I think we have a problem.”
As much as I knew I’d regret asking her to explain, my curiosity always got the better of me. “Do you know those people?”
She shook her head. “No, but I think I know why they’re here.” She looked at Jake. “You might want to sit down for this.”
Uh oh. Someone was about to have a bad day.
Jake stormed off, heading out the front door to chase after the couple, who were scurrying to their car as if their lives were in danger. Depending on what she had in mind, their lives could very well have been in danger.
“Stop!” she yelled.
They stopped, mid-step.
Elliot and I were right behind her. Granny Lola wasn’t too far behind, fully prepared for a confrontation.
“Who are you?” Jake asked as the couple backed away from her approach. “Why did you come to this house?”
The man looked far more frightened than the woman. His eyes were wide. His hands shook hard enough to make his entire body tremble with fear.
The woman, though wide-eyed, appeared to be surer of herself. Her hands didn’t tremble. Her voice didn’t shake.
“I told you, miss. We made a mistake,” she offered.
“Who were you looking for?” Jake challenged. “Why did you choose this house?”
I stepped forward, hoping I could get her to focus on me instead of them. “They already said they made a mistake. Let’s go inside. You’re making a scene.”
She shot a glare at me. “I’m asking a question.”
“Why does it matter?” I asked.
Granny positioned herself in front of the couple. “I know why you’re here.”
The woman grinned at her.
“Leave,” Granny said. “And don’t come back. We don’t want any of that here. Remember what happened last time?”
“Wait. What?” I asked. “You know each other?”
3
“They’re what you call Love Whisperers,” Granny said. “Their whole mission to help people find their soul mates.”
We stared at her in disbelief.
“How do you know them? And why are they here?” I asked as I watched them file into the house behind Granny. Jake remained outside, on the sidewalk, a look of confusion on her face.
The man answered, “We’re not whisperers. That’s just a nickname someone made up.” He glanced at his wife, who offered a nod. He continued, “My name is Thomas. Thomas Cline. And this is my wife, my soul mate, Katherine.”
She grinned and nodded at us.
Jake reluctantly joined us in the living room. “Why are you here?” she asked as she stomped into the room.
Thomas gulped.
Granny answered, “There’s only one reason why these two would be here. They followed their next target.”
“Is she your target?” I asked.
“We can’t disclose that information. It would jeopardize our mission,” Katherine explained.
Granny stood with her arms crossed and her eyes fixed on Katherine’s face.
Katherine said, “Nice to see you again, Lola. What’s it been? Twenty or twenty-five years?”
Granny’s eyes narrowed to tiny slits. “Not long enough.” She walked over to Thomas and blew a puff of air in his ear. He lurched back, flailing his hands in the air as if she’d set him on fire. She giggled. “I still got it. Works every time.”
Katherine glared at her husband. “Why do you let her do that to you? I told you to prepare yourself. She messes with people for fun. Ignore her and focus on why we’re here.”
“Which, by the way, you haven’t stated,” Granny said. “That must be your favorite hobby. You’re good at it, but not so good, you’ll make me forget what I asked. Who is your target?”
Katherine chuckled. “Still the same old Lola, I see. Some things never change.”
Jake rolled her eyes. “For someone who is in the love business, you haven’t done a good job of helping us feel the love in the room. Why don’t you get to the point, so we can move on with our lives?”
Elliot took my hand. “Come here. You might want to brace yourself for this.”
I whispered, “Do you know them?”
He shook his head. “Nope. I’ve never seen them before in my life, but I’ve heard about them.”
Katherine turned to him, a look of admiration on her face. “I’m sure you have. We’ve met countless members of your family over the years.” She glanced at her husband. “Haven’t we, Thomas? The hunters are our most sought-after group.” She noticed our hands. “I see you’ve already found your mate.”
I wanted to growl at her and her silly little grin. Who did she think she was?
Granny mumbled something under breath as she walked away.
“No need to get upset, Lola. You know I don’t like to divulge all the details right away. There’s no fun in that. I like to pace myself,” Katherine said, her eyes fixed on Jake.
“Why don’t you pace yourself right on out that door and to the nearest airport. We don’t need any help in the love department. We have plenty of love to go around,” Granny said.
Katherine chuckled, but the laughter didn’t match the look in her eyes. When she was done, she let out a long sigh. “Fine. You’ve forced my hand. This lovely young woman should come with me.”
Jake did a double-take when she realized Katherine meant her. “Why? No. I’m not going anywhere with you.” She plea
ded with Granny. “Can’t you do something to make them go away?”
Granny nodded. “You betcha!” She fixed her eyes on Thomas.
He took a step back. “Wait a minute. We haven’t done anything wrong. You know how this works. We have to follow orders.”
She walked towards him. “Orders? That’s what you’re calling them now? What happened to your Cupid mumbo jumbo? Did you run out of the love potion, so now you’re going door to door to harass people?”
He ducked behind his wife as Granny circled in on him. “Let me explain. It’s important. She’s in danger. Anthony is the only one who can save her. That’s why we’re here.”
Granny stopped mid-step. “What danger?”
I shook my head at the ridiculousness of the whole scenario. “Is this a joke? What is this? The only people here who are in danger are the two of you. I don’t know what this is supposed to be, and I don’t care. I just want you to leave.”
Jake concurred, “Yes, leave. We already have enough crazy around here. Our coffers are full.”
I narrowed my eyes at her. “Coffers?”
She snickered. “What? It’s the word of the day. Do you have a problem with that?”
Granny hushed us. “Stop arguing about your vocabulary skills and help me get rid of these two nimrods.”
I turned to find the love doctors standing stalk still like mannequins. “Not again. You know this never works out, right?”
She tapped on Katherine’s head. “This old heifer is out like a light.” She tried to lift her, but Katherine’s current state wouldn’t allow her body to bend.
Jake jumped into action, issuing orders, “You grab her bottom half. I’ll get the top.”
“Why?” I didn’t want any part of this.
Granny shrugged. “We just need to get them out of the way until I can figure out why they’re here. Don’t worry. They’ll be fine. It’s not like this is the first time I’ve ever done this to them.”
“You’ve done this to them before? When?” I asked. I didn’t recall ever seeing them in town before.
She glared at me. “Did you hear what I just said? Yes, I’ve done this to them quite a few times. Every time they come around, they have some damsel in distress story to tell. I’m not interested. We can take care of ourselves. I think I’ve proven that dozens of times over the years. Boy, if I had let them fool me, you’d be a wild Hollywood child, running the streets and itching to get one of those reality TV shows. You should thank me for saving you.”
I looked at Jake. “Did she say Hollywood?”
Jake let Katherine’s legs fall to the ground. “Worry about it later. We have to get rid of this lady.”
“How?” I asked.
Granny glanced around the neighborhood. “In their car. We’ll take them to the lake and leave them there. When they wake up, they won’t remember any of this and Jake will be home free.”
Jake nodded. “Okay. Sounds like a solid plan.”
“And if they do remember?” In my experience, people always remembered when Granny placed them under a spell.
She considered for a moment, before saying, “Then, we’ll move on to Plan B.”
I hesitated to ask because knowing her, Plan B would get us into more trouble. “Which is?”
She chuckled. “We leave town.”
I helped Jake get Katherine into the backseat of her car, but her legs wouldn’t bend, so only the top third of her body was in the car.
“She doesn’t fit,” I said.
Granny pulled and tugged Thomas and let him fall next to the car. “He will. Pull her out and throw him in.”
“What about her?” I asked as a car turned onto our block. “Please don’t be the sheriff.”
The car had Illinois plates. It stopped in the middle of the road.
“Guess who’s coming to dinner?” Jake teased.
“It can’t be,” I said as I squinted to see.
Anthony stepped out with a smile on his face. “Hi! You live here?”
Jake shook her head. “No.”
He walked over, leaving his car door open, and stopped cold when he saw Katherine and Thomas. “What happened to them?”
I stammered to offer an answer, but I couldn’t come up with one fast enough.
Granny stepped over my response and said, “They’re drunk. Can you help us get them into the car?”
He had a look of confusion on his face, but he agreed. “Okay. Let me park my car.” When he returned, he asked, “Why place them back in their car? What if one of them decides to wake up and drive? That’s not safe.”
Jake explained, “We’re driving them to the lake.”
Granny groaned, “Don’t tell him that. You’ll ruin our plan.”
He looked at Granny. “What plan? What is this? These are good people They helped me find Jake. What happened to them?” He pulled out his cell phone and started to dial.
Granny snatched his phone out of his hand. “I wouldn’t do that if I were you.”
“Why not?” He took the phone back.
Jake yelled, “Stop!” She grabbed his arm and said, “Why did they help you find me? I don’t know you. We’ve never met.”
His shoulders slumped. “You’re my destiny. That’s what they told me.”
She didn’t move a muscle as she listened.
“I met them at Navy Pier. They were there for a witch convention. I never believed in witches and magic and all that stuff, but I figured it wouldn’t hurt to check it out. I was with a date.” His cheeks reddened. “When we walked past them, Katherine stopped me and told me that my date wasn’t the one. She said I was destined to be with another girl. Of course, I thought she was nuts, but I let her finish her prediction. After that, I didn’t think much of it until I started getting these weird messages. There were notes pinned to my front door, letters in the mail, emails, and notes taped to my car. At first, I shrugged it off. I didn’t even read the stuff, but when the photo showed up, I found myself wanting to know more.”
“You got the photo in the mail? From them?” I asked.
He nodded. “I didn’t know it at first. I didn’t know where any of the letters came from. But the picture came with a story. I couldn’t help but want to know more.”
“What was the story?” Jake asked.
He gulped. “It said you were my true soul mate. I thought well, she’s cute. Maybe I’d get to meet her one day. Then, my Uncle Joe came to town. I had the picture and all the letters out on my coffee table. When he saw the photo, he told me he knew you. I figured I’d pay you a visit. That’s all it was supposed to be, but then they told me I’d have to save you.”
Jake said, “You found me. Mission accomplished. Go back to your life now.”
I shook my head. “Wait. Where is the picture from? Do you remember posing for it?”
“No. That woman is way older than me.” She looked at Anthony. “Looks like you came all the way out here for nothing. I’m not the one.”
He sighed. “You are. They told me so.” He pointed to Katherine and Thomas. “When I decided to pack my bags, and pay my uncle a visit, they showed up at my door. They told me that they knew I’d find you, but that first I’d have to rescue you, otherwise, we’d never make it to the dance and never have a future together.”
“Future? What future?” Jake hissed her words. “This is insane. I don’t need matchmakers. I can find my own boyfriend.” She walked as she talked, oblivious to a garbage truck that rolled down the street at a quick clip, headed in her direction.
“Jake!” I warned. “Watch out!”
But it was too late. She was in the middle of the road, less than two feet from the front end of the truck. The driver honked the horn while slamming on the brakes. She froze in place, terror in her eyes.
In one swift movement, Anthony ran to the road, tackled her with full force and rolled her to the curb. It all happened so fast, none of us were sure they’d survived.
I screamed as the truck moved past us,
tires squealing as it fought to stop.
Anthony used his body to shield her from the impact. She was breathless underneath him but had her arms clasped around him.
“Is she okay?” I asked.
Granny was motionless, her hands covering her eyes.
“I’m fine,” Jake said. “I think. Quick. Count my fingers and toes.”
Granny let out a sigh. “Oh, thank goodness.”
We rushed to her side. Her whole body trembled with fear.
“I almost died. How miserable of a life do you have to have to get run over by a garbage truck?”
I hugged her. “I thought that was it. You know better than to go out into the street. There are cars on the road. What is wrong with you?”
Anthony wiped dirt and dust from his clothes. “Are you hurt?”
Katherine’s voice sounded behind us. “No, she’s fine. I think you’ll both be fine now that you’ve found each other.”
Jake gulped, the realization hitting her. “You saved my life.” She blinked back tears.
Anthony’s cheeks flushed. “Of course. I couldn’t let you die.” He winked at her.
Granny groaned, “I had to wake these two up or they’d miss the whole show. Who knew they could get something right? I didn’t. That’s for sure. I’ve seen them screw up way too many love lives, I didn’t want them to mess up another one.”
“We never made a mistake,” Katherine protested.
Granny cackled. “You’re mistaken and you’re a liar.”
Anthony took Jake’s hand. “Let’s get you out of the street.”
I draped my arm over Granny’s shoulders. “These people are for real?”
She shrugged. “That’s what they say. All I know is every time they come around, people get all googly-eyed.”
I glanced at Jake. She didn’t look like a girl in love. She wasn’t so naive, but she did look like a girl who’d just discovered how handsome Anthony truly was. I didn’t know what the future would bring for them if anything at all, but I had a good hunch, Jake wouldn’t go to the Valentine’s dance alone. At least not this year.
“Can I ask you something?” I asked.
Granny nodded. “Shoot. What is it?”
Hexes and Ohs Page 14