I drew in a long, slow yoga breath. I had to calm myself down or who knew what would happen.
“Are you prepared to hear the deal?” Henry asked.
Ember crossed her arms. “Let’s hear it.”
Cassie looked nervous. “Yes, please.”
I was a little nervous, myself, as I nodded.
“All right,” Henry said. “There are several stipulations to you inheriting. After I read them to you, you will then have until tomorrow morning in which to make your decision and report back here at eleven. If you do not show up to tomorrow’s meeting, the offer will expire and you will receive nothing.”
Twenty-four hours? To decide if I wanted to inherit some property and cash? Was this a trick question? Who would turn down an inheritance?
I glanced at my sisters — it felt weird even calling them that — and they looked as shell-shocked as I felt.
“Why wouldn’t we agree? You guys want in on this, right?” Ember said.
Cassie and I nodded.
We looked back at Henry, who smiled. “The last stipulation, and the strictest, is the trial period. You will need to stay in town for a period of time, work at the Hungry Cat Café, and then you can sell the shop and split the money.”
“You’ll want to see the house and the café before you decide. Your aunts will take you on a tour tonight. Then you can discuss your options.”
“I’m in,” Ember said. “I can use the money.”
Cassie shrugged. “I don’t mind staying away from home for a while.”
I had a bad feeling about this. “How long is the trial period? Are we talking two weeks? A month? What exactly? I don’t want to leave my business for too long.”
“That is where the difficulty of your decision will arise. This is a unique opportunity.” Mr. Trent set down the papers and folded his hands together. “The trial period begins next week and lasts for one year.”
4
It’s a Castle!
My gaze shot to my sisters, first hard-edged Ember, and then classy Cassie.
Ember snorted. “Did you say a year? Isn’t that a little extreme? Mommy Dearest cuts us loose when we’re infants and now wants to control our lives from the great beyond?”
Aunt Misty said, “Your mother always was that way.”
Aunt Lily snorted, much like I had. “Now, Misty, you know that’s not true. Their mother was a lovely woman.”
Misty shook her head. “She was, but she had her faults.”
“As do we all,” Lily said. “Now hush. These girls have enough to deal with right now.”
You could say that again!
Cassie smiled. “I, for one, am glad I have twenty-four hours to ponder this. I agree with Ember. It seems extreme.”
They turned to look at me. I shrugged. “Me, too.”
Cassie stood and turned to Henry. “We’ll meet you back here tomorrow then.”
He stood, as well. “It’s been a pleasure, ladies. I’m sure your aunts will do a fine job of showing you the café and the house, which will make your decision even more difficult, I am sure.”
I stood and stretched slightly. It had been a long day, what with the flight and drive and surprises and all. I would have liked to see a bedroom. But it was earlier here than in Sedona, so I figured I could make it to bedtime. Even dinner.
I glanced at a clock on the wall. 3:00. I almost laughed.
Outside, we formed a caravan. The two aunts, then Cassie in her silver Lexus, Ember and Jinx in a beat-up blue pickup, and me in my rental Camry.
We drove past the town square, where a statue of a witch flying on a broom stood. Were they serious? I knew Salem, up the road a ways, had a statue of Samantha from Bewitched, which seemed pretty funny, when you thought about it. But I wouldn’t have guessed Hexburg as a witch town.
But soon I forgot the statue and got caught up in the view. Everything was green, and I couldn’t remember the last time I’d seen lush, verdant green in Sedona.
The road — a country lane, almost, or what I would picture as one — wound around rolling hills, with quaint cottage-type houses interspersed with large, new homes. Up on the hill stood an old Victorian-type house that took my breath away. It was beautiful.
It almost looked like those old houses in gothic novels. Good thing I wasn’t being asked to be a governess.
We all pulled up to the house, spreading out in the space in front of the house, parking in a line.
I got out my small suitcase and laptop bag and shut the trunk, locked the car, and turned toward the others.
Cassie set her dog down on the grass and it ran around, sniffing to find the perfect spot before lifting its leg. His leg. Then he spotted Jinx and ran to the little girl. She hugged him. “Hi, doggie. Hey, you have a cute sweater.”
“He needs the extra warmth in this cold air,” Cassie said. “And his name is Fang,”
“Fang, huh?” I asked, trying not to laugh. “He does look pretty tough. In his custom sweater.”
Cassie shrugged. “He thinks he’s tough, anyway.”
Fang rang to Cassie, and she popped him back into her purse and headed for the house, pulling a large suitcase on wheels behind her.
Jinx turned to a big pink backpack, and Ember was shrugging into her own backpack. Hers was camo green.
I came closer. “Is it okay if I help her with that?” I asked Ember.
“Sure. I need to get her a smaller one. I just never have time. Two jobs, you know.” Ember looked relieved. “Plus she loves this one because it has princesses on it.”
I smiled at the cute little girl. “Would you like me to help you?”
“No, thank you,” said the pink, sparkly princess. “I can do it myself.”
“Oh,” I said. “Then may I carry your stuffed cat?”
Jinx studied the cat, then looked up at me and shrugged. “Okay.”
Then I turned to the house and her little face lit up. “Look, Mommy. It’s a castle!”
Ember’s face softened. “Yeah, baby. It sure looks like one, doesn’t it?”
The little girl sighed. “I’m glad we came.”
Ember had a more skeptical look, but said, “Me, too,” with a wistfulness that surprised me.
Jinx bounded toward the house, after Cassie and the aunts, totally forgetting her backpack.
I smiled and picked it up.
Ember shook her head. “She’s such a princess.”
“She’s a cutie.”
Ember nodded.
I hefted the little girl’s pack over my shoulder, shifting until I got it settled. “Wait up, Jinx,” I called and I followed her.
I looked back up at the house. It did kind of look like a castle. A very cool old house, or small castle. A castle that had more energy than I had found even in Sedona. If I was hoping to get away from high energy, it wasn’t working.
I stopped walking and increased my concentration until the excess energy didn’t overwhelm me. Then I, too, walked toward the house.
The plants along the walk swayed toward me. “Stop that!” I whispered, and they sprang back.
I looked ahead, but no one had been watching. Good thing.
5
Check out this guy!
Inside, the house was ... charming. That was the first word that flitted through my mind.
Followed by unsettling. There were old things everywhere — beautiful wooden antiques, a frame with curved glass in front of the picture of an ancestor, wooden accents everywhere. And they each seemed to have a story to tell.
There was a lot of energy in this old house. Energy that licked at my edges and, thus, the unsettling thing.
Aunt Misty said, “This is the living room. The kitchen is down that hallway, and,” she turned and pointed toward a doorway, “the dining room is this way.”
My new family — that word didn’t seem like the right word, but what was? — followed Aunt Misty into the dining room.
The warm wood table called out to me to run my fingers acr
oss it in a near caress, and I would swear I felt the table giving a sigh.
I jerked my hand away and glared at the table.
I looked up to see Ember smirking at me. I turned away.
“After you’re settled, we’ll take you to dinner at the café. The bedrooms are upstairs. There are eight total, so you may each have your own.” Aunt Misty smiled at Jinx. “You’ll be in the nursery, which is attached to the room where your mother will stay. It’s the second door on the left. October and Cassie may choose between the remaining rooms.”
Jinx was already racing up the stairs. “I’m going to see my room first!”
“You certainly are,” Ember said with a laugh, and followed her daughter.
Aunt Lily followed. She was certainly the more quiet of the two older women. Much more distant, too. She must not have agreed with our biological mother’s decision to bring her daughters back home.
Cassie looked at me, shrugged, patted her little dog’s head, and walked up the stairs in her rose-colored high heels and matching pencil skirt.
Aunt Misty touched my arm. “Come on upstairs, dear.”
Wow. Aunt Misty was packing some serious energy of her own and she didn’t seem to be aware of it, either. I must have been too overwhelmed by everything else going on in the attorney’s office to notice. Or maybe she reflected some of the house’s energy. I forced a smile. “After you.”
I trailed behind the others, feeling the house.
No, that sounded too weird. I was simply getting my bearings in a new place. Anyone would do that, right?
I could hear Jinx’s excited chatter and Ember’s responses.
Reaching the top of the stairs, I saw Aunt Misty pointing to the two bedrooms along the hallway. “You and Cassie can choose between these.”
Cassie smiled. “Fang and I like this one, if that’s all right with you.”
“Fang?” I stared at the tiny dog, wearing a little sweater.
She shrugged. “He’s tough.”
I nodded. “I can see that. Watch out for Fang. Got it.”
She laughed and carried him into the bedroom.
I went into the remaining bedroom. My bedroom. In the house of the mother who hadn’t wanted me.
The room was bright and airy, with a mural of a rose garden along the wall behind the four-poster bed. It was a beautiful room, and it satisfied something in my soul.
I drew in a deep breath, closed the door, and dropped back onto the bed, just feeling the energy swirl around the room, around me.
This energy felt like ... home.
An hour later, I stood on the street in front of the Hungry Cat Café. From the outside, it was attractive, with a whimsical black cat with a spiraling tail painted on a sign hanging over the door. The brick and lanterns gave it an old-fashioned feel that matched the rest of the old town.
I loved it.
Looking at it through my business-owner eyes, I could see that there was a line inside, the tables were full, and it looked like they were doing a brisk business.
As I opened the door, the smell of something delicious beckoned me in. No wonder so many people were here. I turned to Aunt Misty. “Who’s cooking?”
“Your Aunt Lily started the stew this morning, and Debbie’s been tending it.”
“Wow.” Aunt Lily seemed to be multi-talented.
Aunt Misty shrugged. “She’s got a talent for food.” She looked at all three of us and led us to an office in the back. “I just want to let you all know that if there’s anything you’d like to add to the café, just let us know. We’re open to bringing in something that means a lot to you.”
We exchanged glances, and all three of us smiled.
I immediately thought of my Lotions and Potions, and a peaceful feeling swirled through me. Down, girl, I told myself. I wouldn’t be staying here for a year, so I might as well not get excited about putting in my potions.
I saw movement from the corner of my eye and I turned. There was a black cat that froze when I spotted him. Then it sat and — I would swear! — smiled at me.
Oh, no. Not a cat. I stared at it, but no weird voices came into my head. After a moment, I sucked in a breath and turned away.
Cats. Sheesh. I had no use for them. They tended to freak me out.
The café door opened and a group of giggling women left — and the most handsome man I had ever seen strode in. Dark hair, square jaw, brown eyes, and hooboy did he rock the uniform he wore.
Wowsah.
Cassie bumped my arm and whispered, “Check out this guy!”
“I am,” I replied, my face heating up.
Ember shook her head at us. “Give it up. He’s a man. They always disappoint.”
“My dad didn’t,” I said. But that wasn’t quite true, either.
Aunt Misty called out to the man. “Deputy Rodgers. Come over here and meet my nieces.”
The man grinned and stepped toward them then looked at the three of them, in turn. “More triplets, Misty? I thought there wasn’t a third set?”
Misty shrugged. “Miracles happen.” She introduced him to Cassie, then Ember, and lastly, me.
“Girls, this is Deputy Levi Strauss.”
“Like the jeans?” Ember asked.
Levi shook his head in resignation. He must have been asked that question his entire life. “Yup. Like the jeans.”
He took us each by the hand, one by one, and welcomed us. When he took my hand, sparks flew up my arm, and he smiled warmly. “I hope you’re planning to stay in our fine town awhile.”
Then he released me. “Ladies, why have I never seen your beautiful faces in town before now?”
Misty said, “These are Nora’s daughters. After she died, her will specified that they come here and meet us.”
He turned to Misty. “Well, they take after their beautiful aunt.”
What a BS-er. Ember and I exchanged a look. I nodded and pulled a face. Cassie still looked interested. I was definitely attracted, but I couldn’t afford to be interested in a man.
The deputy made his way over to the counter and ordered a ham-and-cheese sandwich, to go, with a cheese blintz.
I watched him carry his food out — and shoot a glance back at us.
At me. He grinned at me and gave a jaunty little wave, then pushed onto the sidewalk and strode away.
Cassie turned around. “Wow. He likes you.” She almost sounded jealous.
I looked at her. “I don’t think so. He’s all yours.” I patted her little dog’s head.
She sighed. “Oh, well, I’ve still got Fang.”
Misty got us seated, with sandwiches and soups of our own. They were delicious.
The café began to empty. It was after 7:30 now, and the sign said the café closed at 8:00.
My sisters — that was still so odd to call them that! — went to look around some more.
I sat at the table, finishing up a brownie.
The hair on the back of my neck rose and I got the distinct impression that someone was watching me. Slowly, I looked around.
No one in the café paid me any attention.
Except for the stupid cat.
6
Our First Sisterly Chat
After tossing awhile, I rolled over and stared at the lighted clock. 11:45 p.m. And I couldn’t sleep.
I was tired of trying. Instead, I climbed out of bed, slipping my feet into my bunny slippers and my arms into my robe. I tied the sash and picked up my phone to use the light to see as I made my way downstairs.
In the dark hallway, I stood and listened. Quiet breathing drifted from the end of the hall in the aunts’ rooms.
Downstairs, I headed for the kitchen — and saw a light under the door. Then I heard voices. I peered inside.
My sisters were there. Cassie, wearing a pink frilly nightgown and fuzzy pink slippers, sat on a tall stool at the counter, a plate of pancakes before her and her little dog on another stool. In a T-shirt and sweat pants, Ember stood at the stove.
They
both looked up and made welcoming gestures.
I climbed onto a stool. “I couldn’t sleep.”
“Join the crowd.” Ember raised the spatula. “Want a pancake?”
“Sure.”
Cassie took a couple of bites, chewed, sipped some milk. “They’re really good.”
Ember flipped a pancake onto a plate and set it in front of me.
It looked like a piece of artwork. I stared at her. “How did you do this?”
“I have a kid who likes magic tricks.” She grinned. “This is one of mine.”
I tasted the pancake. It was delicious. “You’re a good cook.”
“Thanks.” She put another pancake on a plate, turned off the burner, and sat on the other side of Cassie.
We ate in silence until the meal was nearly finished.
“Delicious. Thanks.” Cassie pushed back her plate and sighed. “I’ve got to tell you ladies, I don’t know what I’m going to decide. Do you?”
I shook my head. I was leaning toward going back home, but didn’t want to discuss that now. My brain already hurt from pondering this.
Ember shook her head, too. “I’ve got to consider what’s in my daughter’s best interests, and I haven’t figured out what that is yet. At least I know what I’ve got back home.”
Cassie pulled out her phone. “I’d like to add your numbers to my contacts.”
So we exchanged numbers. It was kind of weird. I had sisters. In. My. Phone.
“So what happened to Jinx’s dad?” Cassie asked.
Ember shuddered. “Let’s just say that the best thing that could happen to him would be a slow, lingering death.”
“Does he live around here?” I asked.
Ember shook her head. “No. He hasn’t ever wanted to contact Jinx, and I figure that’s for the best.” She frowned. “I’ve laid low, though. He’s a jerk and likes to cause trouble.”
Cassie frowned. “My parents didn’t even tell me I was adopted. I didn’t find out until the attorney showed up. At a family dinner. Very awkward, what with my younger brother not knowing, either, of course.”
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