Hexes and Ohs

by ReGina Welling

  Levi motioned to the door. “After you.”

  “This isn’t the end of this.” As he stomped his way to the door, he called back to Ember. “I will see my daughter. You can’t stop me.”

  The man left, and Ember, sounding for all the world like a boiling teapot, hissed out, “Over my dead body.”

  Levi turned to Ember and smiled. “I’ll put him in the drunk tank for a day and then make sure he’s escorted out of town.”

  Levi put his hand on my arm. “Are you all right?” he asked again.

  I nodded as I noticed that a concerned customer’s flowered tie was blossoming crazily. That guy was going to wonder what happened when he took it off later.

  “What can we do to keep him away from Jinx?” I asked.

  “Talk with Henry, your lawyer. He’ll be able to tell you better than I can. I can only respond after this guy has actually done something, which is an incredibly ineffective way to keep people safe. I can take him out of town, but he may return, of course. I’ll have him tailed though, in case he comes back in to cause trouble. If he does, I’ll arrest him officially.”

  “Thank you.”

  He stepped closer to me and focused those warm brown eyes on me. Tipping his head and lowering his voice, he said, “Would you like to go walking with me? Tomorrow after you get off work?”

  I smiled at him, my heart still pounding, but now for another reason.

  I touched his uniformed forearm. “I’d love to. Pick me up here at six?”

  I’d catch a ride with the others in the morning.

  The door opened again, and Keith raced in and toward the back — where Jinx was. Levi sprang into action, followed by the older deputy who’d run back in.

  The aunts and my sisters gathered in front of my niece and I raced to join them.

  Levi dove for Keith and brought him down in an old-fashioned football tackle. They rolled several times, and punches were thrown. A moment later, Keith was scrambling toward Jinx again. This time Jinx raised a hand, but then lowered it.

  The older deputy tackled Keith this time, just as Levi tossed another punch. Between the two, Keith went down.

  After a moment, Keith was on the floor facedown, and Levi snapped handcuffs on him.

  He smiled at Ember. “This time I can arrest him and make it stick.”

  10

  Crazy Talk

  It was a mistake to go walking with Levi. Especially when he took my hand and sent shivers up my arm. He mistook them, for he said, “Are you cold?”

  “No. I’m fine.” I shook my head and pulled my hand free. It was way too early for me to feel that comfortable with any man, even one as spectacularly handsome as the deputy. “I’m just shaken up by that guy trying to snatch Jinx.”

  “Yeah. Don’t think about him. He’s locked up for now.”

  “But for how long?”

  “Depends. We can’t get him for grabbing Ember’s arm, but he did resist arrest and attack two officers. He may serve some time, or he may be out next week. I can’t predict. But you’re safe for a few days. And when he gets out, I’ll keep an eye on things at the store and drive by your house periodically. We’ll watch for him.”

  “Thank you.”

  He smiled down at me, and his dimples appeared. “I want to make sure you ladies are kept safe. I need to have my daily fix of coffee and donuts.”

  “You’re such a cliché.”

  “I know.” He sighed. “Beginning with my name.”

  I smiled at him. “Bet you get lots of jokes over that one.”

  “Every day.”

  “What are your brothers named? Jonas and Jacob?”

  “Ahh, I see you know your Levi Strauss trivia. Yes, those were his brothers’ names. I have no brothers, just three sisters, and my mother refused to let my father name them as he had me.”

  “So why did he name you Levi?”

  “He just liked the name.”

  “I do, too,” I said, and he smiled.

  “Let’s go into the park.” He tugged on my hand. “Tell me about your day.”

  “Well, it’s Valentine’s Day, so we sold like a gazillion Candy Heart cakes. Plus lots of people had my special Love Potion soda. Aunt Lily let me tinker with the recipe and people liked it so much she wants me to come up with more.”

  “That’s cool. You make potions, huh?”

  “My store in Sedona is named Lotions and Potions.”

  I followed him onto the path. There were other couples and families enjoying the small, green space.

  “So where are you from?”

  “Sedona, Arizona. After the dry heat there, this is so lush and green and humid, I can almost feel the growing energy in this place, even in February.”

  “It is beautiful, isn’t it? My family’s been here forever.”

  I laughed. “That’s a long time.”

  “Yes.” He pulled me around to a park bench nestled in among two trees and some ivy.

  I sat down beside him, his shoulder touching mine. Normally I would have objected to that, but it felt just too darn good. So I just sat there and enjoyed it. My left hand rested on the bench.

  We sat in a companionable silence.

  I drew in a deep, contented breath. I hadn’t felt this good in a long, long time. I closed my eyes.

  Something lightly flicked against my left hand. I glanced down.

  The ivy had grown up through the wide slats on the bench and was bumping up against my hand.

  Stupid curse! Or whatever it was!

  Levi squeezed my shoulder. “I’m glad you’ve moved to town.”

  The ivy underneath my hand grew so fast that it was like watching time-lapse photography. I jerked back my hand.

  Thank heavens Levi had been looking at my face, which I tried to keep unaffected.

  “In honor of Valentine’s Day,” he said, reaching into his pocket, “I got you these.”

  He pulled out a small but fancy box of…

  “Chocolates?”

  “Of course. From the best chocolate makers in town.”

  “Thank you.” I smiled.

  My stupid power — curse, blessing, whatever it was — had ruined more dates than I could count. So many I’d stopped dating.

  A breeze blew past us, ruffling the leaves on the ivy.

  He stood and held out his hand to me. “Come on. I’ll show you my favorite spot in town.”

  “All right.” My mouth was dry.

  I took his hand, attraction skittering through me. I withdrew my fingers as gently as I could.

  As he stepped out, I forced myself to draw in deep yoga breaths through my nose and blow them out as quietly as I could from my mouth, willing myself to calm the freak down.

  The leaves on the trees began to flutter wildly as we passed. And this time he noticed.

  Tipping his head, he turned to me. “I know you’re supposed to come from a family of witches.”

  “Witches? That’s crazy talk.” My brain went into overdrive. It was crazy talk. I may have my little peculiarities, but I was hardly a witch. I laughed. “That’s funny. But you’ve just given me an idea for my Halloween costume.”

  He narrowed his eyes at me. “I don’t believe in witches.”

  “Just so you know — I don’t believe in them, either. Or magic.” Weirdness, yes. Magic, no.

  Though if I had, the attraction I saw in his eyes might have seemed magical to me.

  11

  I Heard Some Rumors

  I stood on the porch watching Levi’s headlights make their way down the road from our house.

  With a happy sigh, I turned to go inside. Lights glowed warmly in the windows and I could hear voices. They didn’t sound quite as warm — unless you counted warm as in lava, bubbling over and devouring everything in its path.

  As I opened the door, I could hear Ember’s voice, still angry.

  I followed the voices to the kitchen.

  My two sisters sat at the table with our two aunts. Well, Ember didn�
�t sit so much as paced and paused now and then to put her hands on the back of her chair.

  They turned toward me and I waved. “Hi.”

  Aunt Misty gave me an appraising look. “The deputy is a nice guy.”

  I nodded, my cheeks flaming.

  Ember grew quiet. “I was glad he was there to kick Keith’s butt out of the café. Not that I couldn’t have handled it, but now maybe he’ll stay away from Jinx.”

  The little girl in question popped her head around the corner. “Momma, can I have a glass of water?”

  “May I,” Ember corrected gently.

  Aunt Lily stood. “Of course you may, Jinx. Come on in and I’ll get one for you.”

  After she took a sip, Jinx frowned. “Daddy is not a nice man.”

  “No, he’s not, baby.” Ember softened her tone for her little girl. “But he’s not going to hurt you. I promise I won’t let him.”

  “I know, Mommy. He can’t hurt me.” The little girl set her glass on the table and came around to hug her mother. “Will you tuck me into bed and read me a story?”

  Aunt Lily smiled. “Would you let me do that? I haven’t read to a little girl for far too long.”

  Jinx tilted her head and studied the older woman. “I like Horton Hatches the Egg.”

  “I expect I have that classic.”

  “Okay.” Jinx came over and put her hand in Aunt Lily’s, and the two of them left.

  So the three of us sisters found ourselves sitting alone at the table. Three images in a carnival mirror, distorting us into three distinct personalities.

  “I came in late so I missed some of the conversation,” I said. “Is that jerk really Jinx’s father?”

  “He claims to be.” Ember threw her hands in the air. “And, yes, I was with him at the time so he is. Stupid, stupid me. But he hasn’t wanted anything to do with her for six years, and now he’s here to ruin my life.”

  “Levi said they can hold him for at least a few days and after that they’ll send some guys to drive past and keep an eye on things.”

  “Good.” Ember scowled. “I don’t know how he found me here. I’ve kept off his radar for years.”

  “There was a newspaper article about us coming to town. Maybe he found your name there.” Cassie stretched and yawned. “Are we going to be able to do this for a year?”

  “We got off to a wild start, but, sure. Why not?” I said.

  We sat in a stilted, awkward silence, casting glances at each other. I guess we were all a little fascinated with each other. Finally, I smiled. “It’s going to be fun getting to know you ladies.”

  Ember sniffed, “Who says I’m a lady?”

  Cassie raised an eyebrow. “Who says you’re not?”

  We laughed and another silence fell.

  Then Cassie asked what I’d been wondering all evening. “How did Keith get burned when he touched you, Ember?”

  Ember froze and then relaxed back into her chair. “I don’t know what happened to him. I was pretty upset.”

  I recognized what she was doing all too well. If my sisters had the same kind of abilities as I did, only different kinds of abilities, I wanted to know. It would at least make me feel as though I wasn’t such a freak. But it had been my secret for so very long. Finally, in a soft voice, I admitted. “When I get upset, things tend to grow. Flowers, plants, that kind of thing.”

  My sisters stared at me. Ember said, “Even the silk flowers in Trent’s office?”

  I nodded. “I’ve never told another person. Not since I told my mother when I was five, and she was so shocked I never said anything again.”

  Cassie and Ember exchanged calculated glances. Then Cassie laughed, a relieved-sounding laugh. “I’ve never told my secret, either. Wind. That’s how I was able to catch that plate before it broke.”

  “Is that why the curtains blew in the attorney’s office?” I asked.

  Cassie nodded.

  I turned to Ember. “You burned Keith and there was smoke coming from a paper in Trent’s office.”

  I waited for her response. She sat silent for a long moment. Finally, she said, “I set fires.”

  We stared at each other.

  “Does that make us witches?” asked Cassie quietly. “I heard some rumors at the café.”

  “It makes us something weird,” said Ember.

  “It makes us sisters,” I said. “And now it’s our secret.”

  12

  It Happens All the Time

  The next day at work was pleasant. No men claiming to be Jinx’s father came into the café. I found myself feeling lighter, knowing that I had a secret I now shared with my two sisters. We each had strange and wonderful talents! I wasn’t going crazy after all!

  That was a huge relief.

  The day had been busy, and my sisters and aunts were closing up the store. I’d spent an hour coming up with more potion recipes that could be used as beverage specials on the menu. I wiped off tables and then stacked chairs. Ember and Aunt Lily cleaned off the griddles and washed down the kitchen. Aunt Misty played a game with Jinx at a corner table. Cassie totaled the receipts for the day.

  “October, will you please check on our supplies for tomorrow?” asked Aunt Lily. “There’s a checklist on the counter.”

  “Sure,” I said, drying my hands on my apron.

  I went into the storeroom and turned on the light.

  It’s about time, said a man with a French accent.

  Startled, I looked behind the door and around at the shelves.

  No one was in this room with me — I would bet money on that! I spun around to make sure.

  Okay, okay, October, chill, I told myself. Nobody said anything. I’m just tired and overwhelmed with all the changes.

  No, you are ignoring me. And I don’t like that, chéri.

  I turned again, more slowly this time.

  Softly, I said, “Who are you? Where are you?”

  Here. On the top shelf in the far corner.

  I turned toward the mental sound. On the top shelf sat a big, black cat.

  Of course it was a cat. The café had a cat. It looked like the one in my shop, but that couldn’t be possible.

  Shaking my head, I took a step back.

  The cat stood, stretched, and jumped down to the copy machine. As he flitted toward me, the sound of the voice came closer in my mind.

  The cat wound itself around my legs, purring and arching its back.

  Pet me.

  Chills raced up my spine, and a rose in a picture leaning against the shelves grew three inches.

  Could this be the same cat I’d heard in my shop in Sedona? It had the same French accent spoken in a husky man’s voice.

  In.

  My.

  Head.

  I was wrong before — I was going crazy, after all. And whatever was wrong with me was getting much, much worse.

  You’re not crazy. I’m real. And I’m here to protect you so you can stay so you can fulfill your destiny.

  Later, I walked along the beach in the dying rays of the sun. The scene was so beautiful, so peaceful — and yet I was more agitated than I’d ever been.

  I was crazy. There was no other explanation for what just happened. I just heard a cat talk. Correction — I had a conversation with a cat. How is that even possible?

  It’s not. Therefore I’m crazy.

  Shaking my head, I walked down the beach. Heat still rose from the sand, even as a cool breeze sprang up, making goosebumps rise.

  I stopped and wrapped my arms around myself.

  I could see the moon, faint in the fading sun’s rays, but still visible. It was only three days until the full moon — and it bothered me that I was always aware of that. I never had to check a calendar or farmer’s almanac. No one else I knew could do that.

  I was a freak in so many ways.

  As I stood, my agitation spread out from me, and the sand under my feet sent out what looked like ripples.

  I laughed. It couldn’t be, and I w
as glad there was no one else along this beach to see me right now.

  There was something about this place that called to me. Maybe it was the ocean — the wildness of nature, the waves and wind.

  But it was making my ... weirdness ... worse than it had been in Sedona. At least there, I had control most of the time.

  I raised my hands to the sky and felt joined to the nature around me.

  This feeling would only get stronger with the full moon.

  I lowered my arms, feeling a great peace in my heart.

  I was going to stay — but I was also going to have to ramp up my protections or learn new ones.

  I thought of the cat, promising to protect me. See, I’d create protectors in my head if I needed them.

  Why did Levi come to mind, then?

  I walked back up to the house. In the back yard, by herself, stood Jinx. She had her hands raised — and dozens of butterflies were surrounding her, fluttering around, landing on her hands and head and shirt. She laughed.

  She caught sight of me and grinned. “Butterflies like me.”

  “They sure do,” I said, amazed. “How do you do that?”

  “I don’t know, but it happens all the time.”

  “Cool. Do you think one of them would come to me?” I asked.

  She lifted one hand toward me and a butterfly took flight, flying to me and settling on my forearm, where it stayed, flapping its beautiful wings.

  I might be crazy, but this moment was crazy beautiful.

  13

  He’s Hardly My Boyfriend

  The next day, my sisters and I met at the local pizza place, Eye of Newt Pizza.

  After we ordered, Cassie set a box on the table. “I want to show you what I designed.”

  She pulled out an apron with a black cartoon cat with a curlicue tail emblazoned with “Hungry Cat Café.” It matched the sign over the café.

  I touched the edge. “That’s great, Cassie.”