Why me? Rosemary could have figured out another way to guide you through the supernatural realm. It didn’t have to be me. Is she just torturing me from the grave?
“And we must be going,” my mother practically sang as she hit the unlock button on her key fob. “It was nice seeing you again, Liam.”
“Wait. Leo is missing? I’ll help you search,” Liam offered hastily, pointing his thumb behind him to his truck. “Hop in. I’m sure Leo didn’t get too far, especially in this cold weather.”
“Oh, I’m not talking about Leo,” I quickly corrected Liam, stepping forward to reassure him that I hadn’t lost my cat. I was glad that he wasn’t wearing gloves so that I could reach out and hold his hand. “My mother’s pet…sugar glider…was taken by…a family member. Um, who lives up in Windsor. So, we’re going to take a drive up there and…steal him back.”
My words wouldn’t stop flowing, even though I could visually see myself shoveling deeper the longer I went on while trying to make my reasoning sound legitimate.
What. Have. You. Done?
“Raven, dear, Liam doesn’t want to get involved with our family drama.” My mother’s awkward laugh echoed throughout the snow-covered lawn. “And steal is a very harsh word. I’m sure me and my…aunt…will come to some sort of agreement. Without disturbing the peace, of course. No stealing involved.”
He’s going to end up arresting the both of you for your own good.
Where was Heidi when I needed her? I told you that I was a horrible liar, and this situation I’d found myself in was no exception. Heidi always managed to make lying seem so effortless. I realize that wasn’t a compliment, but the woman did have her talents—a born New Yorker.
Sugar glider? Who in the supernatural realm would come up with something like a sugar glider under these circumstances?
I wish I could have come up with a reasonable explanation as to why I chose a sugar glider, but the closest thing I could think of to a fairy was a butterfly. And I couldn’t use a butterfly for several reasons, one being they weren’t really something one kept as pets and their lifespan was only a month or two—I remembered that tidbit from a documentary back when I was in elementary school.
So…you decided to come up with a hairy bat/squirrel hybrid that has winged arms and beady eyes? Am I missing something? Regina, did you drop her on the head as a baby?
That about sums up the error of my ways, but I was more concerned with Liam and the fact that he was staring at me and my mother as if he’d found himself in an alternate universe in some different dimension.
The fact that it was taking Liam so long to form a sentence told me just how deep that hole was I’d dug with my story. And somehow…our current situation went from bad to worse.
I didn’t think that was even possible, but it takes a certain special kind of talent to dig ditches, too. It just wasn’t a very viable sort of talent.
“In my experience, domestic disputes like this never end up on a good note, especially when it involves dark clothing and midnight runs to distant locations.”
Look at that. The good ol’ sheriff is right once again. Time to call it a night.
My mother began nudging me in the back with her keys, but she didn’t have to capture my attention. I could see where this conversation was going, but I wasn’t sure how to stop it.
Going? I thought we were going inside and calling it a night? What have you done?
“I’ll go with you,” Liam offered, rubbing his chin as he thought through the sugar glider predicament that I’d put forth. “Having a police presence might end up being beneficial, so I’ll drive.”
Sweet angel of death, deliver your blow swiftly. Raven, do you know if they let one smoke catnip in jail? It’s not technically a controlled substance.
Chapter Thirteen
It was probably a good thing my mother was sitting behind me in Liam’s truck so that I couldn’t see how furious she was in light of our current circumstances.
It’s good to know that you still have at least a tiny bit of common sense left. I thought you’d lost it back at the house. A sugar glider? What could you possibly have been thinking? I don’t ever want to hear another word about my “goose” comment that I said in the heat of battle.
As you can see, Leo had decided to ride along for grins and giggles. I figured he was probably in the back seat with my mother remaining invisible. It might prove helpful if we did, in fact, recover Strifle. She would have to appear as a sugar glider to Liam. Leo could no doubt communicate that fact to her prior to Liam discovering my deception.
Why on earth would I sit next to your mother when she’s in one of her moods? Plus, I wouldn’t miss this inevitable chat and Liam’s reaction for…well, I would for some exceptional premium organic catnip, but that’s beside the point. I’m lying on the dashboard enjoying the warmth of the heat.
“I’ve heard about sugar gliders making nice pets, but I’ve never known anyone who actually owned one,” Liam said right on cue. He leaned forward and turned the heat up just a smidge. We’d let quite a bit of the warm air inside the cab escape while my mother had climbed into the backseat. It probably would have been nice of me to offer her the front seat, but there was no way I was going to allow the two of them to sit side by side. “What is the little fellow’s name?”
“Strifle,” both my mother and I said in unison. Not that it mattered, but you should know that my tone was a bit softer than hers.
Do you blame her? We’re taking a mere human in front of a crazed witch’s coven to do battle. Chances are your precious sheriff isn’t going to live to tell the tale. I give him one in five, and that’s if he draws his firearm first.
“Interesting name. Listen, why don’t you tell me why your aunt took Strifle, and then maybe I can figure out a way to smooth the situation over without anyone becoming upset to the point of a confrontation.” Liam flipped on the turn signal, letting absolutely no one behind know that we were about to go onto the highway. His innate need to follow the letter of the law wasn’t surprising, but I was too worried about Leo’s crazed coven comment to fawn over Liam’s sense of right and wrong. “Let’s start with your aunt’s name. I didn’t even know Rosemary had a sister.”
I try to forget that bit of knowledge myself. This is a fairly impressive hole you’ve dug in such a short period of time, Raven.
It was hard for me to swallow the lump in my throat. All I’d been doing was telling Liam lie after lie, and the moment that the truth was revealed was less than an hour away. What would the coven do when Liam figured out their secrets?
Turn him into a goat. Although, I still say the toad tale has a bit of truth to the story.
I curled my fingers into my palm so that I didn’t reach out and try to knock Leo down onto the floor. He technically didn’t even have to be in the truck. He could have easily transported to Windsor in the blink of an eye. Maybe that would be best so that he could do some reconnaissance.
Like I said, it’s not often I’m rewarded with this type of entertainment. It would be a shame to skip out on the show.
“They were…what you might say…estranged,” Regina responded without hesitation. I slowly exhaled, relieved that she’d stuck to the truth. “Aunt Rowena and my mother always had a tenuous relationship. It was one of the reasons my mother moved to Paramour Bay.”
Paramour Bay wasn’t nearly far enough away from Windsor, if you ask me.
“I’ve seen that happen with too many families in my line of work.” Liam shook his head in sorrow at the lack of relationship Nan had with her sister. “At least you kept in contact with your Aunt Rowena throughout the years. Did the two of you have a falling out yourselves? Is that why she took your…sugar glider?”
I barely kept my forehead from pressing against the cold window in search of some relief for the onset of a sudden headache that wasn’t so unexpected. Leo was either hacking up a hairball or choking out a laugh. I was betting on the latter.
“I’m going to
be as honest as I can with you, Liam,” Regina said, causing both me and Leo to sputter. Liam cast a worried gaze my way, but I covered up my slip with a cough. “Strifle is…special. She and her owner—which is me, obviously—have a very strong bond. It’s not healthy for us to be separated, but there are certain people—Aunt Rowena, in this case—who are greedy.”
It does make me wonder if Rowena isn’t involved in some way, though my bet is on Angelica. That woman was always and probably still is a power hungry—
“Is Strifle worth a great deal of money?” Liam asked, expertly maneuvering the truck into the left lane without knowing he’d cut off Leo’s most likely unflattering term for Warlock Bronach’s new wife. “I can see why that would make sense, given that I’m sure sugar gliders probably fall into the exotic pet category.”
Exotic? That’s giving Strifle and her gang of merry misfits a bit too much credit, but who am I to judge? If Deputy Fife here only knew. Strifle will be moving on to the next world if I have to help her along myself. It would be a pleasure after that forest incident years back.
“I do appreciate you driving us to Windsor, but it’s best if I speak with Rowena privately,” my mother stressed, sounding pretty pleased with herself for having come up with a story that was relatively close to the truth if one overlooked the relationships involved. “If that doesn’t work, I’ll let you step in to see if you can talk some sense into her letting go of her scheme. How does that sound?”
My mother might have asked Liam for his opinion, but she wasn’t really asking for his opinion. This little road trip was going to go her way, no matter what. It’s how my mother worked, but I was used to her outwitting maneuvers.
“I can work with that,” Liam responded with a half-smile, his doubt of her success rather clear. He gave me a wink once he settled back in his seat for the somewhat long drive. At least, it was long for me, considering I had to sit in the passenger seat while my mother bore holes into the back of my head. “How are you coming along in your search for part-time help?”
“Your what?”
I cringed when my mother’s condemning inquiry came from the backseat.
This is better than movie night. Do you think we could stop for popcorn?
I looked sideways at Liam, who was mouthing sorry as he kept his steady gaze on the highway in front of him. He still had a hint of that charming smile, which was the sole reason I didn’t smack him in the arm. It wasn’t his fault that he didn’t know I hadn’t told my mother. After all, I had an advertisement in the glass door for the entire town to see. As for Leo, well, he was enjoying my discomfort dealing with my mother just a little too much.
“I made a New Year’s resolution, Mom.” I hadn’t realized how stressed I was until Liam reached over the console and rubbed the back of my hand. He most likely did so out of regret for throwing me under the bus, but she’d been going to find out sooner or later. “I’m going to hire some part-time help at the tea shop. This way, I can run out for the occasional appointment without closing up the store. It will also free me up to take some time to come see you and Heidi in the city.”
Just pointing out that you won’t need to visit Heidi if she moves to Paramour Bay.
My mother technically couldn’t argue with that sentiment. No one could run a business by themselves, at least not in retail. It was a lot of work to make sure the small tea shop stayed in business, especially with months like the one we were currently suffering through.
If it wasn’t for Nan’s old side business of offering remedies for minor afflictions, I might be out of business. Don’t get me wrong, Nan had turned a very nice profit with her business plan as it stood, and she’d been kind enough to hand it down to me. I was still planning on expanding things to include gourmet coffee beans, grinders, and equipment for preparing high-end blends.
She handed me down as well, but I don’t hear any thank yous for my contributions.
It was evident that I didn’t tell Leo enough how much I valued his company, support, and friendship. Who knows where I’d be if he wasn’t here to guide me? He was my anchor in this crazy life I’d been gifted with recently.
I guess so…and you buy me premium organic catnip on a monthly subscription now.
I couldn’t help but grin at the way Leo went about saying that he loved being my fill-in familiar, too. Liam thought I was smiling at him, and that was okay. We’d made progress in this little road trip, which meant we were closer to our destination. Pretty soon, we’d have Strifle and be able to free her of her constraints.
It wasn’t like I had my head in the sand. I understood the ramifications of bringing someone inside the shop who didn’t know about the supernatural elements that existed in this world.
Were there times I made holistic blends with a touch of magic in the shop?
Absolutely.
I did a lot of the more complicated spells at home, and the easier ones at the shop. Doing so in the backroom with the enchanted beads to prevent someone from overhearing me couldn’t have been more perfect. It was a win-win, and hiring part-time help would absolutely free up time for me to learn even more of my craft.
Or burn down the tea shop…whichever comes first.
“Your grandmother never hired outside help, Raven,” my mother said in such a way that I couldn’t miss her meaning. “I’m not so sure you need to take on such a giant responsibility yourself, either.”
If it weren’t for the “all the catnip in the world” comment made by Beetle, I would be in agreement.
“Is everything okay?” I asked Liam, noticing his frown as he glanced at the rearview mirror.
I even looked over my shoulder, but all I saw were numerous headlights from other vehicles. Liam didn’t answer right away, but instead began monitoring the side mirror.
“Liam?”
“Yes, everything’s fine.” Liam shot me a reassuring smile, though I was still troubled at what had caused his agitation. “It’s nothing. There seemed to be a vehicle that was tailgating us a bit too close, but the driver fell back a bit.”
Could it be Merrick Bronach? No, that made no sense. He didn’t know we were driving to Windsor, and it was doubtful that he’d be following us back to his hometown.
Unlike you, he has the whole astroprojection spell down pat.
I didn’t want Liam to think I was too concerned about the subject of someone following us, so I continued the previous discussion. Besides, I’m sure my mother was now watching the vehicles behind us very closely.
“On a side note, Jack spilled the beans to Heidi about Beetle’s upcoming retirement.” There wasn’t a chance behind those burning gates below that I was going to tell my mother about Beetle’s interest in working at the tea shop. I had enough on my plate, and even I was still figuring out a way to turn down the man’s offer. I’m pretty sure that job interviews weren’t supposed to go that way. “Heidi is definitely interested in moving to Paramour Bay.”
I thought I heard my mother say something along the lines of what was that girl thinking, but I hadn’t been talking to her. We still had some time on our drive, and I wanted to talk to Liam—even if it meant doing so in front of my mother.
“I spoke with Jack at the convention,” Liam informed me as he continued to drive and monitor the road. His focus on the task at hand allowed me to study his profile. Besides being a gentleman, believing in right or wrong and his loyalty to the town he served, he really was a very handsome man. “Jack worries quite a bit about Heidi living in the city unprotected.”
“Technically, it should be the other way around,” I responded with a laugh. Heidi was a force to be reckoned with, and she was city through and through. “Jack should really be worried about anyone that crosses that woman’s path. She doesn’t allow anyone to take advantage of her, and she always takes precautions wherever she goes. I still have muscle aches that never went back to normal after that one self-defense class she made me go to last year.”
Liam and I continued to talk a
bout various things, and I found that his birthday was coming up in a month. He wouldn’t tell me his exact age, but I figured he was a few years older than me. The more the conversation wore on and the closer the tires on his trusty F150 brought us to our destination, I truly appreciated that my mother and Leo hadn’t interrupted or made some wisecrack that ruined the time I’d been given with Liam.
Mom was no doubt planning a way to retrieve Strifle without Liam figuring out we were dealing with a historic coven of witches. She was the one who wanted to deal with the situation in this manner, so it fell on her ability to finagle our way without any of us being turned into toads. I want it noted that I was all for letting my proposed deadline pass without uttering another word, hoping beyond hope that the Windsor coven would do the same without setting my world on fire.
Um, Raven.
Liam was still talking about the latest changes the local pub had instituted—mainly karaoke—and how the additional entertainment was drawing in a younger crowd. Paramour Bay had a lot of elderly residents, though there was quite a few new families in the midst. There weren’t a lot of twenty-something adults hanging around in our small town. They’d much rather party at the hotspots in the nearby city.
I was rather enjoying the conversation. Unfortunately, the way Leo had said my name told me that my enjoyment was coming to an end.
A dead end, if you want the truth.
It was hard to decipher Leo’s meaning, especially since I couldn’t physically see him. I had no way to take my cues from his body language, but it wasn’t needed after I’d looked over my shoulder to see if my mother was the cause for Leo’s concern.
I bet you never thought you’d wish for the day that it was your mother’s meddlesome ways that caused you grief.
It couldn’t have been that simple, could it?
Nope.
You see, ever so gradually a mist began to form in the back seat next to my mother—who looked quite horrified. Had this been any other place and time, I would have relished in my mother’s astonishment at encountering an outer worldly spirit. Unfortunately, Mazie had decided to pay us a visit…right behind Liam’s driver seat!
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