Witch You Wouldn't Believe (Lemon Tea Cozy Mysteries Book 1)

by Lucy May

  Meanwhile, I was being stubborn about calling Gabriel. I knew that, but so was he. Why hadn’t he called me? My mom had me convinced Gabriel was worth trying for, but if he was through with me, I wasn’t going to grovel. I did have some pride.

  My phone rang. Glancing at the screen, I was disappointed to see it wasn’t him. Instead, it was my mom. “Hi, Mom, what’s up?” I asked, looking at the clock and realizing she hadn’t left all that long ago.

  “Lila is speaking to the sheriff right now,” she blurted out. I could hear the worry in her voice, which made me quite worried as well. Nothing rattled my mom. This had to be serious.

  “She is?” I asked in surprise.

  “Yes, after our meeting last night, we felt it was best if she explained to Harold what she saw. Hopefully, this will end the investigation and he will leave all of us alone. It should also mean he won’t need you to stay around. I want you to be free to make your own choices. Much as I’d love to have you here, I don’t want you to feel pressured.”

  “Oh,” I said, suddenly a little let down to be given a free pass to leave Lemon Bliss. It was nice having the excuse, even if I enjoyed complaining about it a bit.

  “Does that mean you’ll be leaving right away?” she asked, hesitantly.

  “I’ll be heading back on Monday morning. I’ll let you know if I decide to come back,” I promised her. “I need to talk with Tara and get her take on all of this. My decision will affect her life as well.”

  “I’ll stop by tomorrow,” she said and hung up. “Don’t leave without saying goodbye, please?”

  I could hear the strain in her voice and knew that she, along with her friends, must be very worried. Lila could be in a great deal of trouble. I hoped Harold would go easy on her, but he had to answer to someone as well. He may have to charge her with a crime to cover his own butt.

  “What a mess,” I groaned.

  I sat back down and started to put together a business plan. It was something I knew I would have to have should I decide to apply for a loan for a new bakery. It would also give me a better idea about the numbers and likelihood of being successful. In the back of my mind, I couldn’t quiet a little voice that kept telling me this was the right thing to do. Lemon Bliss had gone from feeling like the past I’d left behind to destiny. Which was a little wacky. All those days in the kitchen with Grandma were training me for my future as a baker in her little town.

  By the time I had finished the plan, I was feeling more confident and more convinced I was making the right decision. My stomach was a jumble of nerves as I considered the big change. I could feasibly keep my current bakery and let Tara run it. I would need to hire more staff to make up for my absence and give her a fat raise, of course. I needed to talk with Tara. First, I needed to fortify my nerves and resolve with food. An iced mocha sounded like just what I needed.

  Sliding on my shoes, I grabbed my purse and prepared to run down to the Crooked Coffee for a boost of energy.

  When I yanked open the door to leave, I got quite the surprise. I yelped and jumped back.

  “Harold, I mean, Sheriff Smith,” I managed to get out, suddenly very nervous.

  “Good afternoon, Violet. Can we talk?”

  I looked around the living room and didn’t see anything incriminating. “Sure, come in, please.”

  “Were you on your way out?” he asked, looking at the purse in my hand.

  “Yes, just a coffee run, though. It can wait.”

  “Good.”

  He sat down on the couch and waited for me to take a seat as well.

  “What did you need?” I asked, unsure why he would need to talk with me. If Lila had filled him in, the case should be closed. At least in my mind it was.

  “I guess you probably know that Lila came to talk with me,” he started.

  I nodded my head. “Yes, my mother told me.”

  “Do you believe her story?” he asked, looking me straight in the eye.

  I gulped down the lump in my throat before I schooled my features to calm. I didn’t want to give the impression I was nervous, but I was failing miserably. “I think so, yes. I’m not sure I know all the details. I didn’t think it was any of my business.”

  He stared at me in a way that made me feel as if he was peeling back layers of my brain, one at a time and reading my thoughts.

  “Well, I’m not convinced,” he said, nearly making me choke.

  “Uh, why not, if I may ask? From what I understand, she witnessed the man’s accident, and tried to help him. The accident took his life, and it was too late to help. Isn’t that what she told you?”

  “It is, but something isn’t adding up.”

  I shrugged a shoulder. “I’m not sure I can help you. I wasn’t there. But I believe her story.”

  “I’m sure you do, but tell me this, why didn’t she just tell me? Why didn’t she call for help? Lila left a man dead in that factory and went home to bed as if nothing happened. Doesn’t that strike you as odd?” he pried.

  Now he was making me very nervous. This was a different Harold. The Harold I had grown up with was more laid back and accepting. He had always liked Lila and the rest of the ladies. Now, I got the impression he was not quite as fond of them as he once was. That could be very bad for the coven. For me as well, if I chose to move back to Lemon Bliss.

  “Maybe she was in shock?” I offered. “I’m sure she was horrified by what she witnessed. People do strange things when they’re in shock.”

  “Possibly. She didn’t tell you why she was there in the middle of the night?”

  I smiled. “Who knows why Lila does half the things she does? I certainly don’t. It’s just Lila,” I said with a tight smile.

  He didn’t smile back, “Lila is going to find herself in real trouble one of these days. She said she was curious about what the investigators were doing, and wanted to see for herself if there were any ghosts in the building.”

  I grabbed onto that explanation with both hands. “That sounds like Lila. I’m sure it was all very exciting to have real-life supernatural investigators right here in Lemon Bliss.”

  Harold wiped his hands on his pants, before glancing around the living room. “This place looks just the way your grandmother left it.”

  I smiled and looked around. “Yes, it does.”

  “You moving back?” he asked.

  I wasn’t sure I wanted him to know my plans. I certainly didn’t want to be on his radar. If I were going to start learning witchcraft, I would probably make a lot of mistakes. I didn’t want to risk exposing us all by doing something while under his close watch.

  “I haven’t decided yet,” I answered truthfully. “I’m tossing around the idea.”

  He eyed me with more scrutiny than I would have liked. “Well, in the meantime, as the property owner, you need to secure that factory. I don’t want another mishap like that again. There is still a chance you could be held liable for the man’s death.”

  My mouth dropped open. “Excuse me? He was breaking and entering. The entire town knew it, but no one stopped them, including you, Sheriff Smith.”

  That seemed to take some of the wind out of his sails. “That’s not the point. The place needs better locks, and I would suggest boarding up that laundry chute, just in case anyone else gets any ideas. Once people in the county hear about what happened, they’re all going to be curious. We’re going to be flooded with ghost chasers trying to find something.”

  I took a deep breath, not wanting to argue or push the issue. I couldn’t afford to. “I’ll do what I can sheriff. However, I would also like to request that you use your law enforcement capabilities to remove trespassers, instead of letting them take up residence in my factory.”

  “Are you asking me to patrol that area?”

  “No. I’m asking you do something if you know there are supernatural investigators hanging out in the factory and installing surveillance cameras. I have half a mind to go after Mr. Cannon for trespassing and damaging privat
e property.”

  He stood up, and I quickly got to my feet. I wouldn’t let him intimidate me. “I’ll be leaving now. You’re free to leave. The investigation is closed. In fact, it might be best if you did leave town.”

  I raised an eyebrow at his veiled threat. “Are you suggesting I might have a problem?”

  “Not at all, Miss Broussard. I’m suggesting you may want to think twice about who you align yourself with.”

  He walked out the door, leaving me standing in the living room shaken to the core. I had a bad feeling, and this time, I didn’t need to rely on my witch powers—not that I knew how to do that yet—to know what it meant. Sheriff Smith had all but dropped a gauntlet on my family. Whatever Lila said had only increased his suspicion instead of allaying it. I needed to call and warn my mother.

  I dug in my purse and pulled out my phone.

  “Mom?”

  “Yes, what’s wrong?” she asked, obviously hearing the tension in my voice.

  “Harold was just here. I don’t think he’s buying Lila’s story,” I blurted out.

  “Oh no,” she muttered. “What did he say?”

  I took a few deep breaths to calm my nerves before relaying what had been said. “Do you think he’s going to do anything?”

  “I don’t know, but we’ll have to be much more careful. Harold had always turned a blind eye in the past, but I have a feeling that’s about to change.”

  “What about the factory? The meeting place? What if he finds it?”

  “Violet, that place has been around for over a hundred years and no one has found it yet. Before the factory was built, there was another building there where we met in the very same location. The door is charmed. No one can see it. If someone happened to stumble upon it, there are other spells in place to hide it.”

  I breathed a sigh of relief. It explained why the investigators never found the door. I had watched the tapes and been in the factory and never saw it either.

  “Okay. He wants me to lock the place up tight. I’ll make sure to give you a key,” I said, trying to think of where I could find a padlock in Lemon Bliss.

  She giggled, “You can put twenty padlocks on it. I won’t need any keys, dear.”

  “Oh, duh, sorry, I forgot,” I said, feeling foolish.

  “It’s okay, dear. Relax. Why don’t you go get that coffee you were going to get before Harold stopped you?”

  “I’m going to. Wait, how did you know?”

  Another soft laugh before the line went dead.

  This was going to be very weird. I wondered if it had been like that my entire life. Those times I hadn’t wanted to talk to her on the phone and made up excuses to get off, or the many excuses I used to avoid coming home—had she known I was lying?

  I brushed away the feeling of guilt and regret about lying to my mother. That was in the past. I would be much more careful from this day forward. Now that I knew my mother had more than a sixth sense or motherly intuition, I would have to choose my words more carefully.

  Grabbing my purse, I headed out the door, making sure to lock it behind me. I didn’t usually bother, but now I felt as if I were being watched. I drove to Crooked Coffee and headed inside. The place was relatively quiet in the middle of the day, except for one table.

  Crap. I should have looked to see who was inside before I came in. At that moment, Gabriel turned around and saw me.

  Chapter 19

  I froze in my steps. I couldn’t move as he looked at me. Briefly, I wondered if I could use my power to cloak myself. Maybe, if I thought real hard, he wouldn’t see me and I could walk right back out the door and pretend it never happened.

  Too late. He rose from his seat at our usual table and walked towards me. “Hi.”

  “Hi,” I squeaked out.

  “Afternoon fix?” he asked, with a smile.

  “Yup.”

  I walked up to the counter, leaving Gabriel standing there. I didn’t know what to say to him. Half of me wanted to say I was sorry, and the other half was still angry that he’d gotten mad at me in the first place. I needed coffee. That was my only goal at that moment.

  Coffee first, and then I’d deal with Gabriel. Armed with an ice-cold mocha, I turned around, ready to face the man who had me twisted in knots.

  He was still standing there, watching and waiting. I felt as if he could see right through me.

  “Have dinner with me,” he said in a low voice.

  “Gabriel,” I started.

  He shook his head, stopping my protest. “I want to talk. Please?”

  How could I deny him? I wanted to talk as well. I needed to try and explain myself a little better. Maybe this time he would be willing to listen. “Okay.”

  “I can make us dinner. That way we don’t have to worry about being disturbed, or have any busy bodies getting in the way. This is about me and you, not my aunt or your mother,” he said, putting one of his hands on my elbow.

  I nodded, feeling as if he was casting a spell over me. I wondered if he truly was a man witch. Did those exist? They had to. I had a feeling that many things I had always chalked up to fairytales might actually exist after all. My world had changed, and I needed to be prepared to be a bit more accepting.

  “Dinner at your place or mine?” I asked.

  He shrugged, “Which do you prefer? I’ll warn you that I live in a small house with an even smaller kitchen.”

  I laughed, “My place it is. Grams would love someone using that big kitchen of hers to make a real meal instead of the microwave meals I’ve been eating.”

  “Perfect. I’m done with work for the day. I’ll go to the store and be there in about an hour. Does that work for you?”

  “Yes. Can I pick anything up?”

  “Nope. I got it. This is me treating you to dinner. All you have to do is kick back and keep me company while I mess up your kitchen.”

  “Sounds like a date,” I smiled, and headed out the door with a bounce in my step that had nothing to do with the coffee in my hand.

  I drove straight back to the house and tidied up a bit. I called Tara and reconfirmed my promise to her that I would be home on Monday and that we needed to talk. Next, I called my mother. I didn’t want any surprise visitors. Hopefully, she would pass along the message and the ladies would give Gabriel and I some privacy for once. They had meddled enough. It was up to us to decide what was best for us, without them pushing us towards each other.

  I freshened up, lit a few scented candles Grams had left behind, and waited for Gabriel to show. He arrived, carrying several bags.

  “I thought you said you were making dinner. This looks like a feast for a week!”

  “A good chef is always prepared. I didn’t know what you had in the cupboards, so I made sure to bring everything I might need.”

  I followed him into the kitchen and watched as he put the bags down and started unpacking ingredients.

  “What are you making?” I asked.

  He looked at me, winked and grinned. “It’s a surprise.”

  “Oh, that sounds intriguing. Can I help?”

  “Nope. I want you to sit right there and keep me company. Here, you can open this,” he said, pulling out a bottle of wine.

  I smiled, taking the bottle and opening it, before pouring two glasses. I sat down on one of the stools and watched him work.

  “Coconut shrimp?” I asked, after checking out the ingredients spread across the large center island.

  He grinned, “If you’re in Louisiana, you’re eating shrimp.”

  Laughing, I nodded my head. “So true.”

  Watching him clean the shrimp, I settled on a stool by the counter. It was nice to have him in the kitchen. In the house, really. I tended to spend a lot of time alone, if only because I was busy running my bakery. Oh, I had friends, but I lived alone. This big old house was a lot of space to bang around in all by myself. Having Gabriel here made the space warmer and friendlier, more the way it felt when Grams was alive.

  �
��So, ready to address the elephant in the room?” he asked, measuring rice out of the bag.

  “I suppose we should get that out of the way, just in case you want to pack up your shrimp and leave.”

  He shook his head. “Nope, and I won’t. I already know that as much as I know I love cake.”

  I burst out laughing. “What?”

  He grinned. “Nothing. Sorry, it’s a saying I heard. I do love cake though, so it works.”

  “It’s cute. I wanted to apologize. I mean, I still feel I did the right thing, but I can understand why you were upset by it. I should have told you,” I said, softly.

  He shook his head, “No, you didn’t need to. I’m sorry I got so mad. I’m protective of Aunt Coral. I’ve worried someone would find out about her, and think she deserved to be prosecuted simply because she was charmed. It terrifies me to think about her being taken away,” he explained.

  “That’s sweet. I love how protective you are of her.”

  He stopped what he was doing and walked towards me. I put my glass of wine down, not sure what he was going to do. Placing his hands on either side of my face, he looked into my eyes before kissing me. His kiss was quick, but hot. Pleasure zinged through me, leaving me slightly startled and befuddled. I hadn’t expected that kiss.

  “I’ll protect you, too,” he said gently.

  “What?”

  He smiled and went back to making dinner. “I said I’ll protect you as well. All of you.”

  I wasn’t sure what he meant, but didn’t want to inadvertently say something that would give us all away. I still wasn’t quite sure if he knew the whole lot of Coral’s friends were witches, along with me. I was still getting used to that zany idea myself.

  “Thank you.”

  He chuckled. “You don’t have to hide your secret from me, Violet. I already know. I’ve known about your mother for a long time. Unlike the women here in Lemon Bliss, my mother was far more open about witches and the supernatural world. When I came here, it didn’t take me long to figure out who was who. Please don’t think you have to hide that part of you from me.”