by S F Bose
Everyone’s jaw dropped. Chloe stared at Neville.
“You never said anything,” she said.
Neville leaned forward, eyes locked with Chloe’s eyes. “I was afraid to. I thought… I thought you wanted to break up with me.”
“Break up with you? No! Neville, I love you!” Chloe exclaimed.
There was a collective intake of breath as Olivia, Katie, Sam, and I watched the exchange.
“You do? I love you too!” Neville replied and smiled. He jumped up and went around the table. Chloe stood and they hugged and kissed. The rest of us clapped and cheered.
“Wait,” Neville said. He reached into his pocket and withdrew a gray fabric pouch.
“I’ve been carrying these around for months,” he said. “Chloe, I love you. I want us to be exclusive and to spend the rest of our lives together. I know you don’t like traditional things, so I got these.”
Chloe’s mouth had dropped open and her eyes were glistening.
Neville opened the pouch and pulled out two black rings. We all leaned in to get a better look. “When I saw these rings, I thought of you and us. But after I bought them, I worried that you might not like them. They’re black tungsten and engraved with Harry Potter glasses and a lightning bolt. We can get different rings if—”
Chloe interrupted him. “Neville, they’re beautiful!”
“You like them?” Neville asked watching her face closely.
“Are you kidding? They’re perfect!” she replied and beamed at him.
Neville smiled. “After I graduate, we can go shopping for a proper engagement ring. For now, this is our forever ring.”
Chloe hugged him and said, “Forever.” He slid one ring on her left ring finger. Then she slid the larger ring on his left ring finger.
They hugged and kissed and we cheered again. I glanced at Sam and he was smiling. We all hugged Chloe and Neville and admired the rings.
“This is so beautiful!” Olivia said, her eyes brimming with tears.
“It is!” Katie agreed. Then Katie said in a lower voice, “You finally hit on the right tea!”
“Thank God,” Olivia replied. “I was running out of ideas.”
Sam and I exchanged looks. A short time later, we cornered Olivia and Katie in the kitchen.
“Okay, Olivia what was in the tea?” I asked.
“Tea?” she replied. Olivia tried to feign surprise but her smile gave her away.
“Come on Olivia. We heard what Katie said about the right tea.” I pressed.
Katie groaned. “Sorry,” she said to Olivia.
“Don’t worry about it,” Olivia replied. Then she looked at me.
“I was just trying to help Chloe and Neville. You know how they’ve been squabbling lately. I talked to Great Grandma Bridey and she gave me some potion ideas.”
Bridey Shaw was an esteemed herbalist in our area. She had an amazing ability to diagnose and treat illnesses in both people and animals. Most of her potions and remedies were herbal and actually worked.
“What type of potions exactly?” Sam asked.
Olivia craned her neck and seemed to be looking for Chloe or Neville.
“Okay, I’ll tell you, but you can’t say a word to our lovebirds. Promise?” she asked.
I nodded and Sam gave her the three-fingered Boy Scout salute. Olivia glared at both of us.
“Say the words,” she hissed.
“I promise,” I said quickly and Sam followed suit.
“Okay, like I said, Katie and I were worried about Chloe. She wouldn’t talk about whatever was bothering her and Neville was clearly miserable. We were afraid they were going to break up.”
“We wanted to help them talk things out, but every time we started a chat with the two of them, Chloe eventually stalked out of the room,” Katie said. “We knew we had to think outside the box.”
Olivia nodded. “Bridey gave me some ideas for relaxation and love potions.”
“Love potions?” Sam asked. “You’re kidding. Those don’t really work do they?” He leaned against the center island which had platters of food on it.
“This tea sure worked with Chloe and Neville,” Katie replied shortly.
Sam grunted and picked a breaded mushroom to nibble on.
“That’s why you had Neville and Chloe taste testing teas?” I asked.
“Yes, for weeks. I tried an old love tea recipe with damiana leaf, orange peel, rose petals, cacao nibs, carob, cassia cinnamon chips, and other flavoring ingredients. It had no effect. In fact, they argued even more. Then I tried countless variations on that recipe and none of them worked.”
Chloe and Neville burst into laughter in the other room. I looked into the dining room and saw them sitting across from each other at the table holding hands and talking.
“It’s a miracle,” I said and walked over to Sam. “Yesterday I thought they might break up. Today they’re laughing and holding hands.”
“It is a transformation,” Sam agreed. “What exactly was in the tea you served tonight?”
Olivia smiled. “It was a traditional rose hips tea that promotes tenderness in people. In addition to dried rose hips, it has rosemary, catnip, orange peel, and a secret ingredient. Oh and I added a little organic honey.”
“Catnip? Seriously?” Sam asked.
I laughed at the look on his face. Sam smiled and took my hand in his. I felt an electric current shoot up my arm.
“It’s very calming,” Katie replied and Olivia nodded.
“I’m going to worry every time you serve us tea, Olivia,” Sam teased.
Olivia smiled and looked back and forth between Sam and me. She saw that we were holding hands.
“No worries, Sam. I have a feeling you and Liz won’t need any of my special teas.”
Katie and Olivia laughed.
“I think you’re right,” he agreed and squeezed my hand. I squeezed back. I enjoyed the warmth and contentment that flooded my body. The future was looking good and I was very happy.
***
A Message from S.F. Bose
I HOPE YOU ENJOYED Justice in Mystic Grove. Please post a review for this book on Amazon or Goodreads. No matter how brief or how long, reader reviews help other readers to find books. Thank you for your support! If you’d like to receive periodic updates on my new releases, sales, and special events, please join my mailing list: Click here to Join My Mailing List
The Liz Bean Mystery Series
by S.F. Bose
MISSING IN MYSTIC GROVE (#1)
MURDER IN MYSTIC GROVE (#2)
JUSTICE IN MYSTIC GROVE (#3)
About the Author
While growing up on the South Side of Chicago, S.F. Bose read all the Trixie Belden and Nancy Drew mystery books. Inspired by those books, she and her friends scoured their neighborhood looking for missing persons, blackmailers, and murderers. Unfortunately, it was a peaceful part of the city and the budding private investigators couldn’t find a single criminal.
As an adult, S.F. Bose worked as a technology manager for many years, but her true love remained reading mystery books and writing stories. After leaving corporate life behind, she decided to take the leap and wrote her first mystery, Murder in Mystic Grove. When not writing, she enjoys puzzles, cooking, gardening, and thinking up creative ways to murder people.
Contact Information
I’d also love to hear from you directly. Here are some ways you can reach me:
Email: [email protected]
Website: https://www.sfbose.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SandyBoseBooks/
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