by Rose Pressey
My mouth probably hung to the ground as I just sat there staring at him. It was hard not to—he was one good-looking man. Dark-haired, tall, and well-built. What was he doing back in my life? As far as I knew, I hadn’t messed up the magic spell today. What if this had something to do with the potion that we’d given Rory? I knew it had been too soon for me to try something new. They should have asked me before trusting me with the potion business. I could have told them it wasn’t time. My heart rate increased as my stomach did a tiny little dance. I couldn’t deny that I was a little excited to see him. Purely as a friend, of course.
“Don’t I even get a hello?” Tom walked up to the booth where Mary Jane and I sat.
It was as if I was glued to the seat and my tongue was glued to the top of my mouth. Words wouldn’t form. Maybe it was the way he gave out that lopsided grin with ease. Or the way he stared with those gorgeous brown eyes.
“You have a little mustard on your chin,” he said with that devilish grin. “And ketchup on your cheek.” He pointed. “I hope that wasn’t another one of your famous magical burgers.”
My cheeks felt flush. I grabbed the napkin and wiped at my chin.
“Hello, Tom.” Mary Jane stepped in and said what my mouth wouldn’t.
“Mary Jane, you’re looking as gorgeous as ever.” He flashed her his thousand-watt smile.
Finally, I managed to speak. “Tom, what are you doing here?” I choked out as I jumped up from the booth.
“I was in the area and thought I’d stop by.” He crossed his arms in front of his chest.
“No one is ever in the area,” Mary Jane said, while popping a French fry into her mouth.
I nodded. “Mary Jane’s right. No one ever just happens to be in the area of Mystic Hollow.” I placed my hands on my hips. “So what did I do wrong this time?”
He chuckled. “Nothing. I promise. Well, not that I know of at least. Are you confessing?”
I scoffed. “No.” Why did I feel guilty?
There was something different about Tom. Something in his expression, but I couldn't quite put my finger on it. A sadness in his eyes, maybe? Worry? Now I was really beginning to freak out.
I attempted to try to keep up my calm façade. “Well, take a load off,” Mary Jane said as she gestured toward the booth.
“Yes, please, have a seat. Can I get you anything?” I asked.
“It looks as if you were taking a break. I don’t want to interrupt.” He slipped into the booth across from Mary Jane. Where I had been sitting. I hadn’t been sure if I’d ever see Tom again. Now here he was right in front of me.
“It’s okay. I wasn’t that hungry anyway,” I said, hoping he’d believe me.
He looked at the burger and then back at me.
No way would I be able to finish that burger now. Not until I found out the real reason behind his unexpected visit.
“You must be hungry after traveling all that way. I have some fresh cherry pie. How about a slice and a cup of coffee?” I asked.
“You know my weakness, don’t you?” He winked.
“That’s why you came back, isn’t it?” Mary Jane asked, then stuffed another French fry into her mouth. When she finished chewing she continued, “You can’t resist Elly’s…” she paused for way too long. “Pie,” she finished.
I glared at her.
“I’ll plead the fifth to that one. But yes, I don’t think I can say no to Elly’s pie.” He removed his hat and placed it on the seat next to him. A single curl fell haphazardly across his forehead.
“One slice of cherry pie coming up,” I said, trying not to stare at his gorgeous thick hair.
Tom was remaining tight-lipped about this mystery visit for now. But I knew there was a reason for his trip and I knew it wasn’t for my cherry pie. The crust was flaky and the filling tart, but it wasn’t that good.
If there was one thing I could count on, it was Mary Jane getting the details out of Tom while I was gone. She had a special knack for it. Heck, she wasn’t called the gossip queen for nothing. I knew her talent would come in handy someday. I excused myself and made my way across the room, leaving Mary Jane to pry details from him.
I sliced the cherry pie and added a big helping of whipped cream on the top. At least I wouldn’t have any malfunctioning dessert topping cans this time. Not long ago I’d sprayed my boyfriend’s face with the sticky mess. An accident of course. Boyfriend. It still felt strange using that word.
I hurried back across the room. Mary Jane might not have had time to get the details from him, but I couldn’t wait any longer. Once I placed the plate and mug in front of him, I asked, “Tom, what happened? Why are you back in town? And don’t tell me you were just passing through. I swear I haven’t messed up any spells, so I know it can’t be anything I did wrong. Wait. Did someone else do something wrong? It was those darn magical scissors, wasn’t it? They finally got to someone, huh? I knew it.”
He chuckled. “Elly, I missed your babbling and paranoia.”
He sure knew how to sweet-talk a girl.
“Be serious,” I said.
“Okay, okay.” There was a teasing in his tone. “No. it’s nothing like that.” He looked down and studied his coffee mug. “It’s just…” The teasing tone faded.
I’d never seen him like this. “Tom you’re scaring me. What is it?”
He took a sip of coffee, not meeting my stare. When he placed the mug down, he finally looked at me. “I’ve been put on leave from the Organization pending the outcome of an investigation.”
“Leave? What does that mean? What kind of investigation? What happened?” My words rushed out in a panic. He was right. I did blabber.
“You’re going to make me tell you, aren’t you?” He picked up his fork.
I nodded. “Most definitely. I’m going to force you to tell us.”
Mary Jane nodded in agreement.
I continued, “You can’t come here and be all mysterious and think you can keep some secret from me. You had the look written all over your face when you came in. I knew something was wrong.”
He took a bite of the pie. “You think you know me pretty well, don’t you?” The corners of his mouth twisted into the devilish grin I’d grown accustomed to from him.
“I’m waiting,” I said without answering his question, folding my arms in front of my chest.
He set the fork down. Mary Jane placed her elbows on the table and propped her chin into the palms of her hands, patiently waiting for him to enlighten us with his story.
He cleared his throat. “Well, for the first time in my career, I performed the magic incorrectly.”
Chapter Seven
My bottom lip probably dropped all the way to my shoes. Tom screwed up magic? I couldn’t believe my ears. Okay, I shouldn’t have been excited about it, huh? Right. Well, I wasn’t… but it did make me feel slightly less incompetent. Slightly less.
When Tom saw the expression on my face, he said, “Let me rephrase that. The Organization said I did the magic wrong, but I most definitely did not mess up a spell.” He picked up his fork and took another big bite. At least he hadn’t lost his appetite.
“Okay…” I let out a deep breath. “Can you back up and tell me what happened?”
He took another sip of coffee, then said, “I’d been training a new investigator. We were in New York City and everything was going just fine. The next thing I knew, a woman had received a spell that had been meant for another woman in her apartment building. The two spells were swapped. One was supposed to be a financial spell and the other one a love spell. Well, as you can imagine things didn’t end well.”
“I don’t know what to say. I’m shocked.”
Tom had always been the perfect magic practitioner as far as I was concerned.
He let out a deep breath. “I don’t need to hear that from you.” Tom frowned.
I leaned against the table behind me. “No, it’s just that…”
“You didn’t think I could do any s
pell wrong. I’m only human,” he said while playing with his fork. “We all make mistakes.”
“I know but, well, never mind.” I waved off my statement. “How do they know the spells were messed up? Are you sure you made the mistake?” I asked the questions, but knew the answers wouldn’t be positive.
“I was the only one in charge of the spells. I was showing the trainee the ropes. Like I said, when the investigation was over, before we left the city, I was called to perform these emergency spells, which isn’t something I normally do. Not anymore, anyway. I’ve been doing only investigations for several years now.”
“Can’t they just let you fix the mistake and everything will be fine?” They’d given me a chance to correct my mistake. Didn’t he deserve the same?
“That would be great, but no, they won’t allow it.”
“Why are they so strict?” Mary Jane asked.
“They have their rules and they have to stick to them.” He pushed the pie around on the plate.
“So, what happens next? Do they take away your magic forever?” I asked.
“Maybe. They could take away my investigator status and my magic.”
“That seems kind of drastic. Did you know the women who received the magic?”
It was still surreal to see Tom back at Mystic Café. I would have never guessed it would have been under these circumstances.
He shook his head, that sexy curl still hanging on his forehead. “No, they were strangers. Like I said, I don’t know why they had me in charge of that particular magic spell. It did seem odd.”
I wasn’t sure if he’d thought there was something menacing going on, but if not, then I had to put the thought in his head. Call me suspicious. “Do you think someone set you up?” I watched his face to gauge his reaction.
“The thought had crossed my mind, but I have no idea why someone would do that. And who?”
“Yeah, that doesn’t make any sense, huh?” Mary Jane said. “Do you have any enemies?”
“Doesn’t everyone?” he asked.
“Well, almost everyone, I guess,” I said.
He looked at me and winked. Heat moved to my cheeks. “I mean, sure, there are people who probably don’t like me.”
“I’m really sorry to hear this, Tom.”
I wanted to hug him, but that would be dangerous territory.
“Thank you,” he said softly. “Please don’t worry about it, Elly. I have confidence that everything will work out.” Tom finished off the pie. “I missed your pie.”
I looked at Mary Jane and she gave me a devilish smile. I knew what she was thinking. But I was sure he really meant my pie.
“I’m glad you liked it,” I said.
He took a drink of water, then said, “So, here I am. I’m not sure what I’m doing from here. I guess I need to find a job. If I don’t, this might be the last food I eat for a while.” He pointed at crumbs on the plate.
Mary Jane sat up straighter in the booth. “I have a great idea. Why don’t you work here at the café until things turn around?”
I wondered what Tom would think if I threw my shoe at Mary Jane. Maybe I could stuff a napkin in her mouth. Alas, it was too late. The damage had been done. I slipped into the booth beside her. Being closer to her gave me the opportunity to pinch her under the table.
She let out a little yelp and glared at me. I smiled innocently in return.
Chapter Eight
In spite of my attempts at motioning for her to shut up, she continued, “I’m sure it won’t be long before they get this settled and you’ll be back at the Organization. Until then, you can help us out around here.” Mary Jane had a wide smile spread across her face and I was pretty sure she was suppressing an evil chuckle. She knew exactly what she was doing.
I wanted to kick her. How could she ask him something like that? And without asking me first. Furthermore, why would she ask him something like that? Of course, I was sure he’d say no. Tom had to have other plans. He wouldn’t want to hang around little ol’ Mystic Hollow.
Mary Jane continued, barely taking time for a breath in between words. “Elly doesn’t mind.” She shook her head. “Do you, Elly?”
When I didn’t answer right away, she poked me in the side.
Too bad I couldn’t crawl under the table. “No, I don’t mind at all,” I said trying to hide the frustration in my voice. “We’ve been needing help around here. But I’m sure you wouldn’t want to work here. You’ve probably got a lot of other things you could do, or want to do besides working at our little café.”
He stared at me. “Actually, I don’t have anything else lined up at the moment.”
Wow, I hadn’t seen that comment coming. Was that why he’d come back? He could get a job at any café. So why here? Was this all a ruse? Maybe the Organization had sent him back to make sure I knew how to handle the potions. Apparently, I didn’t know as much about Tom as I’d thought. Heck, I didn’t even know where he was from. He’d never discussed his personal life. Why hadn’t Mary Jane found out these little details when Tom had been here before? She was slipping with her gossiping duties.
Maybe I hadn’t discovered enough about him before, but if he was going to work at the café, I intended on finding out all there was to know. Tom wasn’t going to keep anything from me now. Did he have family? Where was he from originally? When did he join the Organization? More importantly, why had he joined the Organization? Tom continued to look at me. I really needed to say something. The silence had grown painfully awkward.
When I didn’t answer Tom said, “I’m sorry. You don’t need me hanging around.”
“What?” Mary Jane’s voice grew from the excitement. “Tell him, Elly.” She nudged me again.
I had no other options. I had to answer. Where was the magic to save me now? “Sure. It would be great if you could help around here, Tom.”
I needed to sound a little more enthusiastic about this. After all, I did like Tom, and I had to admit, having him around again would be fun, especially if he wasn’t critiquing my magic.
“If you’re sure,” he said.
Mary Jane kicked me under the table. I’d get her for that.
“I’m positive. I’d love to have you help. It doesn’t pay much, but until you found something else...”
“So what do you need me to do? I can cook a great burger.”
It may have been my imagination, but there was sadness in Tom’s eyes. That made my heart ache. He lived for his job as an investigator. He didn’t want to flip burgers or bake cakes. I had to help him get his job back, not that I didn’t want him around, but I wanted him to be happy. To be honest, having him around would be dangerous. For many different reasons.
“Did I ever tell you about my grandmother’s special recipe for burgers?” he asked.
“Oh no, this recipe doesn’t involve magic, does it?” I asked.
He laughed. “No, no magic. Just spices, but no magic spices, I promise.”
“Well, it looks as if you have yourself a job. That’s if you want it.”
“I’d be honored to work for you, Ms. Blair.” He placed his fork and napkin onto his plate. “I’d better get to work.”
“Whoa, what’s your hurry?” I laughed. “Don’t you want to get settled in first? Where are you staying?”
He gestured with a tilt of his head. “The same hotel as last time. I stopped by there before I came here.”
So, he had been planning on staying at least for one night. Should I ask him why he picked Mystic Hollow? No, maybe I shouldn’t ask just yet. What if he didn’t have anywhere else to go? I didn’t want to make him feel any worse than he probably already did.
“Well, don’t worry about work today,” I said.
“Thank you for offering the job, Elly. It means a lot to me.”
“Well, technically I didn’t offer the job, Mary Jane did.”
Mary Jane beamed as she finished off the last of her burger. Yeah, I’d get her later.
“You didn�
��t have to go along with her, so thank you.”
I’d never seen him so vulnerable.
“Any time.” My stomach did a little dance.
Why was I so excited about the prospect of seeing Tom every day? How long would the investigation into Tom’s magic take? It could be days or it could be months. What would happen if they took his magic away forever? What would he do if he wasn’t an investigator? He wouldn’t be happy working in my café for the rest of his life. Tom was the type of man who needed action and he definitely wouldn’t find that in Mystic Café. The most excitement we had other than when Mary Jane gave Rory the wrong spell was when I mixed up the cherry pie with the blackberry. It was utter chaos for a couple minutes. Luckily, that swap hadn’t consisted of any magic.
Just a couple weeks ago, Mary Jane had suggested that I mess up magic on purpose just to get Tom to come back. But that was too dangerous. I’d almost lost the café the first time a spell had gone wrong, why would I want to do that again? And like I said, I was happy with Rory. Mary Jane thought I should give both men a shot. Tom hadn’t really expressed any interest in dating me other than a kiss… or two. Things were better off the way I’d left them, with Tom leaving and Rory staying. But now look what had happened. What a turn of events.
“I can’t just sit around. Let me start with washing the dishes, if you don’t mind? Believe it or not, I’ve washed a few dishes in my day.” He grabbed his plate.
Mary Jane scoffed. “If we don’t mind? Are you crazy? If I never saw another dish again, I’d be happy.”
I frowned at Mary Jane.
“Well, I would.” She laughed.
I stood and moved closer to Tom. “We’re almost done for the day. You just go get settled in as a new resident of Mystic Hollow and come in the morning. I have to warn you though, we start early.”
“I think I can handle it,” he said.