by Bella Falls
“Your grandmother would have been proud,” Dash uttered with sincerity. “No, scratch that. She will be proud.”
Buzzed from all the adrenaline of victory, I’d forgotten to check on Nana. What if our accomplishment didn’t heal her?
A loud repetitive ring echoed in the night air and interrupted the joyous merrymaking. Lady Eveline held out her spell phone to me. “It’s for you.”
I brought it to my ear. “Hello?”
“Charli?” my brother said on the other line. His voice quavered as he spoke. “There’s someone here who wants to say something to you.”
After a slight pause, I heard a familiar clearing of a throat. “I knew you would do it, my sweet Bird,” Nana croaked. “Come home.”
“I’m on my way.” Tears streamed down my face as I handed the phone back to the vampire.
I knew where to direct my feet to run, but as I took off away from the exuberant crowd, I couldn’t help but feel as if the word home would mean a whole lot more after tonight.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Against our vehement protests, Nana occupied the couch in the living room. Fluffy pillows propped up her frame, and she fussed at us for fawning over her.
“I’m telling you I feel right as rain.” She batted at me as I pulled a crocheted blanket over her legs. “Even better than I did before, if you can believe.”
Hope bloomed in my chest. Taking Lucky and Nick’s advice to heart and being specific with my demands might have ensured I’d have my grandmother around for a very long time.
Matt entered the room carrying a tray of glasses and tea. “I don’t know why we’re making everything nice for Aunt Nora. She doesn’t deserve it.”
“But Tucker and Clementine are coming, too,” I said.
My brother set the tray down on the coffee table, carefully avoiding the sealed parchment I’d placed there. He readjusted the blanket over Nana to his liking until she swatted him away as well. “Have you decided what you’re going to do yet?” he asked me.
Butterflies fluttered in my stomach. “No. I’m hoping an idea will come to me after talking to her. Or that I don’t regret adding her contract to my deal.”
Nana held out her wrinkled hand to me, and I grasped it in mine. “Your aunt acted in fear after almost losing her husband. I’m not excusing her actions, but as a widow I can understand her desperation.”
Matt snorted. “Aunt Nora’s interactions with Nick’s sister is what caused all the problems. And yet, you sound like you forgive her even though she almost killed you.”
“Forgive, yes. Forget?” Nana’s eyes hardened a little.
I knelt next to the couch. “Did I do the wrong thing?”
My grandmother cupped my chin. “No. Charity is never wrong, and I’m sure your mother would tell you the same thing, were she here. But what you did wasn’t for Leonora. Not really. You did it for someone else who’s truly your family because you chose to love each other.”
“Clementine,” I uttered. With sudden certainty, I knew what I would do with my aunt’s contract.
A gentle rap on the screen door interrupted us, and Matt left to answer it. Tucker and Clementine appeared first with Aunt Nora trudging behind them.
My cousin rushed over to hug me. “I’ve only heard a little from town gossip, but I think I have many thanks to give you.”
I embraced her back with a sigh. “Hold that thought until after we’re finished here.”
Tucker and his wife gushed over Nana, glad to have her hale and hearty. My grandmother insisted everyone take a seat. Matt poured the drinks and handed them around.
Aunt Nora remained standing and refused her iced tea. “I don’t think we’ll be here that long.”
Even without Dash near me, I could scent the pungent fear wafting off of her. “We’re here to talk, not attack. Please have a seat.”
She narrowed her eyes at me at first, but when she caught sight of her contract, all of her arrogance deflated. My aunt collapsed into the chair.
Ice clinked against the glasses as we sipped on our tea in awkward silence. I waited for Nana to begin the conversation, but she avoided my gaze. It took me a moment to realize she wanted me to step up and take charge.
“Aunt Nora, I’m sure you’ve been told about everything we went through in order to regain control of that.” I pointed at the scroll.
She nodded, her eyes glued to the parchment that still dictated her fate.
Tucker leaned forward in his seat. “We want to thank you, Charli, for everything you did. There have been no more outages around town, Flint says the barrier that protects us is back up to full strength, and our spell phones are working again.”
The list of wrongs now being made right was long. About the time I’d reached Nana’s house last night, Mason was waiting for me to help us celebrate. He stayed up with me since I couldn’t sleep with everything that had happened. We ate leftovers and talked into the early morning, but he left after dawn to give our family some privacy.
Although Nick had helped us in the end, he still had to answer for his part. Big Willie had delayed justice so that the crossroads demon could reinsert the souls he took back into their rightful owners. It would take a little while for things to return to normal, but these were all good first steps.
“What are your intentions with my contract?” Aunt Nora demanded.
“Mother!” Clementine chastised. “What did we talk about before coming here?”
My aunt snorted. “I will not be strong-armed or blackmailed. I want to know exactly what she’s going to do.”
Even after all I’d done, Aunt Nora still couldn’t extend a little bit of love to me. Any thought of mending bridges for my mother’s sake vanished.
“Leonora, your actions have put you in the position you find yourself in. Not my granddaughter,” Nana corrected. “And I believe I’ve more than earned the right to ask you to be courteous to your niece.”
Aunt Nora’s eyes widened as she took in my grandmother’s appearance. Her lip trembled as she spoke. “I never meant for anything to happen to you, Vivian.”
“How did you expect to obtain the high seat in the first place?” Nana pressed. “What did you think was going to happen?”
My aunt stammered. “I…I…”
“You didn’t think, Mother,” Clementine said, disappointment coating her words. “You cheated just to get what you desired. I’ve never understood why you needed something that doesn’t matter.”
“Because the Walker family has never been treated the same as theirs!” Aunt Nora exploded, pointing a finger at Nana. “The high seat should have been mine after Uncle Tipper stepped down, but the town chose her. Over and over again. I was long overdue to take control.”
Matt sneered at our aunt. “And when you did get what you wanted…when you held that position for less than twenty-four hours, what did you do with that authority? You tried to force your twisted beliefs on everyone and divide our town.”
“Not to mention all the chaos that was caused as a result of your choices in the first place,” Tucker added, placing his hand over his wife’s.
Aunt Nora flashed her son-in-law a shrewd glance. “I’m not the only one who thinks we should limit who lives here in Honeysuckle.”
“And the council will be dealing with those who are left,” Matt stated.
Our aunt huffed. “Now that your grandmother seems to be in remarkable shape considering she was supposed to be on her deathbed, the Goodwin spot on the council will be filled. That means you’ll have nothing.”
“Fine by me,” Matt said, slamming his glass down on the coffee table. “But you should ask yourself, who will be filling the Walker position?”
Aunt Nora’s mouth dropped, and she looked to her daughter and son-in-law for help.
My emotional cousin refused to look at her mother, so Tucker answered. “You can rest assured, it won’t be you.”
“Clementine?” her mother prodded. “You’ll carry on the Walker tradi
tion, won’t you?”
Her daughter wiped a trembling hand across her wet cheeks. “I have a baby on the way, and he or she comes first. There’s never been a married couple who occupied two of the council positions at the same time and for good reason. I have to make the good of my family my first priority.”
“But I’m your family,” Aunt Nora pleaded. “Someday, my grandchild will inherit the council seat. If you don’t take it, who’s left?”
With a little petty revenge in my heart, I answered my aunt’s question. “There’s always my brother. And me.”
“You are not a real Walker,” she replied without thinking of whose house she sat in. Her cheeks reddened. “Blood does make a difference, no matter what nonsense you’ve taught, Vivian.”
“Your sister didn’t think so,” Nana said, clenching her fists to maintain control. “Charli has as much right as Clementine or Matt to the seat.”
“Argh!” Aunt Nora burst out of her chair and paced in front of us. “That contract should no longer exist because nothing has gone the way it should.”
We’d given my aunt the opportunity to come to terms with the consequences of her actions and offer any apologies for what she’d caused. She chose to cling to her vanity until the bitter end. I needed to bring the meeting to a close and hand down the verdict for her actions.
I stood and picked up the contract. Aunt Nora stilled, watching me with anguished hope. As I crossed in front of her, she held out her hand as if to take it from me. Keeping it well out of her reach, I brought it over to Clementine and laid it in her lap.
“This is yours.” I curled her fingers around the parchment and patted her hands.
My cousin looked up at me. “What should I do with it?”
I kissed her forehead. “The decision of what to do rests with you.”
Aunt Nora sighed in relief. “Good, we’re finally finished and can leave.” She snapped her fingers in annoyance. “Give it here, Clementine.”
My cousin glanced at her husband for guidance, but he pursed his lips. Clementine grasped the contract in one hand and, with the other, caressed her belly that protected the next generation.
“No,” she said in a whisper. Clearing her throat, she spoke with more courage. “No, you will not have control any longer.”
Aunt Nora stood stock-still in disbelief at her daughter’s disobedience. “I raised you to have more respect than that.”
“You raised me to be obedient. To despise others who were different. To think that we were better than anyone else,” her daughter retorted, gaining more and more confidence. “I’ve been lucky enough to figure out just why I’d been lonely all those years and to make better choices. I’ll make sure our child learns how to navigate through life with love instead of trying to control it with hate.”
Aunt Nora drew in shaky breaths. “So, you would cast me aside, your own flesh and blood? Choose them over me?” She faced her son-in-law and pleaded with him. “Tucker, surely you don’t want to lose yet another parent.”
Her last attempt to garner support failed in spectacular fashion. “At least my father did what he did out of love. And he owned up to his actions, whereas everything you do or say is for you and you alone.”
“I know how you threatened my husband, Mother,” Clementine added. “And so does Father. Although ironically, he’s willing to stand by you no matter what the outcome is today. Because he loves you.”
Aunt Nora found herself without any support. “Vivian, you’ve known me longer than anyone here. Surely you can talk some sense into these children.”
“It’s time, Leonora,” my grandmother replied. “You need to accept your daughter’s decision.”
My aunt dropped to her knees. She crawled across the floor to kneel in front of her daughter. “Clementine?”
My cousin’s tears flowed freely. “Mother, you’ve managed to destroy everything.”
The weight of accountability crushed my aunt, and she collapsed into sobs and wails. Clementine rubbed her mother’s back but did not speak. The rest of us watched in discomfort.
I searched my emotions and found the distrust and revulsion I carried for the broken woman gone. Only pity remained.
When Aunt Nora’s weeping settled into whimpers, Clementine pronounced her decision. “Because of everything you’ve done, you can’t remain here in Honeysuckle Hollow. I’ll speak to Father on your behalf, but I suspect it won’t take much to convince him to accompany you.”
Her mother’s head whipped up. “You’re banishing me? What about my grandchild?”
Clementine reached for Tucker’s hand to steady herself. “I won’t expose my child to the way you raised me. If you make great efforts to try and recognize your faults as well as actually work to change, then you’ll be allowed to see him or her. But only on my terms.”
My cousin’s compassionate decision warmed my heart. I’d connect her with Nick later so that he could instruct her how to terminate the contract. Knowing Clementine’s heart, I knew she wouldn’t want to blackmail her mother into compliance.
Tucker gathered his wife and mother-in-law and escorted both towards the door. Clementine thanked me with a weak hug, and I promised to see her soon.
Aunt Nora paused in the middle of the foyer. She couldn’t face us, but she did manage one last remark in defeat. “I know it may be hard to believe me, but I’m sorry.”
With my hand over my heart, I sent a silent apology to my mother. Maybe her generous love would help me forgive her sister in time, even if I could never forget.
Epilogue
After the dust settled from dealing with Aunt Nora, Nana gained enough strength to chastise me for being rash enough to bind myself to Dash. Despite Lucky and her best efforts, neither could break the bond. My grandmother, with the help of Mimsy and Ada, managed to lessen the effects of it but warned the shifter and me that we needed to find a more permanent solution. However, Nana enjoyed forcing me to drink her gray sludge each morning with a little too much glee.
The town rallied after a week of recovering from the aftereffects. In true Southern fashion, we celebrated with good food, good drinks, and good company.
Fenwen followed me around the park during the new potluck, not allowing me to do anything for myself. My new roommate insisted she needed to wait on me to pay me back for cleaning out one of the extra rooms and letting her move in.
The sprite handed me a full glass of sweet tea and exchanged it for my empty one. “Here you go.”
“Thanks, Fenny,” I said in appreciation, hiding my exasperation with a smile. “But don’t forget to talk to your other friends.”
“You’ll come get me if you need something?” she asked with worry.
I waved at David who waited with a little impatience for the sprite. “Only when my needs are greater than yours.”
She frowned, trying to figure out my meaning. After I nudged her a little more, she left in reluctance, but I watched her blossom with so many embracing her. The whole town knew about her brave stand against Nick, and more than the fae accepted her as part of the community.
Everyone mingled together, eating and enjoying each other’s company. The afternoon sun bathed us in its orange glow, but my satisfaction for having the heart of our town back to the way it should be warmed me from the inside.
Lily and Ben approached me hand in hand. “Aw, you two are positively glowing together. I can’t wait to celebrate your engagement.”
Even though Nick returned their pieces of souls back to both of them, Ben decided life was too short to wait. He’d asked Lily to marry him for real using a ring he’d purchased months ago but kept hidden away.
“You’ll have to come into Sweet Tooths to try out some cake,” Alison Kate exclaimed. “It’ll be fun experimenting to find the perfect flavor for your wedding.”
Lavender joined us but remained quieter than usual. She blamed herself for involving us with Nick, and only time would help her accept our reassurances that she wasn’t to blame
.
Mason excused himself from a deep discussion with Big Willie and came over with his half-eaten plate of food. I swiped his square of cornbread off the top and stuffed the tasty goodness in my mouth.
“Thief,” he accused.
I grinned, letting golden crumbs fall out of my mouth. “So, lock me up, Detective. It’ll be totally worth it.”
Mason reached out and straightened my pendant around my neck until it hung in the right place. He winked at me, and my cheeks heated with pleasure. I loved wearing the symbol of our relationship for all to see. Despite his support for Dash and me allowing Lucky to bind us together, I still worried how that decision might end up affecting the detective’s and my relationship.
Dash had taken advantage of the weakened bond thanks to Nana’s help and returned to the mountains to take care of pack business. We both heeded my grandmother’s warning that we’d need to find a solution quick to avoid any bigger consequences.
“Excuse me.” Sassy hovered close by, interrupting my thoughts. No one had been so pleased to return to normal than the tiny fairy.
“Hey, Sass. It’s good to see you flying again,” I said with genuine approval.
She blushed. “I guess it’s hard to appreciate what you’ve got until it’s taken from you.” Her wings fluttered. “I know you told me you would let me know after the weekend, but I can’t wait. I was wondering if you and your brother have made a decision about my proposal?”
I smiled at her. “With Mr. Steve’s help, I was going to surprise you at the cafe tomorrow, but I think it might be better to give you the news right now. The space is yours for your very own pie shop. You’ll have to get it up to code for the kitchen space, and your boss wants to sign a contract with you to continue providing the pies for the cafe. But those small details can be hammered out later.”
She squealed and flew right at me, throwing her arms around my neck. “Thank you so much.”
“Thank yourself, you did all the work,” I complimented her.