Southern Magic (Sweet Tea Witch Mysteries Book 1)

by Amy Boyles

  “Holy crap,” I said.

  “You’ll get used to the magic. For some it takes longer than others.”

  Yellow batter filled the skillet to the brim, though it was quickly hardening and turning gold.

  “Cornbread,” I said.

  Betty smiled. “Made with Crisco. Only the best for us witches.”

  I smiled. I stood awkwardly in the room until Betty motioned for me to sit. I lowered myself onto the overstuffed couch. I leaned on one arm and found myself crushing a delicate doily. I sat up, grimacing.

  Betty waived dismissively. “It’ll be fine. It’s only a doily. I can fix it with magic.”

  I cracked my knuckles nervously. “Yeah, so about this whole magic thing. Can you please explain it? I don’t understand anything that’s going on.”

  Betty shook her head. “It’s a shame you were brought in this way. It’s not what we wanted for you. You should’ve known us—all of us—but your mother dying in childbirth messed all that up.”

  I raked my fingers through my hair. “What does that mean?”

  Betty flicked a hand, and a service of iced tea appeared. With another flick, a glass popped right in front of me.

  I threw up my hands. “Ah!”

  Betty shrugged. “Sorry. I forget that folks don’t know what it’s like to be around magic.”

  I curled my fingers around the chilled glass. “It’s okay.” I sipped the brown liquid. Sugared goodness slipped over my tongue and down my throat. Deciding a bit more sugar couldn’t hurt, I grabbed a handful of jelly beans and added them to the mix.

  I sighed as the flavors of lemon and strawberry mixed with the tea. “Thank you. I needed this. So tell me everything.”

  Betty tugged her silvery curls. The curls pulled off, revealing a bald pate beneath. “Sorry. The wig itches. I’ve been working on creating one that doesn’t, but so far it hasn’t worked out.”

  I tried to hide my fright at her baldness—the smooth skin, the few liver spots decorating it—but I’m not sure I succeeded.

  “Your father didn’t want to have anything to do with the witch side of the family,” she said. “When your mother, my beautiful Sassafras, died, he was offered a choice—allow us into your life or not. He chose the latter. A regular witch’s powers come in when a person’s a teenager, if they’re around magic. Since you weren’t, they didn’t flare until now—when you turned twenty-five. At the same time, your uncle died, leaving you the store—which is now yours to run.

  “We sent Mattie to find you. She’s brilliant when it comes to tracking.”

  I felt a thin body tangle around my legs. I glanced down and saw the cat blink up at me. Against my better judgment, I stroked her head until a rolling purr curled from her throat.

  “She’s a nice cat,” I said, “but I don’t understand how I’m the only person who can run the familiar shop. Aren’t there others?”

  Betty shook her glass of tea until the ice clinked up the sides. “Oh no. You see, only very special witches can hear animals. Donovan had the gift, then your mother, which meant you would also have it—or at least we hoped, since he died so untimely.”

  I blinked at her. “Yes. I’d forgotten all about that. Did someone kill Donovan?”

  Betty smoothed a hand over her head. “No. There are rumors that it was murder, but Donovan died of illness. He didn’t want anyone to know he was sick, because they’d start making a ruckus about who would take over the shop. I like to think that your uncle was called up to the great cauldron above a little before his time.”

  “So what about the note that Ebenezer talked about? The one you said didn’t exist?”

  Betty tugged at her collar as if it was getting hot in here. She glanced over at the hearth and clapped her hands. “Soups on. Want some? It’s an old family recipe. One you should’ve tried years ago, but as they say, better late than never.”

  My stomach rumbled. I’d only had nibbles at the party. A hearty meal sounded great, even if it was heavy for summer fair.

  “Sure.”

  Betty rose. She snapped her fingers, and a bowl and plate appeared. She snapped them again, and a slice of cornbread disappeared from the skillet and plated itself. The duo floated over to me, and I paused before I took it, unsure of how much pressure to apply.

  “Take it and my magic will vanish. It should give easily,” she said as if reading my mind.

  It was as she said. Thick, rich stock with full beef flavor revved my taste buds. The cornbread crumbled easily into the stew.

  “Crisco sure did the trick.”

  Betty smiled. “You’d be surprised how handy it can come. Here.”

  She snapped her fingers again, and a tub appeared in front of me. “All kinds of help to witches. Keep it in your purse. That’s where I keep mine.”

  She sat down with a heavy sigh. “About Donovan—someone got it in their head to start a story that a note had been found saying that the new owner of Familiar Place would be murdered too. I’ve never seen such a note. No one that I know has. It’s only a rumor, nothing else.”

  “So, exactly what kind of illness took Donovan?”

  “Your uncle liked his hard cider. One night he got into a bad batch and drank so much he gave himself a bout of poisoning that he couldn’t recover from.”

  I frowned. “That doesn’t sound like an illness.”

  She nodded. “We witches call it hard cider illness.”

  “I’ve never heard of it.”

  Grandma worked her bottom lip for a moment. “It’s new.”

  Right.

  “Anyway, Donovan wrote the letter to you on his deathbed and used magic to send it to you. But it’s up to you to keep that shop open. It’s important, not only to this town, but to the entire witching world. People come from all over to find their familiars. You’ll see. I’ll show you tomorrow.”

  I smiled feebly. “Sure. I can’t wait to find out,” I lied.

  Okay, so there was a suspicious death and a roomful of rumors swirling around. Let’s not sugarcoat things; even though Betty said Donovan’s death was illness, there were still questions about what caused him to get sick—at least in my mind. And a note that existed but didn’t exist. On top of that, I was the prime suspect in a murder, and all the crap was hitting the fan like crazy. I’ll admit, I needed a way out of my other life, but this wasn’t it.

  The only thing was, I wasn’t going to be in Magnolia Cove tomorrow to find out. Because I had a plan, and that plan meant breaking out of this town tonight.

  SEVEN

  Betty showed me to my room. “It was your mother’s,” she said, hiding a sniffle behind the wig she held in her hand.

  I walked through, noting all the trophies for spell casting and pictures. I caught a glimpse of red hair in a frame. My breath hitched at the sight of the woman staring back at me.

  She had been beautiful. Gold spooled in her long crimson hair, and her eyes were a deep blue. She didn’t have one speck of the freckles constellating my face or the brown eyes I had.

  I thanked Betty and for a moment, hesitated. Part of me wanted to reach out and hug her. She was, according to Mattie, my Me-Me.

  I wanted to hug Betty, I really did, but a coil of pain from past hurts stopped me.

  After she left, I sat on the bed. I fished my phone from my purse and dialed Caleb’s number.

  “Hey, babe, I thought you were going to call when you got off work?”

  “Yeah,” I said, “about that. Strange stuff has happened today. Let me tell you—”

  But I couldn’t tell him, could I? If I did, I’d lose my power.

  Right.

  What power? My schizophrenic ability to hear voices that appeared to come from animals?

  “Yeah, babe, can I call you tomorrow? I’ve been busy with fantasy football. This is taking more of my time than I thought.”

  I frowned. “What does that mean?”

  “I’ve been thinking…maybe we should focus on our own stuff right now, you kno
w? Maybe not focus on each other so much.”

  A woman laughed in the background. “Who’s that?”

  “Oh, uh, just Jody’s cousin, Amanda. So, what do you say?”

  I laughed. It started as a bubble in the back of my throat, but by the time it caught air, it became a full-on maniacal sound, one filled with failure and insanity.

  Which is exactly how I felt.

  “Sure, Caleb. Let’s call it quits. That’s actually the most perfect ending to my day. I’ve been fired from my job, chased by a madman who thinks it’s okay to stand on cars, and accused of murder. Sure. Let’s break up. End it. Listen, do me a favor and have a great life on me.”

  I pressed the Off button and tossed the phone on the floor. I had lain on the bed for exactly two seconds when a knock sounded.

  “Come in,” I said, sounding about as deflated as a dead jellyfish on the beach looked.

  Amelia and Cordelia tucked their heads in. Amelia fluffed her short hair. “Hey, we just wanted to say good night, and offer you some clothes so that you can get out of those.”

  I shrugged. “Sure. You got anything in black? ’Cause I’m in mourning for my life.”

  Amelia laughed. “Cuz, we’re going to use magic to create a new look for you.”

  I almost perked up at that. Almost. The sound of using magic to create a wardrobe made me think my options were pretty much limitless.

  “We can create whatever you want,” Cordelia said. “And we can show you how, too.”

  I sat up. “Okay. I’m in. Can you also take ten pounds off my butt and put it in my boobs?”

  Amelia laughed. “No, but you can if we teach you how to create a glamour. First things first. Want some pajamas?”

  “Yes. Cotton please. Simple. No pattern.”

  Cordelia split from Amelia. “Color?”

  “Black.”

  Cordelia clapped her hands together, and half a second later my clothes were gone, replaced by simple black pjs.

  I jumped from the bed. “Holy crap. That’s so super amazing.” I ran my hands down the legs. Smooth as silk and the fit was perfect.

  “Show me how to do that,” I said. “Please. Please. Please.”

  “Okay,” Amelia said, “the first thing you have to do is feel the magic within you. Do you feel it?”

  I cringed. “I don’t know. Where would I feel it?”

  Cordelia plopped down on the only chair in the room, a floral recliner. She crossed one long leg over the other. “It’s different for everyone. Sometimes it feels like a flutter in your stomach. Sometimes it feels like heartburn that you have to get rid of.”

  I frowned. “I don’t have any feelings like that.”

  “Maybe it’s behind your eyes,” she said. “Like a migraine waiting to happen. Or a toe cramp. I once knew a witch who felt magic in her little toe and knew it was primed to use when her foot hurt.”

  I shook my head. “No. I don’t have anything like that.”

  Cordelia glanced at Amelia. “We can still try to teach her, I guess.”

  Amelia took my hands. “I’m going to give you some of my magic, but since most of your power probably has to do with your ability to communicate with animals, I’m not exactly sure how this is going to work, yet we can try.”

  Just then the door opened and Mattie padded inside. She took a spot on the windowsill and started licking a paw and washing her face.

  Amelia said, “Are you ready to work some magic?”

  “This should be interesting,” Mattie said.

  My gaze flickered to her. The cat’s whiskers twitched. I decided to ignore her barb.

  Warm liquid energy flooded into me. It hummed and vibrated, thrumming through my body tight like a wound violin string. This was magic. I could feel it. It sparked in my chest and flowed like water through my veins.

  I beamed at Amelia. “I feel it.”

  “Now try to use it.”

  “How?”

  “Reach out with your mind. See it change into whatever you want.”

  So I tried. I tried to wrap my mind around it and mold it, but all I felt was a fizzle as the power drained from me.

  Amelia smiled. “We’ll try again tomorrow.”

  I sank back onto the bed. “So I didn’t get it?”

  Cordelia looked up from the cell phone she was scrolling through. “No.”

  I laughed bitterly. “I’m supposed to be a witch. Some great witch who can communicate with animals, but I can’t work a lick of magic.”

  “It takes time,” Amelia said encouragingly. “Not everyone does it right off. I did, and Cordelia did, but most people don’t.”

  “That doesn’t make me feel any better,” I mumbled. Forcing a smile, I said, “Thanks, anyway. We can work more on it tomorrow, I guess.”

  Cordelia unlinked her legs and rose. “Come on. Let’s give our new cousin some alone time. I know it’s been a day.”

  “You don’t even know the half of it,” I said.

  Amelia flashed two rows of teeth in a tight smile. “We heard about Ebenezer. Whole town has by now.”

  “First day here and I’m already making an awesome name for myself.”

  Amelia wrapped me in a swift hug. “Don’t worry about it. Grandma will help you. She has a lot of clout in the community.”

  Did she call threatening to give a policeman purple mumps clout?

  “Okay,” I said, pushing forward a feeble smile. “Thanks.”

  “I’ve got your back,” Amelia said. “If anyone mentions it at town hall, I’ll shut them right on down.”

  I quirked a brow. “Town hall?”

  She nodded. “That’s where I work. Filing permits and such. Cordelia works at the inn.”

  Cordelia smiled. “Yep. I can tell you who’s coming and going in Magnolia Cove.”

  “Thanks,” I said. “I’ll remember that.” They said their good nights and left. I glanced at Mattie. “Are you sleeping in here?”

  “I was your mom’s cat.”

  At the mention of my mother liking the cat, I bristled. “I don’t like cats.”

  Mattie blinked at me. “Probably best you learn ’cause you’ll start to find that animals like you. A lot, sugar.”

  I slid under the covers and snapped off the light. “Good night.”

  As much as I didn’t want to, I did fall asleep, but told myself I had to wake early. Super early. Like three a.m. early so that I could sneak out of town.

  Yes, I know Todd the Policeman said they would come after me, but I didn’t even have a place to live anymore. So I could at least sell the key at the nearest pawnshop and head west with a good chunk of money because I was pretty sure that key was made of gold.

  Had I ever dodged anything in my life?

  Yes, I’d bounced a few checks, but I’d never killed someone. By the time I was in Las Vegas or wherever, the police should’ve found the real killer.

  I slipped from the covers, grabbed my purse and headed out the door. The vine didn’t bother me as I padded across the porch and back to Bubbling Cauldron, where my car was parked.

  I hitched the door open as quietly as possible and slid in. The temperamental piece of shinola rumbled to life, and I slinked down the road, heading out of Magnolia Cove forever.

  I got about a minute outside the town when my car stalled. “Dang it! This piece of crap. First thing I’m doing with the money is buying a brand-new car that no one’s even farted in.”

  I shoved open the door and popped the hood. What the heck could be wrong with the stupid thing now? Old age?

  I sighed as a dark flash swept past me. I whirled around, heart in my mouth and fingers trembling.

  “Who’s there?”

  No answer.

  Then a rustle from the bushes and out stepped the man in black. You know, the one with the long hair who attacked me? The Rufus guy. The one who thought it was normal to stand on the roof of someone’s car.

  A blue flame flickered from his fingers. “Come with me,” he said in
a low grumble.

  I jutted out one hip. I was scared but also so irritated with men that this guy was about to get all my anger.

  “You know, I’m really tired of you men thinking you can just do whatever you want with me, that I don’t have a say in things. Well, I do. And I don’t know what you want, but I’m sure as heck not going anywhere with you and that ridiculous blue flame. What is that? Is it supposed to scare me or something?”

  Rufus balked, glancing at his flame and then to me. He shook his head as if shaking my words off and said, “You will come with me!”

  “Is that all you can say?”

  The flame grew. Rufus drew back his hand as if he was winding up for a pitch, and released the orb of light right at me.

  Something knocked me from my feet. A gush of air rushed from my lungs as I hit the ground hard. The world scrambled as the blue light whizzed past my head. Shards of earth blew into the air, exploding.

  A dark shape appeared in front of me. It was a man. Another one. Great. Not that I’m a man-hater and angry at all men, but right now I wasn’t exactly a fan, thanks to good ole Mr. Fantasy Football.

  A green light emanated from the second figure. “Get out of here, Rufus. This isn’t your territory.”

  The green light pitched forward, shooting straight at Rufus. In a blink the dark figure shrank into a vertical line and vanished.

  I sat in silence for a moment, unsure of exactly what had happened. A hand appeared in front of my face, and I recognized Axel, aka Mr. Sexy.

  I slid my fingers over his palm as his hand closed on mine. Warmth danced over my skin, sending a tingle sweeping up my arm.

  “You okay?” he said.

  He pulled me to my feet like I weighed nothing more than a sip of air. “Yes. Thank you.”

  The moon beamed across his face. His blue eyes appeared crystalline in the white glow. “You shouldn’t be out here by yourself.”

  I brushed dirt from my rear. “Yeah, well, nobody’s perfect. I didn’t expect that guy to be out here.”

  Axel cocked a brow. “You didn’t expect him to be waiting for you, you mean? Rufus is on your tail, so he’s going to be waiting for you to leave so he can take you.”