by Jane Tara
Hamlet’s pristine bay and beaches were part of the town’s attraction, yet it was rare to see anyone else on this small stretch of sand. She glanced around. Apart from a lone figure in the distance, the beach was all hers. She slid out of her jeans and drew her T-shirt over her head. Clad only in her underwear, she jogged down to the water’s edge and waded into the icy water. She forced herself to continue up to her waist and then dived in. The days were warmer now but the water was still cold and it stole her breath as it enveloped her body.
She emerged from a wave with an elated gasp and a laugh. She was determined to never lose this freedom to dive into the sea whenever the urge hit. In New York, things like this had to be preplanned. Here in Hamlet she had license to swim on the spur of the moment. She wanted to appreciate and take advantage of that whenever possible. It made her feel alive.
She felt a sensation that had been missing for a long time spread from her limbs into her chest. She ducked under another wave, and as she reemerged she realized it was happiness. She was happy. Not constantly. Happiness seemed to be the most fleeting of human emotions. But it was there. It came and went regularly now. It caught her by surprise, not for when it appeared, but rather for how long she’d be feeling it before realizing. It was, to her utter surprise, becoming a habit.
“You must have seal blood running through your veins.”
“It’s refreshing,” she lied. It had been refreshing but was starting to shift toward freezing. “I thought the beach was empty.”
“It is…apart from us. That’s my house up there,” Tad said pointing to a large wood and glass structure.
“I know. I’ve been there…to Tye’s flat underneath.”
“And you didn’t drop by to say hello?”
“N—next time.” Her teeth began to chatter.
“Blue suits you.”
“Excuse me?”
“Your skin is turning blue.” Tad chuckled. “Do you want to come out or are you working on hyperthermia?”
Rhi felt she didn’t need to work on hyperthermia as it had already set in. “I’m too embarrassed to get out. I’m in my underwear.”
“Don’t you have a swimsuit?”
“This was a spur-of-the-moment swim.”
“I’ll turn around,” Tad called. “I promise not to peek.”
He turned his back on Rhi and wandered up to where her clothes were. Rhi made a mad dash for her T-shirt and slid it on over her head. Then, with some difficulty, she scrambled into her jeans.
“Okay, I’m decent now,” she said.
Tad turned, and in one slow, sweeping appraisal warmed her shivering body up. “You may be dressed, but you’re hardly decent.”
Rhi glanced down at herself and realized her T-shirt was clinging suggestively to her wet body. Her hair hung in damp tendrils around her face and neck, spilling onto her shoulders, leaving a trail of transparent fabric. She looked back at Tad, whose eyes were burning hungrily.
“I need to get warm,” she whispered.
“Here, let me help you.” Tad reached out and gathered her into his arms and then, before she could protest, his mouth crushed down on hers. Her arms slid around his neck and she pressed her body into his while they devoured each other with their lips, their eyes and their hands. She could smell him. Taste him. Feel him. Each sensation swamped her body with complete desire.
Rhi moaned and pulled away. Her tongued flickered over her lips where he lingered. .
“I’ve wanted to do that from the first moment I laid eyes on you,” Tad admitted.
“Why’d you wait so long?” Rhi arched her back to look up at him.
“You confuse me.”
He bent down and pressed his forehead against hers. Their breath mingled, and came out misty as it hit the cool evening air. Their gazes were locked. His lips hovered just above hers, lightly pressing and then moving across to her cheek. They stood like this, exploring, dancing, feeling each other, until Tad’s hand grabbed the back of her head and his lips landed on hers again.
Rhi felt she could go on kissing him forever.
Finally Tad pulled back. His eyes searched hers. “I was wondering…perhaps we could go out some time?”
Rhi slithered out of his embrace. “I thought you couldn’t.”
“Couldn’t what?”
“Go out with me.”
“I don’t know what gave you that idea. I’d love to go out with you. How about tomorrow night?”
Rhi felt the anger creep up like a rising thermometer until it hit her throat. “What the hell are you playing at?”
Tad looked confused. “I’m not playing at anything. All I’m suggesting is dinner, perhaps a drink. I certainly wouldn’t mind a rerun of that kiss…it’s all fairly straightforward.”
“Perhaps in your weird little world, but from where I’m standing, you are the least straightforward person I’ve ever met.”
“You should talk. Every time we speak I end up feeling as though I’ve just killed your grandmother or run over your dog.”
“And are you stalking me?”
“You are nuts!”
“At least I don’t turn up just when you least expect it, like some weirdo.”
“I’ve obviously offended you in some way. I hope you’ll forgive me. I’d hate to find my pet rabbit boiling on my stove.”
Tad turned and stormed up the beach. Rhi watched his retreating back with an overwhelming urge to run after him. Instead, she turned and sprinted over the sand dune and into the woods. He wasn’t worth catching pneumonia for.
She fled through the trees and back up the path to her house. She’d just reached her porch when she heard someone laugh.
Rhi swung around. “Are you laughing at me?”
Pip flicked her hair back. “You’re so funny.”
And you’re a dryad pain in the ass, thought Rhi.
“I cleaned up the garden, Pip. So how about you leave me alone now?”
Pip gave the garden a sweeping stare. “Yes, it’s much better.”
“A thank you would be nice.”
Pip looked genuinely confused. “Why?”
Rhi realized her teeth were chattering. “I need a shower.”
“The sexy man didn’t warm you up for long?”
“None of your business.”
“I was just going to give you some advice, but now why bother?”
Great! A dryad with attitude. Rhi hated herself for it, but she was suddenly very curious. “What advice?”
Pip gave her a wicked smile as she stepped back into the tree. “Look in the box!”
Chapter 25
Life as she knew it was officially over. Rhi sat on her front step as tears streamed freely down her face. She’d loved the morning sun since arriving in Hamlet. Each and every day it symbolized a new start.
Which was exactly what she’d need now. All her hard work, her hopes and her dreams had been destroyed. There, on the front page of the local paper was a photo of her and her mother, and the accompanying article:
MAJESTIC’S ARTISTIC DIRECTOR IS DAUGHTER OF FAMOUS WITCH.
Who knew we had a famous witch living in town?
Certainly no one at The Examiner suspected a thing when Rhiannon Wall came in to the office and introduced herself as the Majestic’s new artistic director. Attractive, friendly and obviously passionate about her craft—theater craft, that is—Rhiannon paid for a series of upcoming ads for drama classes, theater rentals and auditions.
So imagine our surprise when the infamous Brigid Dee called. Ms Dee is well known for her books, DVDs and television shows on witchcraft. She was more than happy to talk about her daughter’s move to Hamlet and her latest project.
As Ms Dee said, “I’m supporting her any way I can, which is why I’m doing this interview. I’m helping drum up some publicity, to bring the support Rhi needs to make her theater project a success.”
Rhi couldn’t believe what she was reading. She scanned the rest of the story. Brigid was quoted libe
rally throughout.
“Oh no, Rhi is very proud of being a witch.”
“She’s using her father’s surname now, but she’ll always be a Dee.”
“Rhi knows that if it doesn’t work out for her there, she can always come back home. In fact, she often says how she’d like to appear on the show again.”
“You bitch!” Rhi howled, then looked around, hoping no one was watching.
She saw Marjorie Stockburn walking her dog in the distance. The last thing she needed now was a conversation with Marjorie, who didn’t know the meaning of brevity. Instead, Marjorie noticed her on the steps and greeted her with a look that would freeze fire, then turned on her heel and hurried off in the opposite direction, dragging poor Rufus behind on his leash. Marjorie was always friendly. She’d obviously seen the paper.
A sob caught in Rhi’s throat and she made for the safety of her house. How could her mother betray her like this? It was like the spider that eats its young. She pulled the curtains tightly closed and wondered how much tinned food she had stored away. Plan A was to bunker down and never set foot outside again. She would shrivel up and die alone, only to be found in eight years when the gas company dropped by to check on overdue bills.
There was a knock on the door. It was probably the townsfolk with pitchforks and burning crosses. Rhi swung the door open, ready to take them on. It was worse than burning crosses. It was Tad, looking thunderous.
“What’s the meaning of this?” He waved the newspaper at her.
Rhi’s heart dropped but she managed to fake a smile anyway. “Good morning to you too.”
“You didn’t think of mentioning this to me?”
Her fake smile faded. “I didn’t think you’d be interested.”
“Are you freaking serious?”
Rhi was appalled at the tone he was using with her. Who did he think he was? “Stop yelling at me.”
“I’ll stop yelling when you explain this.” His face was crimson with rage.
“I don’t need to explain something like this to you. It’s my business.”
“Your business? It’s my goddamn theater.”
Rhi’s chin wobbled, which seemed to disarm him slightly, but she refused to completely lose it in front of him. “I don’t know what any of this has to do with you.”
“Could you be any more insensitive? Of all plays?”
Tad thrust the paper at her and Rhi realized it was folded open at the audition notice for Hamlet. Rhi was completely taken aback. He was talking about the audition notice, not about her being a witch.
“Did you read the article about me?”
Tad dismissed that with a wave of his hand. “I don’t give a shit about that, except to say that I know some witches and they’d never pull a stunt like this.”
She needed to shift gears. “Tad, I’m doing Hamlet because of you. I thought you wanted closure.”
“You don’t know me. How dare you assume I need closure?”
Rhi shook her head. Was this a dream? It was surreal. “What about the audition? Hamlet was your idea.”
“Why would I revisit the play that killed my father? I didn’t even fucking do it in high school. I was suspended for skipping a semester.” Tad tossed the paper at her feet. “I’m going to call my lawyer and dissolve your lease.”
Tad took off in a cloud of dust and anger, while Rhi bolted herself inside her house and shook. She took three deep breaths but still felt strange. Off kilter. Why on earth was he acting that way? And if he dissolved the lease, what the hell was she going to do?
The doorbell rang again. What now? She had half a mind to ignore it but felt it might be Tad again, and she’d do anything to sort this out. Rhi opened the door an inch and peeked through.
It wasn’t Tad. It was Tye and Crystal.
“The rest of your coven has arrived,” Tye joked as she pushed open the door and pulled Rhi into her embrace.
“I’m going to be chased out of town,” Rhi said when she finally let go.
Crystal was next, holding Rhi while she cried. “No, you won’t. People around here are very open-minded.”
“I feel so betrayed. I can’t believe my mother would do this.”
Crystal’s face was set in stone. “It’s a horrible thing to do, Rhi, but that’s why you need to stand tall and not let this beat you. She thinks you’ll go back to New York now.”
“Then she’s right. I have no choice.”
“You’ve always got a choice.”
The phone rang. “Don’t get it,” said Rhi. “It might be her.”
The machine picked up and the three women listened to Rhi’s greeting and the beep, followed by: “Rhi, it’s Margaret Forester speaking.”
Rhi went pale. Margaret was the head of the theater appreciation society in town and instrumental in organizing students for Rhi’s drama class.
“I just read this morning’s paper, Rhi, and want to put my name down to help in any way I can with your production of Hamlet. I think it’s a wonderful first choice, and the Hamlet Theater Appreciation Society will support you in whatever way possible.”
Rhi glanced at Crystal.
“That’s it…Oh, one other thing…” Margaret continued, “I was wondering if you know of a potion that will get rid of the bugs on my roses. Thanks, dear.”
Margaret hung up but before anyone could speak, there was a knock on the door. Crystal marched over and opened it while Rhi tentatively peered down the hall.
“Morning, Crystal. Is Rhi—oh, there you are.” Molly Morgan, who lived two doors down and sang in the church choir, waved at Rhi. “I just want to let you know that it doesn’t matter what path we’re on, Rhi, as long as we’re all heading in the same direction.”
“Thank you, Molly.”
Molly turned to leave, but then paused and gave Rhi a look that spoke volumes. “Your mother clearly wasn’t loved as a child, for she doesn’t know how to parent properly. I will pray for her.”
“I’d appreciate that.”
“Don’t close the door!” called a voice. “More people coming through.”
Annie appeared in the front garden with Jake and Sam. She marched up to the steps and into the house. She looked furious and Rhi’s heart plummeted a thousand feet. In the overall scheme of things, Margaret’s and Molly’s opinions didn’t matter. It was her friends she didn’t want to lose. And Annie’s mouth was set in a hard line that indicated anger.
“How dare your mother do that to you! No wonder you had to leave New York.”
Rhi’s shoulders visibly sagged with relief.
Annie looked her square in the eye. “You could’ve told me.” She gestured toward Tye and Crystal. “I know about those two so I don’t know what the big deal is.”
Sam gave a laugh. “I’m just pissed off we had to do all that work at the theater. Wasn’t there a spell…?”
“I want to know if you wiggle your nose like Samantha in Bewitched.” Jake tried it.
“No, I use a wand like in Harry Potter.” Rhi was elated. Her friends didn’t care.
“And I knew I vaguely recognized you. It was that TV show,” Annie said. “I think I even had a few of your T-shirts when I was younger.”
Rhi nodded. “I was trying to distance myself from all that.”
Annie smiled at her friend. “It’s who you are, honey. That doesn’t mean you don’t have the right to move here and live differently. But don’t hide who you are.”
Rhi started to cry again. Her secret was out, but it was okay. The article didn’t bother them at all. If anything, they were supportive and sympathetic.
Tye headed into the kitchen. “Anyone for coffee?”
“Yes, please,” Annie said. “I’ll help you.”
“We’ve got to get to work.” Sam called out to Annie: “Hey, curly, are you right to get back into town if we take off?”
“I’ll get a lift with Tye,” she replied from the kitchen.
Sam gave Rhi a hug. “We just wanted to check you were o
kay.”
“My turn.” Jake squeezed her tight. “And perhaps you can cast a spell to make me and Sam really rich?”
“I’ll sacrifice a chicken tonight,” Rhi said with a straight face.
“You’re a good pal,” Jake said, equally serious.
Rhi waved them off and then sat down with Crystal on the sofa.
“Are you feeling better?” Crystal asked.
“A little. I had a visit from Tad this morning too.”
“He wouldn’t have a problem with that article. He grew up around me.”
“He was apoplectic about the audition notice in the paper. He can’t believe I’m auditioning for Hamlet.”
This surprised Crystal. “But you said it was his idea.”
“It was, Crystal…” Rhi bit her lip. “Do you think he has just used me to renovate the place and now intends to take over the theatre himself?”
“Definitely not.”
She knew how close Crystal was to Tad, but this needed to be addressed. “Then I think there’s something wrong with him. Mentally. He can’t remember auditioning for me. He thinks I’m nuts.”
Crystal’s eyes bore into Rhi. “He definitely auditioned for you?”
“Definitely. I swear Crystal.” Rhi’s chin wobbled again. “He’s going to get a lawyer to dissolve my lease.”
Crystal patted Rhi’s knee. “This is all going to work itself out, love. Just leave it to me.”
“Do you think there’s something wrong with him?”
Crystal shook her head. “No, I don’t. I think there’s another explanation for this.”
Chapter 26
Crystal woke with a start. Goddamned dreams. Enough already. She reached for her clock and pressed the light on it. Two twenty. Damn it.
She clambered from her bed and slipped into her gown and slippers. There was no going back to sleep now. She made her way to the kitchen and parked herself in front of the fridge, searching through the shelves until she found the pie. Perched on a stool at the bench in the pitch dark, she held a fork over it. But before she could take a mouthful, before she could even place one piece of blueberry pie to her lips, she burst into tears.