by Tonya Kappes
ACharming
Potion
Magical Cures Mystery Series
Short Story
Also by Tonya Kappes
Women’s Fiction
Carpe Bead ‘em
Anthologies
Something Spooky This Way Comes
Believe Christmas Anthology
Olivia Davis Paranormal Mystery Series
Splitsville.com (Book One)
Color Me A Crime (Book Two
Magical Cures Mystery Series
A Charming Crime
A Charming Cure
A Charming Potion (short story)
Grandberry Falls Series
The Ladybug Jinx
Happy New Life
A Superstitious Christmas
Never Tell Your Dreams
A Divorced Diva Beading Mystery Series
A Bead of Doubt
Non-Fiction
The Tricked-Out Toolbox~Promotional and Marketing Tools Every Writer Needs
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental. All rights reserved. No part of this publication can be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, without the permission in writing from the author or publisher.
Edition: October 2012
Copyright © 2012 by Tonya Kappes
All rights reserved
License Notes
This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to the publisher and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.
What others are saying about Author Tonya Kappes
“Full of wit, humor and colorful characters, Tonya Kappes delivers a fun, fast-paced story that will leave you hooked!” Bestselling Author, Jane Porter
“Fun, fresh, and flirty, Carpe Bead ’Em is the perfect read on a hot summer day. Tonya Kappes’ voice shines in her debut novel.” Author Heather Webber
“I loved how Tonya Kappes was able to bring her characters to life.” Coffee Table Reviews
With laugh out loud scenes and can't put it down suspense A Charming Crime is the perfect read for summer you get a little bit of everything but romance. Forgetthehousework blog
“I loved this book. Grandberry Falls is my kind of town and I for one would love to live there and get to know all the local folks. I enjoyed reading this book and can't wait to read the next book about Grandberry Falls by Tonya Kappes. I have added Tonya Kappes as one of my new favorite authors.” Jean Segal
“This was the first of a great new fantasy series. I got to discover things right along with her, which I loved. This is definitely one series that will be on my To Be Read list as subsequent books come out.” author Andrea Buginsky
“If you haven't picked up this series yet, I highly recommend it. It gets five magical stars from me!” Cozy Most Mystery Review
Dedication and Acknowledgments
For my STREET TEAM! Y’all keep me going!
One
Mmmm. Closing my eyes, I stuck my nose up to the kitchen window screen, sniffing the fresh air.
There was nothing better than waking up with the crisp fall morning breeze floating through an open window, especially one in my cozy town of Whispering Falls, Kentucky during the Halloween season.
“Let’s go.” I turned around and gave Mr. Prince Charming’s lily-white fur a long rub down.
Meow, meow. He crisscrossed around my ankles in his signature figure eight he always did when he was happy.
“Yes.” There was a magical feeling in the air. “It’s Halloween eve.”
Mewl. He jumped off the counter, stretched out his paws, and began kneading the rug at the base of the kitchen cabinet.
“Rise and shine, sunshine.”I tapped the round glass ball sitting on the counter. Sarcasm was my specialty when it came to my snarky-future-reading ball, Madame Torres.
“You’ve got to be kidding me!” Her bright purple eyes were the only thing that lit up in the globe. “It’s way too early to give out any advice. Especially in the love department.”
“Love?” It had to be too early for her. It’s the time for spooking, not loving. “Whatever! We are leaving now. I’m sure there is going to be a line of customers today.”
Hiss, Hiss. Mr. Prince Charming showed his teeth.
“What is wrong with you?” My brows furrowed as I scolded him. He had never hissed at me before. “Is it the love word?”
I giggled, trying not to make him even madder, but it was no secret that he was not a fan of the romance that was blossoming between Oscar and me.
Hiss, hiss.
“Now stop that!” I shook my finger at him. “You know that I love you.”
Opening the front door, I stepped out and felt a chill as I looked into town.
The fog laid over Whispering Falls like a warm blanket. Only a few of the shop lights could be seen from the overlook where my cottage sits.
“Oh, it’s a little chilly.” I pulled the edges of my furry vest up around my neck.
Meow, meow. Mr. Prince Charming darted off into Whispering Falls. With my bag over my shoulder, I shut and locked the door and headed down the hill, ready for the day ahead of me.
“Good morning.” A very familiar deep voice chimed out from across the street. “I got you a coffee.”
I smiled. Wouldn’t everyone want to start their day with a hunky guy like Oscar Park and a cup of coffee?
“Yes, it is going to be a great morning.” Our fingers touched when I took the coffee. A little spark flew from the touch. I laughed sheepishly. “I guess we still haven’t gotten used to that.”
“It’s always a good morning when I see you first thing.” His deep blue eyes were like magnets. I couldn’t look away. He kissed the tip of my nose. “I’ve got to go and get caught up on files. And don’t forget that I have sorcery class tonight.”
“I won’t.” I turned around and stood in front of my homeopathic shop, A Charming Cure, and smiled. “It’s already a great day.”
Yes. Since moving to Whispering Falls a year ago, my life had changed. Oscar Park had been my childhood best friend. We moved here together after he took the Police Chief position. We remained best friends until recently when we realized that our love for each other was beyond friendship.
I also discovered that I came from a spiritualist family and had a crazy intuition for not only making real homeopathic cures, but also putting a little magic in them. Most of my customers come in seeking a cure for something that ails them physically, but in reality, my intuition told me exactly what was going on with their spirit and what was really causing the physical pain.
Every shop owner in Whispering Falls had a psychic power with a magical twist. The entire village was magical.
To an outsider, Whispering Falls was just a tiny town with a population of five hundred, set in the foothills of a few mountains in Kentucky. Most people that visited our little village didn’t know how special we really were, but they felt the magic while they were here, which was why they continued to come back for more.
Ahh. . .I let out a deep exhale and looked up at the colorful awning hanging over the ornamental gate that read: A Charming Cure.
Every day the amazing life I was living left me breathless.
A Charming Cure was a sight to behold.
Beautifu
l, I thought, standing there.
The two little windows covered in moss, along with the purple and white flowers that grow up and around the front door, add to the magic that happens right inside the door.
Meow, meow. Mr. Prince Charming ran up to the door.
“Where did you go?” I bent down and ran my hand down his body and up his long white tail.
Meowl, he answered, as if he knew exactly what I was saying. Which I’m sure he did.
“Time to work,” I said, as I unlock the front door.
The warm smell of pumpkin spice, allspice, thyme, and many other ingredients waifed out of the shop and into the street, tangling with the fog.
Flipping on the light, I looked around the shop. All the round tables that were scattered throughout the shop were decorated with different styles of lamps and unique shades. Thanks to Izzy Solstice, who owns Mystic Lights, a local light company with many unique lamps. Sitting on the tables were beautiful little bottles that held the most amazing homeopathic cures.
The magic happened when the customer picked out the cure they thought was going to help them and handed it to me. That was when I would take the bottle behind my little petition that sits off to the side of my counter and mix a little of the ingredients in my cauldron. With a little extra umph, the real cure was made and everyone was happy.
With one more look around the shop before I opened, I tapped each ingredient lined up behind the counter and one-by-one they filled up.
Walking up to the front door, I made a little adjustment here and there to make everything appeals to the customer.
While turning the sign to open, I glanced out the window. As if someone had turned a light switch on, each unique shop in Whispering Falls was now open for business.
Today was usually the busiest day of the year for all the shops in Whispering Falls. After all, tomorrow was Halloween.
Two
“You’ve got to help me,” the young woman pleaded, the leaves whipping around her ankles as she rushed in A Charming Cure. She planted herself against the door with her arms out to the side. “June, I heard that you would be able to make a cure for anything that ails you.”
Her short sandy-blond hair was a little windblown, but I couldn’t blame the wind for her mismatched buttoned shirt.
“You are June Heal, right?” Her eyes were sharp and assessing.
“I am,” I answered, grabbing a couple of Ding Dongs, because if there was ever a Ding Dong moment, it was now. Plus, I just needed a chocolate fix of my own.
Meowl, meowl. Mr. Prince Charming stretched, his back arching. He was always up for a little taste of a Ding Dong. I know that you shouldn’t give cats chocolate, but Mr. Prince Charming wasn’t just any cat.
He’s been my fairy god cat since I was ten years old. Mr. Prince Charming didn’t have nine lives; he was going on one-hundred lives. At least, that was what I was told from the other spiritualists in Whispering Fall, Kentucky told me.
“Come on over here.” I gestured for her to come sit on one of the stools that butt up to the counter. I put the Ding Dong on a little plate and left it there for her to indulge. “Let’s have a little chat.”
I wanted to make sure I was getting the right vibe from my intuition. Her heart was hurting and she wanted me to fix it, only love was a touchy subject when it came to psychics.
“Oh my! These are delicious.” Her eyes popped open after she took her first bit of the chocolaty heaven. Tears dripped down her face.
“I know they are good, but they aren’t worth crying over.” I pointed out.
“No, no.” She waggled her finger in the air, and then wiped her face. “My boyfriend would love these.”
I handed her a towel from behind the counter. It was all I had.
Her mascara smudged down her face with each wipe. I took the towel back and took over. She looked up with her sad eyes, and asked, “How do you stay so thin eating these?”
“I have to work really hard it,” I lied. I laid the towel down and tucked the flipped-up ends of my black bob behind my ears. I admit that I’m thin and have been lucky enough to have never had to worry about my weight. But I’ve always hated those people who said that they can eat anything. “I should probably eat more veggies, but in a time of need, you just have to have a treat.”
I held my treat up in the air, and then took another big bite.
Ding, ding. The bell over the door dinged let me know there was another customer coming in.
“Welcome.” I greeted them with a mouth full of the delicious cupcake. “Let me know if I can help you.”
The women nodded and proceeded to pick up a few of the bottles to check out the labels.
“And I’m absolutely in a time of need,” she leaned in and whispered.
“Let’s get to business.” I stood up and walked behind the counter. “You love orange sickle, so this will do.” I grabbed the orange peel ingredient and hid behind the partition. Before throwing it in the cauldron, which I didn’t want her to see, I said, “Go over to the wall display, under the love tab, read the labels and pick a bottle that you feel speaks to what is going on inside of your heart.”
She didn’t say a word. She got up and did exactly as I told her.
Making a love potion was really against my core intuition. If love happens, it happens. And if this little cure I concoct makes her feel better…so be it.
“Oh, you picked out a beautiful one.” I referred to the clear glass bottle with the glitter swirls all over it. The cork was what made the bottle amazing, though. It had the tiniest jewels glued all over the top.
“It just. . .”
“Spoke to you?” I interrupted again.
“Gosh, you are good.” She smiled, revealing the most perfect teeth.
“See, you can smile.” I smiled back. Unfortunately, I knew I couldn’t help her. A spiritualist never gets in the way of death or love. I had to tell her. “But I have some bad news.”
“You can’t help me?” She asked. “You never even asked what is wrong with me.”
Ohhh. . .I forgot that little part.
“That’s the bad news.” I lied again. “Tell me what’s hurting? Stomachache?”
She shook her head.
“Earache?”
She continued to shake her head no.
“Gout?” I knew it was none of these, but I couldn’t give away my real gift of knowing.
“Heartache?’
“Yes!” She jumped up and clasped her hands in front of her. “Sort of.”
“Love department?” I interrupted her.
This time her eyes really did pop out. She gasped, “I heard you were good, but you are good.”
I didn’t disagree.
The other customers strained their necks to hear what we were talking about.
“I think he’s going to dump me.” She went into a full-blown meltdown.
The nerve. And on Halloween? There was no way I could let her leave. I knew I had to help her.
“We can fix that.” I patted her arm and confirmed, “Come back tomorrow at 8 am. I will be open and will have the homeopathic cure that will change everything for you.”
“Oh, June!” Her tears stopped better than the Hoover Dam holding back all that water. “You are a life saver. I knew you could help me.”
“What name should I put on the order?” I realized I hadn’t even gotten her name.
“Adeline.” She smiled before she darted out of A Charming Cure with a little more giddy-up in her step.
Hiss, hiss. Mr. Prince Charming let his feelings be known.
“What?” I questioned him right before Madame Torres lit up like a spotlight. “Are you still mad about the love thingy?”
“Not a good idea.” Madame Torres appeared. Her purple eyes had turned crimson with a glow of yellow around them. “You know that you aren’t supposed to mess with love, especially on Halloween.”
“Well, I can’t believe someone would dump their girlfriend on Halloween.” I t
urned the ball around so I didn’t have to look at her. I knew the rules. I knew I was crossing the line.
“You forget,” Madame Torres rotated her head to look at me from the other side of the ball, “I’m round.”
“Yard sale!” I glared at her.
We have an understanding, Madame Torres and I. Crystal balls are like cats. They pick their owner, not the other way around. I knew something was strange when I walked into Mystic Lights for the very first time and the ball glowed in all sorts of crazy colors. Little did I know that it was going to be my crystal ball. A snarky one at that.
Since she was so nosy, loud, and bold, I threatened to take her to a yard sale and sell her. I’m her owner, and if I got rid of her she’d never be able to speak again.
It shuts her up every single time.
“I’m going to tell you that I told you so.” She crossed her arms, her lips aglow like fire. Then the ball went black.
Sticking my tongue out at her, I pushed her to the side.
“That’s mature,” Madame Torres chimed from the black ball.
Three
I didn’t bother cleaning up the shop when the last customer left, because I knew my day wasn’t over. I had to get some June’s Gems from Wicked Good Bakery.
My dear friend, Raven Mortimer, made June’s Gems in the likeness of my favorite Ding Dong. It would be the perfect treat to inject with the love potion for Adeline’s main squeeze. She said he loved Ding Dongs, and June’s Gem was the closest thing.
“It’s a little chilly out there.” I quickly shut the lime green door behind me. I looked back, watching the dried leaves dance around each other with each whip of the wind. I didn’t know if it was Hallows Eve night or if my intuition that was telling me something was lurking in the air.
I tried to put the feeling out of my head and replace it with images of the children who would be going shop-to-shop tomorrow night, getting treats dropped into their little jack-o-lantern buckets from all the residents in Whispering Falls.