Meg furrowed her brow. “Are you ok?”
Liz took a deep breath, opened her eyes, and then gave Meg a big hug.
“Yeah. Thanks to you,” Liz replied.
Having spent so much of her life intentionally trying to fly under the radar in order to keep her witch powers secret, Meg was not comfortable in the spotlight. Her mother had always taught her the importance of humility. Because of that, Meg tried to downplay her actions.
“It’s the least I could do for a friend,” Meg said.
Liz pulled back from the hug and shook her head. “No. You did the most amazing thing. I’m almost speechless.”
Meg raised her eyebrow. “Almost?”
Liz bit the corner of her lip. “I’m a born motor-mouth. The only way I’d be totally speechless is if I lost my voice.”
Meg laughed.
Liz continued. “Anyway, I can’t thank you enough.”
“The smile on your face is all the thanks I need.”
“Here, I was thinking of repaying you with a spa day—on me.”
Meg’s eyes lit up. “Of course, I won’t turn down a little pampering.”
Liz chuckled. “That got your attention, didn’t it?”
“No other words get my attention as quickly as ‘free’ and ‘spa.’”
“How about chocolate?”
Meg stood corrected. So much for her donut cravings. They were quickly replaced by a strong yearning for chocolate. Her taste buds clamored for a truffle at the mere mention of chocolate. “Now you’re really talking.”
Liz looked out with longing. “I could really go for a double chocolate cupcake right now. Or, a hot fudge sundae. Then again, why choose when I can have one of each?”
Meg got wrapped up in the chocolate fever. “Are you trying to drive me nuts, here?”
“A couple minutes ago, I was staring down the prospect of serious jail time. I can’t help it if I want to indulge in one of the simple pleasures of life.”
“I’m right with you.”
“So, what do you say to going on a chocolate bender?”
Meg smiled. “My mouth is watering already.”
***
After spending the afternoon going chocolate wild with Liz, Meg closed out the day by heading over to Connor Smith’s house. Unlike their previous dates, this one had a twist. In the past, Connor had taken her to dinner at one of the local restaurants, then out to the movies. He’d never offered to make dinner himself before—until now.
This could be a serious treat. At the same time, it could also prove treacherous to her taste buds. The problem was, she had no idea what to expect. Connor never talked about cooking, at least not meals he made himself. He spent plenty of time complimenting her pastries.
Meg remained cautiously optimistic while she sat at his dining room table. She kept reminding herself of the old saying about how it was the thought that counted most. That was no consolation to her nerves. They were acting up like crazy. She decided to make small talk to distract from her nerves.
“What a day, huh?” she asked.
“I’ll say. As exciting as the morning was, I’m hoping tonight is even more memorable,” he replied.
Meg crossed her fingers.
Connor certainly seemed confident. That was a promising sign. Or, perhaps he was just trying to put on a good face.
Meg had to give him credit for this; he was at least trying. She’d dated a number of men in the past, but this was the first that had actually cooked for her. It sounded crazy when she repeated that again in her mind. It probably shouldn’t have. In the age of the microwave, it was rare to be able to find a man that knew his way around the kitchen. To Meg’s last three boyfriends, if a meal took more than five minutes to heat up, it wasn’t worth bothering with. Come to think of it, that was just another reason why those men were her ex-boyfriends.
Before Meg got too deep into thought, the moment of truth arrived. She heard a ding coming from Connor’s stove.
Her nerves flared up once again. She kept worrying that the meal would turn out to be a dud. Not only would it be tough for her to stomach, but it would break Connor’s heart.
That’s when she made a promise to herself. She became determined not to let anything spoil her boyfriend’s romantic gesture. After all, she wanted more things like this to happen, not less. There was one way to guarantee the meal would turn out wonderfully.
Meg had a spell at her disposal that could mask the taste of any food. All she had to do was repeat the word ‘delectamentum’ under her breath three times, and the dinner would be a resounding success.
She was torn. It was one thing to cast spells to get her friend off a murder charge; it was another to do it in her romantic life. The problem was, if she cast this spell, she’d find herself on a slippery slope. What was to stop her from casting another spell to get out of her next sticky situation? A line needed to be drawn somewhere. The question was, where?
If she wanted to find a genuine love and lead a genuine life, she had to trust people, especially those closest to her. That’s when she made her decision. For better or worse, Meg decided to lay off casting the taste-masking spell and pray for the bet from Connor’s meal.
Just then, Connor opened the stove door and pulled out dinner. Meg was immediately greeted by aromatic delight. The smell of mashed potatoes and savory beef were unmistakable. Connor hadn’t just cooked her a meal; he’d made a comfort food special—shepherd’s pie.
“Are you ready?” he asked.
Meg’s eyes lit up. “You remembered.”
Shepherd’s pie was Meg’s all-time favorite dish. It had been that way ever since she was a kid. This meal suddenly took on greater meaning, not just because he’d decided to make her favorite dish, but also because after ten years away, he even remembered how much she liked it.
“Of course. How could I forget?”
“You realize my expectations are sky high now, don’t you?”
“I’m a detective. You know I like a good challenge.”
“All right.”
Connor plated the pie, then served her, waiting anxiously for her to take a bite.
“So?” he asked.
She hesitated before answering, trying to let what she just tasted sink in.
“I can’t believe it,” Meg replied.
Connor furrowed his brow. “Wait, what? Is that a good or bad thing?”
She smiled. “This is like comfort food heaven.”
“Really?”
Meg nodded. “It’s amazing. I haven’t had shepherd’s pie this good since I was a kid.”
“You don’t have to sound so surprised.”
She chuckled. “How could I not be? I’ve never expressed any interest in cooking before.”
“That’s because I don’t have any interest—except this meal.”
“Wait a minute. Are you saying--?”
“I had your mom teach me this one meal specifically so I could cook it for you.”
“You really did all that for me?”
He nodded. “You’re not the only one who is full of surprises.”
“The biggest surprise is how you got my mom to keep a secret,” Meg joked.
Connor laughed. “That’s a surprise even to me.”
“Do you have any other surprises up your sleeve?”
“You’ll just have to stick around and find out.”
She smiled. “I can’t wait.”
Connor got caught up gazing into her eyes. He then pointed at her plate. “Eat up. I wouldn’t want your food to get cold.”
“You’re right. Just one thing first,” she said.
“What’s that?”
Meg leaned in and gave Connor a deep kiss.
“Thanks for being the best,” she said.
Connor smiled. “Trust me, the pleasure is all mine.”
The End.
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Witches Of Enchanted Bay Book Order
Book 1 – The Witches Of Enchanted Bay
Book 2 – Ax To Grind
Ax to Grind Page 9