Apparently, Curt was in for more fun at Hugh’s expense. That was really the best kind of fun to be had. A long road trip in a van from hippie-hell was totally worth it.
“You slipped me more Polly potion?” asked Hugh, shock and horror reflected on his face.
Petey whistled low and did his best to appear as if he wasn’t the guilty party. “Not exactly. She’s out in Lucky Valley, you know. Well, some folks call it Unlucky Valley, but I suppose that’s neither here nor there.” He bit his lower lip slightly. “We sort of had to make our own potion this time. It’s to help your temperament for the long road trip. It’s supposed to make you feel love and happiness and all the stuff opposite how you’d normally feel on a road trip with the guys. Tried some myself first just to be sure it wouldn’t kill you. Works like a charm. Made me so happy I couldn’t stop singing for two days.”
Curt laughed so hard he teared up. “That explains the forty-eight hours’ worth of songs from the Wizard of Oz soundtrack you subjected us all to the other day down at the marina.”
Petey smiled wider. “Penelope got me the soundtrack from the Broadway show Wicked. Wait until you hear my rendition of ‘Defying Gravity.’”
“Did you know about this?” demanded Hugh as he faced his wife.
Penelope smiled and then hugged him. “Of course I did. I baked the cookies, remember? I’m happy it worked. Kelsey and I weren’t so sure it would since we mixed the potion ourselves. Sure, we had a list of ingredients to go off of, but Aunt Polly’s penmanship left a little something to be desired. And since she’s out of town, we couldn’t ask her about it. Looks like we were right to go with the dried bat wing and not the dirty bath water, Petey. Good call.”
“When you weren’t looking, I put some of my leftover bathwater in the mix just in case the recipe said that and not bat wings. Figured it was best to cover all our bases.” Petey waggled his bushy brows. “And to be extra sure it worked, I used the same water to bathe in all last week. It was good and dirty. No room for error.”
Curt scrunched up his face in disgust, happy he hadn’t given in to the temptation of eating one of the cookies. They’d looked delicious when he’d been in Hugh’s house earlier.
“To be clear,” said Hugh, grunting as he finally got his arms lowered. They shot back up again, and it was evident he was not pleased. “My wife, her friend, and a guy I see as a father figure decided to possibly poison me to make me nicer on a road trip? And now I can’t control the urge to hug people?”
Penelope and Petey shared a look before nodding.
“Yes,” said Penelope, hugging her husband more. “That’s exactly what we did. But like Petey said, he tested it first so it’s hardly fair to call it poisoning you. He lived. He hasn’t been any more huggy than normal. That is a you thing.”
“You’re not the best traveler,” added Petey, tugging at his suspenders more. “There was that time on the train when you wanted to eat the conductor. Then the other time when you took me to the Big Apple and you really did try to eat the cab driver.”
Curt remembered the day well. He, Sigmund, Hugh, and Petey had gone to New York City and one of the cab drivers had been a were-bird. The man would not stop taunting Hugh, clearly not a fan of wolf-shifters. It took both Curt and Sig to pull their friend away from the cab driver before any real damage could be done. Petey had threatened to defeather the man but had let the matter drop when told to.
Hugh got his arms down and they stayed that way. He then lifted each one slowly and wiggled his fingers as if he wasn’t sure he was in full control once more.
Petey continued. “And then there was that time we were driving down to Florida with Buster and you—”
Hugh put up a hand, stopping Petey. “I get it. Fine. I’m not the best traveler.”
“Not the best?” questioned Penelope. “Sweetie, you’re difficult on most days. From what I’ve been told you’re nearly impossible to deal with on road trips. Grandpa promised to be on his best behavior and this will ensure you are too.”
Hugh grunted. “I told you I would be.”
“And five minutes later you were goading Grandpa,” she reminded him.
Curt had been there during it all and already knew Wilber and Hugh couldn’t be together more than five minutes before one was at the other.
Penelope sighed. “I love you both. I want you to learn to get along. The constant bickering has gone on too long. You’re going to be a father before you know it. It’s time you start acting like an adult. This will help.”
“Did you make Wilber eat Petey’s dirty bathwater too?” asked Hugh, sounding a lot more like a child than a grown alpha male. None of it boded well in the making-him-an-adult angle.
Penelope bit her lower lip and blushed. “We tried, but Grandpa didn’t fall for the cookies. You did.”
Curt bent, laughing too hard to bother hiding it. When he reached the point of snorting, Hugh cuffed him on the back of the ear. Standing straight, Curt glanced at Penelope. “I think he needs another cookie.”
Hugh growled.
Curt merely laughed more and dodged another cuff to the ear. “Hey, it could have been worse.”
“How so?”
“You could be singing about heading off the see the wizard while trying to hug me.” Curt grinned. “You’d look great in a tutu as part of the Lollipop Guild.”
Hugh tipped his head. “You’re thinking of the Lullaby League.”
Curt wiped his hand over his mouth and snorted. “The fact you know the difference is very telling.”
“My mate likes the movie and has made me sit through it more than once in the last few months,” said Hugh.
Curt nodded. “Sure she has.”
“Please note the cookie didn’t take my urge to end you,” warned Hugh with a very wolfish growl.
Penelope pushed on the man’s chest. “Stop. You’d never really hurt him. You love him like a brother.”
“Want me to write a song about it?” asked Petey, grinning wide. “I’ve been working on some original material. You could express your love for Curt in a ballad, or I could do something you could dance ballet to since you’re into that and all.”
Curt couldn’t breathe as he laughed even harder.
“I am not into…never mind.” Hugh looked at Curt and grinned mischievously. “Hey, Warrick. How about a friendly wager?”
Penelope groaned. “Not again.”
Petey rocked more on the balls of his feet. “The last one ended well for Hugh. He won, plus he got himself a wife and a little one on the way. Maybe Curt will win this one and get himself a family too. You know matings normally happen in groupings. If I was younger, I’d be worried it was gonna happen to me.”
Curt moved back so fast that he tripped over his own two feet and would have fallen had someone not caught his arm and yanked him upright. He glanced up to find Deputy Jake Majoy standing there, a puzzled look on the man’s face. He had on a black jacket with the word “Sheriff” written across the front breast pocket in bright yellow. The centaur had been born to help police supernaturals. It was in his blood. So much so he apparently dressed the part even when not on duty.
“You look like you’re going to be sick, Warrick,” said Jake before handing Curt something. “Here. You dropped this.”
Curt stared down into Jake’s hand at a half-dollar-sized gold coin with a lion’s head on it. “That’s not mine.”
Jake stared at him. “Uh, yeah it is. I think it fell out of your pocket just now when you were looking as if you might run or pass out.”
Petey chortled. “Talk of mating freaks the boy out.”
Curt took the coin from Jake’s hand and studied it a moment before shrugging. “This isn’t mine.”
“We could argue about it all day, but I’m telling you, it fell out of your pocket,” said Jake.
Curt slid the coin into his front pocket and let the matter drop. He’d give the gold piece to Wilber later. It was probably one of the man’s antiques that h
ad found its way out and to the ground in front of his shop.
“This is so exciting. The boys will have a ton of fun,” said Jake’s wife, Kelsey. She was next to him, one hand on her swollen stomach, smiling as she gave Penelope a wave.
“Boys?” questioned Jake.
Kelsey patted her husband’s arm. “Yes. Boys. I’ve seen you all in action before. Remember?”
Petey went straight for Kelsey and hugged her.
She returned the embrace. “Are you all set for the trip?”
“I am. Got Sunshine. She’s something. A true beauty.” Petey thumbed towards the van.
Kelsey looked at it and clapped with excitement. “I love it! She’s everything you said she was.”
“And more,” added Curt in a hushed tone, earning him nods from Hugh and Jake. “Jake, ask Hugh about his love of tutus, but be mindful of random bouts of hugging.”
“Don’t make me shove my sunflower up your whoops-a-daisy,” said Hugh as his arms shot out again. His jaw set in frustration. He sent a scathing look in Petey’s direction.
The older man didn’t seem to mind in the least.
Kelsey laughed. “It worked! Yay! We did it.”
She high-fived Penelope.
Jake stared around at the group. “Did what? And why does Hugh look like he wants to hug Warrick?”
“They poisoned me,” returned Hugh.
Penelope grunted. “Did not.”
“You fed me Petey’s dirty bathwater,” argued Hugh. “That qualifies as poisoning me.”
Jake rubbed his temple. “Just when I think this town couldn’t possibly get any weirder.”
“Nah,” said Petey with a shake of his head. “Everlasting isn’t that bad. We’re going to Hedgewitch Cove. I used to live there. It’s way weirder than this. In fact, it makes Everlasting look downright normal.”
“You lived in Hedgewitch Cove?” asked Hugh, surprise in his voice. “How did I not know this?”
Curt hadn’t known that fact either.
“Oh yes. Petey was there for its start. Lived there for a decent amount of time.” Kelsey looped her arm through Petey’s. The two had become close quickly. Kelsey had arrived in Everlasting around a month after Penelope and the two had connected instantly, both bonding quickly with the old fisherman.
Kelsey and Petey had a special relationship. He took on a very protective, fatherly role with her. Kelsey seemed happy with it all and filled a void the older gentleman had.
Petey touched Kelsey’s swollen stomach and bent, putting his mouth near the woman’s stomach. “How are you doing today, little one?”
Kelsey rubbed her lower back. “Active. I feel like the baby is running a marathon nonstop in there.”
Jake grinned and kissed his wife’s cheek. “I should stay home. What if you need me?”
“I’ll be fine,” said Kelsey, giving him a stern look.
Petey laughed. “She’s sick of you hovering. Same as Penelope with Hugh.”
“My wife could go into labor any minute,” said Hugh. “I’m staying.”
Penelope pointed at him. “You already tried that one. Dr. Prescott already told you that it’s more than common for hunter pregnancies to be slightly longer than a normal supernatural’s and the baby is showing no signs of coming soon.”
Kelsey put her hand out to Penelope and the two moved closer together. “I, for one, need a break from the men.”
“Totally,” said Penelope with a smile. “Mine is nesting.”
“He’s what?” asked Curt, wondering what in the world his best friend had in common with a bird.
Petey whistled and shook his head. “The boy already has the nursery all fixed up and ready to go. He’s babyproofed the entire house to the point Penelope is ready to poison him for real. Took her thirty minutes to get into the refrigerator for a snack the other day. If there is one thing you do not do, it’s come between a pregnant woman and food.”
Hugh slumped his shoulders. “I took the child lock off the top of the fridge. Can I please stay home? I’ll behave myself. I promise.”
Curt snorted. “Remember when you used to be alpha?”
Hugh lunged, and Curt dodged his friend’s attempt at getting him.
Curt stepped back and tossed his hands up. “Stop. I don’t want to be hugged again.”
Hugh groaned.
The women laughed.
Curt glanced at Jake. “Excited to have some male bonding time with your brother-in-law?”
Jake wasn’t quick enough to school his expression. From the look of it, the last thing he wanted to do was spend time with Kelsey’s brother, Leo, who was apparently running late. Leo had been working on the docks for the last few months, keeping to himself mostly, but lingering around town, no doubt to be close to his sister.
While Leo and Jake didn’t see eye to eye, he and Wilber seemed to get along just fine. It didn’t surprise Curt that Leo and Wilber had hit it off. Probably had something to do with the fact they were both hunters. Though Leo’s line of hunters had magic as well.
All that meant was they were better at standing against supernaturals.
That didn’t give Curt any warm or fuzzy feelings considering he, himself, was a supernatural.
Hugh faced Petey. “How is it Kelsey knows you lived in Hedgewitch Cove and I don’t? I’ve known you all my life. You practically live with me.”
“She’s a better listener,” said Petey before taking Kelsey’s hand and dragging her in the direction of the van. He began pointing out various painted flowers.
Jake eyed Petey. “When Kelsey told me you spent time there, I was shocked. No wonder you were all for me taking Sigmund there to help learn to control his shifter side.”
At the mention of Sigmund, Curt smiled. He, Sig, and Hugh had basically been best friends since birth. Having Sigmund gone for months had been hard and odd. Curt had been used to popping over to Sig’s house to hang out with him at random and used to having an ally against Hugh and his temper. Sig was always the voice of reason. Always the peacemaker amongst the group of friends. Before his entire world had turned upside down when he came into his supernatural gifts, Sig had been a pacifist.
All that had changed seemingly overnight.
Sig had come into his shifting abilities recently, when most males did so in their teens. His were-kraken side had gotten away from him, and in the end, two bad guys were left dead. Sig’s guilt nearly ate him alive. He not only needed guidance on how to control his newly found shifter side, he needed time to heal mentally as well and to come to grips with the fact he’d done what needed to be done.
When Jake had first taken Sig to Louisiana, it was with the understanding Sig would be gone a month or so. That was eight months ago, and the man was showing no signs of returning.
The rare moments Curt spoke to his friend on the phone, Sig was vague about returning. It was to the point that Curt wasn’t sure Sig ever planned to return to Everlasting. That wasn’t okay with Curt.
Sig was part of Everlasting.
He belonged here.
Jake checked his phone before glancing up at Petey. “You could have told me you used to live in Hedgewitch Cove. I’d have had you ride down with me when I took Sig there.”
Petey shrugged and rubbed his chin. “Wasn’t the right time for me to go back just then. Polly and me sat down and had a little talk. She let me know the stars were aligned and that the time is now. Guess I gotta face my past at some point. No time like the present. You ever call that realtor I told you about?”
“I did.” Curt nodded. “It’s worth checking out the property he mentioned might be available. It’s not far from the waterfront either. The price range he gave me was low.”
“Is it a toxic waste facility?” asked Hugh.
“No. Well, I’m not sure. It’s close to a magic shop so one can never be too sure,” said Curt. Petey had shown him an old listing online that talked about the property. Since Curt was always looking for ways to diversify his income, and
he was already quite successful in the restaurant business, it seemed wise to at least look at the property if they were heading there anyway. “Can’t hurt to check it out while I’m there. I’m planning to toss Sig in the trunk and bring him back home with us too, so there is that. We should get a move on it. We’re burning daylight.”
“You don’t want to get in that van any more than I do. Now you’re pushing for quality guy time?” questioned Hugh.
Penelope leaned against him. “He’s right. And I know you know it. You’re thinking the same thing as Curt, but he’s man enough to admit it out loud.”
Curt grinned. “Hear that? I’m manly. I told you cat-shifters were the dominant species.”
“Yeah, right.” Jake shoved him playfully and then picked up a leather backpack and carried it towards the van. “All right, folks, are we doing this? Curt is right. We’re wasting daylight.”
Hugh pointed to Jake’s bag. “Warrick, see that. He only has one small bag too. Unlike you, prima donna, who needed two large ones. Is one full of your hair products?”
Curt adjusted the collar of his shirt and waggled his brows. “Yes. The ladies like a man who takes pride in his appearance.”
Petey took off his knit cap, licked his palm, and then ran it through his hair. “It’s true. Ladies love us well-kept men.”
Penelope laughed and came at Curt to hug him. A second before she got to him, she launched into a fit of sneezes, reminding everyone that she was allergic to cats. It was something Hugh got great joy from since it meant she was basically allergic to Curt.
Curt wrapped his arms around her. “I’ll keep him out of trouble.”
“Thank you,” she said, kissing his cheek chastely.
“Don’t be hanging on my wife,” said Hugh, his voice teasing.
Curt smiled. “Pretty sure you staked your territory there. You claimed her and she’s about to pop with your little one.”
Don’t Stop Bewitching_A Happily Everlasting Series World Novel Page 2