by Rose Pressey
“Are you okay, Larue? We’ll get this mess cleaned up, I promise. We’ll figure everything out, don’t worry, okay?” He brushed a strand of my loose hair away from my face, allowing his fingers to linger over my cheek.
With my gaze fixed on Callahan’s face, I said, “I’m fine. It’s all a little shocking, but I’ve been through worse. I’ll make it.” I smiled.
“You are one tough cookie.” Callahan cupped my chin in his hand.
“We’ll be in touch,” Deputy Eraser-eater said. “We just need you to sign this statement.”
His words broke my desire-filled haze and I forced my gaze away from Callahan.
Deputy Fredericks shoved the paper toward me.
“Do you mind if I take it over to the counter to sign it?” I asked.
He needed at the very least to give me a chance to read the thing before I signed it. What was his hurry anyway? Dad’s Bakery was open late. I knew they had the best doughnuts this side of the Mason-Dixon Line, but still.
“Sure.” He sighed, looking as if I’d deflated his balloon.
“Mindy, can you come with me? I need some moral support.”
I looped my arm through hers. For a second, she frowned, exchanging a glance with Cooper. They didn’t share words, but I had a strange feeling about their exchange.
“Cooper, we can take a rain check on the drinks?” Mindy asked.
“Of course, of course. Being with your best friend when she needs you is much more important than keeping some strange guy company who wandered in here from nowhere.” He winked.
Did I detect a patronizing tone in his voice, or was it my imagination? Some strange guy was right—not to mention he’d wandered into our lives after an extremely tense situation with his cousin. So why did I feel guilty about Mindy not taking him up on his offer? In my defense, I’d just had my store broken into. As a matter of fact, hadn’t he just offered to help me? Had he counted on me saying no?
What if I’d been in the store at the time of the break-in, I could have been killed. Maybe he should worry, too. It could just as easily have been his newly acquired store across the street. Heck, it could have been any store along the historic main street of town. Even if the police claimed it was safe.
“It’ll just take a second. I don’t want to stop y’all from having fun,” I said.
“So many men, so little time,” Mae chimed in from over Cooper’s shoulder. “Should I stay with you? Or travel with Mindy and sit on Cooper’s lap all night? Just look at his hard…thighs. But then again, you have Anthony and that baby doll…,” She pointed. “…Callahan. God, I love his chest, and those dimples, and eyes.”
“Could someone hose her down, please?” Anthony leaned against a bookcase with his arms folded in front of his chest.
Oh, it was so hard not to speak to them right now. I felt a nervous twitch starting in my eye. The only way to stop the words from spewing from my lips was to bite my tongue. I wanted to tell Mae to go find a Chippendales show, although she might implode if she did. Men overload.
Deputy Fredericks clicked the top of his pen repeatedly. “Somebody do something. I’d like to get out of here sometime before next year.”
Would it be possible to go back to my date? Could we salvage it after all this? Maybe sending a ghost along with Mindy wasn’t such a bad thing. I’d feel safer knowing she wasn’t completely alone with this Cooper guy. I knew what Mindy would say, though: I’m a big girl and I can handle myself.
Mindy pulled me forward. “Okay. I’ll be right back, Cooper. Why don’t you keep Callahan company? You can discuss sports or whatever it is guys talk about.”
Chapter Ten
“So, are you two going back to your place tonight?” Mindy whispered while wiggling her eyebrows.
I shrugged. “I don’t know. After this, it kind of kills the mood, don’t you think?”
“With him, how could anything kill the mood? Not doing it with Callahan is like getting a cupcake without the icing in the middle.”
I laughed and rolled my eyes.
“It’s like dinner without dessert.”
:Did you skip dinner?” I asked.
She nodded. “All I had was a handful of pretzels.”
“I thought so.”
The deputy approached and stopped our conversation. After signing the necessary paper, Mindy and I returned to the front of the store. With the police asking questions, I hadn’t had time to discuss Cooper with Mindy. The front of my store was quite a scene. Anthony had a look of relief across his face, while Mae leaned close to Cooper. Seth stood in the corner of the room, shaking his head at his fellow ghosts’ antics. Callahan leafed through a magazine while Cooper held a book.
The police had departed, leaving me with the prospect of placing books back on shelves for the rest of the evening, not to mention cleaning the broken glass. I’d thought maybe Callahan and I would get some up close and personal time together tonight. Little did I know it would involve a broom and dustpan.
The bell above the front door jingled making all of us turn to see who’d entered. Karyn Bentley, the coven leader, and another member of the coven, Becky Schultz, walked toward us. I met Karyn at the door, squeezing her in a big hug.
Karyn was the head witch…the woman in charge, and it showed. The aura around her really was electrifying. Her movements were gracious and effortless. A ghost was no match for me, but witches might be an entirely different story. I’d never dealt with witchcraft until recently.
“Larue, my heavens, is everything all right? We saw all the lights on and the front door smashed.” She brushed back her long blonde hair. She wore a dark pants suit with a crisp white shirt and heels.
“Apparently, someone decided to vandalize my store.” I gestured over my shoulder.
“I can’t believe this. What is happening in Magnolia? Are you okay?” Karyn asked.
“Yeah, I’m fine. Just a little shocked.” I looked at Becky and smiled. “It’s good to see you.”
“Larue, I’m so sorry this happened,” Becky said with a cigarette-roughened voice, as she looked around at the mess.
“Mindy. Callahan. How are you?” Karyn waved, then lowered her voice. “Larue, I need to talk to you about something. I know this may be a bad time, but it’s kind of urgent.”
“Um, sure.” I looked over my shoulder. Callahan smiled. I turned back to Karyn. “Is something wrong?”
“No, no nothing like that. It’s just that I’ve talked to the rest of the coven and they agree with my decision.”
I quirked an eyebrow. “What decision? I’m confused.”
“Well, I’m stepping down as coven leader.”
“What? Why?” I asked.
“I’ve decided to move. I’ve met someone and we want to be together all the time. He can’t come here, so I’m going to him.”
“Well, in that case, it’s wonderful. I’m so happy for you.” I reached out and touched her arm. “Where are you moving?”
“I’m going to Louisiana. Baton Rouge, to be exact.”
“That really is great, Karyn. But I’ll miss you, of course.” I still didn’t understand why she said this was urgent. She could have told me this news any time before she left. Unless she was leaving tonight.
“Oh, Larue, I’ll miss you, too. I know we haven’t known each other long, but I feel like we’ve been dear friends forever.” She looked over my shoulder, paused, and then said, “There is one more thing I wanted to discuss with you.”
“Okay. Is this the urgent part?” The look in her eyes had me nervous. She’d led with the good news, now she was going to hit me with the big whammy.
“Yes, this is the urgent part. Since I won’t be the leader anymore, we’ll need someone new.” She locked me with her gaze. “I want that someone new to be you.”
I almost choked. “What?” I looked to Becky and she gave me a pity grin.
“Now hear me out,” she said.
“This has to be a joke. You’re pulling my leg.�
�� My mouth didn’t have an off switch at that moment. My thoughts raced. “I’m not a witch. I haven’t the slightest clue about any witchcraft. And you want me to lead the coven? Are you sure you’re feeling okay? Did you hit your head?”
She chuckled. “No, I didn’t hit my head.”
“Well, something must be wrong if you want me to lead the coven.” I looked at Becky and she grinned. “Wouldn’t it be better if you got, say I don’t know, a witch?”
“You have natural talent, Larue. I didn’t mention it before because I didn’t want to scare you off.”
What was I, a wild dog? It wasn’t like I’d take off running at the mere words.
Karyn continued. “I’ve never seen anyone with your talent.”
“Well, if you say so, but even if I do have talent, don’t I need some practice before taking on the whole shooting match?”
“I’ll give you plenty of practice, don’t worry. Well, some practice.” She looked away. “That’s where the urgent part comes in. I’ll be leaving in a week. We need to get started right away. Mercury will be in retrograde soon, there’s a waxing moon, and Jupiter is aligned. It’s the only time to teach you to be the coven leader.”
“I think I’m having a panic attack,” I said, attempting to catch my breath.
“Oh, no, no panicking,” she said.
Maybe this would show her I wasn’t cut out for leading covens. I ran a bookstore. I helped ghosts move on to the other side. Those were my talents. Nothing more, nothing less.
“There’s nothing to it, honest. I want someone who has their act together. A businessperson. You fit that description.”
I looked to Becky again. Wouldn’t she have been a better choice? I didn’t ask. Maybe she didn’t want the job. She was probably thankful I’d come along and saved her from having to do it.
“At least think about it, okay?” Karyn asked.
“All right, I’ll think about it,” I said around a sigh.
I’d think about it all right, then I’d tell her no. There was no way the coven would really want me as their leader. I looked over my shoulder at Callahan. He was talking with Mindy. They looked so adorable talking to each other. Would I have to break the news to him, that not only did I talk to ghosts, but I was the coven leader? Talk about paranormal overload.
“It doesn’t take much. I know you’re a busy woman, but there’s a monthly meeting, then a little get-together every other week. It wouldn’t interfere with your other work. I wouldn’t ask if I thought it would.”
Good to know, but she didn’t know the extent of my other work. She had no idea I had ghosts following me around twenty-four-seven. I couldn’t believe she’d hit me with this bomb. See, I knew she had saved the bad news for last. I suppose I should be flattered though. But me, a coven leader? How crazy was that?
“I would have waited to ask you, but time is running out. That’s the reason I stopped by, then I saw all the chaos. Larue, there is a bit of a hurry, so will you let me know soon?”
“When did you say you’re leaving?”
“In a week. Becky has graciously agreed to help me with my house while I’m gone. I’ll put it up for sale soon. She’s such a dear friend.” She smiled at Becky and Becky squeezed her shoulders, returning the smile. “You two are going to get along just fine.” When I had Karyn alone, I needed to remember to ask her why Becky didn’t want the job, or any of the other women, for that matter. Oh sure, give me the job that no one else wanted.
Karyn removed the necklace from her neck and stretched her hand toward me. “Here, you’ll need this.”
I reached out and took the necklace. The pendant was silver with an intricate wreath of vines surrounding a pentagram in the center. “What’s this?”
“That pendant is for the coven leader. You’ll need it now. It’s been passed down for many generations. Whoever holds the necklace holds the power of the coven. It’s used for everything from mental clarity to banishing evil spirits. I know you’ll take care of it.”
No pressure. No pressure, at all. I was beginning to wonder if Karyn had lost her mind. It looked as if she wasn’t giving me the option of saying no. What should I do with the necklace? Shove it in my pocket? No, that seemed a little rude.
“Are you sure about this, Karyn?”
A lump formed in my throat when she nodded. I slipped the pendant around my neck, unsure of what else to do with the thing. Why couldn’t I just come out and say no, thank you?
“You said you’d train me before you leave. You propose training me to lead the entire coven in one week? That’s the craziest thing I’ve ever heard of.”
“I know it sounds crazy, and I will train you as much as I can in a week, then the other coven members will help.”
“So, let me get this straight, the coven is going to train their new leader. Yeah, that doesn’t make any sense.”
“Life doesn’t always make sense, Larue. In fact, it rarely does.”
“Oh, I’m well aware of that, but that doesn’t mean I have to seek out the craziness to make my crazy life any crazier. That’s about ten too many crazies.”
She laughed. “See that’s another reason the coven needs you, your sense of humor.”
“I’m no comedian,” I mumbled. I’d better get back to the mess.” I motioned over my shoulder.
“Do think about it, Larue. Let us know if you need anything.”
“I’ll call you.” I nodded.
Becky waved as she followed Karyn out the door.
“There is no way you’re going to do that, right?” Anthony asked.
Chapter Eleven
“What makes you ask that?” I scowled.
“It makes me nervous,” Seth said. “All that hocus pocus isn’t good. Black magic zinging around town. Messing with things that aren’t supposed to be messed with.”
“You know, I could say the same thing about what y’all are doing. Messing with the afterlife when it’s not supposed to be messed with.” I bit my lip to keep from laughing.
No comment from the ghost gang.
“Anyway, I need to get back over there before they catch me talking to a bookshelf. I already appear loopy enough.”
“Well, you really will be crazy if you decide to do that coven stuff,” Anthony said, crossing his arms in front of his chest.
“Don’t listen to these men, sweetheart. You do whatever your heart tells you to do. I never listened to anything anyone ever told me, and look how I turned out. Pretty damn good if you ask me.”
If you asked Seth, he’d say he thought she looked pretty damn good, too.
I shrugged my shoulders. “Whatever you all say, but I know everything will be fine. Trust me. I’m not going to do anything crazy. Besides, their witchcraft is more like Samantha on Bewitched, except they can’t turn people into toads or goats.”
“Too bad, that part could be fun.” Anthony wiggled his eyebrows.
Seth shook his head in disgust. “Just be careful, please. I’m trying to look out for you for Callahan.”
“I don’t need looking out for, Seth, but that’s very sweet of you.”
As I walked back over to the living crowd, Cooper looked up from his book. “Listen, Larue, I’m sorry I didn’t notice anything tonight. I was in the back office the entire time I was at the boutique. I never heard a thing. This town’s very quiet.”
“They do roll up the sidewalks at ten on weekdays and eleven on weekends.” Mindy snorted.
Cooper nodded. “So I’ve noticed. I had the lights out in there too, so no one knew anyone was in the boutique. I’m sorry they picked your store. If I’d seen them, I would have beaten the shit out of them. Brianna never left any cash in the store. Maybe you shouldn’t either.”
Yeah, thanks for the business advice.
How had he been appointed legal owner of her store, anyway? Did Brianna give it to him? They had worked things out rather quickly. I needed to be nosy and find answers to all of my questions. But that would have to wait until afte
r my little cleaning session and Mindy’s date. Date. Was it really a date? She was already dating someone else. They weren’t that serious, so maybe she was interested in Cooper. Normally, I’d be happy for her but, now, not so much.
“I hope none of the books were damaged too badly, Larue.” Mindy draped her arm around my shoulders and squeezed.
“You and me both. But it looks as if they were only tossed around. Not defaced or anything.”
Mindy reached down, picked up a book, and placed it on the table in front of her.
“Are you ready, Ms. Winters?” Cooper looped his arm across her shoulders.
“I should stay and help Larue clean up.”
“No,” I said.
Okay, it sounded as if I didn’t want her around. And that couldn’t be farther from the truth. But I did want to be alone with Callahan again. Of course, that wouldn’t happen with the ghosts hanging around, but a girl could dream. Plus, I wanted Mindy to have a good time. Honest. Maybe I wasn’t giving this Cooper character a fair chance.
“Geesh, you answered awfully quickly.” She scowled. “If I didn’t know better I’d think you were trying to get rid of me.”
“Don’t be silly. Go. Have fun. Really, I’ll be fine.” I gestured with my hands and gave Mindy a pleading look. She glanced at Callahan and smiled. We didn’t have to say the words; the best friend connection talked for us. She knew I wanted to be alone with him. “Have a good time,” I said, to reassure her.
Mindy didn’t know about my new ghostly friends yet. She probably figured I’d picked up at least one or two new ones somewhere along the way, though. I always did.
“Okay, but you call me if you need me.” She wiggled her index finger in my direction.
“You know I will.” I smiled.
She adjusted her purse on her shoulder and faced Cooper. “You ready?”
“Sure, darling. Let’s see what this town has to offer.”
“Oh, there’s nothing to do here. It’s boring.” Mindy picked up another book and set it down.
“There’s always pole dancing. That’s not boring,” I said, with a smirk.