A Get Witch Quick Scheme (Bewitching the Rich Guy Book 1)

by Michelle Francik

  She’d expected to be the only one in the limo, but the door opened as she approached, and Chad stepped out. “Good morning,” he said, flashing his charming, crooked toothed grin.

  “Good morning to you, too!” she replied. He helped her into the limo, climbed in and they were off. “Do you know where we’re going?” she asked.

  He shook his head. “No idea. I was kept entirely out of the loop on the mystery dates. From what Cash told me, they’re all different.” He shifted in his seat to get more comfortable, then he added, “There are certain things I’m looking for in a life partner and he said that each of these mystery dates is a kind of test. He said they’ll show what kind of a person the contestant is, underneath it all.”

  “That sounds intriguing and terrifying,” she muttered, making Chad laugh out loud.

  “You have no idea. Cash is quite devious, but he gets to the bottom of things.” He paused and she waited, certain he was remembering something. “When we were in grade school, there was a boy who kept trying to get my attention. I thought he wanted to be friends, but Cash was convinced it was something else. I can’t remember how he did it, but he got the boy to admit that he wasn’t interested in friendship. He knew I came from money and he was going to try to trick me into donating Christmas presents to a homeless family.”

  “Why would he need to trick you? Couldn’t he just ask?” Stella wondered aloud.

  “That’s what Cash said. He read the boy the riot act and explained that pretending to be friends with someone wasn’t the way to get what he wanted. The boy apologized and explained why he wanted to help the family. He said he’d been afraid if he asked outright that I’d refuse, and he was determined to help them.” Stella found herself sitting on the edge of her seat, needing to hear what happened.

  “My brother told me what was going on and we made sure the family was taken care of. That boy became Cash’s best friend and now he’s the CEO of the sanctuary.” He smiled, dimples appearing in both cheeks.

  Stella laughed out loud. “That’s a great story, but I’m not sure I buy it.”

  The car pulled up to the curb as Chad responded. “It’s all true. You can ask Cash, next time you see him.”

  The thought of seeing Cash again had her momentarily off balance, but Chad held out his hand and guided her out of the car. She looked at the church, then at the laughing man beside her. “What’s this, then?”

  Chad took her arm and led her into the chapel. “This, my dear Stella, is where we see what you’re made of.”

  Every part of her body ached, but especially her feet. She’d worn what she thought were comfortable shoes, but they weren’t made for standing on concrete hour after hour. She sighed and wiped the sweat from her brow with the back of her gloved hand.

  “Could I have a scoop of potatoes, please?” a soft voice asked.

  Stella smiled and nodded. She picked up the spoon and placed a heaping pile of buttery mashed potatoes onto the plate the child held in front of her. “Here you go. Would you like anything else?”

  “No thank you. I have enough. It’s important not to take more than your fair share, so there’s enough food to go around, you know.” Her deep brown eyes gazed up at Stella with such wisdom and sincerity, Stella felt her heart twist in her chest.

  “That’s a lovely thought,” she told the little girl. “My name is Stella, what’s yours?”

  “Amelia,” she said. “It’s very nice to meet you.” She turned and gestured to a table behind her where a woman sat with a baby on her lap and a toddler clinging to her arm. “That’s my mom and my two brothers over there.”

  Stella felt someone come up beside her and wasn’t surprised when a deep voice said, “Hello, Amelia.”

  “Hello, Mr. Chad.”

  “How about if Miss Stella and I make plates for your mom and brothers? We can bring them over in just a moment.”

  “That would be lovely, thank you,” she replied, grinning at the man. “Thank you, Miss Stella.” She took her plate over to the table and sat down, lifting the toddler onto her lap. She picked up a plastic spoon and scooped potatoes onto it, then fed them to her little brother.

  Stella felt tears well up in her eyes and when she looked at Chad, he was smiling at her. “Let’s get plates for Amelia’s family and then you and I can take a break.”

  “That sounds wonderful,” she replied, grateful he hadn’t commented on her watery eyes.

  They delivered the food to the family, made plates for themselves, then found a spot in the back of the kitchen where they could sit and relax for a few minutes. Stella ate slowly, questions churning in her mind.

  “Spit it out, Stella. I can see your wheels turning,” Chad laughed.

  “You do this regularly, don’t you? You know the names of nearly everyone who came in today.”

  “Guilty as charged,” he admitted. He ate a scoop of potatoes and moaned. “I can see why Amelia loves these potatoes so much.” He looked up at her expectant face and shrugged. “I have so much, and these people have so little. It’s the least I can do, to help feel them. I can’t change their lives, but I can make sure they have good, warm food in their bellies.”

  She smiled at him. “It’s a wonderful thing to do, but I don’t think you realize how much more you give them.”

  He looked at her thoughtfully. “I don’t understand.”

  “You make them feel like they matter. You see them. You call them by name. You treat them with respect.”

  “Well, of course I do,” he replied. “They’re human beings, just like you and me.”

  “And that’s what makes you special.”

  “Could we get some help up here, please? We have a line forming,” The kitchen manager’s voice interrupted their break and Stella groaned as she stood up.

  “Are you okay?” Chad asked. “If you’re too tired, you can stay here and finish your break.”

  “No way, Saint Nicholas. We’re in this together.”

  “Saint Nicholas?” Chad asked.

  “The Patron Saint of children, of helping the needy, and one very jolly man who makes Christmas dreams come true.”

  “I think you’re giving me way too much credit,” he argued, his cheeks turning the tiniest bit pink.

  She grinned and led the way back to the serving line.

  The date was over, and they were in the limo, headed back to her apartment. Even though every part of her was sore, she felt happier than she had in a long time. She looked over at the man seated next to her and grinned.

  He smiled back and took her hand in his. “Thank you so much for helping today. You were a natural.”

  “It was really fun,” she admitted. “It was nice to feel needed.”

  “I’ve really enjoyed spending time with you the last three days,” he told her. For a moment, her heart constricted, and she worried that maybe he had the wrong idea. Apparently, he saw her distress because he looked up at Pamela and the cameraman and grinned. “If all the dates go like this, it’s going to be impossible to choose.” He turned back to Stella and winked.

  She smiled at him. “It’s been amazing, Chad, it really has.” She turned and smiled into the camera, too.

  “And . . .cut,” Pamela sighed. The limo pulled up to the curb and she and the cameraman climbed out. “Fifteen minutes, then it’s off you go,” she pointed at Chad, “and up you go,” she pointed at Stella. “Remember, once you get upstairs, you only have one hour to pack and get ready to head back to the manor.” She closed the door and Stella and Chad were alone.

  “I’ve been meaning to ask you something,” he said, turning to look at her. “I was surprised to find out your last name is Spinney. It must be difficult being in the Marwood Manor after everything that’s happened.”

  Stella was startled. “Is that why you asked me if I was a Spinney Hills Spinney? I thought you were interested in a merger or something.”

  He laughed out loud and shook his head. “Sorry if I sounded creepy,” he chuckled agai
n. “The whole manor thing has fascinated me and Cash for years. That’s one of the reasons we asked to hold the show there, we wanted to learn more about the story.”

  “Me too. I only know what my grandmother remembers from her childhood. Her stories have been told and retold so many times it’s impossible to know what’s true and what’s been embellished.” She sighed. “That’s one of the reasons I wanted to be on the show, if we’re being honest.”

  He took her hand in his and squeezed it. “Always be honest with me. I know you and Cash have something going on, but I hope that no matter what happens, you and I will continue to be friends.”

  She leaned forward and kissed his cheek. “I’d like that very much.”

  The car door opened and Pamela, headset in place, announced their time was up.

  11

  Back at the Manor, Stella was excited to finally start her search. She’d been hoping to catch Fiona before they whisked her away to get ready for her dates, but she was already gone when Stella arrived. She needed to meet up with the others and see if they’d found anything.

  It had been harder to leave Onyx and her apartment than she’d expected, and she spent the first hour at the manor feeling sorry for herself.

  “If I was home, I’d just conjure some music and create a lovely firework display to amuse myself,” she muttered. “But no, I have to be careful not to reveal my magic.” She stuck her tongue out at her reflection in the mirror.

  A knock on the door had her jumping up to answer, part of her hoping it was Cash and another part of her hoping it was her friends. When she opened the door, she was disappointed on both counts.

  Stephanie, the woman with the cold eyes, stood in the doorway, wearing a red cashmere sweater that was a little too tight in the chest, skin-tight black leather pants and red knee-high boots. She smiled at Stella—at least, she assumed it was supposed to be a smile. It looked more like a grimace; the woman’s lips were going one way while her far-too-white-to-be-natural teeth twisted the other way.

  “Hi, Bella. I haven’t had a chance to talk with you and I thought I should introduce myself.”

  The woman made her really uncomfortable and she considered closing the door in her face. She stifled the urge and replied, “It’s Stella. Nice to meet you.”

  “Oh, sorry,” she smirked. “Can I come in?”

  Not wanting the woman in her private space, she shook her head, no. “Actually, I was on my way out. Maybe we could talk later, in the dining room or parlor?”

  Stephanie had started to walk into the room but paused just long enough for Stella to block her and start to pull the door shut behind her. She smiled at the confusion on the woman’s face.

  “Um, okay. I’ll talk to you later,” she said.

  Stella chuckled to herself as she walked away. That had been fun. She was feeling more like herself now, so she decided to look for Raven and Poppy.

  She found Poppy in the kitchen, watching the cook rolling out pie dough. “Really? That’s the secret to a flaky crust? Who knew?” She saw Stella and thanked the cook, then ran over to hug her friend.

  “We’re not supposed to know each other,” she reminded her.

  “Oops. Well, no worries, I’ve been hugging everyone,” Poppy whispered.

  “Is there someplace we can talk privately for a few minutes? And do you know where Raven is?”

  “Actually, those are the same place.” At Stella’s questioning look, she grabbed her arm and steered her out of the kitchen. “You’ll see.”

  They walked down a couple of hallways and exited out a back door. Poppy led her around the side of the house into the garden Stella had seen from the window when they’d first arrived. “Here she is,” she announced, gesturing towards an easel set up in the center of a circle of roses.

  Raven’s head peered around the edge of the canvas. “Hey, Stella! How were the dates?”

  “Oh my gosh, I totally forgot to ask that!” Poppy gushed.

  “Never mind that, what are you doing?” she asked Raven. She walked around to see and gasped.

  “I know, it’s not very good,” she grimaced. “I’m trying to capture the essence of the rose bushes, but it’s coming out all mashed up.”

  “No, it isn’t, it’s beautiful, Raven. I didn’t know you liked to paint.”

  “Neither did I. But since we can’t use our magic, I thought I’d try something new. I found a studio with paints, canvases and easels and decided to give it a shot.”

  “What is happening to us?” Stella laughed. “Poppy is interested in pie crusts, you’re painting, and I didn’t even think about using my magic on my dates.”

  “I guess we’ve just always had magic, so we didn’t know we could actually do things ourselves.” Raven shrugged. “But enough avoiding the question, how did your dates go?”

  “He’s a very nice man and I actually learned a lot about myself. I’m not allowed to tell you what we did or anything, but suffice it to say, it wasn’t beaches and candlelight dinners.”

  Poppy frowned and Raven laughed. “That’s good to hear. I was worried that I’d have to wear a string bikini and strut around in five-inch heels.”

  Stella made a face at the image in her mind and shook her head. “No, that’s not what he’s into. But enough about that, I need to know if you’ve found anything, before someone comes along, and we have to pretend we don’t know each other.”

  “Right, well then,” Poppy cleared her throat. “You didn’t give us much to go on, so we just looked around and the three of us met up each day to share information.”

  “The main reason I’m out here, attempting to paint, is because I found out this rose garden was planted immediately after Mabel moved into the manor. I’m using painting as a reason to study the bushes and the garden a little more closely.” Raven gestured for Stella to move closer to her. “If you look directly over there, you can see a couple of rose bushes that aren’t as healthy as the others around them. I’m thinking maybe they buried something there that isn’t agreeing with the plant.”

  Impressed, Stella patted her friend on the shoulder. “Well done, Raven.”

  “And I wasn’t just learning about pie crusts, although I do find them fascinating,” Poppy piped in, “I was also scoping out the kitchen. It was remodeled that same month that the roses were planted.”

  “Well, it makes sense that Mabel wanted to remodel the house and change it to suit her, so it might not mean anything more than that, but it’s a start at least. Thank you both for taking this so seriously and helping me.”

  “Of course, Stella. You annoy me sometimes but helping each other is what friends are for.” Stella scrunched up her nose at the sneaky insult, but decided it wasn’t worth making a fuss. Raven was Raven, and the fact that she was helping at all was pretty amazing.

  12

  The next morning Stella woke up with an idea. Chad had told her Cash was interested in the story of Mabel and Willow, so what if she asked him about it. He might have information that could help, and it gave her a reason to seek him out.

  She helped herself to coffee and an omelet from the breakfast buffet set up in the dining room. As she ate, she thought about what she knew and what she needed to discover. She’d sat in the far corner of the room, so it wasn’t surprising that Stephanie and the emotional woman didn’t see her when they walked in.

  “This is so difficult, waiting with nothing to do. Normally I’d be shopping or donating to a charity or something.” The woman grabbed a plate and started loading it with assorted pastries and fruit. “I mean, I rarely sit still, always busy, doing good, keeping people in business.”

  “Oh, Allegra, you do go on,” Stephanie said, in a bored voice. She yawned to make her point, poured herself some coffee, then leaned over to see what was under the stainless-steel domed lids.

  Stella almost missed it, but Allegra made a mean face at the other woman’s back, then reached into her pocket and pulled something out. Stella sat forward, watching caref
ully, wondering what she was up to.

  “Yum, an asparagus quiche,” Stephanie said. She set her coffee cup on the table. As she cut a slice and placed it on her plate, the other woman removed the lid from a bottle in her hand and tipped it over Stephanie’s coffee. She quickly stuck the bottle back in her pocket and walked away, carrying her own coffee and breakfast to a nearby table.

  “Not so fast, missy,” Stella whispered to herself. She had no idea what the woman had put in Stephanie’s coffee, but she wasn’t going to let her get away with it. She waved her finger and switched the coffee cups. She sat back in her chair, waiting to see how things played out.

  Stephanie turned around, looking for Allegra, and happened to see Stella in her corner. “Good morning, Stella. I didn’t see you back there.” She smiled her cold-eyed smile and sat down next to the other woman, who was looking at Stella with startled eyes.

  Stella smiled at her and took a long swig of coffee. Poppy and Raven walked into the room and said hello to the others, then headed for the buffet. Raven joined Stella, and Poppy sat down with the other two women. She and Stephanie were discussing the quiche when Allegra made a choking noise. Her face was turning an odd shade of purple and she looked wildly around, making eye contact with Stella.

  “Maybe there was something in the coffee that didn’t agree with you,” Stella smirked. Allegra’s eyes grew wide and she ran out of the room, gagging and choking.

  “Should I go check on her?” Poppy asked, concern written all over her face.

  “Just enjoy your breakfast. I think something just went down the wrong tube.” Stella took a sip of coffee, trying not to chuckle. She was pretty sure Allegra didn’t put anything lethal in the coffee, so she wasn’t too concerned. She looked up to see Raven watching her, lips twisted in amusement. “What?”

  “What did you do? I recognize that ‘cat ate the canary’ look on your face.”

  Stella told her about what she’d seen and how she’d switched the coffee cups. “I just gave her a taste of her own medicine, literally,” she giggled.