“I don’t know. I just want to go home and snuggle with Onyx and forget all about Marwood Manor. It’s too much and I don’t want to play anymore.” Fiona and Poppy wrapped their arms around her, and Susan held her hand until the sobs stopped and she was able to breathe again.
“I’m sorry. I don’t know what came over me. I think I just needed a good cry,” Stella whimpered. Fiona handed her a napkin and she wiped her face with it.
“I’m sorry we teased you about the bacon. We didn’t mean to make you cry,” Susan offered.
“I almost forgot about the bacon. Gimme!” she said, reaching for the plate.
“And she’s back,” Fiona narrated.
“Yum. Good bacon,” Stella said with her mouth full, making the others laugh. “Weren’t you saying something about Poppy’s date? And Susan, we never got to hear about your date.”
“I want to hear about both of yours, as well. We can talk about them, now that we’ve all been.”
While she ate, the women all recounted their dates, including their misadventures. When they were done, Stella with her breakfast and the other three with their stories, she asked, “Who do you think he’ll pick?”
“I think he’ll choose Susan, Poppy said.
“I don’t know,” Susan said hesitantly. “We seemed to get along and I had fun, but I’m not very interesting. It seems like the rest of you had way more exciting dates than I did. I’m afraid I might be too boring for him.”
“Why do you think you’re boring?” Poppy asked.
“I don’t know. Stella went to the soup kitchen; Fiona went to the Dalmatian sanctuary, and Poppy went to an amusement park. He took me to the library.”
“Did you have fun?” Fiona asked.
“Well yes, it was a lovely library. I couldn’t believe how old it was or how well preserved all of the old wood shelves and books were. It was actually pretty amazing,” she gushed. “The ceiling is stained glass and the sunshine coming through makes pretty rainbows across the floor and walls.”
“Doesn’t sound boring to me,” Stella told her. “It sounds like something you both enjoyed.”
“I guess so. But it’s hard to tell if he enjoyed it or he was just being nice.”
“Sorry to interrupt, but I heard that last part and I have to comment.” Cash walked up to the table and stood next to Susan. “I’ve known my brother my whole life. He doesn’t do things he doesn’t enjoy. And he doesn’t pretend to like something just to make someone feel good. I think it’s safe to say that he enjoyed the library as much as you did.”
She still seemed unconvinced, so he added, “Tell me, Susan. Did you have a guide? Or did my brother show you around, telling you the history behind everything?”
“Well, Chad showed me around,” she said. “And he knew the names of everyone who worked there and many of the customers. Oh, I see what you mean.”
Cash shrugged his shoulders. “That’s one of his favorite places. And he was the one who chose the library. He chose all of the mystery dates, even though he didn’t realize it.”
“Please explain that statement,” Fiona said, sternly. “We were told he had no idea where the dates would take place.”
“Before the show, we asked him to make a list of places he loved, things he loved to do and what he was looking for in a woman to be his life partner. We used all of the things he said to choose each of you. Then we created mystery dates that were in places he loves that seemed like good fits for each of your personalities. So even though he had no idea what the dates were, he kind of chose them, if that makes sense.”
“Sneaky, Cash. Very sneaky,” Stella told him.
“All right, ladies. Get a move on, we’ve got work to do.” Martha’s voice cracked as she issued her orders and Stella took a closer look at her. The powerhouse was looking a bit tired and maybe even flustered.
Stella walked over and put her arms around her. “What are you doing?” Martha asked, trying to get out of her grasp.
“Nothing. You just looked like you needed a hug.” Stella released her and was pleased to see a tiny smile on the woman’s face.
“I didn’t, but thanks,” she mumbled.
As they left the room with the others, Cash headed off to the office and Susan linked her arm through Stella’s. “That was a nice thing to do.”
Poppy and Fiona were walking ahead of them with Fiona in the lead, when suddenly, she stumbled. The scene froze with Fiona mid-fall. Stella ran up to her and looked down. There was a wire stretched across the hallway. It was attached from one wall to the other, tied onto screws. Curious, she thought. She snapped the wire and untied it, then rolled it up and tucked it into her pocket.
She stood in front of her friend and waved her hand, releasing only the witches from the time-stop spell. Fiona fell into her arms and looked up, startled. “What’s going on?”
“I don’t know,” Stella said. “I saw you stumble, so I stopped time.” Poppy was standing there, a strange look on her face.
“What’s wrong?” she asked.
Poppy leaned forward. “There are four of us moving.”
“I know, I released the witches.” Stella looked at her for another second before what she’d said hit her. Raven wasn’t here, so there should only be three of them moving.
Eyes wide, Stella and Fiona looked around. At first, they didn’t see it. But then he blinked. The main cameraman who was always at Martha’s side was a witch! When he saw them looking at him, he shrugged his shoulders. “Took you long enough.”
“Who are you and what do you want?” Fiona asked. “Why did you try to trip me?”
“I wasn’t trying to do anything to you,” he said. “I set the line to try and trip that danged detective. He’s about to ruin everything.”
“Wait, I think I know you,” Poppy said, her brows drawn together as she thought. She turned towards Stella; shock written all over her face. She could feel her friend’s fear as she shrugged and added, “No, I guess not. I must have been mistaken.” She’d started to move towards Stella when suddenly, she froze in place. Stella watched Poppy’s eyes fill with tears as the cameraman laughed.
“Nice try, Bennet. I know you remembered me. I could see it in your eyes.” He walked up to Stella and sneered. “This is all your fault. I had everything under control until you and your friends decided to interfere. All I wanted was access to the manor so I could tie up the loose ends. But no, you decided to enter the competition. You and your three witch friends.”
“Let her go or I’ll make you wish you’d never messed with us,” Fiona warned, but Stella had a feeling she knew who he was, so she asked him.
“You’re a Marwood, aren’t you?”
“Of course I am. This is my inheritance and I’m not going to let you take it away from me.”
“Why would I take it away from you? And, how could I?” Stella was confused, but her response seemed to make him even angrier.
“Just be quiet. I need to think.”
“Let her go. Now,” Fiona’s voice held a quiet menace that he couldn’t ignore. He waved his hand and Poppy fell forward into Stella’s arms.
“Did you collapse the stage on Poppy?” she asked.
“That interfering witch ruined that, too. Allegra’s my girlfriend. Her one job was to take out the competition one by one. That way I’d have more freedom to look around and get rid of any evidence. She wasn’t following the plan, so I met with her behind the stage. I tried to convince her to get things back on track, but she said that her life would be better without me. She told me she wanted to win the competition and marry Chad.” His face twisted with bitterness. “When we realized someone was there, I got back in her good graces by crashing the stage onto Poppy. I got my revenge for her not liking me in school and it made my Allegra happy. I only wish I’d done more damage.”
“What is wrong with you?” Poppy asked. “I didn’t even know you in school. I remember seeing you in a couple of my classes, but I don’t think we ever even
spoke to each other.”
“Like I said, you didn’t like me.”
“I didn’t know you! How could I not like you if I didn’t even know you?” she asked.
The sound of footsteps on the staircase reminded Stella that she’d frozen Susan and Martha, but the rest of the world was still moving. “Get back to where you were, someone’s coming.”
As Carl came around the corner, she waved her hand and time started again. Martha seemed unaware, but Susan had a strange look on her face, like she realized something was off.
“Hello Detective Knott, what can we do for you today?” Martha asked.
“Well actually, I need to speak with this young man, here,” he replied, looking at the cameraman.
The man turned to run away, but Poppy was quicker; a wave of her finger had him tripping over his own feet. As the detective pulled him up off the ground and put handcuffs on him, he glared at her. She walked over to him and said, “I didn’t even know you. But from what you said today, and how you’ve behaved, you’re right; I probably wouldn’t have liked you.” She watched, arms crossed in front of her, as he was led away by a police officer.
“What was that about?” Carl asked.
“Nothing, really. Turns out we went to school together and he thinks I was rude to him or something.”
28
Raven arrived at the manor the next evening, glowing and smiling, just as Detective Carl was leaving. There was an awkward meeting in the foyer, then he left, and Stella helped Raven bring her things up to her room.
“Looks like you’re happy,” she commented.
“I am, Stella, dear, I finally am.”
Stella waited, but she didn’t say anything else, so she left it alone. “I’ll swing by in an hour. We’re supposed to get dressed up for dinner.”
“Okay, I’ll see you then,” Raven called out.
Stella shook her head. She’d never seen her friend like this, and it was a little unsettling. She was glad she was happy, but she hurt for Carl. It seemed that Raven was going to break his heart, again.
An hour later, they went downstairs for dinner. The dining room had been transformed, with a large round table in the middle, set with china and fine silver. Crystal stemware and water glasses, lace placemats, gold charger plates, and gold napkin rings atop a deep red tablecloth created a rich, beautiful backdrop for crystal vases of white roses, interspersed with red peonies.
Waiters guided them to their seats and pulled out their chairs. “Thank you,” Stella said. She looked around and her eyes collided with Cash’s. He smiled at her and her heart started beating faster.
Dinner was served and the food was outstanding. Stella ate slowly, enjoying the food and the conversation. Several times she caught Cash watching her, and she felt a slow burn begin in her belly.
Desert was chocolate mousse topped with sliced strawberries served with freshly whipped cream and dark chocolate curls. She was on her second cup of coffee when the waiter set a flute of champagne in front of her. She noticed that everyone’s food and drink were being removed, to be replaced with bubbly.
Cash stood up and struck his glass with his spoon to get everyone’s attention. “Thank you so much, all of you, for staying the course,” he began. “This wasn’t easy for any of us, so tonight is a celebration of you: you’re courage, you’re strength and your commitment. Martha and I appreciate everything you did to help this show continue as obstacle after obstacle did its best to get in the way.”
He turned to Martha and raised his glass. “To Martha, for being the heart and backbone of this operation. Without you, the show would never have been possible.” Everyone applauded and Martha blushed.
“To my brother, Chadwick, who missed most of the fun. Or maybe he had the most fun, since he was out on dates with each and every one of you.” He paused while they chuckled at his joke. “We’ve made it almost to the end of the show. Chad has a big decision to make and tomorrow, he’ll announce the winner.”
“Whether he chooses you as the winner or not, you’re all winners in my book. You’ve impressed us all and I think you’ll be very pleased when the show airs. I’ve seen some of the footage, and it’s amazing. Thank you all for making the first season of Catch of a Lifetime a huge success.”
Once the applause stopped, he turned to the producer. “Martha, do you have anything you’d like to add?”
“Yes, actually, I do.” She stood up as Cash took his seat, then she paused, looking around at all of the women.
As the woman thanked everyone for their hard work and said how much fun it had been getting to know everyone, Stella nearly choked on a sip of champagne. She realized that this was the first time she’d ever seen Martha without her headset. With her hair down and the headset missing, the resemblance between Martha and Susan was incredible.
She turned to look at Susan and she could tell that she saw it too. Their eyes met and Susan nodded. Stella raised her glass and they toasted to Susan finally finding her birth mother.
“That’s it for tonight, ladies. Tomorrow we’ll help you all pack your things and at 1 pm, Chadwick will announce the winner of season one of Catch of a Lifetime. Get some sleep and we’ll see you in the morning.” Cash stood up and escorted Martha out of the room, to applause from the women.
“That was an incredible meal,” Fiona said, rubbing her tummy in satisfaction.
“It really was,” Stella replied. She looked over, but Susan had left the dining room. She wondered if she would approach Martha when the show ended or if it was enough, just knowing she’d found her.
It was just the Four Rich Witches and free bottles of the finest champagne, so the party went on until the champagne was gone.
Stella and Fiona stumbled to their rooms. She helped Fi into bed, then headed for her own. Once she was in her pajamas, stretched out on the bed, she thought about how much she’d learned and how much more she needed to know. This was her last night in the manor, and she still had more questions than answers. She thought about Martha and Susan. She thought about how nice it would be to be home with Onyx and sleep in her own bed. Then she thought about Cash, and she fell asleep, dreaming of green eyes, a sexy smile, and warm arms holding her tight.
29
She woke up to the sound of voices outside her door. When Stella rolled over, the pounding in her head made her cry out loud. The voices stopped and a tentative knock sounded at the door.
“Stella? You okay?”
“No. Go away,” she called out. She tried to pull her pillow over her head, but it was too much effort, so she closed her eyes and went back to sleep.
She felt someone shake her shoulder and she tried to fight them off, but she couldn’t move her arms. She tried to open her eyes, but they wouldn’t cooperate. A few seconds later, something cold and wet was placed over her eyes and across her forehead. “Thank you,” she murmured before slipping back into her dreams.
“Should we call a doctor?” Cash’s concerned voice broke through her delirium and she fought to wake up.
She heard a chuckle, then Raven’s voice, “No, she’ll be fine. She just drank a bit too much last night.”
Stella wanted to argue but her cottonmouth had her smacking her lips together, unable to form actual words.
“See, she’s better already,” Raven told him.
“Well, I hope you’re right. We need her downstairs in two hours, so hair and makeup can get her ready for the show.”
“Don’t worry, I’ll make sure she’s there.”
Raven shut the door on Cash and locked it for good measure. She walked over to Stella’s side. “You awake in there?”
“Mmnnmm,” Stella replied.
“Okay, hold onto your shorts. And a one, and a two, and a three!”
A bright light lit the room and a boom echoed in Stella’s ears. She opened her eyes. She opened her mouth. She sat up. She was back to normal. “Thank you, Raven, I owe you one.”
“Actually, I think that makes up for one I
owe you, but who’s keeping track.” She sat down on the bed and bounced up and down. Stella cringed, but the movement didn’t bother her. She was fine, now; hangover gone.
“How did you do that? Even when I use magic, I still feel bad for a few hours after getting rid of my hangover, but not today. That’s amazing.”
“Oh, it’s a little trick I learned from Carl.”
“Carl? He knows you’re a witch?”
“No, silly. He’s had a few hangovers. Sometimes they’re just from lack of sleep, but they wipe him out. He told me he takes B12 and Vitamin C with his coffee and that seems to help. In my spell, I added a shot of B12 and Vitamin C along with a small infusion of caffeine.”
“I need a copy of that spell for my collection,” Stella laughed.
“Sure enough. If you’re better, I’ve got to go. Today’s the day. Cash said to be downstairs in two hours. You still need to pack, so get a move on.” She started to leave, then stopped halfway through the door. “Carl told me he has news for you. He said it can wait until tomorrow, but he’d like to meet with you at your place. I told him that should be fine. If it’s not, you can let him know.”
“Thanks, Raven,” she called out to a closed door.
As she packed her bags, took a shower and got ready for the finale of the show, she couldn’t help but wonder what news Carl had for her. I’ll ask Cash to be there, just in case it’s bad news, she thought. She didn’t want to admit it, but she wanted him to be there whether it was good news or bad. She wanted to see him outside the scope of the reality show, where it was just the two of them; a man and a woman.
The women were seated in two rows; Stella, Raven and Susan in the back row, Fiona and Poppy in the front. Hair and makeup had done a wonderful job and they all looked especially beautiful. As she looked around, she felt a wave of sadness wash over her.
This had been an experience she would never forget. Sure, three of the four women sitting with her were friends, but even though they’d shared an apartment until it burned down, they’d learned more about themselves and each other in their time here than in all the years they’d known each other.
A Get Witch Quick Scheme (Bewitching the Rich Guy Book 1) Page 12