Bedtimes and Broomsticks

by Amanda A. Allen

  * * * * *

  “I don’t want to apologize,” Lex said. “But I will.”

  Scarlett turned to face him and then back to the yard. It was such an empty, desolate yard. The trees were all babies with little awareness or personality. They hadn’t been planted by druids, they hadn’t the age to become what they could be. The flowers were all annuals without the pizzazz and stubbornness of those that came back again and again.

  “I don’t want you to apologize,” Scarlett said, turning back to the window. “Why wouldn’t you have druids put in your garden when you live in Mystic Cove?”

  “Scarlett—”

  He didn't need to explain for her to feel his objections to the way she was avoiding the subject.

  “I’m all twisted up inside, Lex. About the divorce and my husb—my ex. About my girls and relationships and making a new life. I have all this guilt and this hurt and…quite frankly…I gave everything to Grant. All of me. And he dumped me and picked someone else. It didn’t matter—what I wanted. The girls. Our life. It wasn’t worth keeping sacred.”

  Lex laid a hand on her arm, but she didn’t turn to him like she felt he wanted. So he told her back, “I’m not your ex.”

  Scarlett’s heart clenched and then she said, “I’m a bad bet right now, Lex. Shall we go? Or did you need to keep searching?”

  “I don’t think we’re going to find anything else,” Lex told her. He held up the flash drive and said, “Let’s see what this is.”

  They drove back to the bakery. He parked behind her SUV, and she led the way to her apartment. Before she shut the apartment door, Gus was at it.

  “Hello,” he said. She watched his nostrils flare, and she knew he caught the scent of Lex on her. She winced at the look in his black eyes, but she opened the door and invited him without qualifiers. She felt…like she’d somehow cheated on him too. Now that she saw his face.

  By the stars, she wanted to shout. By the stars and the roots, she was healing. She was getting over her marriage, over her loss. She was not ready to faceplant into love no matter what her Gram said. She needed time. She needed…

  “Oh…” Lex cursed and then turned to them. “She was embezzling.”

  Scarlett froze as what he said sank into her mind. She almost couldn’t switch subjects in her head. But it made sense. A sort of horrible sense.

  “From Mystic Cove?” Gus asked the question, not looking too surprised. “It was weird last year when the budget didn’t extend to a new playground at the grade school. I don’t know how many times I heard frustration that there wasn’t enough.”

  Scarlett crossed to stand behind Lex, looking over his shoulder.

  “The deposits…”

  “Does she lay it out?”

  “No,” Lex said and then added, “I’ve seen this type of thing before. I’d lay odds on it, but I still have to find the proof.”

  Scarlett stepped back from him and looked around the apartment. She hadn’t even noticed that it had been painted, but…

  “Oh,” she said. She crossed to the bedrooms and found a pink tree on the girls’ bedroom wall with pretty purple flowers. It should have looked like a sticker factory had exploded in there, but it was lovely. She bit her lip to hold back the emotion. Her family…they were working so hard to keep her here.

  It was past time to find who killed Lacey and to find who had hexed Luna.

  “It doesn’t add up to me,” Scarlett said, turning back to the others. “Why wouldn’t whoever figured this out just…turn her in? If someone knew, the best revenge would be ripping it all away from her and destroying that perfect image she’s been working for since forever.”

  “She’s not wrong,” Gus said. “This might be part of what led to Lacey’s death, but…that wasn’t some grandma’s savings account. It was the town money. It wasn’t…”

  “Personal enough,” Scarlett finished. She glanced into the spare bedroom and found that her family had painted the walls a soft gray. She liked it. It was pretty and she’d probably have chosen something similar. But what mattered is that the room looked almost finished. As soon as the paint was done drying, they could put up the baseboards, and hang some pictures.

  “Whoever crushed Lacey’s head,” Scarlett choked and then finished, “They hated Lacey.”

  The living room walls had been a lot more damaged, but work had been done on them as well. This—Scarlett thought—this is what a home felt like. Even empty. Even without a fridge. Even without the handprints on the walls and the crayon scribbles hanging up, it felt like a home.

  There was love in the air and that was what mattered.

  She crossed back to the kitchen and saw that the cabinets had been hung.

  “Did you do this?” Her question was directed to Lex.

  Gus nodded and said, “I came in with your cousins and aunt earlier. Your cousin, Marta, and I hung the cabinets.”

  Scarlett gave him a hug to thank him, but he was stiff against her. He was, she realized, still upset about the scent of Lex on her. Scarlett didn’t need Gus to explain to know what he was feeling. She knew him too well for it to be anything else.

  She pulled away and looked up at his face. It wasn’t her Gus. He was all grown up with fangs now. He was strong now. And healthy. Powerful.

  “Gus,” she started, but he shook his head.

  His mouth twisted and he said low enough for only her to hear, “I should get used to always being too late.”

  “It isn’t like that,” she said.

  He didn’t believe her, but she didn’t know what else to do or say. Especially with Lex here. She wasn’t even sure what she wanted. And just because she was going to “faceplant” into love didn’t mean that it would be with either of these men.

  She took a step back with a rush of anger that shocked her. She wasn’t a bone and she wasn’t someone you could fight over. She wasn’t open for business or love or anything else and she didn’t owe either of these men a damn thing.

  She crossed to the doorway to her apartment and slammed down the stairs. Enough was enough.

  Chapter 19

  She ran down Arbor Avenue, passing the post office and the chinese food place. She bypassed the tea shop and cut through an alley finding her way to the neighborhood park.

  She found the oldest trees in the park and lay down on the earth. She didn’t want to let her mind sink into the trees and accidentally see flashes of her path—she certainly didn’t need any more visions.

  Her phone rang and she answered without thinking or looking at who it was.

  “Scarlett, we need to talk.”

  Her eyes closed. If she had made of list of people she didn’t want to talk to, Grant’s name would have taken all of the top spots.

  “About what?”

  “I don’t like how you’re handling things with the girls.”

  Her mouth clamped shut on reflex. She’d avoided the screaming battles like Brad and Kelly had by shutting up. But the realization that she owed him nothing and their daughters couldn’t hear her set her on fire.

  “I don’t give a flying—”

  Grant cut her off and said, “Setting Luna on me like that wasn’t right. It wasn’t fair.”

  “Would you prefer that I told her ‘no’ when she asked to call you? She’s not stupid. She knows how phones work. She isn’t going to believe that she can’t call you.”

  “Well maybe that would be better,” Grant started.

  And Scarlett laughed. She was shocked at how mean it sounded and then she said, “I’m not going to be the bad guy for you, Grant. If you want the girls to believe you’re something other than a cheating dirtbag who dumped me and them for your secretary, then you’re going to have to sell them that fairytale. I certainly won’t do it for you.”

  “So you’re going to tell them crap about me and make them hate me.”

  “I don’t have to do that. You did it all by yourself. Frankly, I’d prefer that you weren’t such…”

  She c
ut herself off, took a deep breath, and tried to order herself to get it together. She turned and started to pace, catching sight of Gus and Lex approaching. Great. Exactly what she needed. An audience, but this was her chance. When would she get a chance to give Grant a piece of her mind again?

  She could see the worry on Gus’s face and guessed that Lex was concerned as well or he wouldn’t have come. But they weren’t her problem right now. She had some things to say and for once she had the freedom to say them.

  “You called the girls freaks. Do you even remember that? Because they do. Because they’ve winced every time they’ve heard the word since.”

  “I—”

  “They heard you, they know what it means, and they heard it from YOU. It was YOU who ruined your relationship with them. It was YOU who broke their hearts. It was YOU. All by yourself. I didn’t have a damn thing to do with it. ”

  He stuttered before he finally said, “Don’t pretend that you didn’t help our marriage fall apart. You were never committed. You never expected us to last. You kept your heart all locked up.”

  “No,” Scarlett said, “I didn’t. When did you start cheating, because my bet is the curvy little latina in Key West? Before then, I was planning our happily ever after.”

  He was quiet, and she knew she’d been right.

  Her voice softened, but it was no less angry. It was the frigid east wind in her voice as she added, “It’s hard to unlock a heart that is being trampled, Grant. Over and over and over again, You broke us up. I left Mystic Cove for you. I barely practiced druidry. I barely…”

  “Look, Scarlett, this isn’t about us. We’re over.”

  She shook her head in frustration. But he was right. Thank the stars! They were over. Thank the stars that she was finally free.

  “We are over,” Scarlett agreed, and she heard the joy in her voice. Somehow finally saying it out loud broke the cage around her heart. She knew she wasn’t done healing, but she was done regretting. “We’ve been over for a long time.”

  “Look, Jen and I don’t…”

  “You don’t want our daughters to contaminate your perfect, normal boy. I understand.”

  Scarlett heard Lex curse and Gus growl. It warmed her heart in a way that she hadn’t expected and wouldn’t have anticipated.

  “That doesn’t mean I don’t care.”

  “Right,” her sarcasm probably made Grant blush. She didn’t need to see him to know that his ears and cheeks were turning red. She knew him. She didn’t need to watch him push his hands through what remained of his hair to know that he was doing it. She didn’t need to smell him to know that he’d broken into a sweat. He was trapped, and he was reacting like the mongrel he was.

  He loved their daughters but not enough. Not enough to fight for them with Jen. His girlfriend had made her wants known, and he’d caved.

  “Scar,” he said as if he somehow had the right to use the name that only those she loved used.

  Her voice was cold when she asked, “Did you want me to tell the girls they can’t call you? Because I will make it clear that the request comes from you.”

  “What? No.”

  “Then I suggest you figure out something to say to them because I’m already softening every one of your dirty truths for them. Of course, I am. They’re more important than your delusion that you’re a good dad. But I won’t lie to them for you.”

  He cleared his throat and said, “This isn’t easy. It’s so complicated.”

  “This is what comes from being a cheating bastard who put the itch in his pants above his family. So when you aren’t there when Ella learns to drive, you’ll know why. So when you don’t see Luna finally get over her fear of swimming, you’ll know why. So when you don’t get to see them go to their dances or watch them open presents on their birthdays, you can count up all your crimes and know that you’re the reason why you’re missing out on their lives. I’d have done anything to give them the family they deserved. I certainly stuck with you far too long to make that happen.”

  “Scar,” Grant said. “I…”

  Scarlett was done. She pushed the end button and reached up, taking hold of a leaf and bringing it down to caress her face. She didn’t feel better, but she did feel freer. It was…what it was. It was ugly and hard and horrible and there wasn’t any way that her daughters weren’t going to be hurt by all of this.

  She sat down, crossed her legs, pulled down her hair, and started untangling her hair. She was pretty sure the last time she’d brushed it had been a day or two ago. Suddenly not being some broken version of herself, mourning a marriage that hadn’t been worth keeping was important. She needed to find the new version of herself. The free version. She knew who she was as a mom. She knew who she was as a druid. She knew who she was as a daughter, but she wasn’t quite sure how to add all of those up to Scarlett. And not being quite sure who she was now was terrifying.

  “Are you ok?” Gus’s voice was soft and careful at her ear. Tentative and worried and so very loving.

  She looked up at the foreign face and focused on the shape of his eyes. One of the few things that hadn’t changed.

  “Yes and no,” she said. “I…they don’t deserve this and I don’t know how to make it better for them.”

  “I’m not sure you can make it better,” Lex said as if he knew from personal experience. She didn’t know him well enough to know if that were true. But she heard the empathy in his voice and it warmed her soul.

  “What is important,” Gus said, “Is that they know you love them. And they do. And that they know others love them. And we do. The rest will take time. You’ve got some tough little girls there, Scarlett. They’re going to come out on top.”

  She wished she could be sure of that. She was sure that they were loved. And she knew for a fact that they were tough, so she was going to hang her hat on hope and make sure that they got to keep the best of what she could give them.

  Which was Mystic Cove, Harper, Mom, Gram, the cousins. Gus. When she realized that he was included in the list, she paused. But she looked past him to Lex and realized how easily Lex could be included in that list as well.

  Not now Scarlett, she thought. She had enough battles to fight before she started picking up additional ones. She sniffed and held her hand out to Gus to pull her up. She was almost afraid he wouldn’t, but that was stupid. Of course, he’d pull her up. He always had. He probably always would. That was an assurance that made the walk back to the bakery all the easier.

  The chocolate cheesecake and wine at the other side of their destination didn’t hurt either.

  * * * * *

  “I have an idea,” Scarlett said, leaving Lex and Gus in the bakery. Henna was running the bakery while Scarlett tried to find the killer. Bless the woman, Scarlett thought as she passed by her friend, leaving a kiss on Henna’s cheek. Scarlett ran up the stairs to her apartment and past the things she’d packed to the boxes on the floor above. She dug around until she found her box of her favorite clothes. She hadn’t seen the point in unpacking them to bake, but now…

  She dug out her favorite jeans. The ones that held in her tummy and accentuated her butt. She added her best bra that made her girls come out and say hello. And then she topped it with a scoop necked, dark green, silk t-shirt. It was clingy in all the right places and the right color to make her moss green eyes pop. Once she was done, she made her way down to the bathroom. She knew her strengths and put on enough makeup to draw attention to her green eyes, her creamy skin, and her pink lips. She looked natural and pretty and when her hair was combed out and hanging around her breasts, she knew that Brad would be attracted.

  Of course, he was always attracted to any semi-passable female though. Scarlett was pretty enough, but she was well aware she was no Kelly or Lacey. Even still, Scarlett knew how to draw attention to the assets she had and she knew how to fake interest and an appealing laugh. She had, after all, been doing that with Grant in a futile attempt to re-ignite their love.

&
nbsp; “Oh,” Gus said as Scarlett came into the bakery. He looked like he’d been hit with a post, but because she knew him well enough to know it was a compliment, she grinned and spun.

  “Well don’t you look like you have mischief in mind?” Henna put her hands on her hips and told Scarlett to spin again. This time she made sure her bark-brown hair flew out and then she adjusted her shirt so that a bit of her black lace bra peeked out. It was entirely unlike every day Scarlett, but she was willing to do a lot to find the killer and ensure her daughter’s safety.

  “Yes,” Henna said, “Definitely mischief. I don’t think you were this naughty when you were 17. I like the flush it adds to your cheeks.”

  Gus flipped the closed sign on the door as Scarlett said, “I’m going to hit up the dealership if Brad is there.”

  “He was at the house,” Lex started.

  She could see the objection on his face. She wasn’t sure if it was protectiveness. He’d kissed her, but it certainly didn’t add up to anything more than a kiss.

  Scarlett cut in, “That was lunch hour.”

  “Actually,” Henna interjected, “Brad works a later shift. The best hours for sales are afternoon and evening.”

  Scarlett grinned at Lex and said, “See?”

  “I’ll come with you.” Lex started standing up, but Scarlett pointed at the laptop.

  “Time to be a P.I,” she said.

  Lex scowled at the laptop and Gus said, “I can go.”

  Henna cackled and Scarlett tossed her friend an amused glance.

  Henna said, “You’ll ruin everything, boys. Scarlett’s got this one.”

  “But—” Gus began and Scarlett kissed his cheek.

  “Nope,” she said, shaking her head. “There’s no point putting on my good bra if you guys come along.”

  Henna tutted again and then said, “Really, Scarlett, all your bras need to be that bra. You’re not dead. Time to live again.”