The timing worked in my favor because I had a final push of weddings to get through. Even though Kimberly’s wedding hadn’t ended up being the first, several events were held at the Lilac B&B over the following months, all of which required copious amounts of flowers. This was good for my bank account but murder on my feet and lower back. And don’t get me started on the pesky little lines under my eyes caused by sleep deprivation.
I also had a suspicion that I would go full-blown Hulk if I had to make one more pew bow. Luckily, it turned out that Lizzie’s slippery little fingers were quite adept when working with ribbons and I’d been able to farm out most of the final weddings of the season to her. As far as I was concerned, she earned a place on my staff for that trait alone.
“Another one in the books,” I told Lizzie on the last Saturday in August. She’d just returned from dropping off an arrangement at Siren’s Song for their annual end-of-summer bash, which was sort of the town’s final act for the year. Holly told me it was more of an excuse to close early and bust out some adult beverages to celebrate reclaiming the town from the tourists until the next season.
Lizzie put the van’s keyring in its spot in the register drawer. “Got any plans for the weekend?”
I shrugged. “Not really. Looks like I’ll be spending it alone.”
The weekly ghost meetings had petered out since Gwen wasn’t around to organize them anymore. Flapjack and Hayward still came and went as they pleased, but seemed to be spending more time out of the shop. It was a good thing for them, but I couldn’t help feeling a little lonely, especially with Lucas out of town. But I supposed that was going to be my new normal. Lucas only had a week left of vacation before he’d be back to traveling with the show, and I’d be left behind, running my shop and resisting the urge to abandon my new business and run off on some grand adventure.
Lucas had given up the hard sell, but I knew the offer was still there, lingering just under the surface. All I had to do was say the word and he’d start cooking up a plan.
My parents—specifically my mother—would want to wring my neck. But that wasn’t the part that bothered me. It was more the idea that I’d be squandering the inheritance money my grandmother had left me to get my shop open in the first place. If I gave up now, it would be a disservice to her memory.
“What about you?” I asked, considering Lizzie as she hesitated at the register, looking over the schedule for the following week. I couldn’t help wondering why she wasn’t scampering out the door, ready to get her weekend started. After all, she wasn’t even twenty-one. Didn’t she have a horde of friends to go out with?
Lizzie smiled and shook her head when I asked. “No, at least, nothing big.”
I folded my arms. “Can I ask you something?”
“Of course.”
“Do you like working here?”
She looked up, startled. “Of course I do!”
“What would you say to coming on full-time?” I asked her.
That threw her even further off kilter. Her eyes went wide and her thin brows arched into peaks.
“I know that things will slow down now that summer is almost over, but with the Lilac B & B booked out, we’ll have plenty of orders from them. I was just speaking with Mitchel and he assured me things will be steady. Then add in normal, local business and some canvassing of nearby towns, and it’s a lot for one person.”
Lizzie started nodding vigorously. “I’d love to! Gosh, I was worried for a minute there. I thought you were going to fire me!”
“Fire you?”
She tucked her chin. “I know I’ve cost the company—you—some money. What with the van repairs and the broken vases, coffee pot, and that water leak in the cooler …”
Leak was a mild way of putting the three inches of standing water that had flooded the walk-in after she’d left the neighboring utility sink running all night long the first week of her employment.
I flapped a hand. “Mistakes happen.”
Granted, they seemed to happen to Lizzie more frequently than most.
“I want to expand my business, but also have some free time. I know I can trust you. You’re a hard worker, you’re honest with me, and our customers love you. So, if you’re game, I’d love to bring you on full-time, starting in October.”
Lizzie smiled and I knew I’d made the right choice. “Thank you, Scarlet! I would be thrilled.”
“Great. I’ll have some paperwork for the benefits ready on Tuesday. For now, get on out of here. Go enjoy yourself.”
“Okay!” She bobbed her head, still grinning ear to ear, and hurried out the back door.
I chuckled to myself after she’d gone. “Wait till I tell Flapjack.”
When I emerged from the office a couple of hours later, I wasn’t alone.
“Hello, Gwen,” I said as my friend stood sentinel at the front window. “Are you waiting on someone?”
“No. I just couldn’t think of anywhere else to go,” she replied without turning around to look at me.
“Is everything okay?” I asked, going to the register to grab my keys. “You haven’t been around here in a while.”
She reached up and toyed absently with one of her dangling feather earrings. “I’m sure it will be. Quinton and I parted ways.”
“I’m sorry, Gwen.” I hated to feel like I was pulling teeth, but after the last few frosty weeks, I was ready to make peace and if a little prodding would get things started, I’d have to suck it up. “Do you want to talk about it?”
She finally turned toward me, wearing an expression that matched her somber tone. “I don’t like not talking to you, Scarlet.”
“I don’t like it either.”
A flicker of a smile crossed her lips. “That’s good to hear.”
I drew in a slow breath. “Listen, Gwen, I’m really sorry about the way things went the past few weeks. With Myra and Quinton.”
She waved a hand. “It’s already forgotten, Scarlet. Besides, if anyone should be asking for forgiveness it’s me. I should have trusted you.”
“Don’t give it a second thought. It was a beyond strange situation. I’m just glad we’re all okay.”
“Ditto.”
“Come on,” I said, beckoning for her to follow me. My stomach was reminding me that I hadn’t had anything since the coffee and muffin when I’d sent Lizzie over to Siren’s Song to get us breakfast—another perk of having a second pair of hands on staff. “I’m gonna grab a bite upstairs. Come tell me what’s going on around town.”
She grinned widely and rushed forward but then faltered, her gaze nervously drifting to the ceiling. “Um, is Hayward upstairs?”
“No. He and Flapjack have been going out a lot lately. I’m not entirely sure what they’re up to. Truthfully, I don’t know if I want to know. It’s nice just having them out of my hair.”
Gwen smiled and laughed softly. “I can only imagine.”
“You know, eventually, you’ll have to—”
She nodded. “I know.”
“All right. I’ll leave it alone, then.” It wouldn’t be easy, but as she’d just said, we needed to trust one another. Gwen would make things right, and I had no doubt that Hayward would warm back up to her in time.
She followed me upstairs, chattering away about everything from the latest updates on the McGuire divorce to the raging argument at city hall over what color to stain the benches and picnic tables at the local park. I listened to her enthused ramblings as I puttered around the kitchen, whipping up a grilled cheese sandwich and warming up a huge bowl of barley stew to accompany it.
While I ate, she floated through the apartment, inspecting things with a casual eye. I knew what she was doing—snooping for signs of Lucas.
“He’s in L.A.,” I finally told her as she made her second pass through the living room.
“What? Who? Oh, um, you mean Lucas.”
Gwen was many things, but an actress wasn’t one of them.
I laughed. “He’ll be back in a
few days.”
She broke into a wide smile. “So, things are going well?”
I nodded and took a bite of my sandwich.
“New book?” Gwen asked.
I turned to see what she was referring to and nearly dropped the tea kettle. The Magic Gardner, the textbook—the magic textbook—Holly had given me several months ago had somehow ended up on the coffee table. My fingers trembled and I set my sandwich aside. “What—what is that doing there?”
Gwen looked at me, her brows furrowed. “What do you mean?”
“I mean, I didn’t put it there. It’s been on that shelf ever since Holly gave it to me.”
“Oh dear.” Gwen swooped closer but then quickly backtracked away from the book.
“No one else has been in here. At least not by themselves. I would have noticed if Lucas had taken some interest in it.” I stepped into the living room and peered down at the book, halfway wondering if it was some kind of trick. Holly had been after me, in her own gentle prodding sort of way, since she gave it to me. It was her book and she was a witch … maybe she’d made it move?
Was that even possible?
“Why did Holly give you the book?” Gwen asked.
“I don’t know. Well, I mean, she said it was a textbook from when she was in magic school. Academy, I think she called it. She thought maybe I would find it interesting.”
Gwen’s narrowed gaze went wide. “She thinks you’re a witch!”
“No!” I hurried to the table, snatched up the book, and shoved it back into place on the shelf. “She said it’s about plants and stuff. General studies, I’m sure.”
“Um, Scarlet, those are runes on the spine. You see that, right?”
I sighed. “Okay, fine. Holly might have a tiny little suspicion that there is more to my ability than just the ghost stuff.”
“Ooo.”
I held up a hand. “Nope. Stop! We are not going to get all riled up about this. As of right now, it’s nothing more than a hunch.”
Gwen glided over toward me. “Well, what did Holly say you’re supposed to do with the book?”
I shrugged. “Read it?”
“And have you?”
“No.”
She frowned. “Why not?”
“Because…,” I hesitated, alternating between trying to find a way to change the subject and actually coming up with an answer. So far, I hadn’t been able to come to terms with my own feelings on the matter. All I knew was that if I cracked open the book, something would be revealed. Either there was more to my gift or there wasn’t. Both of the possibilities scared me, for different reasons.
I’d wanted to know where my gift came from for as long as I could remember, but after so many years of searching, I’d grown used to the mystery. It was comforting to me in some weird way. Opening the book could rip that all away from me.
“I think you should try it,” Gwen said, not waiting for me to form a full reply.
“Well that’s not going to happen tonight, okay?”
Gwen sighed but didn’t push farther. “All right. Well, in that case, I guess I’d better go figure out what Flapjack and Hayward are getting into. Goodness knows someone has to keep tabs on them.”
“It does take a village.”
Gwen laughed as she started for the door, only to stop short. One arm floated through the metal door, while the rest of her remained in my apartment. “I’m glad we’re friends again.”
“Gwen, we were never not friends,” I replied. “But I know what you mean, and I’m glad too.”
She smiled and then shimmied through the door.
The sudden silence in the apartment was overwhelming and I hurried to turn on the small stereo in the kitchen. I needed something to fill the void. Even with the distraction of the music and cooking one of only a few home-cooked meals since Lucas’s arrival in town, my mind kept circling back to the book.
Finally, I surrendered. While the veggie lasagna finished baking, I stalked out to the bookshelf and removed the offending book. It was a large volume—several hundred pages filled the space between the covers. Each page was actually a thick piece of parchment that added weight and austerity to the tome.
After a moment, I dragged in a deep breath and took the book to the couch. I tucked my legs up underneath me and lifted the front cover. For a moment, I didn’t feel a thing—except relief.
Then, the lights in the room flickered.
I told myself it was just a power surge but couldn’t shake the spooky feeling.
“Where is that blabbermouth cat when you need him?” I muttered, reaching across the couch to snag the throw blanket off the opposite arm. “The Magic Gardner, A Collection of Basic spells, perfect for the little witch or wizard in your life.” I frowned and peeked at the front cover. “Is this thing for real?”
A nagging voice told me to keep going. To give it a chance. I flipped the page, carefully, and saw that someone had scrawled a dedication in the front section:
To Holly,
Follow your heart. It will never lead you astray.
Love,
Aunt Bethany
“Hmm.” I frowned at the words, but a small boost of courage took root and I found the table of contents. As Holly had promised, the beginning section of the book was general information. Study guides and encyclopedia-like entries that introduced me to a whole new botanical world. Some of the florals and foliage were recognizable, familiar even, but then as I continued to flip through the book, I encountered drawings and lifelike photos of things I’d never seen before. Heartsong, Fairy Thistle, Graveyard Ivy. I drank in each page, taking my time to read each word, but then rushing to flip to the next one just as soon as I finished.
When the oven timer went off, I nearly leapt out of my skin. I threw the blanket off my lap and launched halfway across the living room, leaving the book behind as I went into the kitchen to check on my dinner.
Lasagna in hand, I returned and continued reading. The second half was basic spells. Specifically, gardening spells, from the looks of it. I’d mentioned to Holly that sometimes, when I was working with flowers and creating arrangements in my studio, it seemed like the plants had some intuitive bent, capturing what was in my head and almost moving a fraction of a second faster than my fingers.
I’d often wondered if it were actually the flowers leading the way and my fingers following, rather than the other way around.
The first page listed an incantation to spur growth. The diagrams that followed showed what looked like the top of a carrot stem growing in size following the text of the spell.
“Here goes … everything,” I said, exhaling as I got up from the couch. I abandoned my dinner and went to the kitchen where I had an assortment of small potted plants in the window. I grabbed one, noticing my fingers had started to shake, and took it out to the table. I knelt down and placed the potted plant on one side. I practiced the gesture with my fingers a couple of times, then whispered the words as best as I could.
Nothing happened.
Reciting the words, louder the second time, I tried once again. The room fell silent as I finished and I stared at the small plant for so long that my eyes started to burn. But still, nothing changed.
A surprising sense of defeat and disappointment swept over me. I rocked back onto my heels and braced my back against the couch.
“Guess that answers that question,” I finally said in a small voice.
I snapped the book shut and took it over to the small table where I kept my keyring and spare change. I set it down, promising myself I’d take it back to Holly the next day. She’d probably be disappointed too, but at least we knew the truth.
Chapter 24
“What’s going on?” I asked, glancing at the empty suitcase on the bed.
“Just a little something I picked up for you,” Lucas replied, pocketing his hands. “I noticed the one in the hall closet is a little worse for the wear. Figured you could use an upgrade.”
I went to the luggage
and ran my finger along the stitching at the sides. It was top quality. That much was obvious with a single swipe. “This must have cost a small fortune,” I said, mostly to myself.
“Don’t worry about it.”
“Well, uh, thank you. It’s beautiful. Hopefully I’ll get to use it sometime.”
Lucas grinned. “I was hoping you’d say that.”
I turned around. “What are you up to?”
“I spoke with your assistant and she’s agreed to watch the shop for you for a few days.”
My heart lurched. “Lizzie?” I asked, unable to keep a slight cringe out of my voice.
Lucas didn’t seem to notice. “Yeah. As much time as I’ve spent on the West Coast, I’ve never been able to do a road trip down the 101. I thought we’d see about fixing that. We’ll start here and head south, stopping in whatever little beach town catches our eye. See how far we get in five days and then spend another three or four coming back.”
“Lucas, I don’t think I can leave right now.”
He crossed his arms. “Scarlet, come on. You’ve been working fifty hours a week since I got into town and that’s not even counting the spooky extracurriculars. You need a break.”
“He’s right, you know,” Flapjack chimed in.
“Oh, hush,” I snapped at the cat.
Lucas flashed a triumphant smile. “See?” He hadn’t heard Flapjack, but he’d been around enough over the past weeks to get to know his personality after my frequent translating.
I sighed, clearly outnumbered and too tired to argue further. “Lizzie really thinks she can handle it?” I asked, knowing that the girl would likely agree to anything if she thought it would help prove her worth and secure her job after her frequent mistakes in the beginning of her employment. She’d gotten better, but I was still shaky about the idea of leaving her the entire store in her hands.
Ghosts Gone Wild: A Beechwood Harbor Ghost Mystery (Beechwood Harbor Ghost Mysteries Book 2) Page 18