“I can’t imagine they’d even want to see me, neither of them like me.”
“It doesn’t matter whether they like you or not,” Aunt Maxine said. “Witches stick together. You just never know when we might need their help.”
Petunia forced a smile. “I know, Aunt Maxine. I’m not trying to be difficult, I swear.”
“No harm done, this time. Before you go off gallivanting, looking for a car again, I’d be happy to lend you my Oldsmobile 98 … provided Noah does the driving.”
“Look who is getting schooled,” Pansy said.
“How about you just sit on the counter and lick yourself and let me do the talking,” Petunia retorted.
Fortunately, Pansy didn’t have a comeback, or perhaps he was waiting for an opportune moment to get under her skin. The thing with Pansy is that you just never knew what might happen or what he might do.
“Be a dear and stock the shelves for me, Petunia,” Aunt Maxine said. “I need to find a spell to share with Estelle and Maria.”
“Is that really such a good idea?”
“Not to worry. They’ll be sharing one with us, as well.”
“For all we know, the Hoodwinks might put a spell on us, or cause us to put one on ourselves.”
“Petunia does have a point,” Wanda said. “Hey, have you ever tried one of your own potions, Petunia?”
“Any witch who tries her own potions is headed for her own doom,” Aunt Maxine insisted.
“Not to worry, aunt, I have no intentions of ever doing that. I’ve learned there are some things you just don’t do.”
“Just like turning me into a cat,” Pansy said.
Petunia shot Pansy a look, deciding to reserve a comment until later although he was absolutely right. She had more things to worry about today, like meeting up with Estelle and Maria. “Can I please get out of going to the Hoodwinks?”
“No,” came her aunt’s reply.
Chapter 4
Petunia did her best not to sigh loud enough for anyone to hear, but when Aunt Maxine said, “Not now, Petunia,” she knew that she had failed miserably. She didn’t want to sound like a complainer, but she knew this night was going to be painful for her. Estelle and Maria had never gone out of their way to be pleasant to her and she didn’t expect that today would be much different.
A woman dressed in a maid’s uniform opened the door at the Hoodwinks. She was board thin with long, dark hair that nearly covered her eyes. There was something about her that Petunia couldn’t put a finger on. Of course she didn’t especially like that she couldn’t look the woman in the eye, but she wasn’t there to worry about the maid.
They were led into the parlor where Estelle and Maria were speaking in hushed tones until Aunt Maxine cleared her throat.
“Look who’s here, Maria,” Estelle said. “I didn’t think I’d ever see Petunia face-to-face again. I only hope that she’s not sharing one of her spells. I heard they have a way of misfiring.”
Petunia was seething inside, but she wasn’t about to let them know how angry she was. She refused, in fact. Why, she imagined that all of them being summonsed here was part of Estelle’s game. All Petunia wanted to know was why Estelle and Maria were really here in town. She wasn’t certain that Lake Forest could handle more than four witches.
The maid walked into the room carrying glasses filled with green liquid, offering one to Petunia, Aunt Maxine, Wanda, and Hazel.
“Please tell me you’re not going to drink that,” Pansy said. “There’s no telling what it will turn you into.”
“Don’t worry. I don’t plan to.”
Maria stepped forward. “Oh, I see you brought your familiar,” Maria said. “I’m quite sure he’ll be more comfortable with the other familiars … in the other room.”
“Tell her I’m not familiar … tell her that I’m not going into another room!”
“Don’t worry, I have no intention of her sending you anywhere.”
Maria crossed her arms and tapped her pointed-toe shoe. “I’ve never met a witch before who consults with her familiar before she makes a decision.”
“Pansy is not a familiar, he’s much more than that.”
“Oh, I know all about that. He’s one of your failed science projects.”
“Are you going to allow her to speak to you like that?” Pansy asked, as he paced the floor in front of Petunia.
“Pansy is quite magical, you know,” Petunia blurted out, regretting what she said the moment the words left her mouth.
“I am? Of course I am!” Pansy beamed.
“Magical?” Hazel asked. When Maxine threw Hazel one of her looks, Petunia nodded her head profusely. “Pansy is the first magical cat in all of Lake Forest.”
“She’s so right,” Aunt Maxine added. “Why, just last week Pansy made a dog disappear into thin air.”
“See, even your aunt knows the truth,” Pansy exclaimed. “I’m the most magical cat in the world.”
“I think we’re getting ahead of ourselves. I mean, the only way that dog disappeared was because you chased him back over to Noah’s house. You know Noah’s dog Melvin is afraid of you.”
“Magical, you say?” Maria asked with a glint in her eye. “I’d love to see a demonstration and I’m sure my mother would, too.”
Estelle belly laughed as she clapped her hands. “Oh, yes, I can’t wait.”
Petunia grimaced. “How on earth are you going to pull this off, Pansy?”
“Me? You’re the one that told them I’m magical. You think of something.”
Petunia glanced around the room to get her bearings and come up with an idea of what Pansy could do that would look the least bit magical. Unfortunately, the only thing she could think of was his ability to make food disappear.
Petunia knew Maria and Estelle wouldn’t wait long as they were fixated on Pansy, who of course was just sitting there. That was until he spied a birdcage hanging on a pole. Before she could stop him, Pansy lunged for the cage. The door then popped open and the yellow and blue parakeet disappeared into Pansy’s mouth.
“Spit him out this minute,” Petunia shouted.
Pansy’s eyes widened as he choked and coughed … feathers flying from his mouth. “What do you think I’m trying to do?” he wheezed.
“Do something, Petunia,” Aunt Maxine ordered.
“What do you expect me to do?” Petunia asked. “You know how those magical cats can be … or I think you do.”
“You mean you’re just going to let me die?” Pansy whimpered between coughs.
“You got yourself into this and you’ll have to be the one to get yourself out of it.”
Maria grabbed her wand. “I’ll take care of this myself.”
Estelle had other plans as she yanked Maria’s wand away. “We will not interfere. You’re the one that wanted a demonstration and that’s what we’re getting.”
“But he ate my familiar.”
“Hold that thought,” Wanda said. “I think Pansy is going to pass a hairball.”
Pansy coughed and sputtered and gasped and finally, with feathers flying, the parakeet flew from his mouth. The bird then circled the room before he disappeared into the cage where it sat on the perch as if nothing had occurred.
Maria quickly closed the cage door, murmuring protectively to her familiar.
Petunia picked up Pansy, giving him a good petting. “Are you okay, Pansy?”
“No! I almost choked on a parakeet.”
“What were you thinking doing that?”
“I don’t know. I know I was expected to do something magical but that’s when my instincts kicked in.”
“Well, I hope your instincts won’t get us turned into toads,” Petunia said, glancing at Hazel and Wanda in irritation as they laughed. Petunia could find nothing funny about the situation and she feared what Maria might do now. But one thing was for sure … there was just no way Pansy had any magical powers.
Aunt Maxine shook her head sadly. “Well, look at it this way
, Maria, at least Pansy didn’t eat your parakeet.”
Maria swiped the contents of a nearby table and flung them to the floor in anger. She pointed a finger right at Petunia. “I’ll get you for this.”
“What did I do? You’re the one that wanted a demonstration of Pansy’s magical powers. Well, apparently he has the ability to swallow and then spit out a parakeet.”
“There, there, my love, it’s okay. I’ll send that bad cat away … forever!” Maria then cooed to her bird, but when she tried to reach into the cage, she received a vicious peck. “What did that cat of yours do to my bird?” she snarled.
Petunia shrugged. “Perhaps your familiar never liked you in the first place?”
“I want my parakeet back the way he was.”
“Calm down, Maria. I’m quite certain your familiar has had enough for one day. You can hardly expect him to want anyone near him after he was just swallowed and spit out by a cat,” Estelle told her daughter.
“Y-You’re probably right,” Maria stuttered. “I-I think I should go lay down. I’m not feeling very well now.”
Petunia watched as Maria disappeared into the other room. She didn’t particularly like Maria, but she was certainly upset about her parakeet. Petunia could understand that. Why, if anyone did anything to one of her precious cats, she’d be upset, too, so she did feel some measure of guilt about what happened. She would have been upset with Pansy, but he appeared quite distraught since coughing up the bird.
“Perhaps tonight isn’t the best night for us to visit,” Aunt Maxine said. She pulled a piece of paper out of her pocket, handing it to Estelle. “Here’s a recipe for a potion that will cure the common cold.”
“You can’t be serious. There simply is no cure for human viruses, and even if there was, I highly doubt you’d give that potion to us.”
Aunt Maxine sighed. “You caught me. The truth of the matter is I was stalling. I’m just not sure us trading spells is a good idea. I mean, what if you used one of my spells and something dreadful happened?”
“You’re probably right,” Estelle said, handing back the paper. “I highly doubt you’d trust us to give you a spell that would work.”
“I know I wouldn’t,” Pansy muttered weakly.
“So why are we really here?” Petunia asked.
“Actually I was hoping that we could make amends. I know that me and Maria can come off harsh sometimes, but us witches need to stick together.”
“I can’t agree more,” Aunt Maxine said. “I was just telling Petunia that earlier. There’s a luncheon at the mayor’s house tomorrow, why don’t you join us there.”
“Is she nuts!” Pansy said.
“You know I can’t attend,” Petunia said. “I’m entering my cats in the Lake Forest Cat Show tomorrow.”
“Cat show, you say? Now that’s something I won’t miss. We have a beautiful Maine Coon that will be a shoo-in,” Estelle said.
“You can’t enter a familiar in the cat show,” Petunia insisted.
Estelle’s brow arched sharply. “Oh, does that mean won’t be entering Pansy?”
“Pansy’s not my familiar.”
Estelle waved her hand. “I believe you already told us that. Our Maine Coon isn’t a familiar, either.” She smiled. “I guess we’ll see you at the cat show tomorrow and skip the luncheon. I need to ask you to leave now. I must attend to my daughter. I’ve never seen her quite this upset.”
On the way home, Petunia was lost in thought. She wished she had never told the Hoodwinks that Pansy was magical. Things had certainly spiraled out of control.
“So, what time do you plan to leave for the cat show?” Aunt Maxine asked.
“I really haven’t given it much thought. I suppose I’ll have to speak to Noah first.”
“Well, when you do, give me a call. You’ll need help with your cat carriers.”
“I certainly hope your cats will behave themselves,” Wanda added with a chuckle.
Hazel laughed. “You’ll probably have to dangle a cat food can from a fishing pole.”
Chapter 5
Petunia yawned as she answered the door the next morning to a smiling Noah, who whistled as he walked inside. He was impeccably dressed in tan slacks and a blue button-up shirt with a red tie. His hazel eyes warmed her heart.
“Who is the stiff?” Pansy asked. “Never mind, I see it's a lug-head. I wonder if he knows he'll be covered with cat hair today?”
“Why are you dressed up?” Petunia asked with a frown.
Noah surveyed her appearance. “I hope you know your cats won’t be the only thing being judged. I expected you’d wear something more than jeans and a T-shirt.”
“We're only enrolling the cats for the show today, not ourselves.”
Noah opened a brochure. “According to this brochure, the judges will be taking a look at the cats that are being entered.”
“I don't think I like the way you said that, Noah. Are you saying that if the judge doesn't approve of any of the cats being entered, that cat won't be allowed to be a contestant?”
“That's exactly what I'm saying. Otherwise, there might be too many cats in the show.”
Petunia took the offered brochure from Noah and read it out loud. “All cats entered in the show will be subject to judges’ approval.”
“You better head upstairs and change, Red,” Pansy said.
“I'm going, I'm going,” Petunia muttered out loud.
“You're going where?” Noah asked with raised brow.
“Going upstairs to change, silly. I want to afford my cats every opportunity to win the competition.”
Petunia hurried upstairs, returning dressed in a cream-colored skirt and blouse, tugging her auburn hair into a high ponytail.
“You look amazing, Petunia. I mean, good enough for a cat show,” Noah said, as she joined him downstairs.
“That lug-head isn't the brightest light in the box,” Pansy said. “Even I knew how to talk to a woman when I was a man.”
Petunia let that one go. There was no sense in reminding Pansy that he used to be a player when he was a man. Petunia and Pansy had come a long way since she changed him into a cat and she couldn't help but wonder if Pansy was almost jealous of Noah. Of course that made no sense at all.
“What time are we planning to leave?” Petunia asked Noah. “Aunt Maxine offered to help us take the cats today.”
“That's a good idea. I’d hate to have to put one of the cat carriers in my trunk.”
“If you did that I'm sure we’d be run out of town. You should know how much animals are loved—and cats, in particular. Besides, I’d never allow you to do such a thing.”
There was a knock on the door and Aunt Maxine marched in with Hazel and Wanda. Petunia shook her head. Her aunt and friends each wore sweaters with cats on them. The cats on the sweater were quite large and would be hard to miss, although Petunia imagined that many of the people entering cats in the show would be dressed in a similar way.
“How nice to see you, Noah,” Aunt Maxine said. “I'm so glad to know that you're still dating my niece. I daresay there might be a wedding next year at this time.”
“I had no idea you were dating anyone, Aunt Maxine.” Noah winked.
“You're perfectly aware of who I was talking about Noah, but that was rather presumptuous of me. It's just that Petunia thinks the world of—”
“Cats,” Petunia interjected. “I love cats or I wouldn't have four of them.” She laughed nervously. “Why don't you go into the kitchen, Aunt Maxine. I whipped up a pitcher of iced tea.”
“If you whipped it up, I have to give it a try,” Wanda said, leading the way into the kitchen.
After Aunt Maxine and her friends were in the other room, Petunia had to say, “I'm sorry about Aunt Maxine. She tends to say exactly what's on her mind. You might say she's been trying to get me hitched since high school.”
Noah smiled. “No need to apologize. I'm sure she just wants what’s best for you.” He then frowned. “An
d here I thought I was special.”
“You are … I mean, you're okay.” Petunia grimaced.
“I think you're okay, too, Petunia,” Noah said, laughter dancing in his eyes.
“I think I'm going to throw up,” Pansy said.
“Hush up, would you. It's not like I expected my aunt to start this conversation.”
Noah broke into her thoughts. “Where are your cat carriers?”
“In the closet. I didn't want to scare my cats, but they must have gotten wind something would happen today from the way I fed them their special treats.”
Noah removed the cat carriers from the closet and lined them up. “Well, I think it's time to round them up.”
Petunia first walked into the kitchen in search of her cats, but surprisingly they were not there. Then she looked … behind the couch … in the bathroom … upstairs … and finally outside. She called out, “Merlin … Sassy … Gem ….”
Petunia had no idea where they could be … until she looked into Cora’s backyard. Her cats were up a tree with two German Shepherds barking at them from below.
“Oh, my,” Petunia fretted. She raced into the house. “Noah, I need your help. My cats are stuck in Cora’s tree.”
Noah hurried out the back door, jumping over the chain-link fence. On the other hand, Petunia stood on her side of the fence. “Get those dogs out of there.”
“Where did the dogs even come from? Does Cora have a dog?” Noah asked.
“Not that I'm aware of, but it wouldn't surprise me if she somehow orchestrated this whole thing.”
“She somehow coaxed your cats out of your house and made them climb a tree?”
Petunia frowned. “I suppose that's a stretch, but where did of those dogs come from?”
Aunt Maxine, Wanda, and Hazel joined Petunia outside. “Oh, no,” Hazel gasped. “What are Mr. Cooper's dogs doing over there?”
“Mr. Cooper?” Petunia asked.
“Why, yes, he's a retired school teacher who just moved here and lives on the corner,” Hazel informed her.
“Why, you seem to know quite a bit about this Mr. Cooper,” Aunt Maxine said. “I had no idea you were fishing for another husband.”
Meows, Magic, & Mayhem (Lake Forest Witches Book 4) Page 3