by Bella Falls
“It’s just me and you, Peachy Poo,” I crooned, stroking her little head and soaking in her comforting purr.
A dark shadow crossed the light of the moon, and a faint caw echoed nearby. Biddy flapped her wings and landed on the porch railing. She cocked her head back and forth, squawking like she always did. I picked off a bit of pie crust and tossed it on the porch for her to nibble on. If both my cat and my crow felt like I needed them, my life must be deep in the pits.
A thundering motor approached in the distance. It stopped at the edge of the property and cut off. I’d wondered if Dash would say a proper goodbye when he jetted from the doctor’s office without another word. My heart raced and my mood lifted a bit at the chance to talk to him alone, but then it sank when I remembered the circumstances. I wasn’t ready to have him leave my life.
“Looks like you’re keeping good company,” he rumbled from the shadows.
I would never get used to his stealthy ways. “They’re the only ones I allowed to stay.”
“Oh.” He stepped into the porch light and ran a finger through his longer locks. “Do you want me to go?”
I would have jumped up and held on to him to prevent just that, but I didn’t want to desert Peaches, who nuzzled deeper into my lap.
I pointed at her. “I’m kinda stuck right now.”
“Then if you don’t mind,” he bounded up the steps and sat down next to me, “I’ll come to you.”
His warm body crowded mine, and I resisted the urge to lean into him. Only an inch or less kept us apart, and it would take nothing but a neck tilt and a lean to lay my head on his shoulder. And yet again, I found myself conflicted between the guy with me and another that seemed to be slipping away.
“Wanna bite?” I asked without thinking. “Of pie. Do you want a bite of pie,” I stupidly clarified, holding the tin and the fork for him to take.
Dash chuckled. “Sure.” He groaned with pleasure while chewing. “So good. I like a good chess pie. Mom used to make them.”
Oh my heart. It was all too much to digest—Dash’s engagement and Mason’s lost memory. I plucked Peaches off my lap and stood up, grabbing onto the painted wooden railing for stability. The song of the cicadas filled my ears, and I breathed in and out to their rhythm.
“What are you thinking?” Dash asked in a quiet tone.
I swallowed the lump in my throat. “Uh, I was just thinking that I’m the one who makes the best chess pies.”
“Did you make this one?”
Clearing my throat and wiping away the tears threatening to spill, I turned around with a phony smile. “No. That one Nana brought over.”
“Hmm. Comfort food. I can understand why you would need it tonight of all nights.” The shifter’s kind gaze burned a hole right through me.
“Listen, Dash,” I started.
He lifted his nose in the air, sniffing, and his smile dissolved. “Hold on.” Standing up, he followed whatever scent drew him in. When he stopped at my screen door, he held up a finger. “Wait here and don’t come in until I tell you to.”
“You’re freaking me out,” I whispered, unsure of why I had to obey while at my own home.
Dash opened the door, wincing at its creaks and groans. “Good. Use that fear to stay outside.” He stepped over the threshold and carefully let the door close behind him.
When I lost sight of him, I couldn’t wait around. I approached on tiptoe and gazed through the screen. “Dash,” I called out in a whispered yell. “What’s going on?”
He didn’t reply, so I took that as a clear sign I should walk inside. The door slammed against the frame with a loud thwack. So I wasn’t a shifter with the ability to move around without being heard.
A hand covered my mouth and my whole body lifted off the floor. I flailed and screamed, managing to kick my heel into the groin of the person holding me. I landed on my butt when he let me go.
“Ow,” grunted Dash, bending over. “Why’d you kick me there?”
“Why’d you put your hand over my mouth and pick me up?” I shouted, getting back up and rubbing my behind. “You nearly gave me a heart attack.”
He couldn’t stand up straight and continued to moan. “I knew you wouldn’t listen to me, so I was trying to play a joke on you. Seriously, you didn’t have to catch me in that particular spot.”
I tried to pat him on the back, but he pushed me away. When he regained a little composure, he stood up straight and blew out a big breath.
“So there wasn’t anything to be afraid of in here in the first place?” I asked.
He cast me some serious side eye, but answered, “I think there was. Someone has left their scent all over the place.”
I waved him off. “You’re probably detecting one of the girls. Alison Kate, Lily, Lavender, and Blythe were all over here. Plus, Beau and Mason moved around the house, too.” At the mention of the detective’s name, my guilt rose back to life and I second-guessed standing there alone with Dash.
The shifter scented the air again. “It’s strongest in there.” He pointed to the more formal living room where some of Uncle Tipper’s old collections remained on display.
“I hardly ever use the room. It’s always felt like my great-uncle’s instead of mine. And I want him to feel at home if he ever comes to haunt me,” I teased.
“Hmph, if you invite Georgia over, she could probably tell you whether or not he has. Hold on.” He picked up a flask sitting in the middle of a small decorative table with inlaid decoration from Italy that depicted a scene from the Bay of Naples using different species of wood. “Was this always there?”
“No, all the flasks usually go in the glass curio over there,” I pointed at the far wall. “Hey, there was a folded piece of paper underneath it.”
Dash picked the paper up and sniffed it. “Yeah, whoever came into the house wrote this.” He took another deep whiff.
I wiggled my fingers. “Give it.”
“Are you sure? Maybe we should get your brother involved,” he suggested, holding the paper away from me.
“Whoever left it meant for it to be found, and it must be for me because this is my house now.” I snatched the thin vellum from his fingers and opened it up.
In a scrawl I didn’t recognize, I read the message addressed to me.
“Dear Charli, I’m sorry to intrude without your permission, but I didn’t want to disturb you this weekend as you seemed to be very busy. Please know that I have waited a long time to get in touch with you, but I guess I’ll have to wait a little longer. I’ll leave you my cell phone number for you to call if you want to talk. I think we have a lot of things we could share with each other. Until then, know that our family has been looking for you for a long time, and I hope we do get to meet soon. Sincerely, Abigail Wilson, your cousin.”
I read through the words twice before I let Dash take a look. When Fate chose to mess with me, she didn’t mess around.
“My cousin, Abigail. I have a cousin named Abigail.” I tugged on Dash’s shirt. “She must be my blood cousin. I mean, biologically related to me.”
He tossed the letter on the table. “And she broke into your house.”
I picked it back up and pressed it to my chest. “So? She gives a good reason right here.” I pointed to the middle part. “She says she knew I was busy.”
“And how did she know that was true? She must have been spying on you, which, you have to admit, is a little creepy,” Dash said.
I smacked his arm. “Hey, don’t call my almost-cousin creepy.”
“Almost-cousin?” Dash rubbed the spot I hit.
“Yeah, just because she says she is doesn’t mean I’m gonna believe it one hundred percent until I check her out. Still, this is the first connection I’ve ever found to my biological family. Ooh, wait, there’s a P.S.,” I squealed, reading it out loud.
“P.S. My friends call me Abby. Only my grandmother insists I be called Abigail. You can choose which one fits when we meet. Which, again, I hope will be soon.
”
“Abigail Wilson,” Dash mumbled. “Doesn’t even sound like a real name. She could be using a fake one and be lying about being related to you. I’d be really careful if I were you. Make sure Mason and the wardens…” he trailed off.
My face crumbled, and Dash reached out to rub my shoulder. “I’m sorry, Charli. I forgot he’s not okay.”
“He will be okay,” I responded in a loud voice. “He has to be.”
The mood between us sank like an anchor in the ocean. I folded the note and stuffed it in my pocket, wanting to read it a few more times, keeping it to myself until I figured out how to enlist the family members I’d known all my life for help.
“Hey, you didn’t even tell me if you liked your gift,” Dash said, trying to switch the subject.
I furrowed my brow. “You didn’t bring me a gift.”
“Not when I came. I dropped it off earlier. You mean you didn’t see it? Come on.” He grasped my hand and pulled me back outside.
We rounded the corner of my house, and he used his spell phone to shine a light on a metallic object parked by the side of my porch.
“Old Joe,” I exclaimed, my hands reaching out to stroke down the worn leather of the seat.
My dad’s old motorcycle looked better than it did when he was alive. I petted it like it was Peaches, excited to hear its engine purr. I found the key in the ignition and couldn’t help myself. Throwing a leg over, I straddled the machine, my hands falling into place. I kick-started it, and the engine thundered to life louder than before.
I didn’t have the heart to ride in the dark, so I killed it after letting Old Joe idle and vibrate underneath me for a couple of minutes. “You finally fixed him.”
Dash flashed a toothy grin, very pleased with himself. “It took a long time to find all the parts. You’ll have to take it to Lee’s garage to have him do whatever he does to make sure it runs without failing here in Honeysuckle. But now you don’t have to use your bicycle anymore.”
“I like my magic bike,” I defended. “But it will be nice to motor around on Old Joe again. Although now Matt will probably want to have his turn since technically Dad left it to him.”
Dash chuckled. “Maybe you should have Lee cast a spell so Old Joe only responds to you.”
I snapped my fingers, “Now there’s an idea.”
He shuddered at the sound, and I hated myself for doing it. I scrambled off the motorcycle and hugged him tight, knowing how it triggered him. “I’m so sorry. I shouldn’t have done that.”
“No, I shouldn’t feel like this.” His body trembled underneath mine. I stroked my hand on his back, wanting my touch to bring him back to the here and now.
Dash settled his chin on top of my head and stroked my hair. “She really did a number on all of us.”
I squeezed my eyes tight, trying not to hear Rita’s voice screeching in my head. “She did. And we weren’t the ones she hurt the most.”
Rita had said that exact phrase to me when she reached into Mason’s mind and scrambled parts of it. I knew in my heart that although he was still under Doc Andrew’s care, the retired racer had succeeded in causing me a great deal of misery.
“Mason will be okay. You’ll get him through it all.” Dash stopped petting my head. “Your strength could save the world. You do know that it was you who stopped her today. You flew on a broom, you survived her sabotage, and it was you who ultimately took away her powers.”
“And lost mine in the process.” The truth tasted bitter. “But yeah. Go me,” I snorted.
He stepped back so he could look me in the face. Our eyes had adjusted to the little light the moon gave off, and I knew he wanted me to see and feel his sincerity.
“You are a wonderful woman.” He squeezed my hand to make sure I heard him. “Never ever doubt that or I will have to return and kick your butt around until you do,” he teased.
“Don’t joke. Not about leaving.” A tear ran down my face, and I didn’t care. Goodbyes were terrible, and I knew we were living in that moment.
“This isn’t the end, Charli. It’s just a pause while I go back and fix my pack.” He wiped the tear away, but another one fell in its place.
“And marry another girl,” I whispered.
Dash cupped my face in his hands. “Don’t think that I don’t regret the day I left you standing in the park. Every damn day, I question what would have happened if I stayed. Whether or not you and I would—”
I placed my finger over his lips. “Please don’t finish that,” I begged.
Dash pressed a light kiss on the tip of the digit. “I know.” Clearing his throat, he let go of me and backed away. “Instead of goodbye, let’s just say see you later.”
“That’s what two buddies say to each other. That or peace out,” I snorted, wanting the joke to fix my aching heart.
“Nobody says peace out. How about, I’ll be back.” He sounded just like the actor in the old movies.
“Too cheesy.” A sudden wave of grief hit me, and I rushed to Dash, holding onto him with all my strength. “Don’t go.”
“I have to.” He kissed the top of my head. “The pack needs me and there are things I want to do to…I have a list of stuff…shit.” Dash threw his arms around me and hugged me tight against his chest, rocking me back and forth.
It wasn’t a heated embrace. This time, we were telling each other everything we needed to say but couldn’t. I didn’t know if and when I would see him again, but something told me that Dash would never be completely out of my life. Until that time, he would remain a friend I cared for deeply, wanting him to live the best life possible.
When we released each other, we didn’t have to say goodbye. Dash put his hand over his heart before turning around and taking long strides toward the road. I couldn’t watch him walk away, so I ran to my porch and up the steps.
“Hey, Charli,” he called out, stopping me.
“Yeah?”
“Don’t worry about Mason. You saved Lucky, you saved me, and you kind of saved all of Honeysuckle. Again,” he chuckled. “It’s just gonna take a little longer for you to save him.” With one last wave, he disappeared into the darkness of the night.
I plopped down on the steps and gave into my sobs. I cried for Dash leaving, for Mason losing a part of what belonged to both of us, for the loss of my magic. My life was changing, and I had nothing to navigate which way I needed to go.
When the night air blew cool across my tear-stained cheeks and I had nothing left inside me to cry out, I pushed myself up and sat on the top step again. Peaches took back her spot in my lap, and I tried not to dump her out while pulling the note out of my pocket. I read it over and over until I’d memorized it.
Despite my current state, I wasn’t alone in this world. I’d never really been alone because I had so many people that loved and cared about me in my life. But now, a new door opened, and whoever was on the other side of it beckoned me to step through.
Fate was definitely a witch with a capital B. And I loved witches.
Dear Reader -
Thanks so much for reading Moonshine & Magic. If you enjoyed the book (as much as I did writing it), I hope you’ll consider leaving a review!
Collards & Cauldrons: Book 5 is ready to be one-clicked!
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Southern Charms Cozy Mystery Series
Magic and mystery are only part of the Southern Charms of Honeysuckle Hollow…
Suggested reading order:
Chess Pie & Choices: Prequel
Moonshine & Magic: Book 1
Lemonade & Love Potions: A Cozy Short
Fried Chicken & Fangs: Book 2
Sweet Tea & Spells: Book 3
Barbecue & Brooms: Book 4
Collards & Cauldrons: Book 5
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Acknowledgments
The phrase “it takes a village” doesn’t even begin to cover how many of my friends and family helped bring Book 4 to life. Thanking them at the end of a book seems small compared to the love and encouragement that brought me to The End.
If it weren’t for my coffee coven of fellow paranormal cozy writers Danielle Garrett, Cate Lawley, and Tegan Maher, I wouldn’t have gotten in so many words. Thanks for keeping me accountable. I owe you all a latte when we meet up with our bigger coven with Amanda M. Lee, Amy Boyles, Leighann Dobbs, and Annabel Chase.
I seem to thank author Melanie Summers in every book I write, but that’s because without her, I would never nail down my story plots. Thanks for listening, my friend from the fairyland of Canadia.
My family has always taught me that blood doesn’t make a family, love does. I’m so glad our travels have finally brought us home and closer to each other.
And finally, I have to thank my husband who lets me disappear into the writing cave but always makes sure I’m taken care of. Thanks for believing in my dream.
About the Author
Bella Falls grew up on the magic of sweet tea, barbecue, and hot and humid Southern days. She met her husband at college over an argument of how to properly pronounce the word pecan (for the record, it should be pea-cawn, and they taste amazing in a pie). Although she’s had the privilege of living all over the States and the world, her heart still beats to the rhythm of the cicadas on a hot summer’s evening.
Now, she’s taken her love of the South and woven it into a world where magic and mystery aren’t the only Charms.
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