I sighed. That apparently was my answer.
Chapter Thirty-Two
I clapped, shouting with the rest of them as Sam successfully turned the biscuits into something that made her mentor grow three sizes. Thankfully, it reversed itself quite quickly. Sam's cheeks were flushed, both with excitement and exhaustion. We were on hour five of the exam, and she was getting ready to do the practical demonstration. What I hadn’t realized was that dinner would be served at the main house. Not that I was going to object. After all, I was totally down with eating all that delicious food.
Gianna stood by my side, standing on her tiptoes and craning to see a view of Sam. “She's doing really good,” Gianna said, approving.
“How are you feeling?” I asked, glancing back at her. “I know it's a lot for you to be here.”
She threw me a skeptical look. “I'd say if I was bothered.”
I bit back a smile. It was the first time Gianna had met with everybody, much less been in a large crowd. And even now, people didn't seem to recognize her. They recognized me, if they were paying attention. But Gianna seemed to go under the radar. That was good. Gradual acceptance, that's what we wanted.
“And your last task of the day is to make a drink that makes somebody fall asleep.”
Sam giggled, and then turned to her ingredients in front of her. She was talking to herself as she worked, making some type of cocktail.
“Who wants to try this?” Clementine asked, drawing cackles from the crowd.
“I will,” Avery said, apparently ever the glutton for punishment.
Sam just looked at her and grinned wickedly.
Avery looked up at the sky. “Will she get failed if it does anything other than make me fall asleep?”
“Can't answer that question,” Clementine said, her eyes sparkling wickedly.
Avery rolled her eyes. “Bring it on.”
It wasn't long before Sam presented her with a cup. Bravely, Avery sipped it. It took a few seconds, but the cup slipped out of her hands, and she fell over. Sam barely caught her, although she was smirking.
I watched them for a few seconds, suspicious.
And then, slowly, from the back to the front, Avery’s hair turned rainbow, from red to purple.
Sam was giggling to herself.
Clementine rolled her eyes, but it was a fond sort of exasperation.
I shook my head. “Really?” I muttered.
“She looks good with rainbow hair,” Gianna said.
I shook my head, but I smiled. She did. Even if it was weird to see.
Still, once the exam was over Gianna and I headed back to the main house. Sam had to prepare dinner, and then once it was served, she would find out if she passed or failed. It was easy enough to distract myself by making a mental note of everything I had to do at the pet shop before I got home. It was a long list.
Still, we went over to the main house, and Sam was putting the finishing touches on dinner.
“Are you sure you want to come?” I asked, looking at Gianna.
She fixed me with exasperated eyes. “Would you stop saying that?” she huffed, rolling her eyes. “If I didn't want to be here, I would've said no.”
I made myself let it go. “If you ever get uncomfortable –”
Gianna's eyes turned threatening. “I will curse you.”
I arched an eyebrow at her. “How's that working for you on the playground?”
She rolled her eyes. “There aren’t any playgrounds in middle school.”
I bit back a laugh. I led Gianna inside the main house and towards the living room, not surprised to see people filing in.
“Sit down,” Marguerite said, and quiet fell over the room. I picked a spot further away from Marguerite, since we had a bunch of extra guests. Gianna kept to my left, near the end of the table, so when Avery took the seat on Gianna’s other side, she was surrounded by safe people. Riley, of course, took the side Gianna wasn't on. She smiled at me, grinning when I looked at her.
“Shouldn’t you be doing paperwork?” I muttered to her.
“Chief gave me respite,” she said with a bland smile. “I decided to come here and make your life more difficult.”
I couldn't stop my cheeks from turning pink. “You’re ridiculous,” I told her.
Clementine stood at the front of the table, next to Marguerite. Her face was utterly blank.
I saw Sam standing against the wall, her face anxious and her hands twisting in her flour-covered apron.
“Pass,” Clementine said, her face breaking into a wide smile.
About half the table erupted into cheers, clapping. The other half just clapped with a polite stony silence. That, of course, was led by Marguerite, and the surviving councilmembers.
I sort of felt bad for the Council. Zane had been arrested, Clara had been killed. It didn't seem like a good time to be on the Witch's Council. Unless, of course, you were Marguerite.
I sort of wondered if they were going to get Marguerite to take the head position. After all, that had been considered her motive. But paperwork was a big deterrent. No way in hell would I want a job with that much paperwork.
I amended that. Again. I had done more than enough paperwork when I was a social worker.
“What are you thinking of?” Gianna asked, looking at me as she picked up some of the food.
“It's been an interesting month,” I said.
Gianna rolled her eyes. There was something sad there, but something hopeful too. “You're telling me.”
“How are your studies?” Lyrical, owner of the local B&B, asked. She was sitting next to her husband, Donovan. I blinked, and then realized she wasn't looking at me. She was looking at Gianna.
“Good,” Gianna said, looking and sounding a little bit like a deer in headlights. “How is your business?”
Lyrical’s smile was relaxed, even though I could see that bit of fear there. They were starting to come around, even though it wasn't completely. “It's good, thank you,” she said. “We tend to get more business before it gets super hot.”
Gianna glanced up at a window. “I hate the sun.”
There were grins, laughing around the table. “Amen,” Donovan said, grinning at her.
Gianna ducked her head. “Thanks,” she said, nudging me under the table.
I could tell Riley heard, because she smiled suddenly. And no, she wasn't smiling at her mashed potatoes, thank you.
“Any time,” I told her.
“So when are you opening that pet shop of yours?” Riley asked, her voice teasing.
I turned to look at her. “It has a name,” I said.
I looked at Gianna, and she winked. “Glass Oceans,” I said.
Riley raised her eyebrows further. “That's not as clever as I thought it would be,” she said.
I looked at her. “If you have any fish aquarium puns, feel free to substitute them.”
“Under the Sea?” Gianna suggested, paying far too much attention for my liking.
“That sounds better to me,” she said.
I looked from one of them to the other, and then mockingly threw my hands up in the air. “You're ganging up on me,” I said. “How am I supposed to deal with that?”
Riley looked thoughtful. “Although, you could probably do Under or Over the Sea, if you're having freshwater.”
“But those are technically underwater,” Gianna pointed out.
“But not the sea,” Riley pointed out back.
Oh God. There I was, sitting between two people who argued semantics.
“You're smart for an 11-year-old,” Riley said, leaning forward so she could look at Gianna.
Gianna gave her the same look back. “You're smart for an adult.”
I hid a smile behind a cough, and another bite of the green beans. They were good, even though I sort of hated the things. Still, no matter whether I liked the food underneath or not, Sam made everything taste delicious.
She was chatting to Clementine on the other side of the
table, her eyes and face excited. I could only imagine how much pressure had been put on her, and how scary things had been.
“Next year that'll be you,” Riley said, nudging me.
Gianna leaned forward, her eyes narrowing at Riley. “You will be there, won't you?” she asked suspiciously.
“I wouldn't miss it for the world,” she said with far too much sincerity. “If only to see how many people she lights on fire.”
“I hate both of you.” I took another bite of potato.
Gianna smiled. “No,” she said. “You hate Theodore.”
Riley looked from one of us to the other, slightly baffled. “Who's Theodore?”
Gianna laughed, and it was wide and almost carefree.
“You'll find out,” I said, way too pleased with myself. “You'll find out.”
Riley looked suspicious. “Will I find out when you open?”
“Couple weeks to go for that.”
“Okay,” Riley said. Her eyes shifted serious for second, and she reached out and touched my arm with her free hand. That was, the hand not holding the fork. “If you need anything, you know where to find me,” she said, her voice dropping into serious territory for a second.
I looked at her, surprised at the offer. But I nodded. “I may have your muscles come in and move some heavy stuff,” I teased.
Riley pretended to flex her arm. “That's me,” she said. “I'm just good for heavy lifting.”
I shook my head at her, but I was smiling. When I looked at Gianna, she and Avery were talking about glass work. Everybody fit in so well, and for once, I felt like I was home.
Hi Reader!
I want to thank you for taking a chance on a new pen name! “Charms & Clouds” is the second book in the Weather Witch series, a lesfic paranormal cozy mystery - isn’t that a mouthful! I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I did writing it!
Whether you’re a repeat reader or someone new to my work, I am really grateful that you took time out of your busy day to read my book! It would mean a lot to me if you could take a minute and leave a review of Charms & Clouds on Amazon, or even Goodreads. Reviews make a big difference in the success of independent authors like me, and I really want to know what my readers think and what they would like to see more of!
If you liked this book and want to read the next one in the series, I have good news - Spells and Sunshine should be out by the end of June! If you want to be notified when it’s released, please, please sign up for my mailing list!
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Feel free to drop me an email at [email protected] or a message me on https://www.facebook.com/emiliaspringbooks/ if you have questions or simply would like to chat! I love hearing from you. It makes a writer’s day, that’s for sure. :)
I hope you are well, dear reader, and I hope to see you again soon!
Emilia
Books in the Weather Witch series
Witchcraft & Winds (book 1)
Charms & Clouds (book 2 - this book!)
Spells & Sunshine (book 3 - coming soon!)
**
If you like your mysteries with a bit more grit and a lot more steam, feel free to check out my books under my other pen name, Noelle Winters -
Shattered Hearts
. Falling For You
I Spy
Necessary Sacrifice
Poker Face
Remember Me
About the Author
Emilia Spring grew up in Washington and then decided Arizona was a smart career move. While she has not yet turned into a shriveled husk after four summers, each summer she is certain it will be her last. Emilia can most often be found in Starbucks, sipping frappuccinos and enjoying free A/C as she types away at her latest novel, plotting creative ways to murder (fictional) people. She can also be found at home, obediently entertaining her two dogs, who enjoy seeing how much trouble they can get into and how many grey hairs they can place on her head.
For stress relief, Emilia enjoys watching true crime and jotting down notes for thousands of stories she would have to clone herself to write. Why weren’t humans born with four hands?
You can get in touch with me (Emilia) through email: [email protected]
To sign up for my mailing list or to get in touch,
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[email protected]
Charms & Clouds Page 29