Scarlett and Gus both blinked at that. She couldn’t deny she’d been tempted by him. By the comfort of him. If he hadn’t left when she was still recovering from her marriage, she didn’t doubt they’d have considered a relationship a little more seriously. They glanced at each other and back to Gram.
“Scarlett isn’t right for you. Just like that ninny you brought home isn’t right for you. Was she born under a rock? She was certainly as blind as one.”
Gus cleared his throat. His cheesecake-loaded fork was held halfway to his mouth. Instead of eating it, he set it down on the table next to him. Scarlett and Gus glanced at each other once again and then back to Gram. Mr. Throdmore and Mr. Jueavas were carefully not looking at Scarlett or Gus.
“You feel like you’ve been scolded?” Gus asked Scarlett in an aside.
Scarlett nodded.
Gram ignored both of them and said, “Scarlett is all over the place. She’s a mess since her marriage. She has baggage which makes her crazier than normal. But she’s also always been protective of you. Even now…she’s protective. Look at you. You’re huge. You’re powerful. You’re a vampire with strength and fangs, and she treats you like you’re just off your deathbed half the time.”
“I do not!” Scarlett gasped and then added, “What’s so wrong with being protective?”
“Gus has his fangs now, love. He’s all alpha dog. He needs someone who at least sees that in him. You see your fragile friend.”
“He’s a vampire, not a shapeshifter,” Scarlett said. She took a bite of the cheesecake and nudged Gus with her leg. Inside her head, Scarlett wondered just how right Gram was.
“I know what he is. And what you are. I know you both far better than you might think. Scarlett would have made you crazy within a year,” Gram said, laughing meanly. “How many times did we laugh over it, Henna?”
“You were the only one laughing,” Henna said. “The death of dreams is painful. Gus has dreamed about Scarlett since before he even knew what falling in love was. Stop prodding the boy with your nasty ways.”
“He needs someone who sees him for what he is, not what they remember. He needs someone who lets him protect back. He needs someone who isn’t all mama bear with her cub like Scarlett is with Gus.”
Scarlett swallowed. She felt protective of Lex. Of course, she did. How was that so different?
“Let it go,” Henna said again to Gram.
“But then I can’t tell him about the perfect girl for him,” Gram said.
She sniffed and eyed Gus. Given how intuitive Gram was, she might well be right. Scarlett was intrigued, but Gus looked horrified.
“Now is not the time,” Henna snapped losing a little bit of her kindness. “Scarlett, did you find out anything about the person who was killed?”
“No, but the area was hex bagged. It was…powerful. And there was something, some link to the nature there that would have gotten the body to decompose extra fast. If we hadn’t found that person..if the knowing hadn’t led the girls there…the body would never have been found.”
Scarlett pressed her fingers to her forehead. The memory of that death-gray hand filling her mind with far too much clarity. She shivered and suddenly rose.
“I need peppermint tea,” she said, crossing to the espresso machine and digging through the storage area. She heated water, threw in her special blend of peppermint herbal tea and added, “I need marshmallows.”
She had some of the good ones hidden at the back of the cupboards to keep Gram from thieving them. Given that Scarlett had made them herself, they weren’t so easily replaceable. Marshmallows took forever. Scarlett added a marshmallow to her tea, frowning at the cheesecake and then made herself a piece of dark rye toast with cream cheese.
“Definitely,” Gram said to Henna whose gaze turned to Scarlett.
The two of them stared at her until Scarlett snapped, ““What does that mean?”
“I think the big question is why are you mad at Lex?” Gram shot back ignoring Scarlett’s question.
She should have known. Gram never let anything go. Switching focus to Gus hadn’t saved Scarlett. Not in the least.
“Why aren’t you asking me about the body?” There was far too much whining in that question for Scarlett’s comfort, but Gram’s gaze just narrowed
“Why are you mad at Lex?” Gram snarled this time. Her moss green eyes narrowed on Scarlett until she shifted in her shoes.
“He wants to send the girls to his parents for safety,” Scarlett said flatly. She took a sip of her tea, but it wasn’t helping as much as she thought it would. She glanced down, popped a marshmallow into her mouth and then chased it with a bite of the dark rye toast.
“I thought they were dead.”
“Exactly.” She took another sip of her tea and discover that it still didn’t help her burning anger. She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, letting the peppermint smell fill her lungs. It still didn’t help. She slowly hooted out the air and said again, “Exactly.”
“There aren’t enough puffy cloud thoughts for this crap,” Gram told Scarlett.
She stretched her neck from side to side and tried not to agree with Gram. That always led to Gram ordering you around, but she was right. There weren’t enough puffy cloud thoughts, deep root thoughts, quiet creek thoughts, or scent of rain thoughts for having a lying, sidestepping, lover who tried to avoid each and every time their relationship could grow. Even though he said he loved her. Even though he said he needed and wanted her. Even though he seemed to be trying.
Apparently Scarlett was just very, very good at being lied to.
“Finding the killer will cheer you up,” Gram said.
Scarlett doubted that.
“And really irritate Lex.”
Oh that would cheer her up. She took another sip of her tea, trying and failing to hide her wide evil smile.
Chapter 8
“So which druids can make hex bags?” Scarlett asked. She shoved her plate aside and crossed to her order pad to take notes.
“There’s really not that many,” Henna said. “There’s a level of both skill and learning required. You have the skill but not the learning.”
“Doesn’t that mean I could figure it out?” Scarlett asked. “Shouldn’t we focus on anyone who has the skill set not just the know how?”
Gram raised a brow in challenge and Scarlett thought about it. She didn’t have the books for it. She had a pretty good druid library, but she was sure she didn’t have anything that would talk about that. She had no idea how warlocks and druids made their little charmed bags. Let alone creating a dark one.
Scarlett scowled and said, “Where do you get like…information on this?”
“There isn’t a website for it, that’s for sure,” Gram said. She leaned back and crossed her arms over her chest. Her lips twitched with the validation of being right, so Scarlett looked to Henna instead.
“It isn’t something we teach so freely,” Henna said. “Around here? A few of us older druids. Outside of me and your Mom? Sasha, of course. Eleanor.” She said referring to Gram and the druidic circle leader.
Scarlett thought about the druids in the circle. She hadn’t spent much time with them lately given that she was a single parent with a small business.
“What about Betty James?”
“She’s pretty elderly,” Gram said, “Even for druids. And her husband recently died. But maybe…Petra.”
“Is that her kid?” Gus asked. “Haven’t we met her?”
“Her grandkid,” Gram said. “She was a few years ahead of you guys in school.”
“She takes care of her grandma now?” Scarlett asked feeling bad at pinpointing someone who was being so kind. Surely that person couldn’t be the one who murdered whoever was dead.
“Betty might have taught Petra, she was always really bright. We usually make sure a few of us know how to make them.” Gram glanced at Henna a sour twist to her lips. Gram might be sour, but she was no more likely to want to
see a family torn apart.
Gram nodded and Henna sighed. “That would be real bad for Betty. What about Yasmine?”
“Yasmine is pretty dumb,” Gram said. “She might know the theory…”
“But she’s probably can’t pull it off.” Henna was so much nicer than Gram, Scarlett thought. She raised judgmental eyebrows at Gram, but she didn’t care one bit.
“What we need to know,” Gram said, eyes narrowing on Scarlett, “Is who is dead?”
Scarlett leaned back and crossed her arms over her chest.
“Wimp,” Gram said.
“Crone,” Scarlett countered.
Gram took Scarlett’s phone from the table and handed it to her. Scarlett did not call. She saw, however, that Lex had called a few times.
She tapped her phone for a second and Gram snatched it back, unlocked it without knowing the code, and then messaged Lex, “Who died?”
Scarlett’s eyes narrowed and Lex’s answer was a phone call.
Gram held the phone out to Scarlett who did not take it. The look Gram gave Scarlett made her immediately regret not taking the phone, but it was too late.
“This is Sasha,” Gram said. “Who died?”
Whatever Lex said had Gram smiling meanly.
“Yes,” she said with that sour tone she used too often, “Scarlett is right here. But she’s currently feeding her hurt and fury at you with a nasty array of goods and confiding in Gus.”
The phone was silent and Scarlett closed her eyes, shaking her head. She was…so very, very angry with him.
“Gus?” Scarlett could hear the cool tone through the phone even though she wasn’t the one speaking to Lex. She could hear Lex’s anger, and she just didn’t care. Not right then.
“Gus,” Gram said. “So, who died?”
Whatever Lex said had Gram pulling her nasty laugh out.
And then she said, “I could do that, but you could also answer my question.”
“Mmmmm,” Gram answered. “I think you know that’s not going to happen without you answering my question.”
Scarlett could hear the snap of anger in Lex’s voice, and she guessed that he was well aware Gram would enact vengeance and just didn’t care. Or maybe he was over Scarlett and didn’t care? The thought made her heart squeeze even though she was furious.
“Really? Who is that?”
Gus snorted and Scarlett was too furious to laugh, but her lips might have twitched. A little bit. Maybe. By the stars, she thought, she probably shouldn’t enjoy Gram winning so much.
Gram handed Scarlett the phone and told her to, “Be a grown up.”
Scarlett’s eyes narrowed, but she’d never hear the end of it if she didn’t take the phone. Gram would be bringing it up during the next five Christmas celebrations.
Scarlett snatched it out of her Gram’s hand and walked through the bakery to the garden in the back.
“Hello,” she said.
“Are you investigating this murder?” Lex asked. He was trying and failing to keep his irritation back. “With Gus?”
Scarlett considered answering and then decided not to. Instead she said, “When were you going to tell me your parents were alive?”
“We have issues,” Lex snapped. “I need you to stay out of this.”
“But you want to send the girls to them?”
Lex’s mouth clicked shut and then he said, “They’re my parents.”
“Mmm,” Scarlett said. She sighed and then added, “Well ok. Bye.”
“Scarlett,” Lex snapped, and he did something with his magic to prevent her from hanging up on him. “We will work this out. You don’t need to turn to Gus.”
“Lex,” Scarlett countered, immediately flushed with fresh anger. “You should know better than that.”
“We will work it out,” he said again. More ordered.
Her eyes narrowed as she considered what he said. They probably would work it out. She loved him. He loved her. Gram was right about Lex learning to be part of a family. And Scarlett had been witness to how hard he was trying, but she really, really wanted to sock him in the stomach right then.
“I’m not dumping you for Gus,” she said flatly.
She could hear him take a deep breath.
“But that doesn’t mean we aren’t through if you don’t stop lying to me and hiding your life from me.”
He didn’t have anything to say to that.
“Gus needs to be able to go home safely and my daughters need to feel safe.”
Lex cleared his throat and said, “Maybe Oaken house?”
She was glad he’d given up on his parents. Or maybe he just knew better than to mention them to her again. She closed her eyes against the comment, knew he was right to be worried, and knew she couldn’t make her daughters leave their home. Not when they didn’t want to. It would be one thing if she could get them to go happily, but pushing it. That felt a little bit like they’d never feel safe here.
“Mom is going to keep staying here,” Scarlett said. “And Harper and Quinton will be down the hall. Gus will be here. We aren’t helpless. If you feel the need to send Amelie away…I get it.”
“I’d like to keep us together,” he said. “I know you’re upset, but if someone does something…”
Scarlett wanted him to be around. Did that mean she was in a real relationship or that she was a pushover? She wasn’t even sure. She just knew that she was upset but that she loved him.
“Ok,” She said. “I’ll see you later.”
She hung up on him and leaned over to take a deep breath of the greenery.
She walked back into the bakery and faced the silent gazes of all of them. She was sure they’d been talking about her given the way their conversation snapped to silence.
“Jerks,” she said.
Only Henna and Gus looked guilty.
“Did you decide who we’re going to harass? Who’s dead anyway?”
“Some person named Jennifer Murphy,” Henna answered. “She was a home healthcare nurse.”
Scarlett crossed to the dining area and started cleaning up after the others. She didn’t need Gram to explain that the woman must have worked for Betty. Her husband had just died. Of course, it was Betty. But why would anyone kill their nurse? And why would they then involve Scarlett’s family?
“It doesn’t make sense,” she said.
“Well…she worked for Betty,” Henna explained.
“She knows that,” Gram snapped. “She’s not stupid. Of course, she works for Betty. One of the families of druids who can make hex bags and who had someone die recently.”
Gus had finished the cheesecake and Scarlett took the tray from him.
“You’re a pig,” She told him.
“I’m recovering,” he said. Considering he was holding the last of the melting ice cream, she guessed that was true.
“Did you get blood today?”
He blushed a little when he nodded.
“And protein?”
“Your mom and I called for chinese.”
“This is what I’m talking about,” Gram said. “Would you have asked Lex those things?”
Scarlett wasn’t sure about the answer to that, but she didn’t care for Gram calling her out.
“So are we going to find out who else this Murphy lady was assisting or are we just going to blame Petra James? Because Betty once helped me at the library and told me stories, and I’ve always liked her.”
It wasn’t that Scarlett didn’t realize how stupid that was. Someone had hex bagged her house, caused issues in her family, nearly murdered her best friend, and for what? Let alone scaring her daughters. She knew it, but she didn’t want the person who was doing these things to be someone she liked. Or loved by someone she liked.
“What are we going to do?” Scarlett asked as she finished cleaning up.
“We’re going to go talk to Petra,” Gram said.
Scarlett didn’t like that idea at all, but she found herself driving to Betty and Petra’s hous
e with Gus and Gram in Harper’s car.
“It doesn’t make sense,” Gus said. “Gram you’re going to offend this old friend of yours and then discover she wasn’t involved at all. Her or her grandkid. I don’t even know this person at all. They wouldn’t have a reason to attack me.”
“They know you, Gus. The vampire the Oaken druids love.”
“None of this makes sense,” Scarlett answered as she parked Harper’s car behind the powder blue Buick. “If Gram’s place had been hex bagged, we’d all get it. But why would any druid come after me? Especially with my girls in the house.”
Chapter 9
The door was opened by the adult version of a face Scarlett recognized. Petra James frowned at Scarlett, glanced at Gram and Gus and then stepped back just a little. Not to let them in but to provide some distance. She closed the door so only her body showed in the crack and raised her brows in question.
“Hi,” Scarlett said when Gram didn’t say anything. Scarlett shot Gram a nasty look, but she was totally unaffected.
“Can I help you?” Petra asked, looking behind her, saying, “Give me a minute.”
“We need to talk to you,” Gram said—more ordered. “You and Betty.”
Petra James didn’t seem affected by Gram making Scarlett wonder if Betty was worse or if Petra just didn’t find Scarlett’s Gram all that concerning. Given that Gram held grudges and was powerful in the Mystic Cove circle, Scarlett figured Petra was powerful enough in her own right to not feel threatened by Gram. Truthfully, Scarlett wasn’t sure what the effect of Gram would be. And maybe Gram wasn’t either, Scarlett suddenly bet that Gram was just used to being obeyed and that getting her way was more a matter of habit.
“It’s not a good time,” Petra said without batting a lash.
Definitely a habit, Scarlett thought. She examined Petra who had the typical brown hair of their people, the same pasty pale skin, but her eyes were sky blue instead of moss green. She met Gram’s gaze without a flinch and refused to move.
“Are you trying to be suspicious?” Gram tried.
Petra didn’t betray herself by a flicker of a lash.
Christmas and Curses Page 6