by Tonya Kappes
There was a stack of framed photos up against the gallery wall that looked like they were next to be hung.
“Hi, June.” Perry walked over. “It’s fantastic. Faith has an eye for the bright and bold.”
“It is lovely.” I looked at Perry. “I’m here to see if there are any more she took from that night.”
“Plenty. So many that Cherry was having a hard time deciding what to put on the sales floor.” His eyes lit up. “We are going to make Faith our spotlight artist which means she’ll have her own showing with all her photos available.”
“That’s wonderful.” I was so happy for Faith. She’d come a long way from our days at Hidden Halls. Which reminded me to get in touch with Aunt Helena about Gene, which tickled my brain about Violet and a possible relationship with Patch.
“Excuse me.” Perry exited right when I was about to ask him if I could see some more of Faith’s photos. There were a ton of customers coming in and looking around.
As Mr. Prince Charming and I were about to walk out the door, Cherry called after me.
“I’m sorry we are so busy.” She greeted me by kissing each side of my face, which was strange to me, but I followed suit. “Will you be at the pottery class tonight?”
“I am.” I was actually looking forward to it.
“Great. We will catch up there.” She smiled before she returned to her waiting customer.
I grabbed the edges of my cloak and tightened them around my neck before we darted back down the hill toward the shops.
“Well, we didn’t get much out of that but at least I will be able to talk to her tonight,” I said to my fairy-god cat.
Meow, he darted ahead of me and disappeared into The Gathering Grove, reminding me that I had to pick up my food.
Chapter Fourteen
After Faith and I ate our lunch, she left to go get some shots and articles together for the mortal paper version of the Whispering Falls Gazette. It lifted her spirits and gave her a passion I’d not seen in her for a long time and it warmed my heart.
The rest of my afternoon was spent restocking the shelves and helping out the customers. Mr. Prince Charming laid on the stool behind the counter and snoozed all afternoon.
Oscar had called and said that the autopsy was finished and the official cause of death was ingestion of boric acid. Ingestion. That made me want to throw my lunch up. I just couldn’t imagine a more painful death. From what I understood, boric acid affected your nerves and that was a painful death. No matter how mean Patty was, no one deserved to die or experience a death such as that.
We made plans to meet up after the pottery class at home. He promised a fire and a glass of wine so we could wind down from our crazy day.
Though I didn’t feel like I was any closer to helping him solve the murder, I was happy to get away for a few hours with my friends.
“Hi-do, June Heal.” Leah’s accent was so southern it nearly knocked me over. “You get on in here.” She bent down and patted Mr. Prince Charming on his head. “I bet I can guess exactly what it is you are gonna make. A Halloween cat.”
“We will see.” I smiled and walked up on the front porch of Crazy Crafty Chick.
“You go on in and take a gander at what we are going to paint and grab you a few snacks to tide you over.” She pointed the way.
Chandra, Faith, and Eloise were already hovered over the pottery items we could pick out to paint while I noticed the mortals had also come to paint.
“Hi,” I walked over to Jo Ellen, Tish, and Hazel. “I’m so glad to see you.”
“I don’t know how long we will be staying.” Tish sounded flustered. “Jo Ellen won’t keep her hands off anything.”
“Where is your kitty?” Jo Ellen asked with her big eyes wide open.
“I’m telling you that you need to get that girl a kitten.” Hazel chirped up before she moseyed on over to the snack table.
“Mrs. Jones sure is nosy.” Tish shook her head and reached over to move Jo Ellen’s hand off of a ceramic mug. “You should see her in the neighborhood. Have you seen the show Bewitched or are you too young for that?”
“Oh, I know it.” I grinned, I knew it in real life as well, but I kept that comment to myself.
“Remember her neighbor Mrs. Kravitz?” she asked and pointed over to Hazel. We both laughed.
“Well, I guess you could have worse neighbors.” I glanced out the window and saw Petunia and Oscar standing on the sidewalk along with Violet and Gene.
My heart flip-flopped as I saw Petunia hand baby Orin over to Oscar, strapping him on Oscar’s chest and Violet pushing Gene toward him as well.
“Jo Ellen,” I bent down, “would you like to go outside with Oscar and maybe help him out with baby Orin?”
“Can I Mommy?” Jo bounced on the balls of her feet. “Plllllleeeeease?” Her body swayed back and forth with her hands clasped behind her back.
“Sure,” Tish said with a giggle.
I reached for her hand and we trotted outside along with Mr. Prince Charming.
“How on Earth did I get wrangled into this?” Oscar asked. Fear in his eyes.
“Oh, you look like a pro.” I had to swallow the lump that’d formed in my throat. If I hadn’t, I might’ve started to cry because Oscar looked so cute and I suddenly imagined him as a father. Something I’d yet to do.
“I’m not.” He patted baby Orin on the hiney.
“Well, I bet you guys can go grab a treat from Wicked Good and if you are very good, I would bet that Oscar will walk you down to look at the kittens in the window of the pet shop.” My voice escalated to get them excited.
“Can we?” Gene and Jo Ellen asked at the same time.
“You are going to pay,” Oscar warned me.
“Promise?” I winked and kissed him before he shot out after the kids who’d already run across the street and into Wicked Good. That included Mr. Prince Charming too.
I stood there for a moment and watched as Oscar gathered them up and let them look at all the treats.
“Cute right?” Eloise joined me. “You two are going to make me the cutest grand-nephew and niece.”
“Both?” I asked with a nervous laugh.
“We shall see.” She grinned.
“I’m so glad you are here.” I tucked my arm in hers as we turned back around to make it back inside the craft shop. “I need to go visit a village in Ohio and Oscar doesn’t want me to go by myself.”
“You want me to go?” she asked and answered before I could answer. “I’d love to get away for a day. In fact, I might know some people I can visit while I’m there.”
“Great. I can’t go tomorrow, because I have some things to do,” I knew I wanted to go visit Patch and maybe have some of that tea Hazel Jones had offered me. If what Tish had said about Hazel’s nosy side was true, maybe she had seen something. “But what about the day after?”
“I’ll meet you at the sprinkle before dawn.” She patted my hand as we walked over to the snack table.
I filled my plate with some fruit, chocolates and a couple of finger sandwiches and mentally set my internal clock to meet her about fifteen minutes before the sun started to pop up.
“Is your husband going to kill us?” Tish asked as she, Violet and Petunia huddled near the window as they watched their children.
“No, but you might kill him after he shows them all of those cute kittens Petunia has in her shop window,” I said and popped a piece of fruit in my mouth.
“Aren’t they adorable?” Petunia gushed.
“Oh no,” Tish grumbled. “Jo Ellen has been driving me crazy about a cat ever since the pumpkin patch. I told her that not all cats acted like yours.”
“But these kittens are perfect.” Petunia pulled Tish aside and gave her the sales pitch about the kittens, leaving me with Violet.
“Is Gene excited about school?” I asked.
“Not really.” There was sadness in her voice. “He, or me, isn’t sure about the whole boarding school thing.”<
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“He will love it.” I took a bite of the sandwich. “My aunt is the dean and I went there. It’s safe and fun.”
“He’s never been away from me. Since birth, he’s lived on Tulip Island.” She looked out the window. Pride showed on her face as she watched Gene in the window of Wicked Good talking to Oscar.
“Have you heard from your father?” I asked about Victor Draper, the owner of Tulip Island. “And how’s Peter doing?”
“Peter,” she tsked. “He loves the island. Dad’s been so busy since it’s fall in the states. All the mortals want to do is get away from the cold. But Gene worries me. I feel like he needs something.”
“He needs a happy mom.” I patted her on the back. “You are just getting your feet wet in this crazy mortal world. Trying to use your spiritual gift for the first time. A new business owner and all while trying to give your son the best life.” I glanced out the window to see what she was smiling at.
Oscar had let Gene hold his wand. Since Gene didn’t have the special powers yet, he could wave it around without any spells accidently coming out.
“He will learn to use that wand and become a great member of our heritage.” I wasn’t sure what he’d become or even if he did have powers since he was part mortal from his father and part spiritualist from her, but my intuition did tell me that she needed to spread her wings. “While he is at school, you can test out the waters on your life. Grow your business.” I put my arm around her. “Grow friendship.” I squeezed. “Romance.”
That seemed to brighten her eyes.
“And you can visit Hidden Halls anytime you want. In fact, I’ll take you and him on his first day. Walk you around. Introduce you to people.” I knew that she was happy with what I was saying. It put her at ease.
Slowly she began to nod her head in agreement.
“Thank you, June.” She hugged me. “You are a true friend.”
I hugged back, only thoughts of my friend Ophelia popped into my head. I thought she was a true friend too.
“Okay, y’all! Listen up.” Leah tucked a piece of her long brown hair behind her ear. “Have you picked out what you want to paint?”
My questions about Violet and Patch were going to have to wait.
“Take your pottery over to a table and sit down. You will find a sponge, bowl of water, a couple of different paint brushes with different sized tips, paints and some rags.” She held up each item as she spoke. “You can paint your pottery however you want. If you don’t like a color, you can dip your sponge in the water and it will come right off.”
We all watched as she made a big blue streak down a pumpkin and wiped it clean.
“I’ll be walking around and checking things out.” She rocked back and forth on her cowboy boots. “If y’all have a question or need anything, give me a holler.”
There was a space between Petunia and Violet. I figured I’d sit there and see if Petunia offered up anything about the meeting with the developer.
I glanced around the room. Tish was seated next to Hazel and helping her with her piece of pottery which was a teapot, perfect for Hazel. Tish caught me looking at her and rolled her eyes.
It brought back memories of me growing up in Locust Grove. Being around those two made me feel more at home than in a spiritual community. I could see Petunia and the Order of Elders had done the right thing by opening up our community, even if it might bring some crime.
There wasn’t a city or town out there that didn’t have some sort of criminal activity, only ours happened to be a murder at the moment.
Chandra had picked out a piece of pottery in the shape of a star. She had already painted the entire thing blue like the blue stars painted on her fingernails.
Eloise had picked a ceramic sign that she could use in her garden where she grew the incense and herbs she needed for her morning smudge.
Petunia had changed her mind from a cat to a birdhouse with pumpkins and vines along the bottom, while I picked the cat with a witch’s hat perched on his head.
Of course I painted the cat white with a black hat. It was going to make the perfect addition to A Charming Cure.
Everyone seemed to have a great time as the hours flew by. Leah had promised our pottery would be dried and sealed before the All Hallows’ Eve celebration and Tish and Hazel could pick theirs up tomorrow.
I made a mental note to pick them up for them. It gave me a good reason to stop by Hazel’s and pick her brain.
Oscar and the kids were still down at Glorybee Pet Shop. Tish had promised Petunia she’d think about it. I’d already thought about it. I’d grab the white kitten on my way to see them along with the pottery, that way she couldn’t say no.
“I’m beat.” Oscar fell down on the couch as soon as we got home.
I hung my cloak up next to the door and put my purse on the counter. Mr. Prince Charming jumped up on the back of the couch and made himself comfortable for the night.
“Who knew kids could be so exhausting?” Oscar looked over at me. “Do you think we were that rambunctious?”
“We probably didn’t know if we were or not because we relied on each other.” I grabbed the chilled wine out of the refrigerator and two wineglasses and walked over to him. I set the bottle and glasses on the coffee table and sat on the edge of the couch.
Oscar sat up and worked his magic on my shoulders as he kneaded away my stress of the day. I should’ve given him a back rub instead, but it felt too good.
I tucked my chin to my chest and let him rub, push, and rub some more before I uncorked the bottle and poured two large glasses.
“Long day?” I asked when I noticed the exhaustion set in his blue eyes.
“Yeah.” He took the glass and eased back on the couch. I joined him. “I went by Broussert’s office today. He was out but his secretary let me take a look at his schedule.”
“Anything?” I asked and twisted my body to the side with my leg tucked in a V, facing him. I took a sip of my wine and listened.
“He has been out of town for the past couple of weeks on vacation with his wife. I even checked with the resort and they have him there on the night and morning of Patty’s death, so that rules him out.” Oscar rubbed his temples. “As much as I want to believe Colton, I just can’t shake the hatred he has for the guy. He just keeps saying that he’s an enemy and they didn’t see eye-to-eye.”
I looked off into the distance and thought about what Oscar was telling me.
“I have a surprise.” Oscar sat up and put his glass on the table. He got up and walked out the front door only to reappear with a big pumpkin. He set it on the kitchen table.
My heart warmed. He remembered.
“I love you.” I hurried over to him and threw my arms around him. “Every year since we were ten.”
“It’s a tradition. Our tradition.” His lips met mine. “I hope as we get older, we have many more traditions that include kids.”
“Kids?” I pulled away. As much as I loved seeing him with Gene, Jo, and Orin, the thought of me being responsible for a small person sort of scared me.
I walked over to the kitchen and pulled out the pumpkin carving kit from underneath the sink. Oscar had already grabbed a knife and started to cut the lid on the top of the pumpkin.
“Yeah,” his smile weakened my knees. “You do want a little June, right?” He tugged the seed-dripping lid off the pumpkin.
“Maybe I want a little Oscar.” I carefully used my fingers to rake the seeds out. Seeds were good for potions and for roasting. “But I’m not sure about my ability to be a mother. I mean, Darla was wonderful and I truly thank her for policing everything I did and ate, but I’m not so sure I’d do that with my child. Our child.”
The words left my mouth leaving me with a fear that I’d never known. A fear that I was sure was only maternal.
“June,” Oscar set the knife down and placed his hands on each of my shoulders. He turned me toward him. His big blue eyes staring down into my soul as though he could read
and see every fear that was bubbling deep within me. “We will be wonderful parents. The kind of parents that we really wished we had. You had a wonderful mom. I didn’t have any parents. We will make it a family that suits us. Good food. Bad food. Fights. Good times and all.” He looked at the pumpkin and then back at me.
He bent down and kissed both sides of my neck and finally finding my lips.
“Maybe we should start practicing the art of having children before we actually do.” Oscar’s words warmed my body. “This pumpkin can wait.”
“Sounds good,” I mumbled, letting my body melt into his arms.
Chapter Fifteen
The next morning I’d gotten up early to find that Oscar had already left. He left a scribbled note on his pillow that he’d had an idea and wanted to check it out and he’d call me later.
He was so intent on saving Colton, he was grabbing at straws. I wasn’t sure if my promise to Ophelia was getting in the way of his investigation.
I rolled over and looked at Madame Torres. She’d been awfully quiet this whole time. I rubbed my hand over the top of her glass ball. Her insides swirled and twirled popping little images like the pottery, kitten, and roses, reminding me of my itinerary. The last thing she showed me was the leaf charm.
I grabbed the charm bracelet I’d taken off and laid next to her before Oscar and I had gone to bed and clasped it on.
“Where are you, Mr. Prince Charming?” I threw the covers off and sat up in the bed looking around the room.
I padded down the hall and into the kitchen where there was a cup next to the coffee pot that Oscar had put there for me. A smile curled in my heart as I filled the cup and looked out over Whispering Falls.
“Patch,” I reminded myself that I wanted to stop by and see him as well, but found it odd that Madame Torres hadn’t reminded me of that.