The Cupcake Witch: The Witching Hour Collection (The Chancellor Fairy Tales Book 2)

by Poppy Lawless

  “Kind heart,” Viola said.

  “His mother’s son,” Betty added.

  “She died just a year ago. We adored her, a true artist, a gem in this town. She ran the theater, even let the three of us dress up as extras in a play. Horatio and his sister, Viola, sweet children, are much like their mother. Too bad they were left to get along with the land baron.”

  “Here, Julie,” Tootie said then, positioning me so I could look out the window a bit better. “You can see better here. Look over there. You see that water wheel? There’s an old story about the stream that powers that wheel. They say that a fairy enchanted the water, so if you kiss your true love by the water wheel, your love will last forever. Isn’t that a sweet little story? Isn’t it enough to make you fall in love?”

  “Fall in love?” I asked, puzzled as I strained to look out the window at the unmoving wheel.

  “Fall in love,” the three ladies answered in unison. At the same moment, Horatio walked into my line of vision.

  He turned and looked toward me.

  Gasping, I stepped away. Great, just what I needed, for him to see me gawking. As I stepped back, however, my head felt dizzy. Too much cleaning. I cast a quick glance outside. To my surprise, Horatio had turned away from the restaurant and was crossing the street. Oh no, I was a total mess.

  I looked from my rumpled and dirty clothes to the three women. They were smiling at me.

  They turned then, nodded to one another, then Violet said, “Well, Julie, it was very nice to meet you. Will you be staying here from now on?”

  “Yes. I think so.” Why did my head feel so weird?

  “Great! Well, we’ll be sure to stop by and visit you again soon,” Tootie said. “And we’ll send all the right people your way. Don’t worry, you’ll feel at home in Chancellor in no time.”

  “Okay, sure. Sounds great. Thank you for stopping by.”

  Tootie smiled. “Anything you need, just call us!” she said and with a wave, she and her friends headed back out onto the porch. I followed behind them just in time to find Horatio headed down the sidewalk toward the shop, a sheepish look on his face.

  “Ladies,” he said, smiling awkwardly.

  “Good morning, Horatio! Lovely weather. You come to try to buy the shop from Julie again? You do know she’s Mrs. Aster’s relative,” Tootie said.

  I suddenly wished I hadn’t divulged so much information. While it seemed like the three women had now officially adopted me as Mrs. Aster’s kin, I had never even met the woman.

  “Um, well, no…actually,” he began, then turned to me, “I came to apologize.”

  “Oh, well, now that sounds like something a gentleman would do. I hear your father is after The Grove again,” Violet said, motioning to the park across the street from the shop.

  “Yeah, Viola mentioned it,” he said as he rubbed the back of his neck nervously.

  “Hum,” Violet said, tapping her foot. “Well, he won’t get far.”

  “Not if we have anything to say about it,” Betty added. “Your father can’t snatch up all of Chancellor’s historic sites.”

  “Girls, girls,” Tootie chided them. “Horatio and his father are not of the same mind, are you, dear boy?” she said, reaching out to jiggle his chin. “Tell your sister hello for us,” she added, then grabbing her friends by the arms, she maneuvered them off the porch. Before she was out of earshot, she called back to me. “Nice to meet you, Julie! We’ll be in touch.”

  “Nice to meet you too,” I replied with a wave. I grinned at the three of them as they headed across the street to the small park. As they walked, they huddled together like football players plotting their next move. Suddenly, I wondered if Horatio and I were in their sights. I laughed, shook my head, and turned back to him.

  “Julie, I wanted to come by to apologize. I think I acted like a jerk yesterday.”

  “You think?”

  “No, I did. I wanted to say I was sorry. My dad puts a lot of pressure on me. But that doesn’t matter. I was out of line. I wanted to make it up to you.”

  “Then make it up to me,” I said with a grin.

  Relaxing, Horatio smiled. “Any preferences?”

  “Surprise me.”

  Horatio grinned. “Challenge accepted.” He shot a glance back over his shoulder at the mill. “All right,” he said then, “I need to get back, but I’m going to see you soon.”

  I smiled. “Then see me soon.”

  Horatio grinned, inclined his head, then turned and left.

  Kismet once more. Why hadn’t I come to Chancellor sooner?

  Chapter 10: Horatio

  Grinning like a fool as I headed back from Julie’s shop to Falling Waters, I plotted the right move. What would a girl like her appreciate? What would be the right way to make it up? An idea started to form in my head as I grabbed a hardhat and entered the old mill. Inside, workers were stringing electric lines, knocking down walls, and maneuvering a massive timber to support the wall on the side of the old water wheel.

  “Where did you go?” Dad asked, sounding annoyed.

  About fifty lies popped into my mind, but I was getting pretty sick of being fake. “Across the street to talk to Miss Dayton.”

  “So you let the property slip through your fingers because the new owner is pretty, did you?”

  “No. And I didn’t let anything slip through my fingers. I told you already, Miss Dayton inherited the property. It was a family matter, not a business matter.”

  “Everyone has a price. You didn’t try hard enough.”

  “They weren’t selling.”

  My dad shrugged as he leaned over the blueprints, his sharp eyes taking in the scope of the construction. “Larry, where is the stoneworker?” he called to the foreman.

  “Out. His kid has the flu. Single dad.”

  “Fire him and get someone else.”

  Larry looked shocked. “He’s the best mason around, Mr. Hunter. He’ll be back in tomorrow for sure.”

  My dad frowned. “If he’s not here by six tomorrow morning, hire someone else. And tell him to get a babysitter.” My dad motioned for me to follow him as he turned and headed outside.

  Behind us, I could hear the slew of names the workers called my father. And honestly, I didn’t blame them. All our lives, our mother had sheltered us from Dad. He came home in time every night to tell us sweet dreams then would work all weekend at the office. Mom, on the other hand, would have me and Viola out playing in the vineyards or on set at the theater dressing up and acting in the background, learning lines to plays far beyond our understanding. No wonder Viola had become so good at playing the part of wine heiress. Very few people understood it was all an act, saw how she really felt under her well-made-up smiles and designer clothes. With Mom gone, we now took the brunt of Dad full-on. It was more than a sane—or decent or kind—person could handle.

  “How is it coming, Billy?” my dad asked a worker outside.

  “Well,” the man said, pulling off his cap to wipe sweat off his brow, “Fish and Wildlife folks were by and gave us the go-ahead.”

  “Good,” my Dad said, then turned to go.

  “Only problem is,” the man continued, not realizing he’d been dismissed, “the part we need is delayed. The mold for the pins broke. Gonna take another week.”

  “Another week!” My father’s face started to turn red, the angry blush creeping from the neck up.

  “They have to remake the mold, Mister Hunter.”

  “Jesus Christ, why is everyone so incompetent? What have you men been doing? I told you we need this place open before Thanksgiving...” my dad started and then he just let it rip. His voice became fuzzy as I tuned him out. I gazed back across the street at the little shop.

  Through the dusty window, I could just catch glimpses of Julie’s red hair and light blue shirt. She was dancing inside the shop as she worked. I closed my eyes and caught the sound of her voice on the wind. It blew across the space like a chiming undertone, a sweet bell ringi
ng under the gong of my father’s voice.

  “Horatio! Do you even hear me?”

  I looked back at my dad who was red-faced and angry. “I told you to get in the car and head over to Sweet Water. Take the address from this man, and go see what you can do to get that part immediately.”

  The man he called Billy handed me a crumpled business card with a shaking hand. I also noticed he’d gone absolutely pale.

  “I have a meeting with the theater this afternoon to begin planning for the renaming ceremony,” I replied.

  “I’m not worried about your pet projects.”

  “Pet projects? That’s for Mom.”

  “You can just hire a caterer, Horatio. Call and cancel.”

  Ignoring him, I added, “And Billy just explained that the mold needed to be recast. That takes time. What should I do, go blow on the mold to make it dry faster?”

  Billy laughed, but then hid his laughter behind his hand when my dad glared at him.

  Dad shoved his car keys at me. “You’ll find a way to make it work.”

  Shaking my head, I stuffed the keys in my pocket and turned to go.

  “And Horatio, don’t come back a failure again,” my dad called after me.

  As I walked back to the car, I thought about my mom. “Follow your bliss,” she would tell Viola and me. “Follow your bliss. The grapes will grow without you.”

  I looked over at the shop once more, and suddenly I felt my resolve stiffen. Enough of this. Enough. If Julie could be brave, why couldn’t I?

  Chapter 11: Julie

  Later that afternoon, I heard a knock on the front door.

  “Excuse me?” someone called.

  I was in the living area opening windows and investigating my new oven. “Be right there,” I called.

  Dusting off my dirty apron, I came around the corner to find a well-dressed man in his late fifties eyeing the room skeptically. His well-pressed suit, cornflower blue tie, and silver hair exuded the air of money. Though I’d caught just a glimpse of him earlier that morning, it didn’t take more than a second to realize that Mr. Hunter was paying me a visit.

  “Are you Miss Dayton?” he asked.

  “I am. Mister Hunter, I presume?” I replied, reaching out to shake his hand.

  He smiled weakly then gave me a firm handshake. “Yes. Aaron Hunter. I understand my son spoke to you about my company’s interest in this property?”

  “Yes. I explained to Horatio that I inherited the property from my relative. I’m planning to reopen the shop.”

  “I understand,” Mr. Hunter said then pulled out an envelope and handed it to me. “You see, the proximity of this shop to my new restaurant is very desirable. We had hoped to use the spot for parking. I will definitely make the sale worth your while,” he said, then motioned to the envelope.

  I opened the envelope. Inside, I found a check written out to me for the value of the property plus twenty thousand.

  “More than enough for a young entrepreneur to rent a suitable shopfront closer to town square and stock her store without going into debt. There are several places along Main Street for rent. I know a number of property owners who would rent to you at a good price. I can make sure you get a deal.”

  I looked him over. Aside from the color of their eyes, he and Horatio looked nothing alike. The eye color was nearly the same, but the spirit behind those eyes was very different. Yet, as I fixed Mr. Hunter with my gaze, I caught a brief glimpse of deep sadness behind his hungry stare. For his wife?

  I handed him the check. “No. Thank you.”

  The paper flapped in the air between us. He didn’t take it.

  “Miss Dayton, you’re making a mistake. It’s always difficult to get a new business off the ground. With the right support, you’ll be able to make things go very well here in Chancellor, but starting off with…tension…is not a good way to begin. It is an especially poor way to begin when that tension is between yourself and a well-established business.”

  “Tension? I’m not tense. The lovely ladies who were by this morning didn’t seem tense. In fact, the only person around here who seems tense is you. You can’t buy me out of a property that belongs to my family. And last I checked, you can’t even accuse me of witchcraft to take my lands,” I said with a chuckle as I folded up the check and slid it into the lapel pocket of his suit. What I hoped he didn’t notice, however, was how badly my hands were shaking. A fit of adrenaline had taken over my body. I was trembling with both fear and rage. My heart was slamming in my chest. “I don’t have to sell you anything. Now, if you don’t mind, I’m very busy,” I said firmly.

  “You’re making a huge mistake,” Mr. Hunter said then, his voice turning icy and hostile. He took a step closer toward me. “I have powerful connections. I’ll bury this business before it even—”

  “What the hell is going on here?” a voice interrupted from the doorway.

  We both turned to see Horatio standing there. He was carrying a box full of cleaning supplies.

  “I told you to go to Sweet Water. What are you doing here?” Mr. Hunter asked his son.

  “I didn’t go.”

  “What?”

  “It didn’t make sense. Me breathing down someone’s neck to ‘make a mold faster’ was ridiculous. I didn’t go.”

  “Maybe we should step outside,” Mr. Hunter said then.

  Horatio crossed the room and set the boxes on the counter.

  “From the sounds of it, you need to step outside,” he retorted. “What do you think you’re doing? You’re alone in this building with this young woman, raising your voice at her? What the hell, Dad?”

  “Step outside,” Mr. Hunter said through gritted teeth.

  Horatio pulled off his suit jacket and tossed it on the box. “No,” he said.

  “Horatio, I swear to God, step outside right now or I’ll fire you.”

  “You don’t have to. I quit.”

  “Quit?”

  “Quit. Yes, I quit. I quit the business, quit dragging around behind you, watching you twist into some unrecognizable human being with no heart, no empathy. Mom…Mom would be so sad to see you like this. I can’t stop you, but I won’t stand by you. Now, I think Miss Dayton asked you to leave.”

  “That I did,” I said firmly, motioning toward the door. In that moment, I wanted to wrap my arms around Horatio and plaster a huge kiss on his lips. But before that, it was taking all my will not to deck Aaron Hunter in the nose.

  Surprising us both, without another word, Mr. Hunter turned and stormed out the door, almost knocking down a little man walking down the sidewalk. The little man turned and watched Mr. Hunter go then turned and looked back at me.

  “Looks like the grape baron’s got his feathers ruffled. Are you Miss Dayton?” the little man asked.

  “I am.”

  “Mrs. McClellan sent me. I’m here to check the plumbing, get the water turned back on. Okay If I have a look around?”

  I laughed. “Of course. Thank you.”

  “Oh, my pleasure. Emma Jane Aster let me take her to a dance once…you know, after her husband died. She sure could waltz,” the man said, starring off dreamily. “Well, I’ll be in and out if you don’t mind.”

  “Please. Thank you,” I said, shaking my head.

  I turned back and looked at Horatio who had pulled off his tie and the crisp white business shirt he’d been wearing, paring down to a white T-shirt over his dark jeans. As he pulled off his dress shirt, the T-shirt slipped up just a bit to reveal a tanned six-pack with a blush of dark hair just above his belt buckle. Given the scene I’d just witnessed, and the fact that my blood was thundering so loudly in my ears that I could barely stand it, my heart still pumping hard, something inside me groaned. I looked away, feeling a blush rise in my cheeks.

  “So, with that matter out of the way, what do we work on first?” he asked.

  I looked back to see him toying with a hammer.

  My head screamed, the bedroom, let’s work on the bedroom, b
ut pulling myself together, I asked, “What just happened here? Did you just quit your job?”

  “Since my mom died, my dad has turned into the biggest ass on the face of the planet. As of this morning, I’m done. Today, I’m your handyman. Tomorrow, I’ll start my position as the Executive Director of the Chancellor Arts Council.”

  “Well, then,” I said, stepping close to him, taking the hammer from his hand, “seems like I have you right where I want you.”

  Horatio smiled deeply at me.

  I wanted to kiss him. More than anything, I wanted to kiss him.

  “What now?” he whispered, leaning in toward me.

  My stomach shook with giant-sized butterflies. “Floorboards?” I said, my voice shaking.

  “Floorboards?”

  “In…in the…the kitchen,” I stammered. “They need to be fixed.”

  Horatio smiled, touching my chin lightly with his curled finger, then he took the hammer back.

  “Then I guess I better get to work,” he said and headed toward the back, leaving me behind with my heart still pounding. But now, it was thumping out a new song.

  Chapter 12: Horatio

  “Anyone hungry?” Alice called from the door of Julie’s shop late that night. Without waiting, she entered at once, uttering an “oooh!” as she gazed over the room. Grinning, Rayne entered behind her. Chancellor’s matriarchs had truly adopted Julie. All day long, plumbers, carpenters, electricians, lawn care workers, and even a guy to measure the greenhouse windows, had been by. By that evening, Julie had running water, electricity, the gas turned back on, minor repairs taken care of, and thanks to me, much of the shopfront cleaned…as well as her loose floorboards repaired.

  “I always wanted to see inside here. I even snuck a peek through the window once. It’s beautiful,” Alice said, admiring the place. “Julie! Hope you don’t mind the impromptu welcome party.”

  “You have beer and food. You can always come in,” Julie said with a laugh.

  “I’m just freeloading. Does that count?” Rayne asked.

  “In my books, yes.”