The Cottage on Pumpkin and Vine

by Kate Angell

  Chloe took a sip of her spiced flavored tea and glanced around the spacious room, which matched the china cups. Antique and as lovely as the rest of the cottage. “I love this place, how long has it been open?”

  The woman gave her a smile. “Rose Cottage has been in my family for generations.”

  Aunt Iris leaned close and said in a loud whisper, “They say it’s magic.”

  Amelia Rose waved a hand. “An old wives’ tale.”

  Iris glanced around the room before lowering her voice. “They say anyone who sleeps here on Halloween night is destined to find true love.”

  “Don’t be silly, Iris,” Amelia Rose said.

  Chloe grinned. “How fascinating.” Aunt Iris was a die-hard romantic. According to her, Prince Charming came knocking on her door one day and it had been love at first sight. She’d believed in magic ever since.

  Chloe didn’t believe in love at first sight.

  But she absolutely believed magic existed.

  Aunt Iris took a sip of her tea. “Your mom told me you were dating someone. What was his name? How’s that going?”

  Chloe cleared her throat and said lightly, “His name was Greg and it’s not going at all. We broke up.”

  Iris’s expression twisted into sympathy and she tsked. “That’s too bad, dear, your mom said he was a lovely boy.”

  “He was.” Chloe didn’t have a bad word to say about him. Greg had been pleasant enough and they’d had a good time. He was a perfect boyfriend if she was being honest. Good-looking and smart, he was the assistant principal at the school. He’d been passionate about literacy, something as a librarian she appreciated. He’d been nice, kissed like a dream, and was damn fine in bed. He’d always made sure she came twice to his once. He’d been absolutely perfect.

  Chloe didn’t understand why she didn’t miss him.

  “What happened?” Iris asked, still sipping delicately at her tea, pinkie raised.

  Chloe shrugged and stared down into the dull brown liquid. “He broke up with me.”

  “You?” And the incredulity in Iris’s voice could only belong to family. “But you’re perfect.”

  “I guess he disagreed.”

  Before Aunt Iris could say anything else, there was a male throat clearing. The older women looked over Chloe’s shoulder and beamed.

  “Jack, you made it.” Iris’s voice was as excited as a schoolgirl’s. “Chloe said you were sleeping.”

  Chloe craned her neck to glance back at him.

  Jack’s eyes narrowed on her for a fraction of a second before he moved into the room and sat down on the chair next to her. “Chloe was supposed to wake me.”

  Other than a little sleep-rumpled he looked much fresher. Chloe smiled. “I thought you needed your sleep more than tea.”

  He gave her a searching look, expression intent, as though trying to read something on her face. “That’s why I set my alarm. I know you too well.”

  Amelia Rose waved her hands, her thick gray hair flowing over one shoulder. “It all worked out the way it’s supposed to.”

  Chloe straightened, excited to change the subject from her failed relationship to her fortune. Much better to focus on the future. She rubbed her hands together. “So, what’s this about tarot cards?”

  Amelia turned to the side table, opened the drawer, and pulled out a packet wrapped in a brilliantly colored scarf.

  “Ooohhh,” Chloe said, admiration in her voice. “That’s a gorgeous scarf.”

  Amelia Rose smiled. “Thank you, dear. The cards are as old as my family, and this scarf was handcrafted by my great-great-great-grandmother and has always been used to wrap the cards.”

  With careful hands, Amelia unwrapped the package, revealing a stack of beautiful, intricate cards. They were old and ancient-looking, yellowed with age, but it was the artwork that captivated Chloe. The scrolled pattern in reds and yellows were almost hypnotic.

  Fascinated, Chloe sat forward. “How does it work?”

  “I’ll show you.” Amelia Rose peered at Jack. “You must have them read, too.”

  Jack grinned. “Thanks, but I’m not a believer. I’d much rather watch Chloe.”

  “Jack’s a doctor,” Aunt Iris added, helpfully. “A man of science.”

  Amelia Rose shook her head. “It doesn’t matter if you believe or you don’t, you both must have the cards read.”

  The hair on the back of Chloe’s neck tingled, and a sudden rush of goose bumps raced across her skin.

  Jack chuckled and shrugged. “All right, then.”

  Chloe shook off the odd sensation.

  “Good.” Amelia Rose handed the deck to Chloe. “Here, shuffle the cards. First you, then hand them to the doctor. He must shuffle them, too.”

  Surprise flickered through Chloe. “You’re going to read them together?”

  A nod.

  “How interesting.” Chloe turned the deck over in her hands, studying the card with the words Wheel of Fortune on top. The card appeared hand-drawn, with a large dial in the center, surrounded by angels. Chloe traced the picture with her thumb.

  “You must shuffle facedown,” Amelia Rose said.

  With careful hands, Chloe turned them back over, and shuffled the large deck.

  “Stop when you feel it’s time,” the older woman said, a serene smile on her face.

  Chloe took the instruction very seriously, concentrating on the deck and shuffling, until she heard the word stop in her head.

  Then she handed them to Jack. He grinned at her, clearly treating the reading as a game. He, too, shuffled the cards a few times, then held them out to Amelia Rose.

  She shook her head. “Put them on the table. Chloe will cut the cards once, then Jack, you cut the cards again.”

  They both did as they were told, and then the woman piled them back up again into a single deck and laid out five cards on the table. There was a blindfolded woman holding two swords, two naked figures, their hands interwoven, men holding two gold cups, a woman on a throne, and a man sitting in front of a wall of cups. The pictures were beautiful, but Chloe wasn’t able to decipher anything from them.

  Amelia Rose nodded, the beads around her neck creating a musical tinkling. “Ah, just as I suspected.”

  Chloe leaned forward, searching the cards for what the woman saw, but they were a mystery to her.

  Amelia Rose nodded again, straightened the cards as she continued to study them in silence. When she finally raised her head, Chloe was on the edge of her seat with anticipation. She looked first at Jack and then at her. “Your futures are intertwined.”

  Well, that didn’t take magic to figure out. They were best friends; of course their futures were intertwined.

  Jack gave a little eye roll.

  “That makes sense. We’re best friends,” Chloe explained.

  “Are you?” Amelia Rose’s expression turned questioning.

  “Yes, since we were one year old,” Chloe said. “We grew up next door to each other, and our families are very close.”

  “I see,” Amelia Rose said and pointed to the card with the blindfolded woman. “Your blindness is your greatest obstacle. To find happiness, your fate, you must be willing to strip the blinders away.”

  Chloe’s brow furrowed. She had no idea what that meant. She glanced at Jack, but he just shrugged.

  Amelia Rose continued, pointing at a card. “This is you, Chloe.” She pointed to another. “And this is the good doctor. You need to learn to see each other without the veil of the past in order to ensure your future.”

  Okay, now Chloe was really confused. Who knew her better than Jack? Nobody. Her own mother didn’t even know her as well as he did. “I don’t know what that means.”

  Amelia Rose smiled, serene and peaceful, her gray eyes filled with mystery. “That’s for you to figure out.”

  How cryptic. And frustrating.

  Jack’s expression turned sly. “What aren’t you telling me, Chlo?”

  “I have no idea.” She la
ughed. “Jack knows all my secrets.”

  Amelia Rose pointed to another card. “Tonight, all will be revealed, by the light of the full moon.”

  Okay, then. This had been most unhelpful. Chloe offered a polite smile. “Thank you, what a lovely notion.”

  The woman was clearly off her rocker. Maybe she was a little disappointed not to learn anything profound, but it had still been fun.

  Jack studied the cards. “Anything else we should know?”

  Amelia Rose gave him a narrow-eyed stare. “Don’t be afraid.”

  Jack chuckled. “I’ll do my best.” He shot a sideways glance at Chloe. “How about a walk down by the lake?”

  What did the older woman mean by that? What could Jack possibly be afraid of? She peered at him, but he didn’t appear the least bit distressed.

  It was clearly nothing. Besides, the cards didn’t hold any real answers, just a bunch of nonsensical messages that added up to a big fat nothing. Like opening a fortune cookie. Suddenly, the room felt a bit stifling. “I’d love a walk after the car ride.”

  Aunt Iris clapped her hands. “Isn’t this exciting?”

  “Indeed,” Amelia Rose said.

  Chloe couldn’t see one exciting thing about what had been said, but Aunt Iris was happy so that was something.

  “The lake is lovely this time of year,” Amelia Rose said. “But before you go, I insist you have a cookie.”

  She rose, and walked out of the room, returning seconds later with two cookies.

  Chloe blinked at them. “They’re tarot cards.”

  They were gorgeous. The pictures appeared embedded into the cookie. A picture of a couple waving to a rainbow of cups. Delighted, Chloe pointed at the scene. “Cups seem to be a theme.”

  “Indeed.” With a napkin, Amelia Rose took one cookie and handed it to Jack. “This is for you.” Then she gave the remaining one to Chloe. “And this is for you.”

  They moved to stand, but she shook her head. “Please. You must eat them right now.”

  Chloe laughed. “Not that I’m going to turn down cookies, but why’s that?”

  “They are magic,” Aunt Iris whispered.

  Okay, maybe her mom was right to be concerned. Aunt Iris was clearly getting a bit loopy.

  Amelia Rose smiled, shaking her head. “Nonsense. They are sugar cookies. One of my specialties, I like to see the pleasure on people’s faces when they eat them.”

  Far be it from her to deny the woman who’d been so gracious. Chloe looked at Jack and they gave each other “oh my God, they’re crazy” smiles, but each took a bite.

  And they both moaned.

  Crazy or not, this might be the best cookie she’d ever had in her life. It almost melted in her mouth, crumbled and dissolved like something magical over her tongue. She took another bite. “Wow. I hope you sell these.”

  “Christ, that’s good,” Jack said, and shoved the whole thing in his mouth. “I could eat a truckload.”

  Chloe took the last bite and mourned its loss as she swallowed.

  Amelia Rose smiled. “I’m afraid that’s the last of them. They were meant for you.”

  Chloe had no idea what that meant, but she wanted more.

  A feeling of well-being swept through her, stilling her for an instant, before it evaporated into the air.

  “I’ll have more later tonight for the party if you so desire,” Amelia Rose said, her voice light and musical.

  “Call us as soon as they’re out of the oven,” Jack said, the amusement clear in his tone.

  Amelia Rose gave Jack a sly smile. “I’ll make a believer out of you.”

  Jack laughed. “I believe in those cookies.”

  “Me too.” Chloe placed a hand on her stomach. “They were divine.”

  “Thank you, Chloe. You two have fun,” Amelia Rose said.

  Aunt Iris waved them toward the door. “Now, go take your walk.”

  Jack and Chloe thanked them, and right before the door clicked shut, she heard her aunt say, “Do you think it worked?”

  Chloe frowned. What on earth were they up to?

  Chapter 4

  Well, that was strange.

  As he and Chloe walked down the path toward the lake, they were both silent, hands stuffed into their pockets.

  Jack didn’t want to admit it, but he was a bit unnerved over the reading they’d received from the strange Amelia Rose. He didn’t know why, she hadn’t really said anything significant, or even particularly revealing. Besides, he thought tarot cards were full of shit. He didn’t believe in magic.

  Although he did believe in the power of the full moon. Every doctor did. The ER was always packed. More women went into labor. There were more accidents. More drunks. More craziness.

  It wasn’t until Amelia Rose mentioned the full moon that Jack gave the reading any real thought. When she’d looked him dead in the eye and told him not to be afraid, he’d brushed it off, but his survival instincts still kicked in.

  And then there was that cookie. Which might be the best thing he’d ever put in his mouth, and he didn’t even have a sweet tooth. He’d wanted to beg for more. They were that good. After he’d swallowed the last bite, a strange sense of . . . something washed over him. It had made him dizzy for a second, and he’d wondered if the proprietor had spiked the cookies. But just as soon as he felt it, it was gone, making him wonder if he’d imagined it.

  Something else niggled at him. Something he needed to ask Chloe.

  When they got to the water’s edge, they stopped.

  Jack stared into the water, rippling and glittering in the autumn sun. The trees surrounding the lake were in their full fall glory, deep reds, vivid yellows, and bright oranges. It could be a postcard it was that perfect.

  Chloe took a deep breath. “It’s beautiful here.”

  He looked at her, still watching the water, her honeyed hair blowing, her high cheekbones, and flawless skin. He visually traced the line of her jaw, the slope and curve of her neck.

  She was beautiful. Too beautiful.

  He blinked, startled by the thought. Where had that come from?

  He shook his head and cleared his throat, returning his attention to the sparkling water. “Yeah, it is.”

  “What did you think of our reading?”

  He opened his mouth to say it was complete crap, but those weren’t the words that came out of his mouth. “Chloe, why did Greg break up with you?”

  She’d told him they’d decided to stop seeing each other. That it had been mutual. But she’d told her aunt the idiot had broken up with her.

  Which just proved the guy’s stupidity.

  Jack hadn’t particularly liked Greg. Sure, he was a nice guy, respectable. Most of all he’d treated Chloe awesome, as she deserved. None of that mattered. Jack still hadn’t thought the guy was good enough for her.

  Chloe needed someone different. Someone special. Someone who would feed her sense of adventure and keep her from getting bored.

  Jack just didn’t believe Greg was that guy.

  Chloe’s head snapped to him, then snapped away before she shrugged. “He didn’t think we were compatible.”

  It was a lie. She always hunched her shoulders when she lied. “What aren’t you telling me?”

  “Nothing,” She smiled at him and waved her hand. “We weren’t even going out that long, it’s not a big deal. I wasn’t attached to him or anything. I didn’t even watch a romantic comedy after he left.”

  It sounded good. Jack believed she hadn’t been attached. But there was something she wasn’t telling him. He didn’t want to ask, but did it anyway. “Was it because of that night?”

  She looked away and didn’t answer.

  “Chloe?” he pressed, suddenly filled with a relentless desire to discover what happened. When she didn’t answer him, he took her arm and spun her toward him. “Tell me.”

  She swallowed. “It’s not a big deal.”

  The vague answer confirmed the suspicions he’d harbored for wee
ks. “It was because of me, wasn’t it? I’m the reason he broke up with you.”

  She took a little breath before releasing it. “Let’s just say you didn’t help.”

  Jack ran a hand through his hair. He was such an asshole.

  He’d had a rough night. A kid had died on his table. The six-year-old little boy had been in a terrible car accident and Jack had done everything in his power to save him, but it hadn’t been enough. Jack had to tell the parents their lives had changed forever. As a doctor he was used to delivering bad news, and there was a certain level of detachedness he’d had to adopt to deal with it. But kids always got to him.

  After his shift, instead of going home, he’d gone to Chloe’s. She was the only person who could make him feel better. As soon as she’d opened the front door she’d known he was upset, and she’d done all the things that were special to Chloe.

  That he loved about her.

  They’d ordered pizza, drank beer, watched bad movies, and she made him laugh. After a while they’d grown tired. He’d stretched out on her couch, and she’d lain down next to him. Eventually, into the second bad movie they’d fallen asleep, his arm thrown over her waist, her hand on top of his.

  This wasn’t an uncommon occurrence. They’d done it hundreds of times before.

  Only Greg had come over, unexpectedly, to surprise Chloe with breakfast. Jack had seen the look on his face when he’d spotted them on the couch together.

  It hadn’t been happiness. Not that Jack blamed him.

  How many times had he ruined relationships for Chloe? How many times had Chloe ruined relationships for him? It was never intentional. Never deliberate. He wanted nothing but the best for her. Yet it had happened too many times to count.

  He sighed and pulled her close. “I’m sorry.”

  She looked up at him, her green eyes enormous, a piercing vivid green that seemed to reach right into him. “It’s not your fault.”

  He curled one hand around her neck and stroked his thumb over her jaw. “I’m not so sure about that.”

  She bit her lower lip, calling attention to her full, lush mouth. “The thing is, I would have chosen you over him. So that means it wasn’t right.”