by Ashlyn Chase
Having completed his task, he set off for Myranda’s store. He wanted to find out when her next beginners course in Wicca was being held. Hopefully it wasn’t on a weekend, which was when Rebecca said her bakery is busiest.
He rounded the corner, whistling a tune that he remembered from childhood. It was a little ditty his mother used to sing to them, and anytime he was disappointed, he whistled it, fooling himself into thinking everything would be all right.
April stepped out of Mrs. Reese’s car and heard someone whistling a song that seemed vaguely familiar. It was almost as if she could predict what notes came next. Glancing in the direction of the sound, she saw a tall male figure disappear around the corner. She didn’t recognize what she saw of him.
“Well, thank you again for such a great day. I really love my new hair style.”
“It looks great on you. I’m glad you let them cut it short. It’ll be easier to manage.”
“Yeah.” A wet drop fell on her shoulder. The sky had looked threatening all the way back from Hampton Beach. “I guess I’d better get in there before the rain comes down and ruins it.”
“Good idea. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Yup. See you tomorrow.” A few more splashes of rain fell on her, so she slammed the car door and ducked inside the shelter.
Dru’s cowboy hat protected his face from the rain, but his plaid shirt was getting soggy. He was glad Myranda’s shop wasn’t any farther away or he’d be soaked to the bone. Dashing inside, he almost bumped into the only other customer there and she looked like she was leaving. Good. Maybe I can get enough privacy to talk to Myranda about Rebecca’s problem.
He knew he should stay out of it, but that was the trouble with caring. If he cared about what was happening to someone, he just had to say or do something to help. It was as much a part of who he was as his Texas twang.
“Hey, Myranda.”
She looked up from a catalogue and gave him a big smile. “Dru! Hey, yourself. I was thinking about you recently.”
“You were?”
“Of course.” She waved goodbye to the other customer, who was leaving. “Are you all right after what happened the other night?”
“Yeah, I’m fine. I’m not so certain about Hanna’s altar items though.”
Myranda chuckled. “I thought her eyes were going to pop out of her head at first. She didn’t get mad at you, did she?”
“No, ma’am. She was right nice about it. I was sure I was goin’ to be asked to leave, but she just said I might need some classes. That’s why I’m here.”
“Excellent!”
Yvonne entered from the next room. “What’s excellent?”
Myranda rubbed her hands together. “Another victim,” she said. “Mwuahahaha.”
Dru must have looked surprised, because the woman burst out laughing.
“Only kidding, Dru. We have a basic Wicca class starting Saturday morning. Yvonne teaches it.”
“Is that a good time for you?” Yvonne asked.
He sighed. “Actually, that’s about the worst time. I’m helpin’ Rebecca out with her bakery since she’s all alone over there, and she said weekends are her busiest times.”
“Oh? Why is she alone?” Myranda asked.
“Her assistant quit to work at a grocery store where she could get benefits.”
“And you don’t need benefits?” Yvonne asked.
“Like what, health insurance?”
“Sure. That and maybe paid vacations?”
“My health plan is simple. ‘Don’t get sick.’ And as for vacations, I’m on one now. The paid part ran out, so it’s called a ‘leave of absence.’ My only benefit is seein’ Rebecca every day.”
“I guess you’re all set, then,” Myranda said.
“Pretty much, but I have a couple of problems. Maybe you can help with advice, even if I can’t take the classes.”
“Sure. We’ll try. What’s going on?”
“Well, one is about Rebecca’s business. Did y’all know she’s goin’ under?”
Yvonne raised her brows, but Myranda responded. “I’m not surprised. Did you hear that spell she cast?”
“Yeah. Something about wantin’ customers one, two, three.”
Myranda looked at him askance. “And how many paying customers did she have yesterday?”
Dru had a sinking feeling. “Uh…three. And all they bought was coffee, but they paid in cash.”
“How about today?”
He didn’t have to think too hard. She’d told him how many and what they’d bought. “She had three customers and sold three cupcakes.”
Yvonne groaned. “Why did she word it like that? She should know the Goddess is sometimes ridiculously literal.”
Dru straightened, feeling the urge to defend Rebecca, even though he’d thought the same thing. “She was afraid she’d be overwhelmed if everyone came at once and she was all by herself. Is there anything that can be done about it now, or does she have to wait until the next full moon?”
“Oh, no. She doesn’t have to wait. In fact, she should fix that right away.”
“Does she know how to undo a spell?”
“Well, yesterday I would have said so. I’m not so sure now.”
“How long has she been a witch?” Dru asked.
Yvonne and Myranda stared at each other as if figuring it out non-verbally.
“She took classes here maybe six or seven years ago, I think,” Yvonne said.
“Yeah. That sounds about right.” Myranda shook her head. “I thought I taught her better than that.”
Dru’s jaw dropped. “Six or seven years? Does it take that long to know what you’re doin’?”
“Not usually. It takes at least a year and a day of study before you can call yourself a priest or priestess.”
“That sounds pretty advanced.”
“Nope,” Yvonne said. “That’s basic. A witch should keep practicing and studying for a lifetime. There’s always more to learn.”
“And magic comes to some more easily than it does to others,” Myranda added. “A lot of it depends on how motivated a person is.”
“Hmmm…I thought I was motivated, but I had no idea it was so involved and would take so long.”
Myranda gave him a sad smile. “We probably should have talked more about your experience and ambitions when you came in the first time. You seemed to know a lot already, so I may have assumed you were further advanced than you were.”
“Yeah. I was motivated as you say, but most of what I learned was from the Internet and books, and a lot of them contradicted each other.”
“Yes. That happens,” Myranda said. “That’s why I recommend you pick a specific discipline and stick with that.” She smiled slyly. “By the way, how are you and Rebecca getting along?”
He couldn’t help smiling. “Like a house on fire.”
Myranda laughed. “I thought you might.”
“Was the attraction that obvious?”
She grinned. “Not to everyone, but Yvonne and I saw it, and I think Ethan did.”
He snapped his fingers. “Hey, maybe you can explain what Ethan said to me. When I said I wasn’t in the circle, he said, ‘Oh, yes you were.’”
Myranda grinned. “Hanna cast a wide circle. I’m sure you were in it. And even though you didn’t say anything, you kept staring at Rebecca.”
Yvonne added, “Specifically, at her hot buns.” Both women cackled loudly.
“Aw, shoot. You saw that?”
“We sure did,” Myranda said.
“Does that mean the Goddess saw it too?”
The witches smirked and Yvonne shrugged. “Is there a specific reason you wanted to learn Wicca in the first place?”
“Yeah. My sister’s into it. She was doin’ our family tree and discovered a witch in the family brew, so to speak. So she took her spring break from college in Austin and came to Salem, Mass to research our roots. She hasn’t been heard from since.”
The two women star
ed at him in stunned silence. He could almost guess what they were thinking and decided not to wait for their questions. “I got a couple leads down there that made me think she might be up this way. Oh! And I have a picture of her.”
He fished his wallet out of his back pocket and showed them the smiling, blonde, cowgirl he remembered. “Her name is Shasta. I don’t know if she has a witch name. Have either of you seen or heard anything about her?”
“I’m sorry. No,” Myranda said. “Why didn’t you ask at the ritual?”
“I didn’t know y’all yet. Some people in Austin were more harm than help. One of them was convinced she was taken by aliens. Others seemed to follow his lead.”
Yvonne seemed to be studying the picture a little longer. “Could she have dyed her hair?”
“Possibly. Some homeless guy thought he may have seen her, but he said her hair was black.”
“Yeah. I think I might have seen her too.”
He was almost afraid to get his hopes up. “Has she ever come in here?”
“Not that I remember. I’m not even sure it’s the same girl. I’ve just seen someone around Market Square with those blue eyes, and they really stood out against the dark hair.”
“That’s fantastic. I mean, I hope that’s her. I’m fixin’ to walk around town with samples from the bakery to drum up business each day, and I’m hoping to see her in my travels. Maybe kill two birds with one stone.”
“Smart. But it seems pretty random as plans go. Have you tried the police?”
“Yup. First thing I did in Salem and then here. I’m always a little relieved and disappointed at the same time when they don’t recognize her.”
“Do you think something might have happened to her?” Yvonne asked.
“I sure hope not, ma’am. I sure hope not.”
Yvonne and Myranda gave each other one of those curious looks, as if they were thinking the same thing at the same time. They must have been. They spoke in unison and said one thing.
“Hanna.”
The next morning, Rebecca was relieved to see Dru coming through the door. So far, the full-time help wanted sign in the window hadn’t generated any interest. And they say there’s a recession going on.
She greeted the handsome cowboy with a smile. “I’m glad to see you came back for more abuse.”
“Abuse?” He strode in. “Naw. Lookin’ at your purty face offsets anythin’ you might throw at me.”
“I wasn’t planning to throw anything at you. Although, the day is young.”
He chuckled. “Yeah, you might get mad when you hear what I have to say.”
Oh, goddess. Please don’t tell me he’s leaving already.”
She took a deep breath. “Okay. What is it?”
“I spoke to Myranda and Yvonne after work yesterday…”
His pause was killing her. “And?”
“And, they said you might have screwed up your spell. They said the Goddess is notoriously literal. You said you wanted paying customers one, two, three. You got exactly three paying customers yesterday and three the day before.”
Her hand covered her mouth and she felt her face heat. “Did you discuss my business problem with them?”
“Just a little bit.”
“Dru!”
“I know, I know. It’s none of my business, but dammit, you need help.”
She stomped off to the kitchen, and he followed her.
He almost got distracted by the smell of what had to be apple pie. The familiar scents of sugar, cinnamon, apples, and something else evoked memories of home. He forced himself to stick to the matter at hand. “They said you need to undo that spell right away.”
She sighed and leaned against her prep counter. “They’re right. I was thinking about it last night after you left, and I took care of it.”
“You already undid the spell?”
“Yes. I couldn’t sleep, even though I was exhausted. So, I got out of bed and cast a whole new spell.”
“I’m glad to hear that. I was gonna drag you off to Hanna, if you didn’t know how to fix it.”
“Hanna? Why?”
“Well, I gotta see her anyway.”
“She doesn’t like to be bothered on the job, and that’s where she is most of the time.”
“Yeah. Myranda warned me, but I’ve gotta know if Shasta’s okay.”
Rebecca nodded. “I can understand that.”
“I guess she’s the most psychic among you, and she might be able to detect her life essence or somethin’.”
Rebecca worried her lip. “She might. I’ll go with you, even though I don’t need help with my spell reversal.” She glared at him.
He held up both hands and backed away a step. “Okay, okay. I was just worried about your livelihood is all.”
She sighed, but eventually smiled. “I know. I’ve been thinking about that too. There are some small changes I can make that should help.”
“Great. Anything I can do?”
She gave him a sly smile. “Just don’t distract me too much. Speaking of which, I’ve got to get back to work.” She opened one of the industrial sized ovens and pulled out a pan of turnovers and a pie.
“Mmm…That smells incredible. But there’re a couple other things Myranda and Yvonne said, which I should talk with you about.”
“Oh? What’s that?”
“First off, they think I did a love spell on you.”
Rebecca whirled around. “What? You didn’t say a word. You weren’t even in the circle.”
“That’s what I thought. They seem to think Hanna cast the circle wide enough to include me, and I’m afraid I might have been admirin’ your…well, you.”
Rebecca’s brows shot up. “I’ve heard of accidentally casting a spell without speaking it aloud, but it’s usually got to do with jealousy and giving the evil eye. Are you sure they weren’t just teasing you?”
“I might think that, but Ethan basically said the same thing.”
Rebecca bit her lower lip. She had wondered why their relationship had progressed so quickly. She was still mulling it over when Dru spoke. What is he saying?
“Speaking of not getting distracted…Can you work and talk at the same time?”
She chuckled. “I used to think so. What did you want to talk about?”
“Maybe you can tell me what those changes you wanted to make are, so I don’t suggest the same things. And, who knows? Maybe I’ll think of some other stuff for you to consider.”
“Sounds a little like interference.”
“Nope. All final decisions are yours. I’m just a sounding board.”
She took off the oven mitts. “Okay. I’ll try it, but if you get pushy, I might push back.”
“Fair enough.”
She reached for a bowl to mix up some muffin batter. “When I first opened, I had hoped to get a contract with a restaurant or store for my bread. That isn’t practical if I’m the only one here. So, maybe I’ll sleep an extra hour and stop baking fresh bread in the morning only to watch it go stale and give it away at night.”
“Sounds smart, for now. But if you got the help you needed, would one of those contracts increase your earnings?”
“Oh, goddess, yes!”
“Okay. So it sounds like you need to concentrate on gettin’ more help.”
“Yes, and preferably a baker, so I don’t have to take the time to teach him.”
“Him?” Dru’s brows knit.
Could he be jealous? “Or her.”
His shoulders relaxed and he nodded. “Okay. What else are you thinkin’ of?”
“Well, the Fourth of July is coming up. I could encourage preorders of my red velvet cupcakes with whipped white frosting and blueberries on top.” She grinned sheepishly. “If you wouldn’t mind handing out some minis, and taking orders on the street.”
“Don’t mind a bit. You should probably ask for a deposit so people don’t change their minds. I think I can get something on a smart phone that’ll read credit cards.�
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“Good idea. Do you have a smart phone?”
“Yup. Don’t you?”
“No. Just a dumb one. I was hoping to upgrade when I had the money.”
“Okay. So how do we get you more money?”
“I have recipes for gluten free cookies and sugar free pies, but the ingredients are more expensive, so I haven’t been making them. Maybe you could take orders for those too?”
“Sure. And if the ingredients are more expensive, you should charge more and people should pay full price when they order. Don’t you think?”
She mulled it over. “I already charge more, but maybe they can pay half. I can probably sell them from the case if they never come to pick them up.”
“Now you’re cookin’ with gas.” He winked and grinned.
“Oh, no. Don’t tell me you like puns. Do you know how many puns there are about baking?”
“No, but I look forward to findin’ and repeatin’ every last one.”
She groaned.
“Of course, I don’t know much about your profession, so they may only be half-baked.”
“Cut it out.”
“Don’t worry, honey. I think you’re the greatest thing since sliced bread—even if you’re sometimes a little flaky.”
“Dru…” She set her hands on her hips and tried to glare at his cute face.
“I’m sorry. That was crummy of me. I shouldn’t tease you at all. I know you knead the dough.”
She groaned loudly and covered her eyes.
“And you know what the icin’ on the cake is? I’m just pie-eyed over you.”
“Stop!” She slapped her hands over her ears.
He sidled up next to her and in a low menacing voice he said, “Come to the dark side. We have cookies.”
“I give up.”
Dru wondered why everyone seemed so afraid of Hanna. Rebecca didn’t want him to see her alone. She offered to go with him, but he didn’t really want her there, so he made the excuse that he’d gotten a lead on Shasta—not untrue. Yvonne had mentioned that she might have seen her in Market Square, as did the homeless guy. Dru left as soon as the bakery closed, intending to walk through the square on his way to Hanna’s hotel.