wicked witches 07.6 - bewitched

by Amanda M. Lee

  “Did you freeze each other’s bras?”

  “You need to stop watching eighties movies,” Clove said. “We definitely didn’t do that to one another.”

  “You’ve ruined my fantasies,” I teased, smiling.

  “I’m sorry to crush you so unfairly,” Clove shot back. “Tell me more about what happened with Bay and Landon. I’m hoping things will be less tense now that you’ve talked things out.”

  “I don’t know about that,” I said. “Basically Landon asked me questions about the kids, then he searched through that bag of garbage we collected, and then he warned me that he would arrest me if I threw the returnables out with the trash.”

  Clove giggled, the sound warming me. “I told you.”

  “You’re both beautiful and wise.”

  Clove’s cheeks reddened. “That was charming.”

  “I’m working on being charming twenty-four hours a day,” I said. “You bring it out quite easily. Landon is another story.”

  “Landon is a good guy,” Clove said. “Don’t talk badly about him. He saved my life … several times.”

  “Well, then I guess I have to like him,” I said.

  We lapsed into amiable silence, Clove’s eyes darting to the clock on the table. Because the living room doubled as my bedroom these days, nothing was organized. She was debating leaving, something I absolutely didn’t want to happen. I decided to head her off before she voiced the suggestion.

  “Do you know what we should do?”

  Clove’s eyes widened. “Um … .”

  It took me a moment to realize where her mind headed when I asked the question. “Not that,” I said, trying to hide my smirk and failing miserably. “I’ll try to be smoother when I suggest that.”

  “I didn’t … I wasn’t … I … .” Clove was mortified, which only made her more adorable.

  “I was going to suggest we go for a walk,” I said, rescuing her from embarrassment. “It’s a nice night. We don’t have to go far, but … I don’t want you to leave yet.”

  “You’re being charming again.”

  “It’s a constant struggle,” I said. “I’m working on it.”

  “YOU should put some lanterns out here,” Clove said as we walked past the patio twenty minutes later.

  “I have to change out the paver stones first,” I said. “If I don’t, we’ll be pulling weeds once a month.”

  “Would that be so bad?”

  The moon was full, offering a bright halo of light to illuminate Clove’s pleasing features. She was beyond cute. “I’ll come up with other tasks if you’re such a slave to gardening,” I said. “Tell me your idea about the lanterns.”

  “I’ve seen these hooks you can plant into the ground and hang lanterns from,” Clove explained. “It would be romantic if you put a bistro table out here so we – I mean you and whoever you choose – could enjoy dinner during the summer.”

  It was too dark to see the blush creeping up her cheeks, but I knew it was there. “I think we should definitely do that,” I said. “I stress the word ‘we.’”

  “Do you want to know what else you should do?” Clove asked.

  I knew exactly what I wanted to do – something that I kept getting really close to doing and then chickening out before achieving my goal. I shuffled closer to her, intent on finally giving her the kiss I’d been dreaming about for three nights, but she took a step away from me and pointed toward the woods. “I think you should put a bonfire pit in the clearing.”

  I knit my eyebrows. Did she do that on purpose? She fixated on a task until she completed it, which was both cute and efficient. She was great at picking up on some social cues only to completely miss others. I edged closer to test my theory, but she didn’t even glance in my direction. She was too busy staring at the thick expanse of trees.

  “I have a bonfire pit by the lake,” I reminded her. “Why do I need one in the woods, too?”

  “Because if you develop that clearing into a fake cemetery and hold bonfires there you could have big events and draw more people to the lighthouse,” Clove said, swiveling her shoulders. “I … .” She broke off, jolting when she realized how close I was.

  “I like the fake cemetery idea,” I said, locking gazes and extending my chin so it crossed over into her personal space. “People can tell ghost stories and … scare each other.”

  “You can add a Bigfoot tour, too,” Clove said, swallowing hard. “I … what are you doing?”

  “I haven’t decided yet,” I admitted. “I’m thinking really hard about kissing you, though.”

  “Most people don’t announce that before they do it.”

  “I’m not most people.”

  “I know,” Clove said. “Why now? Why didn’t you do it after our first date?”

  “I got nervous.”

  “Why not when you walked me to my car last night?” Clove pressed.

  “We were both nervous then,” I replied. “You kept gripping your fingers together and jumping every time I got too close.”

  “You can’t kiss me now,” Clove said, her pragmatic side taking over. “We’ve talked about it too long, and no matter what, it will feel anticlimactic now.”

  I tilted my head to the side, considering. Was she saying that because she was nervous? Would I look wimpy if I didn’t take advantage of the situation – and the extremely favorable lighting?

  Clove took another step back, a small smile playing at the corners of her mouth. “You can’t kiss me now, and we both know it.”

  “I haven’t decided whether I know anything yet,” I clarified. “It does seem as if we’re building up unnecessary stress regarding this, so maybe we should get it out of the way.”

  “You don’t get a first kiss out of the way,” Clove chided. “You make it special, so you never forget it.”

  “Well, now you’ve really ruined the mood,” I said. “Go back to your bonfire idea. How could I market that?” If I can’t kiss her, I might as well plot business moves. I need something to take my mind off her lips – even though she keeps licking them and driving me crazy.

  “You can do weekend lighthouse tours,” Clove suggested. “You can price for different packages. You know what else you could do?” She was excited, really getting into planning instead of being relieved I wasn’t trying to kiss her.

  “What?”

  “You should see if you can buy an old ship,” Clove said. “I don’t know what your money situation is, and I have no idea how much a big boat costs, but you don’t need a boat to sail. You just need one to anchor next to the dock.”

  I realized what she was getting at, and I liked it. “You think I should do a haunted boat attraction, too, don’t you?”

  “Think about it,” Clove said. “You can decorate different compartments of the boat. You can even turn one into a gift shop. There are tons of cool model ships. Thistle is really good with a paintbrush. I mean … scary good. She would jump at the chance to take some of those old ship models and turn them into haunted ships. You guys could split the profits.”

  “I really like this idea,” I said, my mind shifting from kissing to the possibility of making money. I didn’t completely give up on the kissing idea, but I did push it away for now. Next time I won’t give her a chance to talk me out of it. I would just do it. “I wonder where I could buy an old boat. You’re right about not having to sail it. I’ll bet I could get a great deal on a ship without a working engine.”

  “I’m so excited,” Clove said, hopping up and down. “Can I help you decorate?”

  “I wouldn’t consider doing it without you,” I said. “Come on.” I held out my hand.

  “Where are we going?” Clove asked, slipping her hand into mine. She didn’t even think before she did it, which made me happy. We were the type of people who liked to think before we did things. We had that in common, but I was ready to become a doer.

  “Let’s go look at the clearing,” I suggested. “I have a flashlight on the shelf in the storage
shed. I want to see your ideas for the fake cemetery.”

  Clove’s enthusiasm slipped. “But … it’s dark.”

  “That’s what the flashlight is for.”

  “But … what if Bigfoot is out there?”

  I couldn’t help but smile. “I’ll protect you from Bigfoot. Don’t worry about that.”

  “Okay,” Clove said, giving in after only a few seconds of cursory worry. “I’ll be sad if Bigfoot eats you, but I’ll make sure everyone in town knows you were a hero.”

  “That’s all I ask.”

  I grabbed the flashlight and led Clove into the woods, making sure to pick a slow pace so she wouldn’t trip over something as she tried to keep up. I was familiar with the path between the lighthouse and the clearing by now, and we were almost to the location when a low murmur grabbed my attention and caused me to instinctively click the flashlight off.

  “What are you doing?” Clove hissed. “How are we going to see?”

  “Shh.”

  “Don’t shush me,” Clove said. “I … .”

  I clamped my hand over her mouth, straining until the sound of voices filtered through the dense trees. Clove heard it, too. I could tell by the way her shoulders shifted. I dropped my hand and glanced down at her face. It was too dark to tell whether she was frightened or curious.

  “Is that the clearing?” Clove asked, her voice barely audible.

  “No,” I replied. “That’s out farther. Keep hold of my hand. I want to see who it is.”

  “It’s probably just kids partying again.” I didn’t have to be psychic to know that the last thing Clove wanted to do was spy on teenagers. I couldn’t really blame her.

  “Tess Britton is still missing,” I reminded her. “I want to know whether she’s out here.”

  “And if she is?”

  “We’ll call Chief Terry.”

  “Fine,” Clove grumbled. “If I die out here, though, I’ll never forgive you.”

  “Duly noted,” I whispered, guiding Clove through the trees.

  It took a few minutes to find the source of the voices, and when I did I pushed Clove to a kneeling position behind a tree and joined her. I leaned forward, peering around the trunk so I could observe the small gathering.

  It was another bonfire – which didn’t surprise me – but this time only three kids were present. I recognized Andy right away, my heart jumping at the possibility of seeing Tess. Both of the other teenagers were boys, though, and I couldn’t help but feel mildly disappointed.

  “We’re going to end up in a lot of trouble if we’re not careful, Andy,” one of the boys said. “The cops have been asking questions. That FBI agent even showed up at school today.”

  “We’re not going to get in trouble as long as you keep your mouth shut, Jack,” Andy shot back. “The cops don’t have anything on us.”

  “They obviously think they know something,” Jack argued. “Why did we come back out here, by the way? This is just asking for trouble. We should’ve gone to Hollow Creek.”

  “I don’t want to hang out with the losers at Hollow Creek,” Andy said. “There are too many people out there these days.”

  “That doesn’t mean we had to come here,” Jack said. “That lighthouse guy could hear us and call Chief Terry.”

  “I’m not worried about Chief Terry,” Andy spit. “And I’m especially not worried about that douche at the lighthouse. He’s a wimp.”

  I frowned. I would argue with the “wimp” assertion, but I was crouching behind a tree and hiding from kids who didn’t look old enough to shave.

  “What about Tess?” Jack prodded.

  “What about Tess?” Andy shot back. “She’s not our problem. She’s obviously not talking.”

  “What’s going to stop her from talking when she gets back?”

  “Who says she’s coming back?” Andy asked. “I’m guessing wherever Tess disappeared to, she’s gone for good. That’s good for us. Everything is going to get better from here on out.”

  Nine

  “Thanks for coming on short notice,” I said, leaning against the lighthouse and forcing a smile as Landon exited his vehicle. Bay was with him, her hair pulled back in a simple ponytail and her face devoid of makeup. They were clearly caught off guard by Chief Terry’s call.

  After discovering the teenagers – and hearing what they had to say regarding Tess – I was in a pickle. It wasn’t something that could wait until morning, and I had to call the police.

  Clove left so she wouldn’t have to explain her presence to Landon, and I already missed her. I couldn’t help but wonder when I became so pathetic.

  “What’s going on?” Landon asked, ushering Bay ahead of him as they trudged up the sidewalk. “Chief Terry called and told me to come out here. He’s having dinner with an aunt and can’t get out of it.”

  “And we were ready for bed,” Bay grumbled.

  “Don’t worry, sweetie,” Landon said. “I’ll wow you when we get home. I’m up for the challenge.”

  Bay made a face that would’ve been comical under different circumstances. “I was looking forward to reading the new book I bought today, for your information.”

  “It had better be a dirty book, otherwise we’re going to have problems,” Landon said, unruffled. “What’s going on? Chief Terry said you sounded strange on the phone.”

  “The teenagers are back in the woods,” I explained. “There are only three of them this time, but they’re definitely out there.”

  “Are they in the same clearing?” Landon’s demeanor switched from agitated to serious. “Is Tess with them?”

  “Tess is not with them,” I replied. “It’s three boys, including Andy. They mentioned Tess, although they’re not in the same spot as that first night.”

  “You eavesdropped on them?” Bay asked, wrinkling her nose. “That seems … .”

  “If you say wimpy I’ll kick you off my property right now,” I warned.

  “I was going to say sneaky,” Bay retorted, elbowing Landon when he snickered. “It’s not funny. Why do you always think it’s funny when I stick my foot in my mouth?”

  “I find everything you do funny,” Landon said before turning back to me. “What did they say?”

  “Just that they were worried about the cops sniffing around, and one of the other kids – I think his name is Jack – was worried Tess would show up and rat them out for something.”

  “It must be Jack Dunham,” Bay supplied. “He hangs around with Andy Hodgins.”

  “What do you know about him?” Landon asked.

  “Not much. His mother owns the scone place on Main Street. She seems nice.”

  “Are they still out there?” Landon asked.

  “They were when I called,” I responded. “I thought it was better to wait for you here. When I called Chief Terry, he said he was going to send you, although he didn’t say why. I didn’t mean to ruin a family gathering.”

  “You did the right thing,” Landon said, narrowing his eyes as he glanced around. “Can you tell me why you were wandering around in the woods this late at night?”

  “It’s not even ten,” Bay reminded him.

  “I know that, Bay,” Landon said, his temper obviously wearing thin. “I have to ask the question.”

  “Don’t get snippy with me,” Bay warned. “I’m never going to read that dirty book to you if you insist on being snippy.”

  “I’m not being snippy,” Landon countered. “I knew that book was dirty, too. I saw you and Thistle whispering while you looked at it before dinner. I’m an excellent investigator.”

  “Whatever,” Bay grumbled, crossing her arms over her chest.

  “You two should have your own reality show,” I said dryly. “Can we focus on the teenagers in the woods instead of your love life?”

  “Stop being a … what’s that word you used to describe Clove the other day?” Landon asked. I realized he was trying to cajole Bay out of her mood, but I didn’t want to hear anything negative about Cl
ove, especially when I couldn’t stand up for her without tipping my hand.

  “Kvetch,” Bay supplied. “Aunt Tillie began calling her that when she was five.”

  “Why?” I asked, hoping my voice didn’t sound as angry as I felt.

  “Because she always demanded that we focus on her when we got distracted by other things,” Bay explained, narrowing her eyes. “Why do you care what we used to call Clove?”

  “Why do you care that I care?” Whoops. I’d just answered another question with a question. That wasn’t going to ease her suspicious nature.

  “I don’t know what’s going on between the two of you, but we need to focus on the teenagers,” Landon interjected. “And before you say anything, Bay, I’m not being a kvetch. I’m just … really anxious to take a look at that book. Even Thistle blushed when she looked at it.”

  “It’s a good thing you’re handsome,” Bay said. “Otherwise you would have absolutely nothing going for you.”

  “Except my wit and charm,” Landon countered. “Take me to where the kids are. I’ll question them and hopefully get to the bottom of all of this.”

  “Great,” I said, moving toward the trees. “Bay, do you want to stay here?”

  “Why would I want to stay here?” Bay was already at Landon’s side, their fingers linked.

  “I don’t know,” I said. “I thought maybe you were afraid of Bigfoot, too.”

  Bay frowned. “Clove is afraid of Bigfoot,” she said. “I’m not afraid of Bigfoot. Why … ?” She trailed off, her mind clearly working overtime.

  I’m terrible at subterfuge. Every time I try to fool someone I fail miserably. “Clove stopped by to see the work on the lighthouse the other day,” I offered. “She was interested in the construction and potential tours. She mentioned that you and Thistle told her Bigfoot hung around here. I had to reassure her that he doesn’t.” I hoped that sounded plausible.

  “We did do that,” Bay said, snickering.

  “You guys are mean to her,” Landon said, falling into step next to me and pulling Bay closer to his side. “You know she’s sensitive. Why would you terrorize her with Bigfoot?”

  Bay shrugged. “It was Thistle’s idea.”