“It wasn’t horrible,” I clarified. “It wasn’t nice, mind you, but it wasn’t horrible. I was happy to see you, but you were really fat.”
“She made me fat?” Chief Terry’s smile slipped. “What did I ever do to her?”
“It’s not about that. You see, she wanted me to understand that maybe I’ve been holding you back.”
Chief Terry stilled. “What do you mean by that?”
“Did I ever tell you I wanted you to marry my mother when I was younger?” I asked, changing tactics.
“No, but I think that’s probably a common dream for kids.”
“I did. I had that dream for a long time. Then I didn’t.”
“Why did you change your mind?”
“Because I was afraid that if I told you to make a decision – to pick between Mom, Marnie and Twila – that you’d pick Marnie or Twila, and then you’d like Clove or Thistle better than me.”
“Sweetheart, that was never going to happen.”
“I know that now, but … I was a kid. Kids think stupid things.”
“They do indeed.”
“In the future, you were still trapped between the three of them and they would not stop feeding you. I thought you might explode at one point. That was before Landon stole your turkey leg.”
“I have no idea what that means, and I’m not sure I want to.”
“It really doesn’t matter,” I said, waving away the visual. “The thing is, I want you to know that it’s okay to choose. I want you to be happy. You’ll always be my surrogate father whether or not you choose Mom, Marnie or Twila.
“And, before you ask the obvious question, I know you might choose none of them,” I continued. “I’m okay with that, too. I only want you to be happy.”
“What makes you think I’m not happy?”
“I don’t know that you’re not. I simply want to make sure that you are. I want you to have someone – like I have Landon – and I don’t want you to be forced to eat three different versions of pie every meal for the rest of your life. It’s not healthy.”
Chief Terry chuckled as he slung an arm around my shoulders, seemingly amused by my plight. “Well, I don’t need your permission, but I thank you for it all the same.”
“I’m not saying you need to do anything about it now,” I clarified. “I want you to give it some thought. Think about it as a Christmas gift for me.”
Chief Terry’s eyes were somber when they met mine. “Then I will give it some thought.”
We sat like that for a moment, staring at each other, and then Aunt Tillie burst into the room. The look she shot us was one full of pure annoyance.
“Why are you in here?”
“We had a few things to talk about,” I replied, agitation bubbling up. Now I remembered exactly why I was angry with her.
“You didn’t tell him about the yellow snow plan, did you?”
“Oh, geez.” Chief Terry pressed his eyes shut. “I don’t want to know what evil plan you’ve cooked up for Margaret Little. It’s Christmas. I’m off the clock.”
“That’s good to know.” Aunt Tillie’s smile was serene. “I might allow you and your cousins to join me for a brief trip this afternoon if you’re good. I haven’t come to a firm decision, though.”
“Oh, that’s too bad,” I drawled. “We’ve come to a firm decision after discussing what happened last night.”
“Nothing happened.” Aunt Tillie shot me a quelling look. “Why do you think something happened?”
“I already told Chief Terry, so there’s no point in lying,” I said. “Thistle, Clove and I had a long discussion about what the dreams meant.”
“We did,” Thistle confirmed, her eyes filled with malice as she drifted into the room with Clove and Landon on her heels. Clove was as angry as Thistle, but Landon simply wanted to see the show. “We had a very long talk about what your actions really signified.”
Aunt Tillie did her best to remain calm, but I didn’t miss her hard swallow. “And what did you decide?”
“We decided that you’re acting out because you’re lonely,” Clove replied. “We never wanted that for you, so we’re going to fix it.”
“That’s right,” I added. “We’re going to make sure that you have a special lunch every week with all three of us, a time when we can catch up and make sure you’re not lonely.”
“We’re having it Thursday afternoons,” Thistle said. “We’re really looking forward to it.”
Aunt Tillie balked. “Thursday afternoons? That’s when I spy on those idiots at the senior center.”
“Oh, you’ll be far too busy for stuff like that,” I said. “We’re also going to come up with a schedule to make sure you’re covered throughout the week. We thought – since you’re obviously lonely without us – that you could spend time at the store and the newspaper office.”
“We want to keep an eye on you,” Thistle said. “You’re our great-aunt. You deserve our undivided attention.”
Aunt Tillie narrowed her eyes, frustration positively rolling off her. “Okay. You’ve made your point. I get it.”
“Oh, we’re not even close to making our point,” I countered. “We think it will take weeks for it to sink in. The most important thing to us is making sure you feel safe and comfortable. It’s clear that you’re not feeling either.”
Chief Terry and Landon laughed as Aunt Tillie’s face flooded with color.
“That sounds like a fabulous idea,” Chief Terry offered. “I think that extra time with your great-nieces can only make things better. Now, in the spring, you won’t have to waste time gardening by yourself.”
“That is a great idea,” Landon enthused.
Aunt Tillie extended a finger, pointing it at all of us in turn. “I know exactly what you’re doing. It won’t work.”
“We’re not doing anything but loving you,” Clove cooed.
“Ugh. You’re all on my list!”
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About the Author
I want to thank everyone who takes the time to read my novels. I have a particular brand of humor that isn’t for everyone – and I know that.
If you liked the book, please take a few minutes and leave a review. An independent author does it all on their own, and the reviews are helpful. I understand that my characters aren’t for everyone, though. There’s a lot of snark and sarcasm in my world – and I know some people don’t like that.
Special thanks go out to Heidi Bitsoli and Phil VanHulle for correcting the (numerous) errors that creep into a work of fiction.
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This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
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Books by Amanda M. Lee
An Avery Shaw Mystery
Who, What, Where, When, Die
If it Bleeds, it Leads
Buried Leads
Shot Off The Presses
The Preditorial Page
Misquoted & Demoted
Headlines & Deadlines
Misprints & Mistakes
Bylines & Skylines
Off the Record
Unwritten & Underwater
A Wicked Witches of the Midwest Mystery
Any Witch Way You Can
Every Witch Way But Wicked
Witching You Were Here
Witching on a Star
Something to Witch About
Witch Me Luck
Life’s a Witch
Charms & Witchdemeanors
The Trouble With Witches
Murder Most Witchy
A Wicked Witches of the Midwest Short
Careful What You Witch For
Wicked Brew
On a Witch and a Prayer
You Only Witch Once
The Christmas Witch
Bewitched
A Solstice Celebration
Witchdependence Day
Happy Witchgiving
Merry Witchmas
Four-Leaf Clover
Thistle While You Work
Landon Calling
I Dream of Twila
A Wicked Witches of the Midwest Fantasy
Witchy Tales
A Witch In Time
Make A Witch
An Aisling Grimlock Mystery
Grim Tidings
Grim Offerings
Grim Discovery
Grim Reunion
Grim Expectations
Grim Holiday
Covenant College
Awakening
Whispering
Conjuring
Waxing & Waning
Graduating
Living Covenant Trilogy
Rising Covenant
Dark Covenant
Eternal Covenant
Dying Covenant Trilogy
Haunted Covenant
Desperate Covenant
Everlasting Covenant
A Mystic Caravan Mystery
Freaky Days
Freaky Lies
Freaky Hearts
Freaky Games
A Charlie Rhodes Cozy Mystery
The Bigfoot Blunder
A Witchmas Carol Page 20