Soul of the Witch

by Deanna Chase

  She’d heard from him a few times. He was in L.A. working out the custody situation with Valerie and didn’t plan on returning until he could bring his daughter with him. Abby was proud of him and wished she could be there to support him even though she knew it wasn’t her place. The small amount she’d seen of Valerie had been enough to last her a lifetime.

  Her bare feet hit the wood floors, and she walked over to the mirror hanging above her dresser. Just as she had for the past week she recited, “I am grateful that Charlotte befriended me the first day of kindergarten, and that all the years we knew each other, we never let anything come between us. I am grateful that Clay has let me back into his life, and that even after all these years, he is still the same person I fell in love with. I regret leaving Keating Hollow ten years ago, and I regret giving Charlotte a potion her mother asked me not to give her. The one thing I wish for my future is to marry a man who loves me for me and to start a family.”

  What she didn’t say was that she wanted Clay to be that man. It just seemed too presumptuous. Or maybe she was too scared to say it out loud. But as each day went by, she could feel her courage building. One of these days, she was certain she’d say it. Just as long as he came back to Keating Hollow. Even her magic was cooperating better. She still wasn’t able to make her dad’s potion, but two nights ago she had managed to join the girls at the river. This time the hot tub effect was in full force.

  “Abby? Want breakfast? I’m making waffles,” her dad called from the other room.

  “Yes!” She quickly dressed in jeans and a warm, long-sleeved shirt and stumbled out of her room in search of coffee.

  Her dad had a pitcher of batter in his hand and was humming the theme song to the John Wayne movie he’d watched the night before. Abby rolled her eyes. “Tonight we’re watching When Harry Met Sally. I can’t take one more western.”

  “No we’re not.” He shook his head and poured the batter into the waffle maker.

  “Just try and stop me.” Abby poured a cup of coffee, added a scoop of cocoa, and topped it off with whipped cream.

  “Won’t be hard if you keep clogging your arteries with that stuff.”

  Abby grinned and took a sip of her mocha. “We’ll see.”

  “Sorry, child, but you have plans.” He pushed a piece of paper toward her. It said Cozy Cave, seven p.m.

  “Who am I meeting at the Cozy Cave?” she asked, one eyebrow raised.

  “It’s a surprise.” He placed a waffle in front of her and passed the real maple syrup.

  “Dad.” She drew out the word. “Just tell me. Is it Yvette? Or Faith? Noel? All three of them?”

  He shook his head. “Nope. Now eat. You look a little thin today.”

  “Nice try.” She made a face to let him know she wasn’t buying his act for even a second. “Is it you? Because that’s a date I wouldn’t mind keeping.”

  His lips twitched. “That’s flattering, but no. Clair and I have plans.”

  Abby glanced at the calendar. “But it’s only Wednesday. What happened to Friday night dinner and Sunday morning brunch?”

  He shrugged. “She’s decided she wants more time with me. And since I have a bunch of time on my hands, who am I to argue?”

  Abby sobered. She knew Clair actually meant she wanted more time while they still had it. And good for her for making sure they spent as much time together as possible, but that didn’t mean the reminder that her dad’s time was likely limited didn’t feel like a stab straight to the heart. She cleared her throat. “What are you two love birds doing?”

  “Not going to the Cozy Cave.” He winked. “Don’t want to cramp your style.”

  Abby stared at him, her mind running away with her. “Logan isn’t back in town is he? Because if he is I don’t—”

  “It’s not Logan,” he said with a frown. “You think I’d help a pompous ass like that get a date with my daughter?” He visibly shuddered. “No, Abby. In fact, if he sets foot back in Keating Hollow again, I’ll have Andrew Baker run him out of town. That’s how much I don’t like that entitled little turd.”

  Abby barked out a laugh. “Okay. Not Logan. Well, that’s a relief.” There was only one person left. Clay. But she didn’t push her father any further. She’d rather spend the day dreaming he was already back in town and surprising her with dates. If she was wrong, she was certain she’d still be delighted by whoever was sitting across from her at the table. But if she was right, well… she couldn’t think of a better way to spend her day than anticipating see him again.

  Abby had been wrong. She hadn’t been able to focus on anything other than her dinner date. To make matters worse, she’d spent most of that time obsessing about what she should wear. If it was Hanna or Wanda, she’d look pretty ridiculous showing up in a cocktail dress. But if it was Clay, she wanted to dress up and show off a few of her curves. In the end, she’d opted for a long, black lace top, leggings, and knee-high boots. The ensemble was dressy, but not too dressy, and it was fitted enough in the waist area that she didn’t look like she was wearing a lace potato sack.

  She touched up her lipstick once last time, grabbed her handbag, and waved to her dad and Clair, who were cuddled up on the couch watching When Harry Met Sally.

  “Have fun tonight,” Clair said, grinning at her. “And thanks for loaning us the movie. I couldn’t take one more John Wayne flick. I was starting to consider wearing a gun holster just to get his attention.”

  “That still might work,” Abby said. “Add in a pair of cowboy boots and a hat and you’ve got the makings of one heck of an evening.”

  Lin turned to eye Clair and pumped his eyebrows suggestively. “You’d look real cute in a hat, boots, and gun holster. Let’s try that out later.”

  Abby groaned and covered her ears. “I can’t hear you. La, la, la, la.” Laughter erupted from the couch, and Abby couldn’t help but join in. “Just try to keep it PG rated around us kids, okay?”

  “You started it,” Lin said just as Meg Ryan started to demonstrate how to fake an orgasm on the television.

  “Okay, that’s just about enough for me.” Abby raced to get out the front door.

  But before she could get the door closed, she heard her dad say, “I’m the one who’s being inappropriate? She’s the one who suggested we watch this together.”

  Abby cringed. She had suggested that. Oops. Thank goodness plans had changed. She climbed into her SUV, grateful it was finally fixed after her fender bender on the first day she’d rolled into town.

  Not even ten minutes later, Abby pulled into a parking spot a few doors down from the Cozy Cave. Her nerves were on full display when she stumbled out of the SUV and nearly landed face-first on the pavement, but she managed to catch herself before she went down.

  “Well played,” Shannon said from a few feet away on the sidewalk.

  Abby jerked her head up and felt her heart sink. No Clay. “Hey, Shannon.” She forced a smile. “You look nice. You didn’t have to get all dressed up for me.”

  Shannon furrowed her brow. “I didn’t.”

  “Oh, okay. I just meant that dress is incredible. And that slit. I don’t think I’d be brave enough to wear a dress with one that came all the way up to my hip.”

  “I’m pulling out all the stops tonight.” Shannon gave Abby a conspiratorial smile. “I finally got Andrew Baker to agree to a date with me. I’m hoping Mr. Deputy Sherriff might show me what he has hiding under that gun belt.”

  “You have a date with Andrew Baker?” Abby asked, confused.

  “Yeah, why?” Shannon waved at someone over Abby’s shoulder.

  “I just—” Abby glanced back to see who she was waving at and spotted Clay. He was dressed in dark jeans, black boots, and a steel blue button-down shirt. A slow smile stretched across his face as his eyes met hers.

  “You just what, Abby?” Shannon asked.

  “Huh?” She turned back around and focused on her new friend. “Oh. I, um, I thought you were here to meet me. But I
think I just figured out who my date is.”

  Clay arrived and put his hand on the small of Abby’s back. “You made it. Good.”

  A shiver went through her as she stared at his handsome face. “And you made it back to town.”

  “Last night, late.” He nodded at Shannon. “How’s it going?”

  “Good, but I think the temperature out here just rose about twenty degrees, so I’m going to go inside and wait for my date. You two remember to find a private room before you tear each other’s clothes off, okay?”

  “Shannon!” Abby said.

  Clay just laughed. “I’ll keep it under advisement.”

  Abby lightly swatted his chest. “Don’t encourage her.”

  “Why not? She’s only speaking common sense.”

  Shannon’s heels clattered on the sidewalk and she laughed as she disappeared into the restaurant.

  Abby grinned up at him. “So, why the surprise? Why didn’t you just tell me you were back in town?”

  He slipped an arm around her waist and started to lead her toward the front door. “I guess I wanted to do something special for you after I had to stand you up.”

  “You know I’m not upset about that, right? Not at all. You did what you had to do.”

  “Yeah, I know. But I still wanted to make it up to you.” He leaned down, kissed her temple, and then opened the door for her.

  At the hostess stand, Clay said, “Good evening. I have a reservation for—”

  “Garrison.” The hostess smiled up at him then cast Abby a dismissive glance before turning her attention back to Clay. “Your usual table is waiting, sir.”

  “Thanks,” Clay said.

  The hostess led them to their table but kept glancing back and smiling at Clay. By the time they were seated, Abby was certain the woman had completely forgotten Abby was even there. She hadn’t even handed her a menu.

  “Um, okay then.” Abby reached for the wine list and smiled when she spotted her favorite label.

  “Here.” Clay handed her the menu. “I don’t know what that was about, but—”

  “Oh come on, Clay,” Abby said, laughing. “You know exactly what that was about. Little Miss Hostess is dying to get you back to her place. Right this minute, she’s planning my demise so she can have you all to herself.”

  “Really?” He glanced at her then back at Abby as he shook his head. “She’s going to have to try a lot harder than that, because you’re the only one I want to follow home.”

  Abby licked her lips, forgetting all about the menu. Who needed food when the man of her dreams was right in front of her, offering himself up?

  But before Abby could say anything Clay grimaced. “Sorry. I shouldn’t have said that.”

  “It’s okay.” Abby reached out and covered his hand with hers. “I don’t mind.”

  He pulled his hand away and gave her an apologetic look. “The thing is, Abs, I truly do want nothing more than to start up where we left off ten years ago. But things are different now, and I can’t just fall back into something without considering Olive.”

  The crushing weight of disappointment settled over Abby, but she forced a reassuring smile. “Of course not. Olive is your priority. I get that. But does that mean there’s no room for you to have a relationship?”

  “No, it doesn’t.” He sat back in his chair as the waitress arrived and took their drink orders. When she was gone, he said, “But it does mean I have to take it easy right now. Last week—everything that went down with her mother—it’s a lot, Abs. Olive needs time to adjust, and I don’t want to throw anything else at her right now. Especially when I don’t even know how long you’ll be in town.”

  “I see.” Abby nodded slowly as she recalled the bumpy days in her own young life after her mother had left. It was right about that time that Mrs. P had really stepped in and become a lifeline for Abby. She’d love to be that person for Olive, but she knew Clay’s mother would probably fill that role. “I don’t want to cause any issues.”

  “That’s not what I meant to say. It’s just, there’s so much to tell you about what happened in L.A. Can we start there?”

  “Sure.”

  The waitress arrived, and Abby was never so happy to see a glass of wine in her life. They both ordered crab appetizers and the trout special for dinner.

  Once they were alone again, Abby grabbed her glass and said, “Go on. I’m listening.”

  Clay took a deep breath and dove into the craziness he’d experienced down in L.A. After Olive had been found in the park, everything had come out. It was true that Val had been having an affair with the judge who’d ruled on the temporary custody hearing. When his wife found out, she raised a stink so foul that by the time she was done, the judge had rescinded his custody order and then stepped down. The judge’s wife was out for blood and Clay actually almost felt sorry for the man. Almost, but not quite. Not after he’d ruled to take his daughter away from him.

  Another judge had given Clay full custody, and Val was only permitted supervised visits. And part of the agreement was that Olive never had to go back to L.A. or participate in any of Valerie’s auditions unless it was Olive’s idea. Clay also had to give his written consent where the auditions were concerned. It was unlikely Olive would ever be a part of the Hollywood scene again. She didn’t like anything about it.

  “So, listen. Olive had to get up in court and publicly call out her mother’s behavior,” Clay said. “I just don’t know how that’s going to affect her going forward. I don’t want to add anything new to the mix until she’s on solid footing.”

  “Don’t worry about it, Clay,” Abby said. “I’m on your side. You don’t need to explain further. Let’s just enjoy our dinner, okay?”

  He let out a breath and nodded. “Okay. Thanks.” Then he picked up his glass and raised it in a toast. “To old friends?”

  Abby swallowed her disappointment and repeated, “To old friends.”

  Their dinner conversation was stilted, and the rest of the evening was slightly awkward after Clay made it clear they wouldn’t be dating. Abby hated that they couldn’t seem to find their way back to the easy friendship they’d formed, but she didn’t know what to do about it, especially when they were on a date.

  Finally, after their dishes were cleared, Abby asked the question she’d been dying to ask ever since Clay told her he had to apply the brakes on their budding relationship. “Just tell me one thing.”

  “What’s that?” Clay asked as he signed the check.

  “Why the surprise date? I get why you need to focus on Olive, and I’m totally fine with that, but why go through the trouble of surprising me?”

  He frowned, his expression apologetic. “I’m sorry about that. It wasn’t until this afternoon that I decided I need to put the brakes on things. Olive had a rough day, and I realized I couldn’t do this. Not yet. Maybe if you decide to stick around and if we’re both in the same place, we can try again later. But now…” He shrugged. “I don’t know what to say. All I know is that I need to focus on Olive.”

  Abby was silent for a long moment. Then she stood and leaned down to give him a kiss on his cheek. “You’re a great dad, Clay. I’m proud of you. Thanks for dinner.”

  “Abby.” He grabbed her hand, stopping her from leaving.

  “Yeah?”

  He gently kissed the back of her hand and said, “Please consider staying in Keating Hollow.”

  She wound her fingers into his and smiled down at him. “I didn’t say anything while you were talking because I didn’t want to make it seem like I was making an argument against your decision to focus on your daughter. But that’s not something you need to worry about, Clay. I’ve already let my roommate know I’m not going back to New Orleans. I’m back. Back home where I belong.”

  His dark eyes searched hers as if he was trying to decide if he’d heard her correctly. Then he stood abruptly and swept her into his arms. His lips covered hers, and he kissed her so thoroughly that when he let go,
her lips were tingling and she’d lost her breath.

  A few nearby diners hooted and cheered their approval.

  Abby’s face heated, but it didn’t stop her from leaning in and giving him a kiss of her own. Hers was tender and sweet and full of all the emotion she’d been carrying around with her the last month. He responded, pouring just as much feeling into the kiss as she did. And when they finally broke apart, Abby was trembling. She pressed her hand to his heart. “Maybe one day we’ll both be ready for this. Until then, take care of yourself, Clay. And that baby girl of yours, too.”

  With tears threatening to overtake her, Abby swept out of the restaurant and ran to her SUV, trying to retain her last shred of dignity.

  Chapter 25

  It was a full week before Abby could bring herself to go back to the brewery to gather her soap-making supplies. She’d finally become comfortable working in her shed at her dad’s house, and it was time to move everything there and let Clay have his brew shed back.

  Her magic was improving every day, but it still wasn’t one hundred percent. The fact that she still couldn’t make her dad the potion he needed to keep him from getting nauseated irritated her to no end, but she’d finally accepted that she couldn’t rush things. Someday her magic would come roaring back… or it wouldn’t. What she’d finally learned was that her worth wasn’t wrapped up in the potions she could make for people. Yes, she wanted to help, but she could help in other ways, too.

  Since her magic was still faulty, she’d taken it upon herself to seek out witches on the east coast that might have a formula that would work for her dad. She’d gotten about a half-dozen packages overnighted, and two had turned out to be promising. They didn’t eliminate all his symptoms, but after his last treatment, the nausea had only lasted twelve hours instead of thirty-six. It was progress, and she’d take it.

  Abby pulled into the only available parking spot in the brewery lot, the one right next to Clay’s Jeep. “Perfect.”

  She jumped out and braced herself for seeing him again. After the kiss they’d shared at the restaurant, Abby knew exactly what she was missing not being with Clay, and it was really hard to stay away. Even harder, she imagined, to see him and not be able to be with him. It’s why she’d stayed far away from the pub. She didn’t need to make things difficult for both of them when she was finally comfortable working in her old studio.