Witch School Dropout: A Witch Squad Cozy Mystery #7

by M. Z. Andrews

  The new Mrs. Char Bailey followed closely on the heels of her husband into the small shop. “Vic, Regis is our dog now, remember? What’s mine is yours!” she sang. Over her curly white hair, the vertically challenged woman wore a hot pink sun visor that read Bahamas in bold black print across the headband – no doubt a souvenir from their tropical honeymoon. Her usual high watered polyester pants and white athletic shoes had been replaced by a spunky little black tennis skirt and a white sleeveless polo. Her skin had a newly bronzed glow. If it were purely from the tropical honeymoon, or from the glow of being a newlywed, one couldn’t be sure.

  “Of course, sweetheart. And what’s mine is yours.” Mr. Bailey smiled broadly. His big, white bushy eyebrows raised and lowered excitedly before he leaned over to give his new bride a kiss on her cheek.

  From the counter, Louis cleared his throat uncomfortably.

  Mr. Bailey looked up sharply, suddenly aware that he and Char had an audience. “Louis! So good to see you!” he said throwing his arms out wide in a boisterous gesture.

  Louis shot him a tight grin but didn’t say a word. He didn’t have time to. That was when the entire group that had shown up to celebrate the homecoming and marriage of Char and Mr. Bailey jumped out of the woodwork to scream in unison, “Surprise!”

  The four of us sat up quickly in our booth to join in. Alba and Holly exchanged a quick glance and then snapped their fingers in unison. Brightly colored balloons and streamers appeared out of nowhere and fell from the ceiling – a new trick the two of them had picked up in their conjuring class. The sleight of hand made the non-magical townspeople squeal excitedly.

  Mr. Bailey and Char sucked in their breath as town leaders, customers, and friends beamed happily at them.

  Sweets stood in front of the whole group with a brilliantly proud smile on her face. “Welcome home!” she called out excitedly.

  Stunned, Mr. Bailey covered his mouth with his hand. “You did this?” he asked. His voice caught in his throat.

  Louis cleared his throat again, pulling the attention away from Sweets. “She helped.”

  I narrowed my eyes at Louis Albertson. What a little weasel, I thought as venom heated my blood. Just like Sweets had predicted. She did all the work, and Louis took the credit. I was going to have to figure out what we could do about that. There had to be a spell out there to stop little finks such as Louis Albertson.

  “Well, thank you, Louis. Thank you, Sweets,” Mr. Bailey said, wiping away the tears that pooled in the corners of his eyes. “What a sweet thing to do, right Char?”

  Char stepped forward, still stunned to see everyone there. “It was an amazingly sweet thing to do.” She walked towards Sweets and threw her arms around her shoulders. “Thank you, dear.”

  I kept my steely gaze on Louis Albertson as he eyed Char’s little show of appreciation, his green eyes burning with jealousy.

  Mr. Bailey leaned over and unclipped Regis’ leash and hung the long cord on the coat tree in front of the door. Then he took a deep breath and stepped forward. “Thank you all so much for coming. You have no idea how it warms my heart to see all of my good friends coming to welcome my Char and me back to town!”

  “Congratulations Vic,” said Greg Adams, the mayor of Aspen Falls. The well-dressed man in a suit and tie clapped Mr. Bailey on the back.

  Smiling broadly, Mr. Bailey took the younger man’s hand and pumped it enthusiastically. “Mayor Adams! What an honor! You came to celebrate my wedding to my beautiful Char. I’m flattered!”

  “How could I pass up the invitation? You mean so much to the community. I remember coming to your bakery when I was a little boy with my mother every Saturday morning for your delicious puff pastry cream horns. They’ve been an all-time favorite all these years!” said Mr. Adams with a reminiscent smile. “We’re delighted you’ve finally found someone as special as you to share your life with.”

  Mr. Bailey’s smile filled the room with warmth. “I remember you coming in with your mother too. Such a sweet woman!” He tugged on Char’s arm to pull her into the conversation. “Mayor, have you ever met my dear Char?”

  “Charlotte Maxwell,” said Mr. Adams knowingly.

  Char smiled happily and held out her left hand, making her ring finger bounce. “Char Bailey now. It’s a pleasure.”

  Greg smiled as he took her hand and gently shook it. “I’ve seen Char coming and going around town, but we’ve never had the pleasure of officially meeting. It’s a pleasure, Char. I’m very happy for the two of you.”

  Sweets stepped forward. “I sure hope you can stick around for a while Mr. Adams. We have a cake and champagne toast coming up shortly. I know all the downtown merchants only take an hour lunch break, but we wanted to at least get in a toast before everyone has to get back to their businesses.”

  Mr. Bailey put an arm around Sweets’ shoulder lovingly. “My dear Sweets, you certainly are the most kind-hearted little gal, now aren’t you. You’ve simply thought of everything! And a cake,” he boomed. “I can’t wait to see the cake!”

  Sweets beamed. I cast a glance at Jax and the girls. They all looked as proud of Sweets as I felt. She was coming into her own. My heart was full.

  Suddenly Louis piped up. “Of course, I selected the recipe. The one I was sure to be your favorite. You don’t work with a man for as many years as you and I have worked together and not know his favorite cake.”

  Mr. Bailey grinned at him kindly. “What would I do without you, Louis?”

  Louis closed his eyes and gave a light shrug, tipping his head slightly to the right. “I’ve done nothing but make sure this place ran like a well-oiled machine while you were gone, Vic. I can assure you everything has been tended to just like you’d like.”

  “Marvelous. I knew I left the place in good hands.”

  I fumed at Louis. I could only imagine how angry Sweets felt inside. By her calm demeanor, no one would ever know it by the looks of her. She hid her frustration like the true southern woman she was.

  In an undoubted effort to keep the party moving, Sweets pulled Mr. Bailey along to the next well-wisher in line. An older, polished woman in a pencil skirt and silk blouse was up next. Her hair was perfectly coiffed, twisted up into a knot on top of her head. Her slim fingers, covered in gold rings trembled slightly as she reached out to take Mr. Bailey’s hand.

  “Vic! I’m so glad to have you back. The street hasn’t been the same without that wonderful smile these last few weeks,” said the woman with enthusiasm.

  “Sally,” he said before giving her a warm hug. He turned to the crowd. “Sally Westminster has been one of my dearest friends for the last thirty-five years. For those of you that don’t know her, Sally owns Westminster Jewels, the jewelry shop next door. We’ve passed each other every single morning since I’ve been in business. What a dear friend, and so kind of you to show up for our reception!”

  Sally’s ocean-blue eyes sparkled as she smiled at Mr. Bailey.

  Mr. Bailey looked at his wife. “Sally, have you met my wife yet?”

  Sally gave Char a polite smile. “I think we’ve bumped into each other over the years.” Sally held out a dainty hand for Char to shake. “It’s a pleasure to be finally introduced.”

  Char grabbed hold of Sally’s hand and pulled the smaller woman in for a tight squeeze. Sally looked uncomfortable as she tried to untangle herself from the bear-sized hug. “Great to meet you too, Sal! Any friend of Vic’s is a friend of mine.”

  I had to smile. Char and Mr. Bailey’s big bright personalities meshed so well together.

  Mr. Bailey moved on to the next person in line. He was a man about the same age as Mr. Bailey, with wiry, grey whiskers covering the bottom half of his face. He was much taller than Mr. Bailey, which wasn’t hard to do, and his broad shoulders and sturdy build gave him the appearance of a former football linebacker.

  Mr. Bailey stopped when he got to the man and cocked his head to the side. “Eli Turner! What a surprise to see you here today.”
>
  The man nodded curtly but didn’t smile. “Vic. Congratulations on your nuptials.”

  Mr. Bailey looked bewildered but reached out to take Mr. Turner’s hand. “Thank you. I really appreciate that coming from you.”

  “I assume you’ll be retiring now that you’ve taken on this new lot in life,” said Mr. Turner seriously. His deep, ominous voice made all the chattering voices in the room stop. Everyone looked at the two men.

  Mr. Bailey smiled at him. “Oh, Eli. Now you know the minute we old fellas slow down, we shrivel up and die. I might slow down a little, so that I can make my beautiful new wife a priority, but I don’t think I’ll ever retire.”

  A deep V formed between Mr. Turner’s black and white grisly eyebrows. “You’ll have to retire when you’re dead,” he said gruffly.

  Mr. Bailey stared at him.

  The crowd held their collective breaths.

  Who was this strange man? I looked at Sweets. Her eyes were wide in anticipation. Surely she regretted inviting this gruff old party pooper.

  And then Mr. Bailey did what Mr. Bailey did best. He let out an enormous belly laugh, filling the room with his light-hearted spirit and unburdening the guests from the tension Mr. Turner had somehow managed to bring along with him. “Oh Eli! Have a glass of champagne. Try a slice of my best baker’s cake! Maybe it’ll sweeten you up, old man!”

  Mr. Turner scowled as Mr. Bailey moved on in the line. Mrs. Baylor, the owner of the gift shop down the street, was next to hug the new Mr. and Mrs. Bailey.

  I turned to the girls in my booth. “Who is that guy?” I asked.

  Holly and Alba shrugged their shoulders. Jax leaned forward and said in a hush, “That’s Mr. Turner. He owns the Rise and Shine Bakery on the other end of Main Street. He and Mr. Bailey own the only two bakeries in town, and I think there’s always been some friendly competition between the two men.”

  Alba pulled her head back. “Friendly? Ha! That guy was as friendly as Sorceress Stone at her worst.”

  I glanced at Jax.

  Alba caught my eye movement. “No offense, Jax.”

  Jax nodded. “None taken.”

  4

  I looked back at the glass door. There was still no sign of my mom, Gran, or my brother. I thought for sure I’d see the three of them at the party.

  “Looking for someone?” asked Holly.

  I shrugged. “I thought for sure Gran would show up. I’ve been waiting to talk to her. I don’t even know where she’s been staying since she got to town. My brother said there’s no way he was letting her stay at Habernackle’s B, B, & B.”

  “Maybe she left town,” suggested Holly.

  “Without so much as a word to Mom or me?” I looked out the window and scanned the street. With all the townspeople gathered inside Bailey’s Bakery and Sweets, the sidewalks were clear and the traffic slow. “I doubt it.”

  Suddenly Char was at our table. “Your grandmother has been staying at my place,” said Char. “I asked her to look after Regis and Phil while we were on our honeymoon. That’s been her full-time job.” Phil was Char’s potato-shaped cat that outsized Regis by at least ten pounds.

  Jax jumped up from the booth and threw her skinny little arms around Char. “Congratulations Char. Did you have a good honeymoon?”

  We all murmured our congratulations, and then Char pushed herself into our booth, using her broad rear to shove Alba closer to Holly. “We had the most amazing time. The beaches were gorgeous. The weather was perfection. The food was delectable, and the people were so friendly. It was the best vacation ever. I’m so happy girls.”

  Sweets sauntered over to the table and scooted in next to Jax. She reached out and grabbed Char’s hands from across the table, giving them a good squeeze. “I’m so glad you had a good honeymoon, Char. You and Mr. Bailey deserve it!”

  Char squeezed Sweets’ hand back. “We couldn’t have had such a great honeymoon if we didn’t think that the bakery was going to be in such capable hands.”

  Sweets smiled. “Louis and I did our best. I think things went very, very smoothly.”

  “I know they did!” said Char with an emphatic nod. She turned her eyes to look at the rest of us. “Every time Vic called back here, your friend here answered the phone. She was always bright and cheerful. Vic would ask her if she remembered to do this or do that and she was always on top of it and way ahead of us. She always had everything done that needed to be done before he could even ask! We didn’t have a single phone call from any customers while we were gone. Sweets took care of everything.”

  “That’s our Sweets!” said Jax proudly.

  Sweets’ cheeks burned bright red at the praise.

  “I think Miss Sweets has finally found her niche, don’t you think girls?” asked Char, looking directly at Sweets.

  We all nodded.

  “I think she has,” I agreed.

  Sweets hung her head shyly. “You are all much too flattering. I just did my job, nothing special.”

  Char frowned at her. “Don’t be modest, now. We all know the truth. You’re a dedicated, hard-worker. You’re amazing with the customers, and you make Vic and me very proud. Isn’t that right Vic?” Char called out as her husband passed by their booth after greeting the rest of the crowd.

  Mr. Bailey turned around and looked down at our table. “What’s right, sugar plum?”

  “That we’re so proud of Sweets and the job that she’s been doing at the bakery,” Char said louder, as if Mr. Bailey had lost his hearing on their vacation.

  Mr. Bailey’s eyes widened, and his big white eyebrows rose to touch his smooth, bald head. “Oh, yes, yes, yes! We are so proud of you, young lady. You embody everything that Bailey’s Bakery and Sweets stands for! You’re the next generation!”

  We all looked at Sweets. What a wonderful thing for Mr. Bailey to say! Sweets had to be bursting with excitement to be called the next generation of Bailey’s Bakery and Sweets.

  Her face was even more crimson than it had been when Char complimented her earlier. “Wow, what a … what a nice thing to hear, Mr. Bailey. Thank you. I – I’m speechless,” she stuttered.

  Mr. Bailey looked at his wife tentatively.

  Char gave him a little nod.

  “That’s why we were hoping that maybe you’d consider turning your internship into more of a full-time arrangement. A paid arrangement, of course,” he said. His face was serious as he eyed Sweets. “Char and I really enjoyed our travels, and we’d like to make time to do more traveling, but I’m not ready to give up work entirely. I just want to slow down a little. Stop and smell the roses more.”

  Sweets’ mouth hung open as we all stared at her. She’d just been complaining about her workload earlier in the day. How could she possibly manage to continue at that speed? I couldn’t tell what she was thinking.

  Suddenly Louis Albertson’s thin frame cast a shadow over Mr. Bailey’s shoulder. He turned and looked up to the see the man with the dark, hollowed out eyes staring down at him. “You’re going to hire her to work more hours?” Louis’ long face looked paler than usual as he looked down at his employer. “That’s not necessary Vic. If you want me to pick up more hours, just say so. We really don’t need any more help.”

  Mr. Bailey smiled and patted Louis on the back. “You’re already a full-time employee, Louis. You can’t run the bakery by yourself. Besides, you lack one major thing that Sweets has, and this bakery simply cannot do without. She’s got supernatural powers that you just don’t have. My breads have special healing powers that I’m afraid you can’t replicate with ingredients alone. Sweets can. She’s been doing it since we’ve been on vacation. She knows all the spells, all the potions.”

  “But … I – I …” Louis stammered.

  Mr. Bailey had to reach up to squeeze Louis’ bony shoulder. “I know you just want to help, Louis. Char and I really appreciate that enthusiasm, but this place needs Sweets.”

  Louis looked down at Sweets. The pure vitriol in his eyes stunne
d me. It stunned me even more to see that Mr. Bailey didn’t seem to notice. It was like all he could see were the positives in people. Though, I wasn’t sure what the positives in Louis Albertson were exactly.

  Char squinted her eyes at him. She wasn’t as blind and naïve as her husband. She noticed. “Do you have a problem with Sweets working more hours Louis?”

  Louis tried to wipe the angry expression off of his face, but he had a hard time doing so. He sounded very jaded as he tried to explain himself. “No, I just thought the natural progression would be for me to take over when Vic was ready to retire. Now I’m not so sure that that is his plan, too.”

  Mr. Bailey looked at Char uncomfortably. “Well, Louis. I don’t think that was ever something that was stated.”

  “No. Maybe not implicitly, but I’ve been here for years learning from you Vic. You’ve never hinted that you wouldn’t hire me to run the place when you retired.”

  Mr. Bailey raised his eyebrows which in turn opened his eyes wide. “Well, that’s true, Louis. However, as I said earlier, I have no interest in retiring yet. I’ll still be here daily unless my Char and I are traveling. But I do need to start grooming someone to take over for me. You’ve been an amazing employee Louis and a good friend to me. I simply can’t get past the fact that Miss Porter comes with the supernatural abilities that you lack.” Mr. Bailey looked around. The party was still going on, and no one seemed to be paying any attention to their conversation. Still, he lowered his voice. “This really isn’t something we should be discussing here. This topic would be better suited to my office. Perhaps one day this week we can have a meeting and discuss some options that make us all happy.”

  Char frowned at her husband. “What’s to discuss Vic? You answered yourself. Sweets can do magic. Louis can’t. How would Louis make your gluten-free, sorghum arthritis relief bread? Or your lower-your-blood-pressure rye loaf? Or your diabetes pumpernickel? I’ll tell you how. He wouldn’t.”

  Louis glared at Char. “I’ve never been given an opportunity to try. And I’m not saying that she can’t do the spells on the loaves. But that doesn’t require a full-time person. She could come in for an hour in the mornings and do the spells and get back to class. That’s really all that we need her for.”