by Diana Orgain
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A WITCH
CALLED WANDA
An iWITCH Mystery
Other Titles by Diana Orgain
In the Maternal Instincts Mystery Series
Bundle of Trouble
Motherhood is Murder
Formula for Murder
Nursing a Grudge
In the iWitch Mystery Series
A Witch Called Wanda
I Wanda put a spell on you
In the Love or Money Mystery Series
A First Date with Death
A Second Chance at Murder
Third Time’s a Crime
In the Roundup Crew Mystery Series
Yappy Hour
Trigger Yappy
A WITCH CALLED WANDA
An iWITCH Mystery
by
Diana Orgain
Copyright © 2017 by Diana Orgain
All rights reserved. Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the above publisher of this book.
This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person you share it with. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the work of this author.
This book is a work of fiction and any resemblance to persons, living or dead, or places, events or locales is purely coincidental. The characters are productions of the author’s imagination and used fictitiously.
Contents
Other Titles by Diana Orgain
Copyright
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Bonus – Spells
Bonus – Preview - I WANDA Put a Spell on you!
Bonus – Bundle of Trouble
Get Select Diana Orgain Titles FOR FREE
About the Author
Chapter One
Maeve
After stumbling over the second box on her way out the door, Maeve O’Dare paused for a second to catch her breath. Her move to Wisteria Pines had been rather impulsive, but when her fiancé, Frank, had stormed out of her life, and after all the trouble she’d been having in Hollywood, she’d needed a change.
She’d packed up her minimal belongings and headed north, driving until she’d found this charming small town. She’d stopped at the local truck stop to eat and befriended a woman, Gracie, who’d had a lead on an apartment. One thing had led to another, and before Maeve knew it, she’d signed a rental agreement.
Then Gracie’d mentioned a vacant commercial building she’d owned smack in the heart of the small town, and another dream reignited in Maeve’s soul. If she could get Gracie to agree to lease it to her, she would open the small café that she’d been envisioning since she’d been a little girl. The café would feature all her passions: vinyl, live music, art, and vintage record players.
Maeve had been in Wisteria Pines less than a month, and things seemed to be working out so well that it made her feel a bit charmed.
“Keys ...” she muttered to herself, looking around the apartment. “Boxes,” she said. “Boxes everywhere!” She scolded herself for not being more organized, but after a few minutes of scavenging, she managed to unearth the keys from beneath a stack of Hollywood gossip magazines. Keys in hand, she raced out the door and jumped into her beloved purple Volkswagen Beetle.
When Maeve pulled into the parking lot, she spotted a familiar red Chevy truck parked in front of the abandoned building. She smiled when she saw Gracie sitting on the tailgate along with her nine-year-old niece, Penny. Maeve took a breath, trying to quell the excitement that quivered through her belly. She hopped out of her car and threw her purse over her shoulder, trying to emanate a confidence she didn’t feel.
As Maeve approached the red truck, Gracie’s face lit up with a smile that Maeve was already growing accustomed to. Gracie was tall and slender. She helped her little niece down from the tailgate in one smooth, graceful movement.
“Morning, sunshine,” Gracie sang. “I’m so glad you’re here. I’ve had to beat potential renters away with a stick all week.”
A nervous energy danced in Maeve’s veins.
I’ve got to land this deal, Maeve thought.
“I’m glad you waited for me,” Maeve said. “I’ve got a good feeling about this place.”
Gracie nodded. “I hope you won’t be disappointed. The building’s not up to Hollywood standards.”
Maeve laughed. “Hollywood is not up to Hollywood standards.”
“What does that mean?” Penny asked.
Gracie ruffled Penny’s hair. “Never mind. It’s just a joke.” She turned to Maeve. “You ready to check out the inside?”
“I can’t wait,” Maeve said, locking her car doors before following Gracie toward the run-down building. “So, what did this place used to be?”
“It used to be my grandfather’s shop. He sold a bunch of souvenirs and cheesy little collectables is all. Basically, it was one step away from becoming a junkyard,” Gracie said as she dug a pair of keys out of her back pocket.
Gracie opened the door to a slew of cobwebs clinging from one end of the door frame to the other.
“Yuck!” Penny said.
Gracie swiped at the dust. “Yeah, I know this place needs a good cleaning.” She leveled a gaze at Penny. “Any volunteers?”
“Not me,” Penny said, giggling and skipping inside the building.
Gracie exchanged a look with Maeve. “Kids today!” She crossed to the windows and opened the blinds to let in the sunlight.
Maeve looked around at what could very well be her future café. She whistled and put her hands on her hips. Already her creative mind went to work as she began to envision all the potential. She couldn’t help but speak out loud, letting her one friend in Wisteria Pines in on her creative genius. “Picture this,” she said, holding out both hands as she waved her arms in the direction of the far wall. “A barista station right over here.” She turned. “I’ll add a couch—a nice relaxing area here—“
“Maybe some bookshelves for a book exchange location?” Gracie asked.
“Oh yes, definitely,” Maeve said. “I’ll add some chairs here ... A window seat would look amazing in this bay window. For the walls—some dark purple and blues to give it a sort of intimate look ... We can build some booths.”
“Booths?” asked Gracie.
“Yeah, listening booths. You know, like back in the ‘60s when people used to go to a record store and listen to vinyl in a booth. I can set up private jukeboxes. Totally old school.”
“That sounds amazing,” Gracie said.
“What’s a jukebox?” Penny asked.
“Like an iPod before there were iPods,” Gracie said, and Maeve laughed.
“And, you know, if people don’t want to listen to music, they can listen to each other and have a good old-fashioned heart-to-heart over an espresso macchiato,” Maeve said.
“I love it,” Gracie said. “It sounds magical.”
Maeve crossed the room. “We can build a stage right here. I’ve got to have live performances, and the acoustics?” Maeve belted out a bar, testing out the sound. “Ah, listen to that. The acoustics are perfect. Ooh! And over here, all over this back wall, I’m going to cover it with—”
“Cover it with vinyl,” Gracie said, excitedly clapping her hands.
“You know it!” Maeve agreed, suddenly feeling grateful that this woman she’d met only a few weeks prior understood her vision.
“I don’t know,” Penny said, wrinkling her nose. “It sounds boring. What about cake? And pops and cookies and brownies?”
Maeve laughed. “Oh, we’ll have all that stuff. I have a great chocolate chip cookie recipe.” The little girl’s eyes lit up and Maeve didn’t dare mention the cookies were gluten free, for fear of getting another “yuk” out of her.
Instead, the girl said, “If you’re going to make this place into a coffee shop, you need to dust.”
Maeve looked cautiously from Penny to Gracie. She knew that Gracie likely had other offers on the space, and from her limited search around town, it seemed like this was the only place anywhere near the town square available at the moment. She chewed on her lower lip and asked, “Will you rent me the space?”
Gracie scratched nervously at her forehead. “Gosh, you love it, huh? Even with all the elbow grease it’ll take to get it up and running?”
“I’ve never been afraid of hard work,” Maeve said.
“Let me show you the back rooms,” Gracie said as she walked toward the rear of the building. Penny trailed behind her, and Maeve followed. She couldn’t help feeling apprehensive that Gracie hadn’t answered her question.
Is she evading me? Maeve thought.
They viewed the two small back storage rooms, complete with shelving and wire racks that would be ideal for cooling baked goods. Maeve’s head spun with possibilities.
“To tell you the truth, Maeve,” Gracie said, “I already have an offer.”
Maeve’s stomach dropped, and she felt nauseous. If she didn’t get the space, what would she do in town?
She’d been counting on this little venture to get her mind off Frank and Hollywood. Now, the thought of sitting in her small apartment with nothing to do except dissect her rotten luck over the past few months fueled her gumption. There was no way she was going to let this opportunity pass her by. She needed to hit reboot on her life, and she needed it now.
“What’s the other offer? I’m sure I can match it,” she said.
“Well, she’s looking at this place because she wants to turn it into a sub shop. Honestly, I’d much rather have your café in my town than another deli, but ...” Gracie made her way back to the front of the shop and Maeve followed her, feeling like she was in hot pursuit.
“I can match the offer,” Maeve blurted. “My place will make a great community hang out. You’ll love it.”
Gracie smiled and settled down at one of the dusty tables. Maeve sat across from her, desperate to find a way to get the lease. Penny continued wandering around, scraping up dust and dirt with her little tennis shoes.
“I’m sure I would love it,” Gracie said. “Do you have a name picked out?”
“Listen: It’s Old Fashioned,” Maeve said proudly.
Gracie smiled. “I’m listening.”
Maeve laughed. “No, that’s the name. Listen: It’s Old Fashioned.”
Gracie chuckled, not in the least self-conscious about the misunderstanding. “That’s great. It’s so charming.”
“When can we sign the contracts?” Maeve said.
Gracie held up a hand. “I’m sorry, Maeve. I like your idea better, but the final decision’s not mine. I have to do what’s best for my family.” She gave a sideways glance in Penny’s direction.
“Who’s my competition anyway?”
“Nadine Whittaker.”
Maeve stiffened, something about the name set off an alarm. She hadn’t been in town that long, so to recognize the name at all made her feel as if she must have met the woman, and yet she couldn’t place her.
Is the woman high profile enough to snatch this space out from under me? Maeve wondered.
“That name actually sounds familiar. I know I’ve only been here for a few weeks ... Do I know her?”
“She’s the mayor’s secretary. You’ve probably heard her name around town,” Gracie said. “It’s a small town, so everybody is a gossip. I’m sure it’s a big change from LA.”
Maeve laughed. “Trust me, everyone gossips in LA too.”
“I can’t believe you left Los Angeles for a place like Wisteria Pines. From what you’ve said, your songwriting career was going pretty well.”
It was true. Maeve had written a couple of songs that had hit the charts. They’d paid enough to put away a little nest egg for herself, but along with success came demand, and when she hadn’t been able to produce the next hit fast enough, people got nasty.
And then there was Frank ...
Gracie must have noticed something telling on her face, because she offered kindly, “Just needed a change of pace?”
Maeve glanced over her shoulder to make sure that Penny wasn’t eavesdropping. The girl was drawing stick figures with her fingers in the dust on the windows. “Between you and me, there was a bit more to it than just wanting to get out of the big city. I was engaged, and he ... One night we were together, and then ... he left me.”
Gracie covered Maeve’s hand with her own. “Oh, honey. I’m so sorry. Sometimes men ... ”
Maeve sighed. “You know it’s all probably for the better. He could be very mean. That night, he was drunk ... and we fought. I had to wrestle his keys from him and call him an Uber. But I didn’t think it would be the last time I saw him.”
Gracie frowned, fine lines appearing on her otherwise smooth forehead. “You called him an Uber and never saw him again? He didn’t come back for his car?”
Maeve shrugged and nodded.
“How can that be? What, did he run off with the Uber driver?”
Maeve laughed cynically. “Seems like that, right? I churn that option over in my head every night. It doesn’t help that I caught a glimpse of her that night too. She was a gorgeous redhead. Anyway, I don’t know what happened to him, but he stopped returning my calls and stopped paying his half of our rent for our music studio.” She shrugged. “He dipped out.”
The familiar longing settled on her chest, and tears burned the back of Maeve’s eyes. She cleared her throat. “Anyway, I can’t really talk about it much more. It still stings, you know?”
Gracie patted Maeve’s hand. “Well, don’t you worry, Ms. Hollywood, I’m sure you’ll fit in fine. We’ve got a cluster of characters around here. I’m sure you’ll meet Miss Nadine sometime; she’s a total sweetheart, but knowing her, she’s going to give you a hard time about trying to take this building out from under her. Ooh, you know what? Since you’re recently single, I’ll have to introduce you to Joseph Mont. Mmm ...”
Maeve laughed nervously. “Oh. No!”
“Oh, yes! He’s a local cop. Trust me, you won’t mind if he stops you for speeding just so you can gawk at him for a few minutes. Eleanor, she owns the beauty shop down the street from here, once sped down the road on purpose so he’d pull her over, and they could talk. He caught onto what she was doing. She started a trend, though. The sheriff took him off that road because three other women did the same thing—no joke!”
“Nobody’s that cute.”
“He is!” Penny piped in as she circled her finger through the dust on the window, creating a fairy looking caricature.
“I’m going to tell your mother you said that!” Gracie teased.
Penny turned around long enough to stick he
r tongue out at her aunt and then returned to her masterpiece.
Gracie leaned in toward Maeve and whispered, “He really is, though.”
Maeve laughed. “Well, there’s no shortage of good-looking men in LA, believe me. But I’m just not interested, at the moment.”
Gracie wiggled her eyebrows at Maeve. “You say that now, but when you see him—”
Maeve gave her a friendly kick under the table. “I’m good. So, do I write you up an offer? Or how does this work? I can pay the first year’s rent in cash.”
Gracie straightened in her chair. “Really? That’s one in your favor.”
Maeve nodded solemnly. If there was anything she’d learned in Hollywood, it was how to make a deal.
“I’ll be sure to mention that to my sister. But I can’t promise anything. She and Nadine go way back, and I’m not sure what they’ve already agreed to.”
A wave of apprehension hit Maeve square in the chest. She was about to be small towned. In LA, money bought most things. The only thing that trumped cash was relationships. She had no doubt that, in Wisteria Pines, it would be the same. The town would rally around a local, rather than an outsider. She was going to have to fight for her dream.
Oh, well, I’m not a novice at perseverance, Maeve thought.
“When can I meet your sister?” Maeve asked.
Gracie thought for a moment. “Tomorrow is the Lunch on the Lawn.“ She swiveled in her chair, and asked Penny. “You and your mom are going, right?” When Penny nodded happily, Gracie turned back to Maeve and asked, “You want to go together?”
“Lunch on the Lawn?” Maeve asked, “What’s that?”
“It’s a lot of fun. It’s at Wisteria Park, it’s a grassy knoll with picnic tables all set up. The local restaurants sell food, and the city hires a band to play. Food and dancing in the sun, basically. If the weather is clear, we might even get fireworks. It’s Wisteria Pine’s social extravaganza that officially kicks off summer. It’ll be a good place for you to meet some of the locals.”