Like a Charm

by Candace Havens

  There was a low groan, but more than half the room disappeared before my eyes. The pressure in my head lessened.

  “Maybe for now you could just check in the books we checked out. Mabel just waved them under that funny little thing and the computer took care of it.”

  I moved behind the counter, and the crowd lined up.

  “So you’re my guide? And I can ask you anything?” What kind of cosmic joke was it that I ended up with a drag queen as my spiritual guide?

  “Sure. Well, once you’ve read the book. There are rules to follow. I’m a level one guide. As your powers increase, you’ll move up the ladder, but I’ll always be here for you.” He gave me a sincere smile.

  I kind of liked him.

  A short, stocky man handed me a book of Frederick Seidel poems. “I’m Thomas Kinnear,” he said.

  I typed in his name, and sure enough it came up on the computer. I hit Next and another patron came up to turn in a book. For a half an hour I checked in each of their books and then checked out new ones to them.

  A surreal event, to say the least, and as I did this, each one of them would disappear before my eyes.

  Terry waited, patiently flipping through an InStyle magazine. “I swear, some of the things the girls wear these days. Less is more, ladies!”

  “Why did I only hear you before, but now I can see you?”

  A white hand flitted my way. His nails were long and painted bright red. “I’m sure it’s in the book, but I think it has something to do with the schedule.”

  “You think? I don’t understand. If you’re a guide, aren’t you supposed to know?” I leaned my elbows on the cold granite counter and put my head in my hands.

  “Oh. Feeling a little snippy, are we?” He pretended to be offended. “Technically, I can’t help you until you read the book. But I can be here for support.” He smiled.

  My head throbbed again. “Sorry. I just don’t understand any of this. Do you know what it looks like? This book you keep talking about.”

  “Not really.” The corners of his bright lips turned down. “But you’ll know when you find it. You’ll be the only one who can read it. I’m sure this is all a great deal to take in, but you are a special woman. Without you, many of us would lose out on one of our greatest joys.” He lifted a copy of J. D. Robb’s latest.

  “Can you at least tell me why, at this point in my life, I see dead people?”

  “The veil lifted when you were sick. With your defenses down, your mind was more open to the other side. Everyone is a receiver of some sort, but adults can block the waves. It usually happens soon after your twenty-fifth birthday for the really special librarians, but you were a tough cookie. When you were ill, your boundaries finally shifted so we could do a bit of peeking in.”

  I made a motorboat sound with my lips. “This is so…I don’t know. So people don’t really die. Well, they die, but then they go somewhere different. Like on another plane.” The words sounded ludicrous even to me.

  Terry nodded and gave me a look that told me he understood. “Look, honey, I know it doesn’t feel like it right now, but you are one special girl. You find that book, and you’ll understand. This is a big deal and it would blow anyone’s mind, so give yourself a little break. I’ve been here too long and my energy is sagging. We girls can’t let anything sag.” He winked. “I’ll see you soon.” He faded away.

  I closed my eyes and opened them again. The library was blissfully empty. Resting my head on the cool counter I tried to think, but my brain was full to capacity. It was as if I’d just taken ten final exams in a row.

  A few moments later, I lifted my head. It still hurt but the panic was gone.

  I looked back at the computer and pushed a few buttons. No, I wasn’t imagining any of this. I’d checked in and out almost forty books. To dead people.

  “I’m taking the rest of the day off.” I said it out loud so they would know. I desperately needed to lie down. I climbed the back steps. Pulling down the shades in the bedroom, it dawned on me.

  “No one comes up here. No one.” I yelled to the air around me. “This is my private spot. My bedroom is off limits.”

  Oh, God. Had they seen Caleb and me last night? Mortified, I slipped on my tank and the flannel pajama bottoms with the coffee cup print. Crawling under the covers, I pulled the pillow over my head.

  No matter how hard I tried to push the thought from my mind, it kept repeating.

  I see dead people. I see dead people. Crap, crap, crap, I see dead people.

  Chapter 22

  Fan the sinking flame of hilarity with the wing of friendship; and pass the rosy wine.

  THE OLD CURIOSITY SHOP

  By Dickens, Charles, 1812–1870

  Call #: F-DIC

  Description: xv, 732 p.: front, ill; 21cm

  A few hours later I sat on the side of my bed feeling like I had the worst hangover of my life. It was the afternoon when the children came by for homework help. Otherwise I would have hidden under the blankets the rest of the day. I glanced at the clock. They would be downstairs in an hour, and I had to get everything set up and bake cookies.

  You see dead people.

  Shut up. I can’t think about that right now.

  A dull ache throbbed at my temples, but it was nothing like before. I liked fresh-baked cookies, and the Pillsbury Doughboy made them way better than I did. I cut thick slices off two rolls and put them in the oven for fifteen minutes.

  While they baked, I cleaned off my face and decided not to worry about makeup except for some lip gloss and a little blush for my pale cheeks.

  I hung my suit back in the closet and grabbed jeans and a sweater. While the older kids worked with the adult volunteers I usually sat on the floor with some of the younger ones, listening to them read.

  By the time I pulled myself together and had the cookies and milk ready, it was three.

  I unlocked the library door.

  My first patron wasn’t a child, she was 100 percent adult.

  There had been a lot of gossip in town about a new witch who had moved into one of the gothic homes out past the highway. A high witch, which meant she was incredibly powerful. I don’t really know much about the world of magic, other than that it exists. Our town was protected by a coven, and, well, magic was about the only thing that would explain what had been going on in the library these days.

  The witch’s name was Bronwyn, and the rumor mill said she could kill a man with a glance, and that she once took down six evil warlocks with a flick of her wrist.

  Intimidating to say the least.

  Caleb had done some work for her, but he didn’t say much. Just that she was never home.

  So when a cute little brunette with curly hair came in asking for books about herbs, I never suspected she was one of the most powerful women on the planet.

  “Hi.” The woman smiled when I looked up from the books I’d been lining up on the cart to shelve later. “I wonder if you can help me.”

  I walked to the front desk. “Sure.”

  “I’m trying to find out the best kind of soil for some new herbs I want to try in my garden.” She paused. “Um, Mrs. Canard, the librarian, said she’d order some books, but then I had to go out of town. I—I’m not sure if she had a chance to do it before…well. I’m sorry. I’m trying to find a nice way of saying it, but of course it comes out crap.” She rolled her eyes.

  “It’s okay. If she said she would order them, I’m sure they are here. Can I have your name?” I moved to the computer.

  “Bronwyn—”

  At the sound of her name, my head jerked up.

  She sighed. “I promise not to blow you up, or strike you dead if you can’t find the books.”

  I laughed out loud. I knew what it was like to feel like an outsider in this town. I’d spent my entire youth trying to get away from the place for that reason. I didn’t know why things were different now, but I could certainly sympathize with the witch.

  “Darn. I was
kind of hoping I could give you some names and you could take care of a few people for me.” I raised an eyebrow.

  At first I don’t think she knew how to take my joke, but then she smiled. “Well, I’m always happy to help a friend in need.”

  I stuck out a hand. “I’m Kira. It’s nice to meet you.”

  She shook it. “Oh, are you the one Caleb’s all gooey about?”

  I blushed. “I don’t know about that, but we have been dating a little.”

  She nodded. “He’s such a goober. I can’t imagine what you see in him, but he’s very taken with you. I’ve never heard him go on and on about a woman like this. And believe me, he’s gone through a few.” She slapped her head with her hand. “I’m so sorry. That was wrong in so many ways.” She shook her head.

  I giggled and couldn’t stop. “Don’t worry. I know, or at least I’ve read about some of them. He won’t tell me anything.”

  She shrugged. “I think it’s best to leave the past behind.” A shadow passed over her face, and I wondered who had hurt her.

  “You can totally get away with murder, because you have him well and thoroughly hooked. Geez, he’s even been talking about moving here full time. Like I need that bozo hanging around.”

  I blanched.

  She sighed. “Argh. He hasn’t talked to you about it? Me and my mouth. It just doesn’t stop. Please don’t freak out—he’s just mentioned a couple of times how much he likes it here, but it seems to happen more often since you moved here.”

  I cleared my throat. “I haven’t.”

  “Haven’t what?” She pushed an errant curl behind her ear.

  “Moved here. I’m just helping out, temporarily, until I can figure out what to do.”

  “Huh. So where do you live?”

  “I was in Atlanta, but I’m making a job change. I’m not really sure where I’m headed next.”

  “So you won’t be a librarian anymore?”

  I laughed. “I’m not one now. I’m a lawyer. Mrs. Canard left me this place.”

  Realization dawned on her. “Oh. Well, too bad. I kind of like you.” She smiled. “I’ve lived all over the world, and I’ve never found a place like this one. The people, for the most part, are nice, and it’s peaceful. Once in a while I get an odd stare, but most of them are pretty cool.”

  “That’s true. It’s different for me since I’ve been back. When I was a kid I couldn’t wait to get out of here. Now I’m a little sad about leaving. But there’s not much use for a corporate lawyer in Sweet.”

  She stared at me. “But we really need a good librarian.”

  I laughed again. “You’ve got me there. Don’t tell Caleb, but I’m not sure what I’m going to do. I need some time to figure things out. There are some great job offers on the table for me, and I’d be an idiot to turn away from any of them.”

  “Well, I’ve known you for”—she looked at her watch—“seven minutes, and I have a feeling you’ll figure it all out. I’ve found that when you let go and sort of follow your heart, and don’t overthink things too much, life works like a charm. It’s when we try to analyze every second of our lives and get too much into our heads that everything goes to hell.”

  I liked her. It helped that I discovered she’s more Caleb’s little sister than a former flame. There was something about her, a hardness like she’d seen too much of life. At the same time she had an incredible spirit, a positive human being who was trying to do good things in the world. You could feel it.

  Tapping the keys on the computer I found the file with her name. Everything was in Box Q-4. “The books you wanted are here, back in the storeroom. The notes say she also has Carol Nols’s Book of Herbal Charms along with The Rose Lover’s Guide.”

  “God, she was a great librarian.” Bronwyn’s lips thinned. “I’m so sorry she’s gone. She was one of the few people who didn’t look at me like I had three heads when I first arrived. Well, her and the gang at Lulu’s.”

  I’d had the same experience and understood. “Those gals are amazing. Ms. Johnnie and Ms. Helen practically raised me. If it hadn’t been for them and Mr. Owen, who owns The Bakery, I probably would have starved.”

  At her stricken look I added, “Oh, no. My parents are great; they just like a lot of tofu.”

  Bronwyn made a gagging sound. “You poor thing. No child should have to eat that crap.”

  I knew in that moment we would be the greatest of friends. Kindred souls were we.

  “Follow me and I’ll get you those books.”

  Bronwyn hung around the library for a couple of hours, helping out with the kids and even listening to some of the youngest ones read.

  “I can’t help with math, but my mom’s an English professor,” she explained. Toward the end of the day, I assigned her to a group of teens working on a midterm paper about Charles Dickens’s A Christmas Carol.

  Everyone left at five, and Bronwyn and I decided to catch some dinner at Lulu’s. She said Caleb had called and wanted to wait for a glass delivery and he’d meet me at the library at seven.

  At the café, Bronwyn and I talked about everything from old boyfriends to favorite movies and food while we gulped down Ms. Helen’s special stew. The special came from the half bottle of bourbon she put in each pot.

  I also managed to get all kinds of information about Caleb. He never talked about himself, and whenever I questioned him, he always turned it back on me. Bronwyn said it has something to do with the journalist in him, and that he was always a really private guy.

  I found out he loved old John Wayne Westerns and had a proclivity for musicals, and she’d caught him humming show tunes more than once while he’d been working on her house. She said she thinks he secretly always wanted to be a cowboy, hence the truck and the “wicked” (her word) collection of boots.

  She had to leave later in the week, but we made plans to get together when she got back. I bet she’d like to meet my friend Margie too.

  There was no telling what kind of trouble the three of us could get into.

  Chapter 23

  He has spent his life best who has enjoyed it most.

  THE WAY OF ALL FLESH

  By Butler, Samuel, 1835–1902

  Call #: F-BUT

  Description: vii, 431 p.; 20cm

  Friday at the library was so slow I’d thought about closing for three-day weekends for the rest of December.

  My only visitors were dead. I was still trying to get used to the idea, but life was never boring.

  When I wasn’t helping them, I searched for the book Terry had mentioned. I’d given up looking in the library and decided to go through one box at a time in the back. I was hauling up Box L-5 to the front counter when Caleb arrived in a blast of snow and wind. “Man, it’s freakin’ cold out there.” Leaning across the desk, he planted a big kiss on my cheek. His lips were icy. “It’s supposed to die down this afternoon, which will be just in time for my big surprise.”

  “What surprise?” I wiped off the counter where the snow had fallen off his suede coat.

  “I’m taking you on a special weekend trip. We’re going Christmas shopping in Dallas,” he said excitedly, his eyes bright with eagerness.

  I hadn’t even thought about shopping for the holidays. In Atlanta I did most of it online and had everything shipped to the recipients. This year, the list would be a little shorter since I didn’t really have to worry about the people at work. Well, except for Justin.

  Once I accepted one of the job offers, I’d planned to send an announcement to most of my friends and associates after the New Year.

  “Kira?”

  I looked up to see him staring. “Sorry. Lost in Kira’s World again. I need to be back early Sunday afternoon to help with the Christmas party over at the nursing home. Margie nagged me into playing piano during the Christmas carols.”

  He stepped back. “I didn’t know you played piano.”

  I nodded. “Since I was a kid. I have one at the apartment in Atlanta. It’s one of the
ways I relax.”

  “Wow. You really are a woman of mystery. So I promise to have you back by noon on Sunday. Will you come? I want to leave about four this afternoon.”

  “Today? I—the library doesn’t close until five on Friday.”

  “Well, I happen to know the librarian can close up shop whenever she wants.” He squeezed my hand. “Come on, it’s only an hour, and I’ve already made dinner reservations for eight o’clock.”

  “How did you know I’d agree to go with you?”

  He gave me a sheepish smile. “I didn’t, but I made plans just in case you did say yes.”

  I turned to look at the big clock on the front wall. “It’s almost three. I need time to pack. Can you watch the desk while I go upstairs?”

  “Sure.” He shrugged off his jacket and moved around the desk. Tugging on my ponytail, he pulled me to him and hugged me.

  “Your hands are cold.” I could feel them through my sweater.

  “I know a good way to warm them up.” He glanced back at the door. “We could go ahead and lock up.”

  I playfully shoved him away. “Nope. A girl wants to be wined and dined before she hands over the goods.” I rolled my eyes. “Or so I hear.”

  He laughed. “Go get ready. I’ll watch your precious library for you.”

  “What kind of place are we going to tonight?”

  “It’s casual nice. Tomorrow night will be a little dressier.”

  I sighed. There wasn’t much cause for dressing up in Sweet. I did have a cute little Diane von Furstenberg minidress. It was black and traveled well. It would be great for the casual dinner. I hunted through my limited wardrobe here at the library and wished I’d had Justin ship me even more of my clothes.

  I fingered the bright blue Carmen Marc Valvo taffeta dress he’d shipped when I first told him I was spending a few weeks here. He was more than a little surprised but sent four large boxes of clothes, shoes, and other accessories. This particular cocktail dress had a layered bottom, but I didn’t have any shoes to go with it.