The problem was I didn’t want it to go off at all. I was scared that it would explode Beth or explode our relationship. Beth was one of the most important people in my life. I never wanted to do anything that would hurt her or drive a wedge between us. She’d already been through so much. She deserved all the happiness she could get in life and here I was trying to decide whether to bring her a big pile of exploding poop.
Karma needed to get her butt in gear because my friend didn’t deserve any of this. I wished for the umpteenth time that I had better control over my powers. I knew it was one of those things where practice made perfect, but sometimes instant gratification was nice too, you know?
“Here you go!” Deva said, grinning as she slid a plate with a cheeseburger and fries in front of me. The roasted meat smell combined with the salty fries made my stomach growl in anticipation of the feast I was about to have.
“Thank you so much,” I gushed, looking down at the appetizing banquet in front of me.
“It’ll calm you right down,” she told me, winking, then reached up to pat her hair. Her short black hair had been swept back from her face; the dark curls pulled tight against her head. She wore all black clothes beneath a white apron. Not her usual chef’s coat and stripy pants, which made me smile every time I saw them. Around her neck, there was a big necklace, something I suspected Carol had given her. There was a sweep of glittery silver eye shadow on her eyes and her lips had a red lipstick the same color as her necklace.
“You look nice,” I said, picking up the giant burger and wondering how exactly I was going to fit it in my mouth without unhinging my jaw. “Marquis coming by today?”
She blushed. The warlock, and favorite doctor in town, had it bad for Deva. As much as I knew she didn’t feel ready to date again after Harry, I also knew she had feelings for Marquis. But as with most things in life, I wasn’t going to push. I just had to wait for her to realize it. Something I’d realized a while ago, one of those life lessons, if you will, was that most of the time there was only one person that could control you and your thoughts. You. If Deva wanted to date Marquis, she’d have to talk herself into it, or give herself permission to get over Harry and having been underappreciated and decide to take a chance on someone else. No one else could force her to do that though. It was all her.
“Maybe. I-- I don’t know. I just--”
“Either way, you look wonderful.”
She smiled. “Thanks. I’m feeling just a little like my old self.”
It warmed my heart to hear. Maybe she’d finally officially shut down her ex’s sad attempts to get back together and give the doctor even a tiny signal that she might be ready for something new. At this point I think he’d take even the smallest glimmer of hope.
A young server pushed past the little swinging door heading into the kitchen, his eyebrows knit together as though he hated what he was about to say. “Uh, I need help with a customer.”
“I’m coming,” Deva called as she rushed past me, heading for the dining room.
“Take your time.” I choked out the words around the huge bite of cheeseburger, laced with calming magic.
The instant the delicious bacon cheeseburger hit my taste buds, I moaned. Deva never skimped on the good stuff. Her food was always covered in things like multiple kinds of ooey-gooey cheese and crispy, melt-in-your-mouth bacon, not to mention the crunchy, tangy pickles that were hidden by the bun. Even the din of the kitchen, servers calling out numbers, cooks slamming around pans, none of it seemed to filter past the amazing sense of calmness and enjoyment that the incredible food left me feeling. Sometimes I even wondered if it was just her wonderful cooking that made me so happy, not even her magic.
For a while I just ate, completely in heaven. And because no one was looking in my direction, I didn’t care how “pretty” I ate. I took massive bites of the burger and stuffed fries in my mouth at the same time. Dunking what my ex would call a handful of fries in her homemade ketchup and managing to fit most of them in my mouth in one go. I was shoveling it in as if I hadn’t had a good meal in years, which obviously wasn’t the case, but this was Deva’s cooking we were talking about. This was something special.
When I finished my burger and reached for more fries, finding the plate mostly empty, I sighed and sat back. The food had hit the spot. I patted my belly as though I was rewarding it for the work it was about to do digesting everything. It was exactly what I’d needed, and now that my belly was full and I’d sat down for a minute, I’d calmed down.
Or maybe it was her magic? I had no idea.
“Okay.” Deva sighed and plopped down, her dark eyes focusing on me. “What’s going on?”
“Are you sure you can stop?” I asked with a grin. I didn’t really want to talk about what had happened even though I knew I needed to. “I’d be happy to sample some dessert or another while you work.”
She held up one hand. “Nope, I just got the last table’s meal out and we’ve stopped serving lunch. No meals until we prep for dinner.” Reaching out a hand, she smiled as someone put a glass of iced tea in it, the amber liquid and slice of lemon looking more than a little refreshing. “Like magic.” She took a sip and stared at me. “Spill.”
I paused and gathered my thoughts, sipping on my own iced water to buy some time. The slice of lemon that was floating on top of the ice in my glass gave it a nice tang. “Okay, so you know Beth’s sister, Tiffany, right?”
She wrinkled her nose and sipped. “Yeah, dead husband, awkward.”
“Right.” I took a crumble of french fry and popped it into my mouth, crunching on it before I continued. “So, she cornered me today after Beth had already left, but before I could escape to my car. Then, she told me she thinks Roger was…” I looked around the kitchen, what I could see of it, and dropped my voice as I finished what I was saying, “murdered.”
Deva’s mouth flew open in shock. “No.”
“Yes.” I reached for a tiny piece of bacon. “She said the police have ruled it natural causes, but she doesn’t believe any of it. And she wants me to help her investigate it because…” Another surreptitious look around, another lowering of my voice. “She thinks Beth might be next since Beth is part owner of the business Roger owned.”
A few drops of tea sloshed out of the glass when Deva slammed it on the table. “No!”
“Yes!” I sat back and sighed. “What do I do?”
Deva shook her head slowly as her eyes blinked. She was thinking, rapidly, and I knew she would have a better read on Beth since she had never left town, unlike me, though for the record it was one of my bigger mistakes. I wouldn’t take back having my son, but everything else? It could go take a flying leap.
After a few moments Deva said, “You can’t tell Beth.”
Relief washed through me as she confirmed what I’d already been leaning toward. Plus, Deva didn’t seem to have any sway in her opinion, it was solid as a rock. “Okay, that’s what I was thinking. I’m so glad you agree. It would just freak Beth out, and I have no idea if she’s in any kind of danger yet.”
“Right. Why does Tiffany think Beth is a part of this, or that Roger was even murdered to begin with?” Deva picked up her tea again while I turned and pulled the file folder out of my bag.
“I haven’t looked at the file yet. I came straight here when she ambushed me, but she mentioned his dead business partner.” I opened the file and pushed my plate out of the way so I could spread out the papers.
Deva scooted her chair around to sit beside me. “Whoa,” she whispered.
“Yeah.” The file was full of articles about Roger’s missing business partner and where he was last seen. I skimmed through them until I came across a page of handwritten notes. “This must be Tiffany’s handwriting.”
We read through it, and it was a list of how Roger had been acting strangely. Fidgety. And he’d mentioned to her that he thought someone had been following him. “That’s it?” Deva asked. “That’s all she’s going off of?”
>
I shrugged. “Well, if my partner told me someone was following him and then he turned up dead the next day or a few days later, I’d be pretty freaked, too.”
Deva nodded thoughtfully. “Well, we’re not regular investigators, are we? Maybe if we go to the place where Roger’s business partner was last seen we can pick something up.”
“Good thinking.” I gulped down my tea and pushed to my feet. “Let’s go.”
Deva laughed as she looked up at me like I was a crazy person. “I can’t go now! I’ve got a dinner shift to prep. Meet me here at nine, the dinner rush will be over, and I can slip away.”
I sighed. She was right, of course, but I was impatient. “Okay, what about Carol?”
Deva pursed her lips. “Let’s get her to hang out with Beth. Just in case Tiffany was right about Beth being in danger. I don’t want to risk Beth’s life just because her sister’s a jerk ninety percent of the time.”
“Good plan.” I bent over and pulled her into a quick hug. “I knew you’d have my back.”
With my belly full of amazing food and my nerves calmed by Deva’s magic, I headed home. In the back of my mind, a tiny thought whispered that I should still tell Beth, but then I pictured the way she carried everything she’d been through with such grace.
No, she didn’t need any of this. I didn’t need to use Karma’s magic to give someone the karma they deserved. And tonight, Beth deserved to be having fun with her friend. Not worrying that she might be in danger. I’d take this on myself for as long as I could, protecting her in a way that her parents, sibling, and partner had failed to do.
I just hoped I was making the right decision.
7
Emma
I sighed and leaned back, burying my toes under Henry’s thigh. “This is the life,” I mused as Ginger and Fred danced across the TV screen.
This was how Henry and I spent many a night growing up, watching old movies, and eating terrible food. One of the hard things about having an autistic brother was that he wasn’t big on affection, or compliments, and sometimes his directness could hurt my feelings. But one of the wonderful things about having an autistic brother was that, when we could share a passion, like movies, it was incredible. He knew so much about everything we watched and noticed things in the films that escaped me. As a kid, I was so excited to watch movies with him, because he was nearly as exciting as the movie itself.
I’d missed it more than I realized. I’d missed him more than I realized.
Over the years we’d grown apart, and some of it was Rick’s fault, but a lot of it was just because I wasn’t there. Relationships can only stand so much silence and between Rick, having a child, and building our business, the silence had stretched awfully thin between us. Now the silence was gone, and we were rebuilding though. It made me almost grateful for everything that happened.
Henry gave a small smile, his gaze on the screen. “This was nominated for the best foreign film in 1986.”
I smiled. “I can see why.” The way Fred and Ginger were looking at each other as they twirled across the floor, her dress flying around her, the feathers that adorned it making it look like she was flying, reminded me of something that I wanted to ask. “How are you and Alice?”
Something shifted in his expression, though I couldn’t say what, showing me how happy he was when he thought of his girlfriend. “Good. We’re playing video games after our movie time. Our online tribe has a plan to finally take on this castle that we haven’t been able to beat.”
Man, Alice and Henry were seriously perfect for each other. I might not completely understand their relationship, but it worked for them, and it made them happy. That was all that really mattered.
“And does Alice ever want to move in here? What does she think about kids?”
His gaze never left the screen. “She likes her house. Her parents do her laundry and cook. She says kids are fine. Messy and loud. But fine.”
That wasn’t really what I meant, but it sort of answered my question. I didn’t need to be an aunt, as long as they were happy. Some people never had or wanted kids, and that was totally okay. Honestly, waiting and not jumping into things right away might have saved me a lot of heartache, not that I’d ever change having Travis, but I could understand the hesitation.
“And have you been staying away from gambling?” My gut twisted as I asked the question and I forced myself not to hold my breath as I waited for his answer.
His gaze finally left the screen, and a flash of guilt came and went from his face in an instant. “I only gamble online now, not with anyone in town.”
Well, at least he wouldn’t tick off the shifters or run into the sirens again. I hoped.
The movie kept playing, and I glanced out the big picture window, watching the waves roll over the white sand beaches. Had I really left this place for a guy? Mystic Hollow was idyllic in some ways. From the beaches to the cute little local businesses, to the bed and breakfasts that dotted the outskirts of town. Add in my family and friends living here and how friendly everyone was, except for some grumpy shifters, and I was surprised that this place wasn’t overrun by tourists. I wondered if there was some magic at play there, keeping them from staying too long or coming too close.
I knew that technically when I left it had been for college, but I’d always imagined coming back until I met Rick. What was it about love that made people stupid? I supposed there were stupider things I could have done for love, but still.
Despite my best intentions, my thoughts went to Daniel. Would I be crazy to fall for the big shifter? Right now, probably, but for some reason, I felt like I wouldn’t have to give up important parts of myself to keep him happy like I had with Rick. I wouldn’t need to change myself.
It hadn’t happened all at once, it wasn’t like I met Rick and he told me I had to do x, y, and z if I wanted us to be together. No, it was the slow nudging to lose weight, to keep dyeing my hair a certain color because that’s how he liked it, to get back in shape after having a baby so that he would still find me attractive, not to mention cooking and cleaning everything on my own, raising said baby without his help and still being expected to help run a business and look a certain way. It was exhausting and insidious. It wore me down like water creating the Grand Canyon. I suddenly realized just how controlling he’d been. I knew the next time I found someone I wanted to be in a relationship with they would have to accept me as I came, with no changes, because that wasn’t going to fly anymore.
“What are you thinking about?”
I turned and found Henry watching me. “I don’t know. I guess how much I really missed this place. How much I gave up for Rick.”
His gaze returned to the screen. “I never liked Rick, but he made you happy, so I let it go.”
Turning on my side, I snuggled in the blanket and focused on the movie. I want to say I was completely enraptured by the film and that my eyes didn’t close but that might have been a lie because halfway through, Henry tapped my leg. “Is that your phone?”
I sat up and pulled my cell from my back pocket. I hadn’t even heard it because it was buried under the big blanket. It wasn’t because I had been drifting off to sleep. “Oh, it’s Travis!” I was excited to hear from my son. He didn’t call often enough. “Hey, Pumpkin, how are you?”
“I’m good! I just came home to do laundry. It was kind of weird how quiet the house was.”
“Ah, are you missing mama?”
He scoffs. “Nah, I love you, but I don’t mind just being able to focus on my friends and school.”
“How is all that going?”
“School? Well, I’m doing well in my classes. Just finished a big test, and I feel like it went well. Super ready to graduate. Friends? Well, I didn’t tell you this because I thought you were dealing with enough, but Becca and I broke up. A while ago.”
My heart froze in my chest. I thought they would be together for much longer than that. She’d been one of the sweetest girls Travis had ever
brought home. “Why didn’t you tell me?” My hand had gone to my chest, clutching at my shirt, which was ridiculous. My son was still young enough to be playing the field. Did people still say that? Anyway, he didn’t need to bind himself to someone like I’d done with Rick.
“I didn’t want to upset you. I mean you just disappeared back to Mystic Hollow, so I wasn’t sure what was going on, but I figured you had enough on your plate.” He was starting to sound defensive, so I knew I had to rein it back in unless I wanted a grumpy Travis on my hands, and with how rarely he called, that was the last thing I wanted.
“That makes sense, but you can always call me and tell me anything, Pumpkin. You know that, right?” I asked, wanting to make sure he wasn’t holding other stuff back because he thought I was too fragile.
“Well, if that’s the case then I sort of started seeing someone else…”
I perk up. “Seeing someone else?”
“Oh, mom, it’s not serious or anything.”
But it had to be serious if he was even mentioning her. He never mentioned girls. The only other girl he’d ever seriously talked to me about was Becca, and apparently that was done and dusted now.
“Tell me about her.”
He hesitated, and I heard him starting the washer. I swear that boy only ever called me when he did laundry. “Her name is Jacqueline. She’s in the engineering program with me. She’s kind of… different.”
“Different in a good way?”
I can almost hear him blushing. “Yeah. She has this laugh. Like, when she laughs, I can’t help but smile. And she wears sparkly headbands and sings when she walks and… well, she’s just fun to be around.”
“So, are you dating or just hanging out?” I hold my breath. He’d always kind of been the friend to girls. I remember in high school he always felt like the jerks got the girls that he really liked, but he just wanted them to be happy.
Sure, he’d brought a couple girls over and said they were his girlfriends, but it was only ever once or twice, and they usually stopped hanging out quickly after that. I always thought it was just because he was so smart and kind. Girls that age weren’t always ready for someone like Travis.
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