Witch You Were Here

by ERIN BEDFORD

  “Okay, I’m in.”

  “Great. So, do you want to go out—”

  I smacked my forehead and winced. “Actually, I forgot I have to do a final fitting for my dress today. Can I meet you somewhere?”

  “Well, that’s alright. We can come with you,” mom replied, a smile in her voice. “Then we can go eat and maybe even see a movie?”

  The hopefulness in her voice was so sweet that I couldn’t help but say yes. I loved my parents, and I had missed being with them this last month or so.

  “Great. Sounds like a plan.”

  “And you could bring one of your guys if you wanted,” my mom interjected before I could hang up.

  I frowned. “What do you mean just one?”

  “Well,” my mom drew out, “you could bring the one you picked to escort you at the party. It would be easier to get to know them one on one rather than all together.”

  My mom meant well, I was pretty sure. However, the fact that she thought I had picked one of the guys for my escort showed she didn’t really think I’d stay with them all. She thought I liked one of them more than the other, so why bother meeting the others?

  Instead of voicing my concerns, I muttered, “Uh, I’d rather it just be the three of us, if that’s okay.”

  “No, no, of course,” my mom quickly answered. “Just the three of us sounds just dandy. So, I’ll pick you up to get your dress in a few hours?”

  “Sounds good.” I hung up the phone and tapped it against my chin. I had pushed the choice of my escort to the back of my mind, not wanting to have to deal with it until I had to, but it seemed the time had come that I would have to figure something out and soon.

  My phone pinged reminding me that Trina was still waiting on my answer.

  Trina: I’m not sure an iPod is the way to go.

  Trina: Hello?

  Me: Well, I’m up for ideas.

  I sighed and stared at my reflection. The party wasn’t very far off, and I thought I’d be more nervous about it. Really, I’d just like it to be over with. However, I also didn’t want it to be a disappointment to my grandmother. The woman might be a big pain in the ass, but she had her moments, and I knew somewhere deep, deep down, she only wanted what was best for me.

  My phone pinged.

  Trina: You know, my sister is in a band.

  Me: ?? Okay?

  I watched the little dots telling me Trina was typing a message.

  Trina: She could play at your party.

  I thought about it for a moment and then typed out a message. Me: Will my grandmother approve?

  Trina: Definitely not.

  With a sly grin, I texted back. Go for it.

  Okay, so I might not want to disappoint my grandmother, but I also didn’t want to give up who I was. And that person thinks my coming out party needs something other than string instruments for entertainment.

  After making a decision on the music, it was easy to go into my dress fitting without a care in the world. I was actually pretty excited. The one good thing about the coming out party was I got to dress up like a princess and have everyone dote on me. Maybe I’d find a tiara or something for my hair?

  “Here we are.” Madame Lace smiled, bringing the garment bag out of the back. She hung it up in the dressing room where I could get to it.

  “We’ll just wait here,” mom told me, taking a seat back on the couch with my dad. I sat my purse next to them and practically skipped into the dressing room. I couldn’t strip fast enough. I was almost salivating at the chance to put my perfect ball gown on once more.

  The zipper of the bag slid down, and my eyes lit up seeing the white gauzy fabric. Then my brow furrowed. I didn’t remember there being a slit there. I carefully pulled the dress from the hanger. When it fell to pieces in my hands, I let out a scream that would make a banshee wince.

  “Maxine, are you alright?” my mom called out, running into the dressing room with my dad.

  My dad took one look at my thong clad body and quickly spun back around and covered his eyes. “Honey? What’s wrong? Did you bite your tongue again?”

  “No,” I snapped, and held up what was left of my gorgeous gown to my mom. My eyes welled up, and my breath came in short bursts. “My dress. It’s ruined.”

  “Oh, I’m sure it’s not that... bad.” My mom’s eyes widened as she took the bits of fabric from my hands. It wasn’t even a dress anymore, it was just a big ball of fluff. Even the gemstone-covered top was shredded.

  “What am I going to do?” I grabbed my t-shirt and pulled it over my head, shoving my legs back into my pants. “The party is in two days. I can’t get a new dress made that fast.”

  My mom stared at the dress, blinking her eyes and not saying a word.

  “Mom!” I waved a hand in front of her face, a scowl on mine. “Wake up. This is not the time to space out. And dad, I’m decent, you can turn back around.”

  My dad slowly twisted around, peeking through his fingers. When he saw I was indeed clothed, he sighed, then let out a small startled noise at the mess of fabric before us. “Oh, Max. I’m not sure that’s what your grandmother wanted you to wear.”

  “No, really?” The sarcasm dripped from my words and then I shoved my way out of the changing room. Madame Lace had rushed to us at my scream and waited anxiously by the three-way mirror.

  “Is there a problem?” she asked, blinking her eyes innocently.

  Trying my best to give her the benefit of the doubt, I pulled on a patient smile. “Madame Lace, I think there’s been a mistake. The dress in there is not the dress that I ordered.”

  “Whatever do you mean?” she asked, her hands fluttering around in front of her. “It is the dove white chiffon gown, isn’t it?”

  I cocked my head to the side. “Well, parts of it is, but it’s not so much a dress as a... a tablecloth and not a good one.”

  Madame Lace’s face paled, and she hurried to where my mom exited the dressing room, mutilated dress in hand. “Oh, my word. I... I do not know what happened. My apologies. I will issue you a full refund of course.”

  “I don’t want a refund. I want it fixed.” I shoved a hand at the dress, gathering the fabric and pushing it into her arms. “Can’t you use magic or something and fix it?”

  Madame Lace shook her head. “No, no. We do not use magic on our gowns. In fact, we have a spell on them so that no magic can be used. This keeps the girls from cutting corners.” She frowned and lifted the dress up. Bits of it fell to the ground no longer connected. “Someone seems to have taken scissors to your dress.”

  “Someone as in who?” I asked, placing my hands on my hips. “Who had access to my dress, and why would they want to destroy it?”

  “I don’t know.” Madame Lace shook her head sadly. “We have tight security here, but any number of my employees could have gotten to it. Though, I’m not sure why they would. Your grandmother is a Mancaster. They know how big of an honor it is for you to come to us for your dress.”

  I sighed, rubbing my forehead. “Well, do you have any other gowns that are in my size?” I gestured around the store.

  “Unfortunately, no. You are quite a bit bustier than my usual clients.”

  I chose to ignore the dig. I have tits. Get over it.

  “Can you magic me up something then?”

  Madame Lace shook her head again. “No. I wish I could, but everything in the shop has the same spell on it. I cannot undo it. I cannot tell you how sorry I am.”

  “Not as much as I am.” I spun on my heels, grabbed my shoes, and marched out of the store. My mom stayed behind while my dad followed me out.

  “Hey, honey.” My dad wrapped his arm around my shoulders. “Don’t worry, we’ll figure something out.”

  I jerked my shoes on with more force than necessary. “I’m not sure how. My coming out party is in two days, and since day one, it’s been nothing but a big battle. If I didn’t know any better, I’d think someone didn’t want me to have this party.”

  �
�You might be right.” My mom handed me my purse and stroked a hand down my hair. “Madame Lace is getting the security footage for the store for the last few weeks. We’ll find out who sabotaged your dress.”

  “That’s all well and good, but it doesn’t help me now.” I pouted, crossing my arms over my chest. “What am I going to wear?”

  “Well, how about we go get something to eat, and we can think of alternatives? I’m sure there’s a dress store we can find who might have your size.” My mom tried to reassure me, but it wasn’t working.

  “I’m sorry. I’m just not in the mood to go out.” I huffed. “And the likelihood of someone having the perfect sized dress for me this on such a short notice is slim to none.”

  “Well, then how about pizza at our house and a good sappy movie?” My mom led me to their car. “We can call your grandmother and see what she can figure something out. If anything, maybe you could wear my dress? I could spell it to fit you.”

  “Didn’t you get yours from Madame Lace too?” I reminded her, making her frown.

  “Oh, you’re right. I did get mine from here.” She smacked her lips and kissed me on the forehead. “Don’t worry, we’ll figure it out. I promise.”

  Chapter 14

  Tossing a bread crust into the empty pizza box, I groaned. After the fiasco at Madame Lace’s, mom made me go to my room while she ordered pizza and apparently back up. How she got Dale’s number, I had no idea. She was a witch, so maybe they had a magical calling tree? Either way, I was happy she had called in reinforcements, though her choice in my white knight did leave me wondering.

  “It’s not that bad,” Dale reassured me, lounging on the bed with me at my parents’ house while I wallowed. “I’m sure you’ll find a better dress.”

  I rubbed my stomach and sat up. “It’s not the dress I’m worried about.”

  Dale placed a hand on my back, moving it up and down in a comforting movement. “What is it?”

  “Too much pizza.” I belched, making a face. “Ugh. I think we might be moving into that stage of our relationship where you see the unladylike side of myself.”

  Snickering, Dale’s hand moved from my back to my shoulders, giving me a good rub. “I don’t think there was any chance of me thinking you were ladylike.”

  “Hey!” I half-heartedly slung a hand out at him, but he laughed, taking my hand and kissing it. “I can be ladylike when I want to be.”

  “I’m sure you can.” He went back to massaging my shoulders, and I began to forget about my overfull stomach as my head lulled forward.

  “Why are you so good at this?” I moaned, letting him remove all worry from my mind.

  “Too many sisters whose only weakness was a good neck massage.” Dale chuckled, pausing for a moment to press his lips to the side of my neck. “Sisters can be very vicious when they want to be. It’s good to know exactly,” his hands slipped from my shoulders to my back, “what buttons,” they slipped between my arms to cup my breasts, giving them a good squeeze, “to press.”

  Leaning back against him, I let him fondle me for a moment. When his fondling became more of a seduction, I wiggled against him in search of the evidence of his arousal.

  “Why, Mr. Varens,” I cooed, palming him through his jeans, “is that a wand in your pocket or are you just happy to see me?”

  Dale snort-laughed and even I cracked up at the hilarity of what I had just said.

  “Okay, even I admit that was corny.” I wiped my eyes and sat up just as my phone pinged.

  Paul: Sorry about your dress. Wish I could be there.

  “Seems like word travels fast,” Dale said, reading over my shoulder.

  I shrugged. “If he’s still with Aidan trying to talk Ian out of joining that secret society thing, it’s more likely that Aidan had a vision.”

  Dale nodded in understanding. “It is helpful in times like these. I only wish there was more I could do. Sadly, I lack the resources the others have to fix all your problems.”

  Trying to lighten the bitterness in his tone, I grabbed his face and kissed him so hard that even I had a challenging time breathing when we finished. “Don’t forget, you have other great qualities too.”

  “Like what?” he breathed against my mouth. “You just want me for my body.”

  “And the others for their money and power,” I teased back and then became more serious. “No, really, Dale. There’s so much more to you... all of you than what you think. I know it might seem like I’m just being selfish keeping you all to myself, but I really do care about each and every one of you.”

  “I know,” Dale said softly, “and you’re just as hard on yourself as I am. This party, for example. You’re doing it to please your grandmother though you couldn’t care less about fitting into their social circle.”

  I lifted a shoulder and dropped it. “The things we do for family. I just wished things were going a bit easier than it has been. I wouldn’t have agreed if I’d known it was going to be one dramatic issue after the other.”

  “Maybe this is a sign?”

  “A sign of what?” I scowled, kicking the comforter further down the bed as if it were the thing that had offended me.

  Dale shifted closer to me, wrapping an arm around my shoulders. “A sign that maybe you shouldn’t be having a coming out party. I didn’t have one, and I turned out fine.”

  I moved my head from his shoulders briefly to stare up at him. “That’s what you think.”

  “What?” Dale gaped. “What’s wrong with me?”

  I snorted and placed my head back on his shoulder. “Nothing. You’re perfect.” To myself, I muttered, “A perfect pain in the ass.”

  “I heard that.”

  “You were meant to,” I shot back, giving him a cheeky grin.

  “You know, I’m only going to let you get away with that cheat shot because you’re upset and need someone to lash out at.” He kissed my forehead, and my eyes fluttered closed. “However...” Without warning, his fingers tangled in my hair and pulled my head backward. Not enough to hurt but enough that I could feel his strength. My wide eyes locked with Dale’s. A serious glint that made me shiver reflected through his glasses. “Don’t think that talking to me that way won’t get you a red bottom in the future.”

  I swallowed thickly and tried to nod but couldn’t because of Dale’s hold on my head. Seeing my dilemma, Dale released my hair and smoothed a hand down the back of it before kissing me on the nose as if nothing happened.

  Staring up at him in awe and, if I admitted it to myself, arousal, I fiddled with the material of my pants. “So...” My mouth formed a prominent o drawing his attention to my mouth. “You’d really spank me?”

  Pushing his black-rimmed glasses up the bridge of his nose, Dale smirked at me. “You bet your sweet ass I would.”

  Licking my lips, I squirmed in my seat, highly tempted to test him on that threat. I opened my mouth to say something really naughty, I was sure, but my mom came through the bedroom door before I could use my feminine wiles.

  “Hey, Max.” She peeked her head around the door. When she seemed pleased by what she saw, she pushed the door completely open. “So, I talked to your grandmother.”

  I sniffed and grinned. “You mean, argued with.” I glanced up at Aris, tempted to put my hand up and see if she would high five it. Dale squeezed my side, reminding me my mom was still talking.

  “We weren’t arguing. We were just trying to figure out the best way to get you a new dress.” Mom sat on the edge of my bed, her eyes darted down to our entangled legs but didn’t say anything.

  “Did you find someone to make me a dress?” I moved out of Dale’s embrace and eagerly shifted toward her.

  An unreadable expression crossed my mom’s face, and she forced a smile. “Well, no. Not yet. It seems all the shops in Atlanta have been bought out.”

  “Bought out?” My tone raised to an almost glass-breaking pitch. “How does a store just run out of dresses? That’s what they sell.”

>   My mom shrugged. “There are over a hundred ladies coming to your coming out party, many of them with enough money to do just that. They probably wanted options.”

  “But now they’ve ruined my whole party because they needed options,” I snarled. Dale tried to pat my back in comfort, but I pushed away from his hands and off the bed. “What are we going to do now? I can’t show up to my own party in jeans and a t-shirt.” I crossed my arms over my chest and paced the room, not paying any mind to the way Dale and mom stared at me.

  Mom stood and went to my closet. “Well, what if we took one of the dresses you already have?” She grabbed the pale blue dress I’d worn to my graduation last year and laid it across my bed. “We could magic it into a ball gown.”

  I narrowed my eyes at the dress, not quite believing my mom had the skills for that. “Have you ever made a dress before?”

  Shrugging, mom gave me a reassuring smile. “How hard can it be? I’ll look up something online as a reference as to what to make and then wham-bam, thank you, ma’am. You have a dress fit for the party.”

  I covered my mouth, giggling. “Mom, no one says that anymore.”

  “I just did, so they do.” She picked up the dress and winked. “Now, I’m going to work on your dress. It might take me a while, but you should get some sleep.” She gave a pointed look at Dale before shutting the door behind her.

  Dale shifted off the bed. “I guess I should go.”

  “What? Why?” I climbed back onto the bed holding a hand out to him. “But I’m not done being cheered up yet.”

  Dale chuckled. “I think your mom has it under control, and she looked like she wanted me to leave.”

  “Well, I don't want you to leave. Doesn't that count for anything?” I pouted.

  Dale leaned down and nipped my lip, making me grin. “Fine, but if your mother decides I’m a bad influence, I'm blaming you.”

  I giggled and pulled him onto the bed with me. “Yes, sir.”

  Dale growled, “Say it again.”

  I peered up at him innocently. “Yes, sir.”

  Dale tackled me to the bed. I let out a squeal. “Shh.” Dale hovered over me, his fingers pressing to my mouth. “Do you want your parents to hear us?”