“You knew today was a holiday. You missed the last meeting on Saturday.”
“Please? I know I said that I would be here. But I am in my heart and soul, and I feel bad, but I feel like I will also feel terrible for my friend if I back out on this.”
“But not for your coven?”
At that, Essie paused, silent in her plea.
Celeste sighed. “Go. But I expect you to know better when it comes to Samhain.”
“Yes, Mother. Of course, Mother,” said Essie with a hint of humor. She brushed her hands off on her apron, pulling it off to hang up on the hook. She ruffled her pin-straight hair around her shoulders and brushed the flour from her jeans.
“How is your new little boy toy, Essie?” Ana asked from where she tried to whip her with the edge of a towel.
She gracefully evaded, turning toward me to make sure someone else had seen that. If only I wasn’t equally amused by Ana’s sense of humor.
“He is not a boy toy, Ana, for one thing,” Essie said severely. “He’s a friend who doesn’t have many others right now.”
“How kind and up front of you.”
“Have a good time and be careful!” Celeste called out as her daughter darted toward the door.
“You don’t worry about her running away with that boy? Essie’s becoming a little woman,” Faith said with a hint of a joke.
All of us knew that Essie was more attuned to the world than most her age. She was a quiet soul, but we all knew never to underestimate such. It was another reason that Essie would be the ideal high priestess candidate when she got older.
“Oh, she knows better. I have nothing to worry about with her yet. And she has the rest of you ladies teaching her things far before her time anyway.” Celeste brushed off.
We all snickered, even Gertie, who never stopped a bit of well-intended life talk when it took a saucy turn.
“And that’s okay?” Ryan asked. His words hesitant from where he soaped up the next bowl and listened to the rest of the coven giggle. He dumped the watery contents before starting on the next dish.
Celeste raised her eyebrows with a gentle nod as the noise died down. “In most pagan culture or in magic, relationships aren’t seen the way many others view them. If that is what you are intrigued about.”
“Sort of. What do you mean?”
“She means, we are all much bigger whores,” Ana proclaimed.
Now, it was Celeste’s turn as she swatted Ana with her tea towel.
Ana strummed her fingertips against her amused lips as she hopped out of the way, taking off her apron and hanging it back up on the hook. The fabric was still covered in a healthy spatter of white flour, which floated down toward the tiles.
“The world has a very strange view on innocence and purity, usually in women. That brings us to a whole other topic I have always felt strongly about,” explained Celeste. “But when it comes down to it, love is love in whatever form or kind of relationship it finds us in. Sharing our own energy is perhaps the most potent understanding of true magic we have. So, we celebrate it. If that means spending time, so be it. If it means tender kisses—”
“Or tender lovemaking,” said Faith wistfully.
Celeste didn’t swat her for the comment, only looked upward toward the ceiling, stained with other kitchen experiments. She shrugged. “So be it. It’s a natural thing we were made to do and are called to it. It isn’t shameful or taboo. It is bravery and strength and beauty. It’s magic.”
My gaze was stuck on Celeste as she went on with her tidbit into the life of being a modern witch. So easily prepossessing.
And it was to me. When I’d first realized that witchcraft wasn’t something that belonged in fantasy worlds, it’d struck me, just like the idea that all the flowers I’d loved in the garden my mother grew while I was a little girl held more meaning and life than just to be beautiful.
Right now, I could see the beauty too. I saw it in the way Faith laughed and Ana pressed her lips closed at whatever was being said, trying to maintain her well-kept composure. I could see it in the way Gertie looked upon us all with fondness. I could see it even in Ryan.
It looked like—he looked like he fit.
It was as if he belonged right there with me with the rest of the ladies with no other judgment as he worked along their side. This was not the Ryan Gardner I’d assumed I knew, and something tingling swept up my center. That was becoming abundantly clear.
“Of course, you probably know that as Lu’s boyfriend,” Faith teased with a heavy layer of tongue in cheek.
