“Sorry.” I left both my feet firmly on the ground and rubbed the sore leg. “What powers do you really have, apart from spotting a susceptible human a country mile away?”
“As in, me personally, or all cats?”
“You all have special talents?” I didn’t want to be so cruel as to add that they didn’t appear to help the many cats who were forced to live on the streets or had their existence cut short.
“All of us. Only in some, the power of the purr is sadly diluted.”
“The power of the purr. It has a nice ring to it.”
“You don’t believe it?” He fixed his gaze upon me. A low noise reached my ears. It was the most mellow, relaxing … no. My body might grow all soft and ready to fall into a snooze, but my mind was too strong.
That was my last conscious thought, until the sun rose, and my phone beeped.
“Do you believe me now?” Cosmo groomed his paw with a nonchalance I’d never seen outside of a movie theater.
“The discussion isn’t over. If you want to keep everything but your purr a secret from me, that’s fine. But I think I deserve a heads-up about my new abilities.”
“I’d give you one, if we’d already established that. Which is why you’d better hurry and move us back home.”
I left him with a dish of canned chicken while I went down for breakfast. I had more than just food to chew over without his distracting company.
Harper awaited me with fresh coffee, golden brown pancakes with a side of bacon, and the company of our missing musketeer. Ange, co-owner of a craft studio where she created Christmas baubles, jewelry, and good luck charms from hand-blown glass, kissed me on both cheeks. No air kisses for her. “That blue hair looks the bee’s knees on you. A real pick-me-up.”
Harper and I chuckled. As long as I could remember, Ange had come up with slightly off and yet spot-on phrases. She’d been the first of us to marry, the first to divorce, and was now blissfully wedded to one of the nicest men I’d met.
“Nick says, if there’s anything you need, give him a buzz. As for me, I’m at your service.” She rolled up her sleeves, before the cuff of her work shirt fell onto her plate.
“That’s sweet, but Louisa’s in charge.”
“She’ll be fine. I’m a Belle and I’ll badger her.”
I blinked in confusion, until Ange mimed throwing a bowling ball.
“I’m coming too. The bar’s closed until evening anyway,” Harper said.
I put a hand on the table, carefully avoiding the plates and mugs. Harper put hers on top, and Ange came last. Like old times. We lifted our hands together. “The crazy coven’s back together,” Ange declared.
“Crazy coven forever,” Harper and I chimed in. It took a few heartbeats until the full meaning sank in. Was this only a nickname my aunt had given us ages ago, or had I been part of a real coven all along? I needed to have a long heart-to-heart with my furry mentor.
With three people taking stock in the small kitchen, private bathroom and powder room for the library users, our inventory progressed so fast I had trouble keeping up with the typing. The printer chugged out page after page with library book listings, and Cosmo napped in front of the old fireplace. Aunt Violet had converted it to an electric fire – a sensible precaution in a room surrounded by books and frequented by children.
My fingers cramped when I listed the last item as “one wood footstool, upholstered in green and gold striped fabric, from the Atlas furniture company”. I’d restored the piece with my very own hands, after I’d left college half-way through an art history degree. She’d brought it down here to put her feet up during her final notetaking of the day. The fabric had worn thin where her slippered heels had rubbed on it, night after night.
“We’re done.” Louisa stacked the library list, scrolled through my spreadsheets and gave me a swift pat on the shoulder. “The rest of probate should be a breeze.”
“When are you going to pick up the items she left to her friends?” I asked. The footstool was on the list. It’d go to Jimmy. Her neighbor Jake was supposed to inherit her collection of vintage plant holders. Since he’d passed away before her, I assumed they’d return to the estate.
Food poisoning was a horrible way to go, I thought, if the rumors I overheard last night were right. At least Aunt Violet had simplyslipped away in her sleep. Unexpected, and sad, but peaceful. That was a comfort.
“Shall we get you installed in your old room or –” Harper broke off.
“At least for now. Thanks.” I’d packed in the morning, and she’d promised to deliver my luggage plus Cosmo’s basket, blankets, and toys later in her van.
I closed the door behind Louisa, Ange, and Harper with a sense of foreboding. It was done. Cosmo and I had returned. Now I had to take the next steps to become a witch.
The cat jumped up on the windowsill in the library and peered out to watch the cars drive off. “Follow me.” He sailed onto the desk two feet away, and from there, onto the row of low kids’ bookcases, until he reached the farthest bookcase at the back. The shelves were so deep, he sprawled in front of the books at chin height for me. I’d never noticed them before.
“Ok? This is a bookcase,” I said, stating the obvious.
