I called her, and she told me about Violet. I'm really sorry, Rebecca - Bex. I know how much she meant to you.
Thanks.
How are you coping?
I'm fine. Busy. Is that all you wanted?
Yeah, I just thought... Alex thought... in case you need any help.
From you?
Well, we didn't exactly part on the best terms, but... I thought maybe, for Alex's sake, we could try to be friends.
Oh.
I didn't know what else to write.
Anyway, if there's anything I can do for you—within reason, of course.
Of course. It wouldn't do at all to upset or inconvenience his new love.
Oh God, why was I this bitter?
Our marriage had been over—or at least teetering on the brink—for a long time. Maybe it was just that he’d made me feel so stupid. That I didn't see it coming.
Thanks.Tell Alex I said hi. I'm fine, I appreciate theoffer to help, but no thanks.
It still stands if you change your mind. She was a great old girl.
Yes, she was. Bye now.
That felt surprisingly good. We’d managed an almost civilized exchange.
Maybe one day, we’d be good. Sure, we wouldn't exactly be holding hands on our way to our daughter's college graduation, or birthday party, or other milestones, but it would be preferable, for her sake, if we weren’t at least at each other's throats.
Without thinking, I touched my heart, and with it the amulet. Despite the fabric of my shirt, it created a pleasant tingle in my fingertips.
“So mote it be,” I mumbled. That’s how the baking spell ended, willing all that was meant to come true, to happen.
Cosmo pricked up his ears. “What did you say?”
I repeated myself.
He rubbed himself against my legs. “Things are coming into focus. But first, you need to continue with the job at hand.”
I’d almost forgotten. Now, who would be able to help me with my plant evidence?
I took the Ziploc bags out of the fridge. The easiest choice would be Jimmy, who knew more about botany than I could ever imagine. Except that news travelled fast.
Maybe Reina would be able to help. Their backyard looked amazing, and I thought I detected her skill in making places inviting. At the very least, she might be able to point me in the right direction if she couldn't help out.
And she and Harper should know Pamela's last name.
"Aren't you forgetting something?" Cosmo asked when he saw me head toward the door.
"Like what?"
"The library."
