She’d survive.
“George Wickham... Now, he’s fae, isn’t he?” She tapped her fingers together, and paused again.
“He is.” I nodded.
The lines on Mom’s forehead softened. “And what does he do for a living aside from playing in that band?”
“He’s been successful enough that the band is his main job. He’s a rock star, and he also teaches me guitar lessons...”That ought to please her.
“Really? Well then, we can work with this. Yes, let’s see. My daughter’s dating a celebrity.” Mom chuckled. “Oh, Mrs. Long will be so jealous.”
“Okay.” I shrugged, then kissed Mom on the cheek. “You can spin it however you want. By the way, tomorrow night I want to host an open mic and fundraiser for Wickham’s manager who died.”
“Open mic? Well, as long as it’s after hours and you clean up, I don’t mind. Oh my goodness, my daughter’s dating a famous musician.” Mom clapped her hands, stood up, and left the kitchen carrying a tray of rolls for the display case.
“We’re not officially a couple...” I muttered under my breath. “Yet.”
That evening, despite my exhaustion, I struggled to fall asleep. So, I made my way to the kitchen to brew some herbal tea with a pinch of sleeping potion.
Across the room, someone setting the kettle made me yelp.
“Who’s there?” Kitty called out.
I took a calm breath. “It’s just me, Kitty.”
“Good grief. I thought you were some psycho.” Kitty sighed.
“Really, Kitty? You live with four other people.” I chuckled.
“Yeah, but you surprised me. Wait a minute... why was Mom telling Mrs. Long you’re dating a celebrity earlier?” The oven light illuminated her form as she approached from the shadows with a chocolate donut in her hand and wearing a sweater that saidHere Comes Santa Pawsand had a cat wearing a Christmas hat on the front.
I shot a glance at her donut and raised an eyebrow.
She shrugged. “Sometimes I get hungry at night.”
I grinned at my sister. She was thin as a rail, so you’d never know she ate like a horse.
“Now don’t try to distract me,” she said. “Why was Mom saying that to Mrs. Long?”
“Because she’s Mom. I’ve gone out with George Wickham a few times, and he’s in a successful band.” I rolled my eyes as I stirred the sleeping potion into my tea. The liquid flashed brilliantly blue for an instant before returning to its original milky brown.
“And what about the open mic night she mentioned?” Kitty nibbled on her donut.
“It’s honoring Wickham’s band manager, who died. We’ll also raise some funds for his family.”
“Ugh, that’s sad.” She shivered and pulled her sweater tighter around herself.
“Yeah. I’m hoping to work a little magic to see if we can weed out the killer. I've considered using a transformation spell to go undercover.” I drummed my fingers on the counter. “Wanna help with the menu?”
“Of course. Let’s see, we should do a lemon and lavender theme. It will be kind of sweet, sour, and calming. We can do lavender scones and sorbet, lemon sorbet, crème brûlée cupcakes, and iced lemon tea in the enchanted fountain. And grapes. Grapes just sound good.”
“Sure.” I shrugged. I didn’t care what we served as long as I had an excuse to gather Wickham’s band at the bakery. The enchanted fountain wasreally just a punch bowl with a little spell cast on it to push the liquid in the center up, creating a fountain-like appearance. But people seemed to like it.
She tapped her chin, leaning against the counter. “If it weren’t totally illegal to drug a bunch of people without their knowledge, I’d say we should use a Veritas Potion to find the truth. But that would probably be a bad idea. Also, I don't think a transformation spell is the best idea. Those can go wrong easily."
“It would be convenient, but you’re right. Plus, we don't need to create an angry mob,” I said. “Oh yes, if you see any of the Grey Doors members around town, be careful. One of them may be on a killing rampage.”
“A rampage?” Kitty’s eyes widened. “But only one person died.”
