Dearest Nellie,
I have thought a lot about you since our reading on the night of the Witches’ Ball, when the cards showed me your future so brightly. I foresaw that it was only a matter of time before you found yourself back in Hartwood Creek, and not just for a visit.
I know you are apprehensive about the days—and months—ahead of you, but I’ve been dreaming a lot about you, and I know everything is going to work out for the three of you.
These crystals and this tea will help you on your journey to motherhood. The tea is safe to take while pregnant; I assure you. It is a brew my ancestors passed down containing ginger, citrus peel, lemon balm, and rosehips.
If you ever need anything at all, please don’t hesitate to come see me.
Much Love,
Delia
P.S. Welcome home.
After reading Delia’s letter, I sat back on the sofa and stared at the crystals. I’d anticipated that she would have given me something, well, witchy, given she was the owner of Enchanted Echoes and a descendant of Morgana Hartley. I hadn’t expected her to know about my pregnancy, however, and be so aware of my fears and apprehension.
I suppose it made sense, though. After all, she’d read my cards during the night of the Witches’ Ball and told me I’d meet the love of my life and change the course of both our lives forever.
My phone rang, rousing me from my thoughts. It was Sage.
“So, how was it?” she asked, her tone all giddy.
“It was good,” I answered distractedly, my gaze going back to the gifts Delia had given me.
“Just good! Come on, spill the deets! Where’d you go? What’d you do?” Sage’s pestering pulled me back.
“We went to Juan In A Million for lunch, and it was amazing,” I answered, knowing if I didn’t start talking, she’d end up driving over to pull it out of me in person. “Then we walked around town and stopped at a few stores.”
“Ooh, which ones?” Sage was fully invested in this. I heard her chewing something.
“Are you eating popcorn?”
“Maybe,” Sage answered, her mouth full. “I’m hungry. Anyway, keep going. What stores did you go to?”
“The Art Cave, which was really great. Freyja is a sweetheart. We should do a paint night there.”
“I’m down!” Sage exclaimed, her tone clearer now that she’d chewed and swallowed the popcorn.
“Then we checked out Enchanting Echoes.”
“Oooh, I haven’t braved that store yet,” Sage said. I could practically hear her shiver through the phone. “Apparently, she sells a lot of ingredients of the love elixir, and even has a book on how to incorporate the love elixir into various baked goods and drinks.”
“Yeah, it was pretty neat. She sells a lot of crystals and some natural body butters. I got us both a jar. She said it helps with stretch marks.”
“She said that? Like, to your face?”
“Yeah, and she gave me a gift, like, a ‘Welcome to Hartwood Creek’ gift. And in it, she gave me some crystals and included tea called Mother’s Intuition and wrote a little note saying the tea was safe to take while pregnant.”
“HOW DOES SHE KNOW!?” Sage practically shouted.
“I don’t know! I mean, she seems like she knows things. Plus, she read my cards at the Witches’ Ball.” I shrugged, even though she couldn’t see me.
“That’s freaky,” Sage sounded creeped out. “Sometimes, this town wigs me out a little.”
“With the whole witchy thing?”
“Yeah. And the love elixir, and so on.”
