Laughter and a nod from him were her answer.
She leaned back impressed and crossed her arms over her chest. "I stand corrected. Alright, you'll be my second or third call if I decide to get back into the ring."
"Second? I made a compelling argument." His face feigned hurt.
"I have a best friend who has known me for decades and also a coven," she replied in all seriousness.
"Fair," he finally conceded. "Now, is the coffee still undrinkable, or where are we at on the drinkable scale?"
"Better than Mcdonalds, worse than diner coffee. I'm actually not one hundred percent certain that there's caffeine in it, but I made an order with my coffee woman, she's a cupper in Costa Rica, and she knows the art of the coffee bean so I'll have something magical for everyone soon."
"Uh, Eloise?"
They both turned to see Bess, her face scrunched with concern as she was staring at her phone.
"What's up?"
"You guys didn't actually hex that guy Kyle I was telling you about, right?"
She slid a look over to the detective who was watching, joking gone from his demeanor.
"Hey, I have never hexed anyone," she explained to him. "I'm just an honorary member of the coven. I don't even know what's involved, like...I imagine a chant with a lot of cats and some burning circles. Maybe a rhyme in Latin. Oh!" she snapped her fingers. "I know Crystal's lethal margaritas are part of the ritual. I am not selling this," she realized when he crossed his arms over his chest and gave her that patient, knowing cop look. Which was surprisingly attractive. She turned back to the concerned teenager. "Babe, we definitely didn't hex him. What's going on?"
Bess flipped her phone for her to see and the detective leaned over the counter to get a look. There on the screen was the front page article in the Salem Courier with a picture of a young man, the one she recognized from Bess's jazzy birthday party. The one she and Ursula didn't quite like. What was not as recognizableabout him was that he was completely pink. The headline read: Are the Lost Souls Witches Hexing Again?
"Lost Souls Witches really has a ring to it. Sorry," she said shaking her head at Bess's pointed look. "Okay, so I'm guessing that is Kyle, who treated you like dirt, and now his skin looks like a tickle-me-pink crayon."
"Yes," Bess confirmed.
"I mean," she smiled, a little awed at what she was looking at. "I promise that wasn't us. But I am not angry about this."
"I told you that he called me a pink-loving feminist who would rather spend my time sitting around with old-"
"Alright alright," Eloise said remembering the little jerk's words and yet another unfair poke at their age. "Yes, you did tell us that which is incredibly suspicious. Let me ask the group, but don't worry, okay?" She laid a hand on Bess's shoulder and the teen's sulky attitude was pungent, like a flash of vinegar. She turned back to the nosy detective and smiled. "How about I make you some tea?"
"Not much of a tea drinker. I'm going to head out. You let me know if you hear anything about that boy's pink skin and I'll go see if he made a report. And call me if you want that date."
Bess looked between them in question.
"Oh, not with him," Eloise explained. "He cannot date. He's six hundred years old."
Bess's questioning expression turned to confusion and Taylor laughed good-naturedly.
"See you around, ladies."
He left the coffee shop and she watched him go, the natural swagger in his step easy on the eyes and when Bess cleared her throat she startled and checked the time. "Listen, let's close up a little early; no one is bursting down the door anyway. You coming over tonight for dinner?"
"Nah, I'm going out with some friends and Uncle J is home. Hey, do you think he and Ursula will get married?"
The question, while seemingly coming out of thin air to Eloise, was said in a tone that had been marinating on it for a while. She couldn't guess Bess's thoughts or emotions on the matter, so she tread carefully but honestly.
"I don't know. But I know he would be crazy not to want to marry her. She's basically made of starlight and magic and those green eyes," she batted her own dramatically. "I mean, I would have snagged her years ago if I were into women."
"You're so weird," Bess said with a snort.
"Thank you. Alright, how about you show me the typical shut-down process."
She shot a text about tickle-me-pink Kyle to the group as she and Bess made quick work of closing up the shop. By the time they were finished all women had answered exactly how she expected they would. None of them, the Lost Souls Witches, had hexed the kid.
