"And then you pick a man who is cursed to never be able to love, by a wicked woman." She pointed to herself with an equally wicked smile. "I have a really difficult time with rejection. Sea witch understands." She smiled at Ursula. "How is Jenson? Great in bed, that one. A little on the grrr side," she said forming her hands into little claws as she made a feminine growl. "Though I bet he's gotten better over time. Men always need a little training in the bedroom."
"He's great. I'll let him know you asked. Cassidy, right?"
She smiled and clapped her hands together. "Smart one! Yes."
"You know crazy-pants?" Eloise whispered from the side of her mouth.
"She cursed Jenson when he told her he didn't love her."
She nodded. "You really took a woman scorned to heart."
"And Detective Taylor White, aptly named because he had white knight syndrome even before he was a cop, made me feel like I was special. He made me feel seen and like I was different. He was different. You know how that is, don't you, little mermaid?" The use of their nicknames for each other was a dark reminder she'd been watching and listening to them. "But then he did what all men do and said I was crazy," she said liftingher hands, her eyes getting wide. "That I was reading into things. Can you believe that?"
"I mean," Eloise shrugged. "Based on the Emily Dickinson wardrobe, stalking and late-night hex situation, you're not really selling us on your stability."
A simmering anger could be felt, and then her face morphed into laughter as she threw her head back, the sound loud and shrill.
"I don't think poking her is the best route," Ursula urged.
"Okay, I hear you. But she's literally cackling. Cackling and hexing. If anyone in this graveyard should be shunned from the town it's not us."
Then Cassidy snapped her head forward and pinned them with a look, one that made a spine-tingling impression on both of them. Danger cut through the atmosphere.
"Iwasshunned," she seethed, the words dripped with a venom that they could feel. It smelled like decaying flesh and wilted flowers. "This shit town with their wagging tongues and judgemental eyes shunned me. Your handsome detective's father was actually the one who started looking into me. Great detective himself. Abusive as hell to his wife and son, though," she said tilting her head and making a tsking sound. Eloise frowned, a sadness enveloping her heart. "And then the souls didn't like the taste of revenge and made my life hell here," she said, pointing to where the house was behind the grove of trees. "This was mine. This magic was mine."
"Do you want us to take a moment of silence for your loss?"
Ursula's hand squeezed Eloise's at her taunting.
"I do like you. I feel as though we would have gotten along in another life. Perhaps could have been friends."
The way she said it, a ring of lament around the sentiment caught Eloise's attention.
"Oh come on," Eloise cajoled, feeling a rising tension in the air, smelling burning herbs and those hot gardenias. "We're pretty accepting. I mean, this one tripped out on LSD a few months ago at a Halloween festival in front of families and really likes her tequila."
"Hey," Ursula said with a frown.
"Just trying to sell our low points," she whispered. "And I ran away for years from dealing with my dad dying and dated a man who ended up being married. Also I'm blunt. You should meet Jen, though."
Ursula nodded, joining her friend in what she hoped was a stalling tactic. "Jen is intense and brash. Oh! And I'm pretty sure Crystal actually is a witch. I've been playing with the hypothesis that she's reincarnated from the Salem witch trials. There are no records of her birth or coming to this town," she said, her black eyebrows raised.
Eloise turned toward her with an awed look. "Seriously? Let's talk aboutthatlater." She turned back to Cassidy who had the look of a woman both losing patience but oddly intrigued. "Oh! And Kelsea," she snapped her fingers. "Homewrecker. We share that in common." Eloise nodded with raised brows. "We are an interesting group. An Emily Dickinson hexer should fit right in. I cannot think of anything grey-area about Tilly, though," she looked to Ursula with a questioning frown.
She shook her head. "Me either."
"We should dig into that," Eloise suggested.
"Shut up," Cassidy barked and both women gave her their full attention. Casper growled next to Ursula. "I don't want to be a part of your sad, drunken little excuse for a coven," she sneered. "You drink a little alcohol, say a little hex, the buried magic from long ago answers," she waved a hand through the air. "Weakly," she added. "You're silly, sad, women who have nothing betterto do than play witchcraft without an ounce of an idea of what you're doing. And your hexes are lame."
Eloise pointed a finger at her. "Rude."
"And coming from the woman who hexed a teenager pink," Ursula added with a smile. Eloise high-fived her while they kept their eyes on Cassidy who glared quietly.
Then she shrugged. "I was hoping the other one would get his hands on some gin and drink himself to death. That would have been interesting." Cassidy smiled pointedly. "Here's what is going to happen. I want my house back. The souls here kicked me out, because they didn't like the way I did things."
"Right, the cursing men and wreaking town havoc."
She smiled, her teeth bared in animalike ferocity. "I did so much more than curse silly men in their stupid love lives. Anyone who crossed me never crossed me again. Rob Sandis? We struck a deal, about his place in this town and his family's position. And I got into a few positions with him, if you know what I mean."
