“As you know, the study abroad program is ending soon, and then Jacqueline and I will be graduating. She and I have been talking a lot about what we want for our future, and I think we both agree that we want a future together, possibly in Mystic Hollow.”
I was a grown adult. I would not squeal and leap around. “Sounds adequate, if that’s what would make you happy.”
There was the sound of him releasing a slow breath. “She and I have been looking for jobs that we can either work remotely or that are available in Mystic Hollow. It’s no surprise that atown that small doesn’t have a ton available, but we did see an opening for a music teacher at the high school.”
Oh my gosh, don’t squeal, don’t squeal! “That sounds like it could be perfect.”
“She’s also looking into joining some performing companies that she could work at as needed. For example, if she was asked to do music specifically for a certain play, she would be out of town just during that time. She wants to try to plan it around her school schedule if she gets the job.”
So, my son would move to the town I was in, with his girlfriend, maybe marry, and pop out a bunch of grandkids? I could be okay with that. I could also be okay if they went the no-kid route, or if they wanted to walk around on their heads, as long as they were moving here.
“It sounds like you have a really good plan.”
I could hear the smile in his voice. “I’m glad you approve. There’s just one more thing… I’m going to need to marry this woman before all that.”
“Marry?” Was he reading my mind?
“Yeah, mom, she’s incredible. I want to put a ring on her finger so badly it hurts, and I actually came up with the plan to propose to her after the study abroad program ends. I thought that instead of going right back to university, we could stop in Mystic Hollow, and I could propose to her on the beach.”
Would I actually get to see my only son and baby get engaged? It was a dream come true! More than anything I ever imagined. When I moved back to Mystic Hollow, some part of me hadaccepted that my son and I would never live in the same place again. Never could I have thought this would be a possibility.
“That would be lovely. Seriously, and I think she would love it.”
Any witch would love the beauty and magic of Mystic Hollow. Actually, I could see Jacqueline and my son really happy here, getting to see vampires, shifters, and mermaids as often as they saw humans. My son might be looking at things from a different direction, but we were both on the same page about him moving closer to me.
“Okay.” He seemed relieved. “I just needed to run my plan by someone. I already know her ring size and what she likes, so I might send you some ring options before I purchasethe one.”
“I’m here for anything you need, always. You know that.”
I could hear the smile in his voice. “I know that. Crap, she’s coming back! I’ll talk to you later.”
The phone call ended, and I stared down at it in disbelief as I walked back to the ladies. “My son is planning on proposing to his girlfriend soon, and they might be moving back to Mystic Hollow.”
The barrage of questions began, and I answered them with eagerness, growing more and more excited with every answer until I spotted a glimmer of sadness in Deva’s eyes. She’d never say it, she was too good of a friend to, but my happy news on the day of such a hard event in her life probably wasn’t easy to bear.
I smiled. “Anyway, we can talk about this later. Let’s get that breakfast and get started on our plan to figure out the curse.”
Nothing else needed to be said for the other ladies to figure out what I was doing, so the conversation quickly switched aswe continued walking. Besides, we were all eager to dig into some comfort food after dealing with the chaos at Deva's café. If anything could soothe our frazzled nerves, it was syrup-drenched pancakes and crispy bacon, even if we couldn’t get it at our favorite place.
The Morning Griddle was only a few blocks away, but even from a distance, we could see it was bustling with activity. The aromas of sizzling bacon, freshly brewed coffee, and warm cinnamon rolls wafted through the air, urging us to hurry.
"I don't think I've ever seen this place so busy," Carol said, her eyes wide as she took in the crowd of people waiting both inside and outside the establishment.
"Neither have I," agreed Deva with a frown. "This is definitely unusual."
"Let's add our names to the waiting list and hope for the best," I suggested, trying to remain optimistic despite the overwhelming crowd.
We squeezed our way to the front of the restaurant, where there was a frazzled hostess scribbling down names as fast as she could. People were all around us, so tightly packed that we couldn’t even see inside the sitting area to figure out how long it might take to get in. Unfortunately for us, there weren’t a lot of options in Mystic Hollow, so we just had to be patient and wait for our turn.
“Name and how many?” she asked, without looking at me.
"Foxx, party of five," I said, making sure to include Daniel in our headcount. The hostess nodded, adding us to the list before turning her attention to the next group.
People approached Deva, giving their condolences about what had happened to her restaurant and asking questions. She politely responded but gave vague answers. It was obvious these small town patrons were hoping for better gossip than that, but people slowly went back to their business, letting Deva relax a little as we checked out the scene in front of us.
The hum of conversation and clatter of dishes filled the air, making it difficult to hear anything else. It truly was insane. It reminded me of stores, back in the day, on Black Friday. I could still remember the day a man stood on the top of a pile of televisions, throwing them out into the screaming crowd. But those times had changed, and places had changed, nothing like that would be expected in Mystic Hollow.
"Seems like everyone came here after what happened at my bakery," Deva said with a sigh. She pointed out several familiar faces from her regular clientele. "I guess there's nothing like a little magical mayhem to work up an appetite."
