“You think?”
“Yeah. She’s pissed about something and it’s bleeding into everything. Today’s the equinox, so it makes sense. Her power is probably the strongest in the dead of winter. Getting a permit from her in late January must be a nightmare.”
“You have to tell me more about this,” Mason said.
“That’s all I know. It’s just a feeling. A feeling you have to trust, believe and embrace. Deborah knows her power and she just uses it to scare people away. Makes sense she was friends with Sable.”
“Are all the women in your family witches?”
“All women are witches, period. Like I said, it just matters if you embrace it. If you believe.”
“What about Julie-Pam?” he laughed.
“Oh, she’s the kind of witch that accidentally makes wonderful things happen.” Xeni looked up from her menu. “I know what—what?”
Mason was staring at her was a dreamy look in his eyes. He shook his head and opened his own menu. “Nothing.”
A few minutes later, Rosemary was back with their waters and an older woman who could have been her twin, save the two wrinkles she’d acquired and a blunt bob hair cut.
“You didn’t invite me to the wedding,” she announced, playfully slapping Mason on the shoulder.
“Mei this is—”
“You’re Sable’s daughter, Xeni.”
“I am. She told you?”
“Of course she told me. Sable was my best friend, but not that good of a friend if she didn’t leave a note telling you to invite me to the wedding. I’m glad to see our plan worked.”
“What plan?” Xeni laughed.
“The plan to find you a husband. See? Mason is a perfect choice.”
“So far so good.”
“Dinner’s on the house. My wedding gift to you. In return, you have to name your first child after me.”
Xeni glanced at Mason. “Not sure there are going to be any children.”
“Oh. Then our plan failed. Eat and I’ll come join you.”
“I feel like the universe is trying to help me correct the last few days,” Xeni said as Mei walked back into the kitchen.
* * *
Three hours later, they left the restaurant. They’d taken their time eating and talking, and in between customers, Mei came out to chat with them. Finally she’d told Rosemary she was taking a break to spend time with the newlyweds. She pulled up a chair and started telling Xeni all kinds of stories about Ms. Sable. For a moment, Mason was worried that hearing more, or anything, about this person who she still had such a complex relationship with, even in death, might make Xeni upset, but it seemed to do the opposite.
More than once, they both doubled over laughing, hearing about the elaborate pranks Sable, Bess, Mei and Lucy had pulled on Reverend Pummel. Or the time they’d rigged the county fair’s pie-eating contest so Mei could win. Bribing the one and only Deborah for midnight access to the park during Bess’s son’s final days.
Mason knew Sable and her crew were often up to no good, but he’d never realized they were a small criminal enterprise in the making.
As the sun went down and the evening stretched on, Mason focused less on Mei’s stories and more on the beautiful woman sitting across from him. He’d seen the happiness in her face when he’d gotten down on one knee earlier that afternoon, but Mei had brought the light back to her eyes. He couldn’t imagine how badly she needed this. A real break from the lies and secrets, a reminder of how amazing of a person Sable Everly could be. The good things mattered, maybe even more than the bad.
They finally said their goodbyes and carried their leftovers back out to Xeni’s car. “I’m in love with Mei,” she said.
“She’s got character to go around. She comes to the cafe maybe once a year and tells me how bad my cooking is. It’s how we bond.”
“I’m—I’m glad my aunt… Sable. I’m glad she had good friends. I always wondered what it was like for her to be so far away from her sisters, have that many strained relationships, but clearly she had it figured it out.”
