“I haven’t figured that part out yet. I could make up the tea blend and drop it off myself, but that would cost me hours that I’d planned to spend with you and Harper and Reina, to talk things over.”
Under normal circumstances, I didn’t miss the lack of a courier service in Willowmere. We were lucky to have a post office, but it closed too early to be of any use for me tonight.
“There’s always Sam. It won’t hurt your ex to hear from his new love that there’s a smart, handsome guy at your beck and call,” Ange suggested.
“We’re just friends,” I protested.
“So what? It’s good for your self-esteem, to demonstrate that you can pull, especially if that pull is a tall, cool drink of water and not some tepid soda with the pop fizzled out.”
Ange’s weird yet accurate expressions had long become part of the crazy coven lore, so I found myself nodding in agreement. Well, almost. “It wouldn’t be fair on Sam, to be used for some sort of cheap comeback, and to be honest, I don’t want to sacrifice more headspace to Rick. He’s my daughter’s dad, I’m glad we’re on civil terms, and that’s the end of that.”
“Hooray. I was hoping you’d say that.”
“You were?”
“You’re not the only one with an uncanny intuition at times. Mother earth magic is what I do. That, and basic psychology I’ve picked up as a doctor’s wife. And now, you should arrange the coven meeting before we lose momentum.”
Chapter 20
Ms. Vine stayed in the library until I’d blended a special mix, infused it with a spell that should calm Candice’s mind, and boxed it up. The instructions didn’t have to be as closely followed as with most of Aunt Violet’s magical recipes, because I’d only used a sprinkle of the less orthodox ingredients, to prevent things from going wrong if Candice didn’t stick to the step-by-step list. The spell itself would have to do the heavy lifting.
I came down with the wrapped and addressed parcel and Cosmo at my heels.
Ms. Vine spotted the address. “That’s the other woman?”
“You make her sound like a jezebel.”
“That wasn’t my intention. I think it’s commendable how you’ve moved on.”
“That’s not exactly that hard, once you’re over the first shock. In my case, I also believe my new chapter is a huge step up.”
She lowered her glasses she used in private. “Don’t get mad, get magical?”
“Always.” I weighed the parcel in my hand. The delivery issue was looming large in my mind until Kyle Hansen walked in, in sweatpants and his baseball jersey. He’d just graduated high school and now was college-bound.
Despite his quintessential jock looks, he was one of my most loyal readers, and one of the most interesting characters in Willowmere. He had befriended little Noah, pulled a few stupid stunts like a joyride in the hope they’d put an end to any Ivy League application his wealthy family planned for him. He was dead set on staying as close to Willowmere as possible, and he seemed to be on a personal quest.
A while back, Cosmo and I had discovered powerful crystals in the library. With a secret lair dedicated to spellbooks and witchcraft paraphernalia hidden behind a bookcase, any use of occult aides was instantly suspicious, but Cosmo had figured out that Kyle had put them there and reassured me that the young man was a decent guy and that all would be revealed in good time.
That time hadn’t arrived yet, but Kyle had gotten his wish. In the fall, he’d start university in Portland, so he could come home for the weekends. As for now, he still lived under his parents’ roof and played baseball in Cannon Hill.
“Do you have a game tonight?” I asked him as he dropped off a stack of Terry Pratchett and James Herriot books. He’d read both authors again and again. I used to wonder why he didn’t simply buy his own copies, until Kyle told me that he loved coming to the library.
“It’s only a training session.” He flashed me a smile.
“Can you do me a favor? I need something dropped off in Cannon Hill.”
“No problem.”
“Great.” I handed him the parcel and a cookie ofthe non-magical variety.
He eyed the jar.
“Do you want another one?” I asked him.
“You wouldn’t happen to have enough for the team, would you?”
I pushed the jar over to him. “Can you return the container tomorrow?” It seemed a small price to pay for his services.
