“And that leaves me with the house. There is plenty of rooms to choose from. In fact, you can take one floor for yourself if you want to move in,” Maggie suggested.
“Wow. Of course, I’m interested in your offer. Can this get any more perfect?”
“Careful, don’t jinx it, Gina. We’ve had plenty of bumps in the road. Some very strange bumps,” Clara replied.
“Indeed. But everything has worked out so far. Maggie, why don’t you take Gina to the house and let her get settled in? We can all get together again this evening,” Annie said.
Walking back to Gina’s car, Maggie pointed out the other shops along the main street as well as the road to the harbor. “You’re really going to love it here. Honestly, we feel like this town is enchanted. I hope you someday feel the same about it.”
“Are you kidding? After dreaming about it every night for weeks, I already am.”
ChapterFour
“Ican’t believe it’s my one-month anniversary since I moved here.”
“You’ve been the perfect addition to our little team. Just having another set of hands is a huge help, but especially having someone who fits in so naturally. And you’ve really caught on to everything so easily.”
Not used to being complimented, Gina tried in vain to stop from blushing. “Thanks, Maggie. I really appreciate that. I’m going to finish cleaning up in the back. I can lock up tonight if you want to head home.”
“Thanks, that would be perfect. I need to stop and pick up a few groceries before the store closes. See you at home.”
Stepping into the kitchen, Gina immediately straightened up the counters. Just as she closed a drawer, an upper cabinet door popped open. She needed to climb onto a step stool to reach it. After closing the door, she shut another drawer and the same cabinet door once again opened. “What the actual hell?”
Deciding something was out of place, Gina ascended the step stool and peered inside. The cabinet was empty except for a book. The leather cover was cracked and worn, and the pages were yellowed, giving every indication that the book was quite old. Reaching in, her fingers bumped into a rod-like object with a tapered shape that reminded her of an oversized chopstick. It was black and shiny with a red velvet wrap around the thick end.
“What? Are you kidding me? A wand?” she asked out loud.
Placing both items on the counter, she cocked her head and tried to make sense of them. “Is this Halloween décor for the shop?” she asked herself as it was the only thing that made sense. The only thing that her brain could come up with but once she opened the cover of the book, several pages flipped on their own.
“Holy balls!”
Gina felt the blood drain from her face as she jumped backward. But despite the initial shock, there was something more inviting than frightening about the book. Her curiosity bested her fear, and she cautiously approached the tome.
The page displayed the title of the book,Useful Spells and Potions for the Everyday Witch. Pulling up a chair, she settled in and read through the table of contents. The first chapters focused on the basics of spell casting, the use of wands and potions, and even a chapter devoted to the collection of alternative ingredients. Other chapters grouped spells into subjects. A few of them were quite intriguing, such as Protection, Revenge, Career, Success, and Beauty. One chapter definitely grabbed her attention, Love and Passion.
After skimming through the book, she realized it was probably placed high up in the cabinet in order to remain hidden. But by whom? Maggie? Annie? Clara? Perhaps all three of them? Better not to even ask. The last thing she wanted was to offend any of her new friends and colleagues. She returned the book and the wand and closed the shop for the night.
As the days passed, she found herself secretly returning to the book whenever the opportunity allowed. And she couldn’t help but notice that her three new friends seemed to have been enjoying a remarkable, if not enchanted life. Their business thrived, and in the case of Clara and Annie, they’d quickly found passionate true love in the short time they’d moved to town.
Despite her hunch that perhaps they were all dabbling in witchcraft, she avoided bringing up the topic. Still, the idea of having at least some sort of a love life began to grow on her. It was one topic she would tiptoe around with Maggie.
The opportunity came when she joined her housemate for a quick break at work.
“Clara and Annie sure seem to be happy. And from hearing them talk, they are very satisfied, if you know what I mean,” Gina said.
Maggie smiled. “Oh, they’re definitely in love and satisfied. That’s for sure.”
“Do you ever think about it? I mean, finding someone?”
“I’m definitely not interested in a relationship. Not yet. I’m fine on my own. But, of course, I’m only human. I have other needs too. Special needs.”
“Hmm, I take it you’ve found someone to fill that need? Anyone I know?” Gina asked.
Maggie leaned across the table, lowering her voice to a whisper. “Cole McDade.”
“Oh my God, you’re doing Sheriff McHotpants?” In the month that she’d been there, she’d even picked up everyone’s nicknames.
Maggie quickly glanced around, looking for any eavesdropping customers. “Shh! But it was only one time, no strings attached.”