Total pages in book: 30
Estimated words: 28845 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 144(@200wpm)___ 115(@250wpm)___ 96(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 28845 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 144(@200wpm)___ 115(@250wpm)___ 96(@300wpm)
He laughed. “Gift? Is that what they call it? The magic of pushing their wares on innocent people who want to believe in something like that is the only gift they have. I don’t want my mother falling prey to it.”
“Has she stopped treatment?”
“No, no, nothing like that. She’s done with it since she’s in remission.”
I leaned forward. “Then why are you worried about it? If it makes her feel better, why not let her believe in it?”
Scrubbing his hand down his face, he sighed. “I don’t know what it is, Lucas. Everyone speaks highly of the woman who runs the shop, but when I went in to simply question what she’d sold to my mother, she got all defensive.”
Raising a brow, I asked, “Did you simply question her, or did you accuse her of something else?”
He winced. “I might have accused her of ripping people off, but it was only because she got under my skin so much.”
I laughed. “Sounds to me like you like her.”
Then it dawned on me. Matt had once liked Sarah, Hollie’s sister.
“What?” he said with a laugh. “Lucas, we’re not ten on the playground anymore. This woman went on the defensive immediately. To me that screams that she’s guilty.”
“Of what? Selling a product she believes in?”
“No! Of making my mother think some stupid spell is going to help her.”
Shrugging, I said, “Maybe you insulted her and she was defending herself, her belief.”
He rolled his eyes. “You don’t believe in all that hocus pocus bullshit, do you?”
“As a matter of fact, Matt, I do.”
Widening his eyes, he dropped back in his chair. “What? How? Why?”
“I’ve seen it firsthand. The powers of magick.”
He let out a humorless laugh then frowned when he saw that I was serious. “How?”
“It’s a long story, and one I don’t want to get into at work. You should come over for dinner, meet my wife.”
Blinking a few times, he groaned. “You married one, didn’t you?”
I lifted a brow. “By one, you mean…?”
“A witch? Does she really think she’s a witch?”
Nodding, I replied, “And so do I.”
Matt’s mouth dropped open. “Are you shitting me?”
“Matt, you yourself are a descendant of a so-called witch. Hell, almost everyone in this town is. You really believe that it’s all just a marketing trick to get people to come to Salem?”
“I think some of it is. Some folks who own stores in town don’t believe in it; they’re in it for the profit. Honestly, I do believe that some people around here are pagan. My mother said pagans are in touch with the earth and sky and that they strive to find inner peace. I’m all for that. But when they start making my mother buy their spell kits and crystals and all that shit, then no. I’m not about it.”
“But it’s fine for all the other people who come to Salem—or who seek it out elsewhere—to believe?”
“Yes. Lucas, I’m just worried about my mother. What if the cancer comes back and she thinks she can fight it with these herbs and shit?”
“First, why are you assuming the cancer will come back? Matt, you need to believe that it won’t. That your mother fought it.”
He closed his eyes. “I know. I know I should.”
“What’s the name of the store? I’ll ask my wife about the owner and see what she knows. If she doesn’t know them, her sister, aunt, or mom will.”
I held my breath, already knowing what his answer was going to be.
“The Covens’ Magick Cottage.”
I stared at Matt. “The Covens’ Magick Cottage?”
Matt nodded.
“You’re not going to like what I’m about to say.”
He frowned. “Do you know the owner?”
I drew in a breath. Matt had been a great friend once upon a time, but Lucy and Sarah were family now. “Yeah, I know them.”
“Them?” Matt asked.
With a long exhale, I nodded. “Sarah Craft and Lucy Robbins.”
A muscle in Matt’s jaw ticked at the mention of Sarah’s name. “I wasn’t aware both women owned the store.”
“Lucy owns it; Sarah simply works for her.”
Matt nodded. “Sarah is who I, um, talked to. You kept in contact with her all these years?”
This is going to be interesting.
Smiling, I answered him. “She’s my sister-in-law.”
Matt’s mouth dropped open then quickly shut. He closed his eyes and whispered, “Oh shit.”
“Knock knock!” Hollie said as she slipped into my office holding a basket.
I stood and quickly made my way over to her. After kissing her on the lips, I bent over to kiss the baby. “How are you both feeling today?”
“Good. I thought the time difference would mess me up, but I’m actually okay. How’s your first day back at work?”
“Interesting,” I said as I walked around my desk, signed out of my laptop, and put it in sleep mode. “You ready for our picnic?”
A wide grin appeared on Hollie’s face. “I am! Sorry I’m late. I stopped by my mom’s, and Sarah and Lucy were there.”