“Damn straight,” she replies. “Oh, hell. I’m just messing with you, Gwyn. Poor Seamus, though.”
“Dr. Duffy is full of remorse for his actions, I am certain. I will not make any mention of this to him. It would embarrass him further. But I recommend you patch things up with Archie before your investigation in North Basin Creek Park.”
I get up from the table and place my cup in the sink. “Shit. I forgot about that.”
“Better plan on some kinky make-up sex. Works like a charm.” She winks at Leslie. “Doesn’t it, sweetheart?”
The Elder rolls her eyes. “Oh, Agnes. Gwyn, why don’t you tell us more about your success while I get breakfast started?”
“Sure,” I reply, getting up from the chair. “Agnes, sit down. You’re making me nervous standing there.”
“Great. My plan worked.” She plops in the seat, laughing. “What crystal did you combine with my geode to spark a reaction?”
“It’s in my backpack. I’ll get it and be right back.”
I dart to my bedroom, Mr. Yeats scuttling behind, and retrieve the clear quartz gem. When I return to the kitchen, Leslie is breaking eggs into a frying pan. I set the crystal on the table.
“This is the one I used. I had fabulous success combining the two, but I couldn’t get them to work last night. I was missing the trigger.”
“What do you mean?” Agnes asks, examining the stone. “You should have ignited the connection yourself.”
“I guess I needed a jump start,” I say.
She snickers and waggles her eyebrows. “I bet you did.”
“Don’t tease her, Agnes.” Leslie frowns at her.
“It overwhelmed me, and I nearly passed out. But Seamus caught me. That’s when he—you know.”
My mentor snorts. “I’m sorry. I’m sure it wasn’t funny when it happened. But hearing you describe it tickles me.”
“I’m so happy I can provide you with entertainment.” I get spinach and peppers from the fridge and cut them up.
“How will you pursue this now?” Leslie asks. “Since you won’t be meeting with Seamus to learn the next step.”
I expel a drawn-out sigh. “I don’t fucking know. Keep trying, I guess.”
“Gwyn, I’m no cat sith witch,” Agnes says. “But I’m happy to work with you for as long as it takes. We can discover the solution together.”
“Thanks. I may take you up on the offer. For now, I’ll do what I can on my own. I have a project due before Thanksgiving break.”
“Gwynedd, do not forget you’re an ancestral witch,” Leslie says with a lift of her chin. “You have untapped powers you continue to extract from within.”
She’s right, of course. But for now, all I’d pluck from my witchy innards is gas and an enormous sense of regret.
“Thank you for shopping at Mystic Sage,” I say, handing the customer his package.
The young student exits the store with his discounted Halloween merchandise as Shane strolls in with a box of holiday decorations.
“Can you help me hang this evergreen and holly garland?” he asks. “We should have put it up the day after Samhain.”
I lock the cash register. “Sure. Personally, I’m glad you were late getting it up. The holidays are so commercialized. On the other hand, I love the vibe of the holiday season. With Ronnie’s baby coming, the Fellowship has a lot to celebrate. I wish the police would have apprehended the kidnapping ring by now.”
“Darling, I share your sentiments,” he says, hanging sprigs of holly with a red bow. “I read in the news feed on my cell phone the Bearsden PD brought in the FBI.”
“Awesome, but wouldn’t it be great if we could identify their whereabouts? If only I could super-charge my witch’s intuition. I tried again last night. Seamus didn’t get to the next step in that process, and I’m not going back to ask him. He was so embarrassed.”
Shane twirls his whiskers. “After what happened, I don’t recommend it either.”
“Having finesse with crystals, can you recommend what direction I should go in?” I ask, attaching evergreen to a shelf.
“No idea. My crystal work is purely for spells and healing. It was a risky thing you did working with a cat sith.”
I frown at my boss, suspending the last of the holly sprigs. “Everybody is a critic, except for Leslie. Oddly, she supported my decision.”
“Stating facts, Gwyn. What will you do about the Seamus situation?”
“I’m taking a break. I suspected he had a crush on me, but I never expected him to act on those emotions. Archie and I had a tiff over the incident. You were married for years. What would you do about it?”
“Every couple argues over the small stuff and important decisions. Your tiff, as you call it, contains a little of both.” He pulls out the mistletoe decoration and moves the empty box aside. “It’s for the two of you to decide what qualifies as significant and what is trivial. My advice to you? Don’t allow either to come between you and Archie. Life is too short.”
“It’s mostly me. I was pissed he was angry. I thought if I told him the truth, he’d understand. He apologized, but I didn’t like how he acted, telling me I should have asked him first.”
Shane steps on a stool and hangs the mistletoe on a permanent hook at the door entrance. “A bit of stubbornness returning to the flock?”
“Call me out, boss,” I say, exhaling.
