“This smells wonderful. The perfect meal for a fall Friday dinner.” Leslie slurps a spoonful of soup. “Agnes will be sorry she missed this meal with us. I invited her, but she said she wasn’t up to the drive. I think she’s having too much fun cooking in her renovated kitchen.”
“Probably. You’ve been spending more and more time at her farm. Will you ever move in together?” It’s an invasive question, but I rent a room from her. If she moved out and sold the house, I’d be homeless again.
“We both enjoy our independence, but it has crossed my mind. I’ve suggested she move in here and sell the farm. It’s much too big a property to care for, and the land requires immense upkeep. But she will never give up her garden and her…plants.”
I laugh, because she’s referring to the marijuana she grows in her garden along with other herbs. A hedge witch needs a large garden. As for Agnes staying put, I’m relieved. When she moved in for that short time while her kitchen was being completed, it was a tad crowded in this tiny home. Far too small for three adults and a familiar. I finish the last bite of my sandwich and put my dishes in the sink.
“I better take Archie’s dinner to him,” I say. “He’s starved by now.”
“You can’t keep your man waiting. I will load the dishwasher. Tell him I hope he’s recovered enough to cover his classes on Monday.”
“He should feel much better by then. He’s icing his butt all weekend.” I place his dinner in a bag and head toward the door.
“Leslie, I want you to know I’m not angry anymore. Life’s too short to stew over what was meant to be.”
She lifts her chin. “Indeed.”
As I enter the mudroom of Archie’s house, I shout out to him. “I’m here, honey! Don’t move. I’ll heat your dinner and bring it to you. I assume you’re on the sofa?”
“Aye!” he yells from the living room. “Icing again. Bloody good you arrived when you did. I was about to chew on the leather cushion.”
“Very funny. It won’t take me long.”
I warm up the sandwich and soup in the microwave and carry his dinner to him on a tray, placing it on the steamer trunk. Archie removes the ice pack and sits up.
“Mmm. What delicacy you’re providing me. You must have slaved over this meal.” He winks at me.
“You seriously aren’t making fun of my cooking, are you?”
He chuckles and takes a bite of the grilled cheese. “Naw. A simple dinner is fine for a Friday night. We’re all knackered after this week. I don’t know what we would have done if the college hadn’t approved the TA positions for Spence and Skye. Especially for Ashley Lewis.”
“I’m glad, too. Still, our school loads have put a dent in our leisure time this semester. I’ll be so happy when I graduate. I don’t know what to do with my public policy diploma, but at least the degree will be completed. Then I must find a full-time job. I’m thinking I should move out of Leslie’s house. Investigate apartments.”
Archie takes another bite of his sandwich and sets it on the plate. “You never want to discuss it, but—”
“No. Don’t say it.” I plop on the loveseat next to him.
“For fawk’s sake, Gwyn. We’ve been together for over two years, if you don’t count the few months we were apart. I understand you relish your independence, but I think the reason you don’t want to move in with me has more to do with trust. I love you more than I ever thought I could care for a person. You still don’t trust me, but you can. I’m not Richard.”
“I believe you, Archie. Even after what happened with Laura Lovelace. I understand it wasn’t your fault. She cast a spell on you with the help of Nick Evans.” I glance at my great-aunt’s painting on the fireplace mantel. “Still, there’s always a tiny part of me that worries you’re under the influence of Aunt Gorawen’s picture. How will I ever know for sure?”
He runs his fingers through his wavy locks and growls. “You frustrate me, witch.”
“I’m sorry. I wish I could do something to make it up to you.”
“Me, too. But I’m too sore to indulge in any extra-curricular activities. My arse burns.”
“Why don’t we watch a movie in bed on your tablet? You go ahead, and I’ll take these dishes to the kitchen.”
“A wonderful idea. No need to rush. I’m moving slowly. When you get upstairs, I’d like you to change the bandages for me. It’s a bugger trying to replace them on my own arse.” He laughs as he heads up the stairs.
“I’ll be happy to attend to your fine ass.”
“You’re a tease, woman.”
I load the plate and bowl into the dishwasher, turning out the light as I exit the kitchen. When I get to the living room, I pause. I stare at the painting of my mom. She stands in a field of wildflowers, reaching toward the impending storm.
Did Aunt Gorawen’s charmed picture send Archie to me as a protector? Did it influence his love for me? How will I ever know for sure?
Chapter threeOh, Baby
Mystic Sage, Bearsden’s occult store, is bustling with shoppers. Typical for a Saturday, but more so with Halloween and Samhain arriving in the middle of next week. Orange, black, and purple decorations splatter the walls and rubber spiders hang from the ceiling. The entry door dings as it opens, the bamboo chimes clanking when it shuts. Shane Murphy, the owner and my devoted friend, ordered some adult costumes, hoping to lure in students from campus. It worked like a charm—pun intended. After all, we are witches.
I ring up customers all morning, both students and townies—the locals—until a lull in the frenzy occurs. The herbs are especially pungent today after Shane filled the baskets, tickling my nostrils as usual. I pinch my nose to suppress a sneeze but snort, anyway.
My boss chuckles. “I’m sorry, darling. Would you like a break? I could run the cash register for a spell while you stock the shelves in the crystals room.”
“Nah. I’m OK. Just forgot to take my allergy meds this morning. My own fault.”
“How have you been? We’ve been so busy the last few weeks with Samhain approaching, I’ve neglected to ask. Has your vision expanded into the next phase?”
I sigh. “No. I’ve dreamed about the intruder, though. Nothing new. Invades my sleep and scares the shit out of me. Archie and Seamus have been helping me sift through the Irish and Scottish folklore for gray beings, but we’ve found zip.”
He pats his slight paunch. “That’s too bad. Keep up your crystal training schedule like your aunt laid out for you. Eventually, the vision will reveal more of itself…safely.”
“Yeah, but I don’t think the threat is eminent. Better we spend more time at Agnes’s house finishing the database. We have very few grimoires left to get through. Unfortunately, we’re all so busy. For now, I think we’re safe. My intuition has been getting stronger. I don’t sense any immediate danger.”
