“Sage, that woman is not the culprit. Just trust me when I say she’s not.”
My mouth fell open. I could feel my cheeks reddening with rage. Was he covering for her? What kind of jerk could just overlook the fact that I was in danger?
“If she knows Chandra, and she has dark hair, then yes, Jo, she has to be the intruder.”
He crossed his arms, his lips drawing together in a firm line.
“It’s not her, Sage. She came in because she was instructed to keep an eye on you. Chandra wants to know how powerful you are, so she sent her daughter to spy on you.”
Once again, I stood there in a stunned stupor, my mouth agape.
“That lady is Chandra’s daughter?”
“Yes.”
I started pacing, my face contorting into a disgusted grimace.
“That woman reproduced?”
Jo let out a sharp laugh. Before I could ask what was so funny, the full import of his words hit me. He’d said the word “powerful.” My eyes widened as I wondered if he knew.
“Chandra wants to know how powerful I am?”
He gave a slow nod. I looked him in the eye, my heart thrumming.
“Do you know what I am, Jo?”
His sharp gaze softened. “If you’re Celeste Black’s granddaughter, then you’re a witch.”
I put my hands on my hips, finding it hard to breathe. “So…you do know about magic.”
He shrugged. “I’m a witch, too.”
I let out a shaky laugh. “Of course you are. All this time I’ve been keeping it a secret. I thought it would make you suspect me more.”
A slow smile spread across his face. “I suspected you most because you’re a Black and a witch. I thought you knew I was a witch, too.”
Groaning, I covered my face with my hand and shook my head. “No, I didn’t. I only recently found out I was a witch.
His eyes strayed to the back of the shop.
“Do you still have that legendary apothecary in the back? I’ve heard a lot about it.”
Chapter Twenty-Two
I paused, Jade’s words of warning flashing through my mind. She seemed to believe that Jo was bad news, but he’d helped me before. Then again, I wasn’t sure what to think about the fact that he seemed to know Chandra’s daughter.
Grandma Celeste had trusted Theresa, who I knew to be good. Besides, I really had no choice. There weren’t a lot of people I could trust, and now that I knew Jo was a witch, I needed him on my side.
“Yes. Do you want to see it?”
Jo’s eyes went wide. “Really?”
“Sure.”
He grinned. I felt a little self-conscious as he followed me into the employee area. I’d left order forms, receipts, and even food containers out on the worktable, but Jo didn’t seem to care.
“It’s hidden in the wall,” I explained.
Moving my hand across the wall, I found the hole where the door handle was hidden and pulled it. Jo gave an appreciative gasp when he saw the rows and rows of ingredients inside.
“I knew Celeste had one of the best stores of potion ingredients, but I had no idea it was this big.”
“Yeah, I was a little shocked when I first saw it, too.”
He gave a quizzical frown. “When did you first see it?”
“When I moved here. Theresa actually showed it to me.”
The confusion on his face grew as he looked from the shelves back to me. “Why didn’t your grandma show it to you?”
I twirled a finger through my hair, something I hadn’t done since I was a teenager. Why did I feel so nervous? “I never met my grandma. Or I should say that I don’t remember her. My dad moved us away from Woods Crossing when I was four. I never even knew Grandma was a witch until I got here. I didn’t know I was one, either.”
Judging by the expression on his face, Jo was floored. “Why didn’t your parents ever tell you?”
I crossed my arms and looked down at the floor, terrified that I would start to cry. “My mom died. It’s why my dad and I left Woods Crossing. He didn’t want anything to do with magic anymore.”
Jo slapped his forehead. “Oh, geez, I’m such an idiot. I’m so sorry, Sage. I…I forgot about that.”
