By Familiar Means (2 page)

“Actually, it's for a coffee shop called Northeast Java. They're moving to a new location and they want murals for the walls.”

“How marvelous! Oh! I know! We can drive into town together!”

“You're not tired?” To New Hampshire from Arizona was a long way, even by Grandma's standards.

But apparently she didn't think so, because she just waved that all away. “Not at all. I took things very easy, and you know how refreshing travel is for me. I'd love to come out and see if I can still recognize my old town.”

“Well, sure. Why not? Um, maybe you could go see Julia Parris? She's running a bookshop down near the square. Midnight Reads.”

“A bookstore? Julia?” An odd look crossed Grandma's face, almost as if she was holding back a laugh, but that quickly faded into something more serious, and a little sadder. “Does she know I'm coming?”

“Yeah, she does.” As soon as I'd invited Grandma to come up, I'd let Julia know. I won't say I was actively planning on repairing their friendship, but I figured it wouldn't hurt to try. After all, it was part of our job as witches to help and heal.

“Did she . . . say anything?” asked Grandma softly.

“Yeah, she did. She said it will be good to clear the air.”

Julia Parris and Grandma B.B. had grown up together. But in the sixties, they'd both gotten caught in the feud that broke out among the “old families.” The term was a euphemism for the families with magic in their bloodlines. Most of them had immigrated to New England back in the seventeenth century to escape the persecution in England, and then ran from Massachusetts to New Hampshire to escape the persecution in Salem. And it wasn't always the families you might think.

When the feud broke out, Julia Parris took her stand and stayed to face the consequences. Grandma B.B., though, had packed up with Grandpa Charlie and left town rather than take sides. Julia never forgave her.

Julia was now the head of the guardian coven of Portsmouth. The guardians were a group of witches who secretly—well, semisecretly—worked their magic for the protection and benefit of the town and its people. I had been accepted as an apprentice member of the coven, and Julia was my mentor. This all made for a few awkward moments. Julia is a good person, and a better witch, but she also has the spine and spirit of a native New Englander, which comes with a long and coldly accurate memory. I had not been at all sure how she'd really feel about welcoming my grandmother back to town.

From her expression, neither was Grandma.

2

Grandma B.B. found a parking spot right in front of the Midnight Reads bookshop, which made me doubt her protestations about traffic magic. Clearly, there was some kind of enchantment going on here.

As soon as you walk into Midnight Reads, you know you've found someplace special. Naturally, all bookstores are special, but they're even better when they're filled with that warm, dusty smell of paper, ink and wood polish. The front was very modern, full of open shelves and tables with the books laid out for easy access. There were all the latest releases—and a few surprises. A chalk easel listed the meeting times for the mystery club and the cookbook club, the Stitch 'n' Kvetch club and Saturday story time. One corner had been set aside as a kids' area. A Lego table and a collection of beanbag chairs were fenced in by low shelves painted in bright, primary colors.

But farther back, up a short flight of stairs, the shelves were tall and crowded and old-fashioned. In fact, they were salvaged antiques. They invited you to slip into their twilight
and explore, and just maybe get lost. But you got the feeling you wouldn't mind so much, because you'd definitely end up someplace interesting.

When Grandma and I walked in, Julia Parris was behind the counter chatting with a couple of women who were buying healthy piles of cozy mysteries and romances. As the doorbell jangled, Julia looked up with a ready smile. She saw Grandma B.B. and that smile froze.

If Mae West had taken to witchcraft, she might have ended up looking like Julia Parris. Julia is a tall woman with a straight back and a mane of pure white hair. She's grandly curved and despite the fact that she uses a walking stick to get around, she does not give off any hint of frailty. Like Grandma B.B., Julia leans toward the dramatic in her personal fashion choices. That day, she was wearing a sparkling ankle-length duster over a black skirt, and a gold tunic with a necklace of stars.

Grandma met her old friend's eyes. “Hello, Julia.”

“Hello, Annabelle,” replied Julia coolly. “And Anna. I'll be with you in just a minute.”

Julia finished ringing up her customers, who were so busy chatting about each other's book hauls, they didn't seem to have noticed that anything unusual had just happened. The same could not be said for the pair of small wiener dogs in the blue doggy bed by the counter.

I'm not the only witch in Portsmouth with a familiar. Julia is the human partner of two miniature dachshunds; Maximilian is a sleek copper-colored wiener, and his brother, Leopold, is a proud little black and tan. Both dogs scrabbled and plopped out of the basket. They came galloping up to us, yapping importantly to each other as they snuffled busily around our ankles.

“Yip!” announced Leo, and he somehow managed to sound both officious and skeptical.

“Yes, all right, all right,” I said to them both. “I'm still me, I promise.”

“Anna?” called another voice. Valerie McDermott, my
very, very pregnant friend, waddled slowly out of the stacks, turning a little sideways as she did in order to fit through the narrow aisle.

“Val!” I said, trying to sidestep the dachshunds, who were not making it easy. “How are you doing?”

Val and I weren't just friends and coven sisters; we were neighbors. She and her husband, Roger, owned McDermott's Bed & Breakfast. Our gardens back up onto each other, so we regularly gossip over the fence. At least, we would have if either of us had been taller.

“I'm fine, I'm fine.” Val puffed as she maneuvered herself carefully down the steps. Val is a petite, strawberry blond woman. She was over the moon about becoming a mom, but navigating the world from behind a belly that she described as roughly the size of a Volkswagen Beetle was testing her patience. “It's Roger you should worry about. He's got a full-blown case of Impending Daddy Syndrome, and I'm not sure we're all going to survive it.” She made it down to the main floor with a sigh of relief and held out her hand to my grandmother. “I'm guessing you're Mrs. Britton.”

“And you are Valerie McDermott,” Grandma said as they shook. “Anna's told me all about you.”

“I don't think she's told me half enough about you. I hope we'll have some time to all get together while you're in town.”

“Oh, I know we will, dear.”

The customers left, and Julia came out from behind the counter. Max and Leo finished their inspection of our ankles and evidently decided we were who we were supposed to be. They scampered back to Julia as she faced my grandmother.

You would have needed a machete to cut the tension.

“It's good to see you, Julia,” said Grandma.

“It's good to see you, too, Annabelle.”

The pause was at least as pregnant as Valerie. “You're looking well,” tried Grandma.

“So are you,” replied Julia.

That first pregnant pause seemed to have spawned another.

Grandma tried again. “What a lovely store.”

“Thank you.” Julia nodded once in acknowledgment.

“I guess the nightclub didn't work out?”

Nightclub?

Just like that, what might have been a third deeply uncomfortable pause was shattered by the unprecedented sight of Julia Parris blushing like a teenager. “
That
is not something we need to bring up.”

“Oh, no, I really think it is,” said Val. “Did Julia run a nightclub, Ann . . . You know, we're going to have to do something about your names.” She gestured at the two of us Annabelles, but Grandma waved that away.

“Call me Grandma B.B., dear. Anna's friends all do.”

“Okay, Grandma B.B. it is,” agreed Val. “I was pretty sure you two didn't want the solution Young Sean and Old Sean had come up with.”

A startled look crossed Grandma's face. “Old Sean? You couldn't possibly mean Sean McNally?”

“That's him, or them, rather.” Val was looking at me significantly, and I wished she'd stop that.

“Did you know him?” I asked quickly.

“I did a lot of babysitting when I was in high school. My goodness. Sean McNally has a son? I can't wait to meet him.”

“Oh, you'll be meeting him soon, I'm sure,” said Val, far too cheerfully.

“Val.” I lowered my eyebrows at her in a way I hoped was darkly serious. “We're coven sisters and neighbors, and so you are going to listen when I say you should shut up now.”

“Is there something I should know?” The question was exactly as sweet and innocent as you would expect coming from a grandmother. Somebody else's grandmother.

“That depends who you ask,” said Val.

“I
see
,” said Grandma.

“No, you don't,” I told her. “There is nothing to see. At all.”

Val just smiled. “Not sure Young Sean would agree with that.”

“All right, Valerie,” murmured Julia. “I think that's probably enough.”

“Probably,” agreed Val magnanimously. Fortunately for all of us, a buzz sounded from the vicinity of her hip. Val rolled her eyes and pulled the cell phone out of its quick-draw pouch. “Roger,” she muttered. “He gets nervous if he hasn't heard from me every five minutes.” The phone buzzed again. Val sighed and ran a hand over her swollen belly. “Daddy loves us, kiddo. We better go check in at home. Wonderful to meet you, Grandma B.B. I'm looking forward to some really nice, long talks.”

We said good-bye and all received her assurances that she was
fine
. When the door shut and the brass bells finished jangling, I was left with Grandma and Julia and the dachshunds, all facing one another.

Julia sighed sharply and shook her head. “You haven't changed at all, Annabelle.”

“Neither have you.”

“I don't suppose you would care for a cup of tea?”

“Well, I suppose I might, if there was one being offered. But I'd hate to take you away from work.”

“My assistant, Maria, is in the stock room. She can mind the register.”

“Well, if it's no trouble . . .”

“No trouble at all,” said Julia quickly. “But perhaps you two have plans?”

“No, no. Anna needs to talk with a new client.” Grandma took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “I'm free as a bird.”

“Well then,” said Julia.

“Well then,” agreed Grandma.

It might have been my imagination, but the dachshunds seemed to be looking at me a little desperately. Leo actually whined.

“Wow, gosh.” I clapped my hands together. “I would love to stand here chatting, but if you two are okay, I really do need to get to my appointment. So,
are
you two okay?”

The old friends looked at each other. Both dachshunds looked up at their mistress, tails wagging hopefully.

“I really would like that cup of tea, Julia,” said Grandma.

“Yes,” said Julia. “So would I.”

It wasn't exactly a warm embrace, but I had the feeling that would come, and soon. At least, I sure hoped so.