Authors: Rose Pressey
Chapter Sixteen
We’d just finished serving the breakfast crowd when I spotted her. Tom didn’t need to tell me who she was because I knew right away. Things were different with her arrival though. She didn’t bring that same energy with her that Tom had every time he approached town. From inside the café, I watched as she moved up the sidewalk and straight toward the café. When she reached the door, I spotted Mr. Wibble climbing out from the wheel of a black sedan parked at the curb. He had been Tom’s boss at the Organization. Tom had been right. They didn’t waste any time getting to Mystic Hollow.
I hurried across the dining room floor to the register. I didn’t want them to know I’d been watching from the front window. If I acted casual, maybe they’d disappear. Yeah, that was likely to happen in this century.
The woman yanked the door open, then moved across the floor with purpose toward us. Soft brown hair fell to her shoulders and her cheeks had a natural rosy glow. Her formfitting black skirt and white shirt were tailored to her hourglass figure. She fixed her dark eyes on me with intense scrutiny. Mary Jane’s eyes narrowed as she looked the woman up and down. I knew she didn’t like her already by the way Mary Jane twitched her nose. She’d always had a temper.
“Is Tom here?” the woman asked while looking over my shoulder. She stood ramrod straight, obviously attempting her most businesslike appearance.
I glanced back, then back to her again. “Yeah, I think he’s in the kitchen. May I tell him who’s here to see him?”
Maybe it was none of my business, sure, but I had always been a little nosy, okay, a lot nosy, what could I say? It didn’t hurt to ask. She probably wouldn’t tell me anyway. But no matter, I already knew who she was, even if I didn’t want to admit the truth. Mr. Wibble entered the café as she placed her bag down on the counter and pulled a card from the front pocket.
Suddenly this all seemed real. The realization of what was happening smacked me in the face. I’d been telling myself it wasn’t a big deal. That was me, always trying to stick my head in the sand. I took the card from her outstretched hand and looked down at it. The room seemed smaller all of a sudden. Too bad I hadn’t installed a trap door, then I could have dropped out of there before they had a chance to tell me how screwed I was.
I swallowed hard when I read the text.
The National Organization of Magic
Sydney Whitman, Investigator
Peachy. Tom had been right. It sure hadn’t taken them long. The Organization was all over me like a rat on cheese. What did she want with Tom? He hadn’t made any mistakes else since arriving in Mystic Hollow. Couldn’t they leave him alone? It was me that they really needed. The National Organization of Magic had been around for many years. So many years that they’d practically lost track as to when it was actually formed. They had strange way of handling things and they really didn’t make sense to me, but it seemed to keep some form of order to the magic. Without them, who knew what would happen.
I looked her up and down, trying not to let her think she’d intimidated me. She was as friendly as a rattlesnake. As far as I was concerned, there was only one magic investigator around here. If they wanted to be mean and take away Tom’s job, then I would give them the same treatment.
The new investigator didn’t budge from her ramrod straight stance, still all official business like as she stood in front of me. She met my stare and I had a feeling my tactics weren’t appreciated. She continued to look over my shoulder. How did she know Tom was back there anyway? Did she know he had been working at the café? Well, that was for me to know and her to find out. My lips were sealed.
“Why do you want Tom?” I asked while hiding my uneasiness from her intense scrutiny.
“This is an official Organization matter. I can’t discuss that with you.” Maybe I was imagining it, but her hands seemed to tremble slightly as she kept the straight by her side.
Yeah, if she couldn’t tell me what she wanted with Tom, then I couldn’t tell her where he was. I certainly wouldn’t tell her that he was working at the café.
Sydney Whitman eased down on the stool, pinning me with her stare. It didn’t look as if she planned on leaving anytime soon. If she hung around for very long, she’d find Tom because he’d come walking through that door. She glanced around the café. Asking her if she wanted something to eat seemed like the right thing to do. Even though I just wanted her to get the heck out.
“Would you and Mr. Wibble like some coffee? Maybe a delicious slice of Red Velvet cake?” I asked around a huge smile. My voice was as gentle as moonbeams on magnolia blossoms.
“Can you just get Tom for me, please? I know he’s here.” Her features hardened, as if to say she didn’t have time to play games with me.
No sense in denying the inevitable. I held up my finger, indicating I needed one minute. “Sure, I’ll be right back.”
Mr. Wibble stood behind her and glared at me. I didn’t know whether to say hello or to keep my mouth shut and pray that he would leave me alone. He’d accompanied Tom on their first investigation of me. It probably didn’t surprise him to be back at Mystic Café so soon. He’d been to the café when my grandmother ran it, but he hadn’t been as harsh with her. As cranky as he seemed though, the people of Mystic Hollow loved him.
As I turned to go into the kitchen, she said, “Wait, he’s not practicing magic back there, is he? I gave him specific instructions not to.” She pointed. “That’s why I came. He’s been setting off signals from his magic. Of course, that’s not the worst of it. The yearly spell has gone horribly wrong and we are here to get the bottom of it.” She shook her head in disapproval.
Mr. Wibble continued to stare me down without uttering a word. His silence was worse than if he’d cussed me out. Should she really be sharing any of this with me? She hadn’t even asked who I was. Sharing the magic with a total stranger was a big no-no.
“I’m Elly Blair, by the way. I own this café,” I announced, as if she didn’t know who I was by now.
“I’m aware of who you are,” she said in a clipped tone.
Okay, she was probably waiting to drop the bomb on me when Tom was in the room. How fitting. I shot a glance to Mary Jane giving her a pleading look. What could she do other than entertain them while I retrieved Tom?
“Okay, I’ll get Tom for you.”
I pushed through the door to the kitchen and called out for Tom. The space was empty and the back door was cracked slightly. He’d slipped out. Did he leave because he knew Sydney Whitman was looking for him? This was downright weird. I moved over to the back door and poked my head out into the back alley. There was no sign of Tom anywhere. Why would he leave me to deal with the Organization?
I moved back through the door with dread in my chest and trepidation settling in my stomach. Breaking the news to her that Tom was missing would not be pleasant. Best not to postpone the inevitable, so I didn’t waste any time when I moved back through the door.
“He’s not here,” I said matter-of-factly.
“What do you mean, he’s not here?” She raised an arched eyebrow at me.
“Well, he must have just stepped out for a minute. I’m sure he’ll be back in a second.” I swallowed hard. My mouth turned dry.
When I glanced over at Mary Jane, she had that oh-crap-we’re-in-trouble-now look on her face. Mr. Bart Wibble stood behind Sydney. He was Tom’s boss, and I assumed now Sydney’s. If he came with the investigator, I knew it was serious. He looked the same as the last time I’d seen him. I was pretty sure he wore the same brown, striped suit. It looked as if it might have fit him about twenty years ago, which was probably when he’d bought it. His thinning gray hair stuck to his head with perspiration.
“Ms. Blair, I’m sure you’re aware of the situation with Mr. Owenton, are you not?” Mr. Wibble glowered at me as his lip twitched. He looked none too happy with me that he was back in Mystic Hollow so soon.
“He told me briefly.” I didn’t want to offer too much information.
“It’s imperative that we speak with him as soon as possible. If you’re sheltering him, then I can guarantee that we’ll find him and it won’t be good outcome for you.” His lip twitched again. “You’ll let him know we’re looking for him?”
“I will.” I knew Tom wouldn’t be surprised to learn of their visit.
Mary Jane moved beside me as we watched them march out the café.
“Well, that didn’t go well,” she said.
The back door closing caught our attention. We exchanged glances and hurried to the kitchen.
“Sorry, I stepped out for a moment to place a call,” Tom said when he noticed Mary Jane and me staring at him wide-eyed.
“They were here,” I said.
“Just now?” he asked with an alarmed look in his eyes.
I nodded. “Yeah, they wanted to speak with you.”
“Do you mind if I take off?” he asked.
“No. Go ahead.”
Tom hurried out the back door. The frame from the screen door bounced in his wake.
“What was that all about?” Mary Jane asked.
“I don’t know.” I sank my teeth into my bottom lip. The color must have drained from my face.
Chapter Seventeen
The rest of the day had been uneventful in spite of the big bang it had started with. The only thing for me to do was go on as if everything was normal until I was told otherwise. Neither investigators nor Tom had been around since this morning. That fact alone made me extremely uneasy.
Rory was waiting for me in front of the café when I locked the door for the evening. He had said he had arranged special plans for the evening. I couldn’t imagine what the plans could be because there wasn’t a whole lot to do in Mystic Hollow. A smile stretched across my face when our eyes met and that familiar tingling sensation spread through my body. Every time Rory was near, I had the same reaction.
He had a huge smile on his face as he reached for my hand, intertwining my fingers with his. Physical waves pushed me toward him. It wasn’t until this moment that I realized that I’d thrown the doors to my heart open and invited Rory in. I hadn’t meant to or even wanted to, but it had happened.
Rory wore black pants and his white shirt showcased his well-defined muscles. I was glad I’d brought my favorite pink dress to change into after work. There had been no time to go home after the baking.
“So when are you going to tell me what these special plans are? I’ve tried to figure out what it is all day. I still don’t know why you couldn’t give me a hint.” I smiled.
“Because I’m terrible at hints and I would have given it away.” He laughed.
“Fair enough. Well, I know it’s not close enough for us to walk considering you’re guiding me toward your truck.”
“Good observation.” He showcased his dimples as he held the door open for me and I climbed in.
One whiff of Rory made my insides tingle. With any luck, this date with Rory would take my mind off the craziness in Mystic Hollow. Would the investigator shut Mystic Café down? Perhaps it wasn’t meant for me to have the café considering this was the second time the Organization had to check up on my mistake.
Mystic Café wasn’t business as usual. It was restless and noisy, bordering on chaotic. As we drove through town, I tried to ignore the increasing bad behavior from residents. I’d never seen that many people shaking their fists at each other before. Mystic Hollow had always been out of sync with the rest of the world, nonetheless, it had been a quaint and hospitable Southern town. But now… not so much. After a few minutes, we pulled into the parking lot of the train station.
“So this is what you had up your sleeve.”
“I thought it would be fun to go for a train ride through the country.” He steered the truck into a spot and put it in park.
“How romantic,” I said.
Mystic Hollow had a vintage train that offered rides four days a week through the countryside.
“I’ll just pick up our tickets,” Rory said.
I nodded and looked around the lobby. So far, everyone seemed to be in their right mind. No one danced on tables or skipped around the room. The last thing I needed was to be stuck on a train with a bunch of wild residents. The train was made up of 1940s red and white vintage dining cars, very retro.
Rory paid for our tickets and we were led to our cozy seats at the back of the car. The seats were surprisingly comfortable and connected so Rory easily scooted close to me, wrapping his arm around me. I snuggled up under his arm. His soft touch as he caressed my arm sent ripples down my spine.
“The scenery’s nice, don’t you think?” I asked as we looked out the window.
Rory’s intoxicating warm, woodsy scent made my stomach dance. I couldn’t believe he’d thought of something so romantic. The view of mostly lush green trees with hints of red and orange from the approaching fall season flowed past the window.
Whenever Rory spoke, it was a whisper against my ear and it made my whole body tingle. The more I thought about wanting to take our relationship slowly, the more I realized how hard that would be with someone as sweet and caring as Rory. After being burned by my ex-fiancé, it was hard to imagine anyone could possibly be who he truly appeared to be. I was always waiting for the bomb to drop and his real demeanor to emerge in full force.
Rory held my hand, caressing my skin with his fingertips. “Are you having a nice time?”
“Yes, this is wonderful. It was so thoughtful of you to think of it.” The train ambled around the green hills.
“I’d been wanting to come for a long time, so I thought this was the perfect opportunity. Of course, there aren’t a ton of options in the form of entertainment in Mystic Hollow.”
He was right. The only action in Mystic Hollow that didn’t involve magic was the movie theater and other restaurants, and you could only do those things so often. Regardless of what we did though, being with Rory made it easy to have fun.
Rory caressed my hand and I was lost in the moment. Mesmerized by the steady movement of the train, the scenery, and the warmth of being wrapped in Rory’s strong arms. Everything in that moment was right. For a short time, I allowed myself to forget about all the problems… until I glanced over and spotted her.
Sydney sat a few seats up from us in the car. A lump formed in my throat. Had she followed us? She noticed me watching her, but her expression didn’t change. She continued to stare straight ahead. Another blonde-haired woman sat in front of her, with her back facing me. Sydney spoke with her, but I didn’t know if they were together, or if Sydney was just being friendly. Hmm. She didn’t seem like the friendly type.
So much for allowing my mind a moment’s rest from my worrying thoughts. A nagging feeling in the back of my mind told me that her presence on the train wasn’t a coincidence. The longer we were on the train, the weirder people’s behavior became. I knew it had been too good to be true. People had begun to jump up from their seats and pace up and down the aisle. Others attempted to open the windows, and the noise level had reached an uncomfortable level.
Rory didn’t seem to notice. If he had, he remained quiet about it. Finally, the train steadied to a stop and they ushered us off. None too soon. Sydney was somewhere behind us. I glanced over my shoulder several times to see if she was following, but couldn’t find her.
“Would you like to go the park?” Rory asked as we walked across the parking lot and back to his truck. “It’s such a beautiful evening.”
I looked up at the indigo sky. “It is beautiful. I’d love to go to the park.”
As we made our way through town, Rory asked. “You’ve been quiet the past few days.”
I sighed. “I guess I was wrapped up in Grandma leaving and then, well, Tom came back. I wasn’t expecting that.”
Why had I brought Tom’s name into the conversation? We’d been having such a pleasant time, but now it looked as if I’d deflated Rory’s smile. Luckily, he didn’t continue the topic, and instead moved on to another subject.
“I was thinking we should go on a trip,” he said, flashing his perfect smile. “Just the two of us.”
Hmm. Did he think I’d invite Tom? “I’d like that a whole lot.”
“I have a friend who owns a lake cabin. The leaves will be changing soon, so we should go.” He gave a quick grin, then focused his attention on the road again.
“I love fall. It’s my favorite season,” I said. “I’ll see if I can get some help with running the café for a couple days.”
“You really need a vacation,” he said with his sexy southern drawl.
A vacation from Tom was what he probably was thinking.
Rory glanced my way several times as if he had something else to say, but he remained quiet. Within a few minutes, Rory had found a parking spot along the curb and he hurried around and opened the door for me before I had a chance to open it myself.
We made our way toward the park, hand in hand. I loved the feeling of his strong hand intertwined with mine.
This park had been where Rory and I had shared our first kiss. Of course, it had been ruined by his ex-girlfriend, but I digress. That was in the past now. The park was in the middle of town. Thousands of twinkling lights draped around the gazebo and dangled from the tree branches, decorating the area like sparkling diamonds that blanketed the pitch-black sky.
They almost made me feel like a princess in my own fairy tale. It looked exactly as you’d expect a mystical park to look. Moonbeams broke through the tree branches. The lights combined with the moon painted the entire park in a dazzling glow. Pops of color from flowering bushes lined the paths that zig-zagged through the park.
Rory and I were the only couple in the area. I was thankful for that because I’d had my fill of strange behavior for the day. I figured as long as no one was harmed, then the spell would fade soon and things would be back to normal.
A slight breeze floated by, and I knew that magic traveled in that wind. My magical senses had definitely been growing as of late. I’d become aware of it and knew when it was happening around me more often. Another wind came from the north with a heavy dose of magic attached, but I pushed those feelings to the back of my mind.
Rory’s gaze met with mine, then traveled down to my lips.
As we stood under the twinkling lights, Rory leaned down and placed his full mouth against mine. His fingers threaded through my hair, then he wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled me closer. His kiss was gentle and tender, the sweetness of his tongue mingled with mine. Pangs of passion coursed through my body and I was completely lost in my fairytale.
When I felt dizzy and as if I’d never catch my breath again, Rory released me and stroked my hair while fixing his gaze with mine.
Finally, Rory said in a soft voice, “I’ve been doing a lot of thinking this afternoon. I’m not sure where all these thoughts have come from, usually I’m too busy with work to think of anything else, but…” He paused, as if searching for the right words. “I just thought about how my father would have wanted me to pursue my dreams.”
Rory and I had shared a common bond; we’d both lost our fathers to heart attacks recently. In the past few months, we’d been able to help each other with the grieving process, something that we had both ignored until we had met.
I nodded. “I’m sure he would want you to do that.”
“I thought so too. So I’ve decided to become a writer. I’ve always wanted to be an author and I’ve written this novel. I figure I should hand-deliver it to a publisher in New York.” Rory beamed with a newfound passion. His eyes sparkled under the twinkling lights.
Okay, I knew I had told him that he should go after his dreams, but I hadn’t counted on something like this. I was thinking more of something that involved staying here in Mystic Hollow. This idea was crazy. Not the writing part, that was totally normal, but the hand-delivering part, that was a big no. I had to stop him.
All of a sudden, Mystic Hollow had gone bonkers. Everyone was acting crazily. This definitely hadn’t been in the plan for Grandma Imelda’s happy potion. My stomach churned. What had I done this time? And with Tom already here. What would the investigator do to me? Whatever happened, I knew it wouldn’t be good. It had been silly for me to think that they wouldn’t send someone. Was there some other reason for the odd behavior? Nope. There couldn’t be. It was too much of a coincidence. I had to talk to Rory about why he was feeling this way.
“I think it’s wonderful that you want to be a writer, but don’t you think it’s a bit drastic to go all the way to New York? You could email your manuscript. Maybe it’s better if you get a literary agent first.”
“I’ve given it a lot of thought. Hell, I’ve been thinking about it all morning.” He ran his hand through his hair.
Given it a lot of thought, huh? This wasn’t like Rory at all. He would never do something without thinking it through and researching as much as possible, and that involved more time than one morning.
“Most publishers nowadays don’t even accept unsolicited manuscripts.” I tried to persuade him again.
“Oh, they’ll want mine. I’m really confident in the story.”
This was worse than I had thought. Grandma Imelda said it would help people go after their dreams, but it should only be in a realistic way. His behavior was like supercharged chasing his dreams. But why the other strange behavior in town? Was this all related to the spell?