Total pages in book: 30
Estimated words: 28845 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 144(@200wpm)___ 115(@250wpm)___ 96(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 28845 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 144(@200wpm)___ 115(@250wpm)___ 96(@300wpm)
I frowned. “I feel like it’s a girl, but I’m not sure if that’s a feeling or a feeling. Lucas insists it’s a boy, but every now and then I catch him saying she. And did I tell you he had a dream that he was holding the baby and could understand her thoughts?”
“No!” Mom and Sarah said at the same time.
“I told you,” Mom said. “Lucy said she knew the moment she met Lucas as a young boy that he had the gift of magick.”
I slowly shook my head. “I can’t believe she never said anything to me.”
With a shrug, she replied, “I don’t think she ever felt it was her place to say anything.”
Once we got into the house, my mother asked, “Would you like something to drink?”
“Lemonade if you have any!” I said hopefully. My mother made the best lemonade with the fresh lemons she grew in her small orchard.
Mom smiled and took my hands in hers. “Of course I have some!” She pulled me in for another hug. “I’m so glad you’re back. Have a seat with Sarah and Lucy in the living room, and I’ll bring some out along with snacks.”
Sarah and Lucy were already sitting down in the living room, their heads bent together as they whispered about something.
When they saw me, they broke apart.
“What was that all about?” I asked.
Sarah rolled her eyes and sighed as Lucy looked up at me and said, “I was telling your sister she needs to talk to you about Matt Merlin.”
“Why does that name sound familiar?” I settled into a large arm chair. The baby gave a little kick, and I couldn’t help but smile as I rested my hand on my stomach.
“He grew up in Salem and moved away a few years back. He was friends with Lucas.”
“That’s right!” I said with a laugh. “Didn’t you have a crush on him?”
Sarah ignored me and went on. “He showed up one day at the store and went crazy on me. I guess his mother came in one day and bought a potion, and when she showed it to him later, he told her it was all a joke. There was no such thing as magick or special potions, lotions, spells… He went off on us and said we were ripping people off.”
“He only has one thing going for him,” Lucy said. “He’s handsome as all get out.”
Rolling her eyes again, Sarah huffed. “If you like the broody, grumpy, self-centered asshole type.”
“Language, Sarah,” my mother said as she came in with a tray that held a pitcher of lemonade, four glasses, and some cookies she’d made.
“He is!” Sarah stated, crossing her arms over her chest and glaring at the cookies. Dropping her arms to her sides again, she reached for a cookie and nearly ate the whole thing in one bite.
I’d never seen my sister so worked up over a person before. It wasn’t like she and Lucy hadn’t been confronted over the validity of magickal things before. Why was this particular person getting under her skin? Maybe because it was Matt Merlin. Sarah had been younger, maybe in middle school, when she’d had a crush on him.
“Has he threatened you or the store?” I asked.
Lucy and Sarah shook their heads.
Practically letting out a growl, Sarah stated, “Every time I see him, he stares at me with his judgmental eyes. Drives me insane.”
“You don’t want to know how many times I’ve stopped her from putting a spell on him,” Lucy said.
“Oh Sarah, you sound like Hollie now.”
I jerked my head toward my mother. “Hey!”
Taking a sip of her drink, she smiled and shrugged.
“So, basically he’s just annoying?” I said as I set my glass down and took a cookie.
Lucy and Sarah exchanged looks.
“There’s more?” I asked.
Sarah stared down at her hands then looked at me. “Interest in witchcraft is the main source of tourism in Salem, and a lot of city leaders know that. Just look at the large number of tourists who come to the town. And we have over five thousand residents who identify as practicing witches.”
“You don’t have to tell me, Sarah,” I said, rolling my eyes. “I ran a business in Salem, so I know what’s driving the economy here.”
“We haven’t had anyone protest magick in years. Some believe in it while some think of it as pure fun,” Lucy stated, “but no one outright dismisses it.”
I nodded, not really sure where the two of them were going.
“Matt was in the store and picked up one of Sarah’s spell kits,” Lucy said. “He laughed and told her she was a joke and asked who in their right mind would believe any of this. He called her a con artist.”
Gasping, I looked at Sarah. My sister had the sweetest of souls and would do anything for anyone. You didn’t even have to believe in magick; she’d help anyone. And her kits truly did help many people, both residents and visitors.