Interrupted Magic Read online

  He’d always had a tendency toward overprotecting me, and there were times that trait had been beneficial, but in everyday life, his over-attentiveness felt more like smothering. I could sympathize with how losing his job might prick his self-esteem and I’d been trying to give him room to adjust.

  It had been four months. He had gainful employment and marketable skills. I wanted a partner in marriage, not an alpha male who needed to be bigger, better, stronger than me. He’d undergone a drastic personality shift after he’d been laid off.

  “You’ve got that look in your eyes. What’s up?” he asked.

  I shook myself out of my revelation, a sense of sadness settling on me. “Just thinking.”

  “Don’t hurt yourself,” he teased.

  A joke, and yet in my current state of mind, it wasn’t funny.

  “What has you thinking so hard?”

  I held my breath. Kyle needed to get out from under this spell before I even considered telling him what I’d been thinking. “Is there an address?”

  “No. I sent her a message,” he replied.

  “Then I guess we wait and see. What did you say?”

  His eyes took on a stormy look. “I do know what I’m doing.”

  I was done with his attitude. “That wasn’t the question.”

  “I pretended I was a customer looking for one of her dreamcatchers.”

  Normally, I might have congratulated him on his smart thinking, but until he stopped either feeling sorry for himself or demonstrating his superiority over me, I was inclined to let the magic play out.

  Except I was the one responsible for transferring the spell, and the consequences would impact the rest of his life and livelihood. I couldn’t do that to him, no matter how unpleasant he’d been lately.

  Time to change the subject.

  “You want dinner?” I asked.

  “Something on your mind?” he challenged.

  To hell with the eggshells. “Yeah. The longer this goes on, the more I’m wondering how you see me. See us.”

  “The longer what goes on?”

  “The whole ‘I can’t marry you until I can take care of you’ thing.”

  He stopped. Met my gaze. “I won’t have you taking care of me.”

  “Why not?”

  “Because that’s not how things work.”

  After all we’d been through, I’d thought we’d made inroads into an equal partnership. “Why don’t you explain to me how things work?” I tried to keep my tone even, but I’m sure he heard my skepticism coming through.

  “We’ve been over this,” he said.

  Was he dismissing me again? I drew a deep breath, trying to manage my words. “Yes, we have, and I’ve tried to be sympathetic to your feelings, to understand how losing your job at the department has affected you. This relationship is supposed to be based on mutual love and respect and trust. Not who takes care of whom.”

  “Call me old fashioned,” he said. “I can’t give you the kind of life you deserve right now. If this is about setting a wedding date again, I thought you understood what I wanted.”

  My temper threatened. “You pushed me to make a commitment to you, and then you backed out. Where’s your commitment to me?”

  “You don’t understand.”

  “Yes, I do. You want to be the one in control. The breadwinner. The protector.”

  “Is that so wrong?”

  “Yes.” The word surprised me as much as it did him. “I want the man I marry to be my partner, not my guardian, even when life throws challenges at us.” I glanced around the house. “I’m going to be okay. For all the inconvenience, the world has granted me a gift that will sustain me. I may not get rich, but the earth provides all I need. You, you’re an able-bodied man. You have talents to offer that will keep you employed, as well.”

  “All I’ve ever wanted was to be a police officer,” he said.

  “I get that.”

  His expression darkened. “I don’t think you do. I had a job, and now I don’t.”

  “You’ll find another one, but you shouldn’t have to put your life on hold while you wait.”

  “You mean your life,” he said. “I don’t know what you want from me.”

  “Respect. The knowledge our relationship isn’t going to change with an unfavorable wind.”

  “What’s that supposed to mean?” he asked.

  He knew what I meant, and he knew I wasn’t letting him off the hook. All day he’d belittled my talents, discounting them. As hard as it was for me to share that part of myself with him for fear he’d reject me, he’d made it clear he’d been humoring me. He didn’t believe in my extra talents. I needn’t have wasted my time. We stared at each other for a long, silent moment.

  “Where does that leave us?” he asked.

  “You tell me. You’re the one who postponed the wedding.”

  “I think I’ve made myself clear on my position.”

  I nodded. “Yes, you have. I believe you’ve also made yourself clear that you’ve decided not to sell your house. Seems pretty straightforward to me. Isn’t that why you wanted to talk?”

  Kyle huffed and turned away. “You don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  “Are you sure about that?”

  “Are you saying you don’t want to marry me?” he asked.

  “I think you’ve made that decision for me, haven’t you?”

  He paused with an intake of breath. “So that’s it?”

  No denial, no attempt to correct me. I corralled the jolt of emotion. “We’re going to have to work together to find a solution to this problem with Daria, which means you’re going to have to trust me a little longer. Can you do that?”

  “Who’s the police officer here?”

  I cocked an eyebrow. Technically, neither one of us was.

  Kyle studied me a moment longer. “I’ll get my own dinner at home.” With that, he walked out the door.

  Chapter 9

  Cassandra was dressed more casually when I arrived at the boutique Monday morning, wearing distressed jeans and a modified, off-the-shoulder t-shirt. She stood by as I let Ash out of her carrier and did my morning checks for low inventory.

  “What?” I finally asked.

  “Small town,” she said by way of explanation.

  I exhaled a sigh. “What gossip have I missed?”

  “It seems to be contained so far. Kyle called Lucas last night.”

  I leaned on the sales counter. Funny that he’d call Lucas and not Dylan, who was his best friend. Then again, he’d bank on the fact Lucas would talk to Cassandra, and Cassandra would talk to me. “Interesting.”

  “You okay?” she asked.

  “Depends. What did Kyle want Lucas to tell you?”

  She laughed. “Yeah, I wondered why he’d suddenly decided to share with Lucas, too. He told Lucas you called the wedding off permanently. Does that mean you guys broke up?”

  I rolled my eyes. “I believe my words were along the lines of ‘I think you’ve already made that decision.’” Tears welled in my eyes. “Yeah. I think we’ve hit the end of the road.”

  “Must have been some fight. What happened?”

  I hesitated, then decided I trusted Cassandra. “We’re working on a project together and he started with the condescension. He wanted to control things beyond his reach and I didn’t have patience for his mood. I called him out for postponing the wedding and told him to stop feeling sorry for himself.”

  Ash head-butted my arm. Grateful for her unwavering love, I picked her up and cuddled her. “To tell you the truth, I’m kind of tired of the back and forth. I’ve had my doubts before, even though we’ve managed to make it this far.

  “I do love him, but he is who he is, and I am who I am. Apparently he told Lucas we broke up rather than trying to talk this through with me. Honestly, I think it’s been over for a while now.”

  “What can I do?” Cassandra asked.

  “Hold onto the gossip. I don’t know where w
e go from here, but we’ve dealt with the court of public opinion in the past. I’m not willing to do that again.”

  She twisted her fingers in front of her lips to indicate her silence.

  “In more good news,” I went on, “how was our bottom line last week?” Sales at the boutique had been down. We were barely breaking even under the new business model, and it was tourist season.

  Cassandra frowned. “I’m bringing in more from alterations than from clothing sales. It’s discouraging. Your botanicals are steady. Did you get a new contract to supply the B&B with soaps and lotions?”

  “Sally was trying to negotiate a better deal,” I replied. “I’m pushing to raise the prices, but I don’t want to drive her away.”

  “She’s already getting a deal. Don’t back down,” Cassandra said. “If she isn’t willing to negotiate, it’s more likely personal than business, and if that’s the case, she isn’t going to sign a new contract anyway.”

  Just what I needed. “Another reason not to talk about my personal life around town. Everyone sided with Kyle last time we broke up. Nothing’s changed since then.”

  “Not everyone, and you and Kyle haven’t broken up,” Cassandra said. “You’re just going through a rough patch.”

  “Not this time, and not if Kyle is calling Lucas to talk about it. We’re done.” My voice broke. I couldn’t do this again. Our relationship had weathered some fierce storms. I didn’t have the fight in me for another one, and I didn’t appreciate his resurging patronizing attitude. I drew a shaky breath. “I need to focus on the business.”

  “Then we should talk about new revenue streams. We could add shelving space for consignments again.”

  “I thought you said new revenue streams. The crafters were the ones who pulled out before. Nothing has changed to warrant a decision to come back.”

  Cassandra slouched into her seat behind the sewing machine. “I feel like I’ve let you down. My clothing line was supposed to help save the shop.”

  “No, the shop was supposed to give you an opportunity to showcase your talent. We’ve done that.”

  “And failed...”

  The bell over the door rang and a young man walked in, one I’d sold a stock fragrance to a week or so ago. He shot a glance at Cassandra, and headed my direction. I set Ash on the counter, and the cat returned to her rug.

  The customer stood beside me and cast another glance over his shoulder. “You know that perfume you sold me?” he said, his voice low.

  I nodded.

  “Do you have something to neutralize it?”

  My eyes widened with my surprise. “As I recall,” I said, keeping my voice low to match his, “you were trying to impress a certain young lady? Hoping the fragrance would increase her affections for you?”

  “In a manner of speaking,” he replied.

  I tilted my head. “Perhaps you’d like to elaborate?”

  He pursed his lips, his cheeks coloring. “I thought it might help me, you know, convince her to sleep with me.”

  Unintended consequences. “That isn’t what happened?” I asked.

  “It didn’t work. Worse, now she flirts with every guy she meets. It’s like it gave her confidence or something. How do I get her to stop and focus on me?”

  Wow. Another man trying to manipulate his girlfriend. “Check your motives,” I said bluntly.

  “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  “Do you care about her? Want to pursue a relationship with her? Or were you just interested in getting her into bed?”

  He frowned at me. “She’s supposed to be my girlfriend.”

  Why did that sound like something Kyle might say? Was he trying to control her? Or did he have real feelings? “At this point, you’ll have to work it out with her. Talk to her. Tell her how you feel. Or not.”

  He scoffed. “I can have any woman I want. Who needs your stupid perfume anyway?” He stormed out and I dropped onto the stool behind the counter.

  Why did I get the feeling my botanicals were about to take a hit, along with Cassandra’s fashions?

  Chapter 10

  The internet store brimmed with orders on Tuesday, a bright spot in an otherwise murky day. I grabbed shipping boxes, printed packing lists and labels, and plucked the requested soaps and bath salts and candles from inventory. My supply of votive candles was dwindling. I made a note of the fragrances to replace when I went home tonight.

  I fished my ringing phone out of my pocket and tucked it under my ear while I picked the last order.

  “Did I catch you at a bad time?” my cousin Jeannine asked.

  I carried the box to the counter. “Just finished filling a couple of orders. What’s up?”

  “Thank you for taking the time to go to lunch with me and Travis. You guys made a good impression on him.”

  I stared out the shop window. “Well, that’s nice to know. You seem like you really like this guy.”

  “I really do.” Jeannine hesitated. “But I didn’t stop by Jason’s.”

  “Why not?”

  “Because I like Travis. What if Jason says or does something stupid?”

  I laughed. “If Travis likes you, too, seems as if he’ll put up with a faux pas from your brother. It isn’t like you’re taking him home to meet the parents.”

  “That would be a deal breaker, for sure. Can you imagine what my mother would say?”

  Unfortunately, I could, and in no scenario would it be nice. “Is your mother’s opinion important to you?”

  “I have been avoiding that woman for years, and never more so than since I moved out. I can finally breathe again, and meeting Travis, well, I feel like there’s hope for a normal life.”

  “What about your dad?” I ventured.

  She didn’t respond right away, probably thinking the same thing I did. Uncle Jerome had checked out from actively participating in family decisions for as long as I’d known him. He went along with whatever Aunt Theresa said or did, which made me sad for Jeannine. Was it better to be orphaned or marginalized? I’d had experience with both. Even though Aunt Theresa and Uncle Jerome had taken me in, they weren’t my parents. When I’d walked away from them, it was more an act of survival than of willful disobedience.

  In Jeannine’s continued silence, I pressed on. “I guess things are getting serious with you and Travis, then?”

  Her voice was soft when she answered. “They kind of are.”

  “I’m happy for you.”

  “Yes, well, you’re more open-minded than a lot of people.”

  “I’m sure Jason will be happy for you, too,” I said.

  “He’ll point out the obstacles we’d be facing, and trust me, I’ve already considered dozens.”

  “Then you know what you’re letting yourself in for.” I drew a deep breath. “Jeannine, you deserve to be happy. You know that, right?”

  “So do you. It seems as if you found your happily ever with Kyle.”

  I wasn’t so sure. “I’m not sure I’m meant for the happily ever after ending. I’m far too independent.”

  “Do you need someone to talk to?” she asked, a little too eagerly. “I could drive down after work. We could get dinner. Just the two of us.”

  While she and I had discovered a newfound sister-ship, we had a way to go before I shared confidences with her. “I have a lot of work to do tonight. Inventory’s running low at the store and I’ve been distracted with other things, and with keeping up the garden...” I sighed. “Thanks for offering. Maybe later in the week?” Or two, assuming I could transfer the spell to Daria, or cancel it. I checked email on my computer. Nothing from Madeleine yet.

  “You’ll let me know?” Jeannine asked. “I thought we could double date, the four of us. What do you think?”

  “I’ll check with Kyle,” I said, knowing he wouldn’t be joining me anytime soon. If ever. “I’d better get back to work. Talk soon?”

  “I always feel better after talking to you,” Jeannine said. “You really think Jason will
be okay with Travis?”

  “I do.”

  “I’m going to call right now. Before I chicken out again.”

  I smiled. “You do that. I’m sure he’ll be happy to hear from you, in any event.”

  She disconnected and I leaned on the counter. Ash waltzed under my arms, her tail tickling my nose. I stroked her silky fur and was rewarded with a purr.

  “If you need to make more product, I could ask Starr to come in for a couple of hours,” Cassandra said. “Sorry, I couldn’t help but overhear your conversation. The online orders could be the difference between staying in business and closing our doors, so you should get cracking.” She nodded at the row of boxes lined up on the counter.

  “As long as you don’t mind, I think I will. After game night Saturday and the trip to the hospital yesterday, I wasn’t able to make as much product as I normally would.”

  The bell over the door rang and Starr walked in.

  “I was hoping you’d say that, because I already called Starr,” Cassandra said with a sly grin.

  I gathered Ash into my arms. “Starr, would you close the boxes and ship them for me?”

  “Will do,” she said.

  “Let’s go, Ash.” I put her in the carrier, gathered my purse, and left the shop.

  As I reached the paved footpath toward home, it started to rain. I hunched over Ash’s carrier and hurried my pace. I reached my street and dislodged my purse from my shoulder to get my key ready, but when I looked up, Nora’s car was in the driveway.

  I rushed inside and set my things down, wiping off water. “Nora?”

  “Back here,” she called from the workshop.

  Ash crawled out of her carrier, did a shake, and raced through the house ahead of me.

  “Did you forget something?” I asked as I approached my workroom. Rain streamed down the windows, blurring the world outside.

  Nora was pouring votive candles. “I thought you might need some help.”

  “You were here Sunday.”