Interrupted Magic Read online

  I chuckled. A real job. I shared my college experience, how I’d breezed through the program and graduated early, then went into the family business—also a real job.

  “Not a job one applies for,” he joked. “Although every bit as much work. My uncle passed away a few months ago and left his home to me. Over the years it fell into disrepair. I quit my job at the lab to move here and fix the place up. I’ve discovered a steady stream of people stopping by for natural remedies.”

  “In Woodrow?” I asked.

  “No, I live in Pratt.” He glanced around once more. “Is this where you live?”

  I nodded.

  “With your aunt?”

  “She got married and moved away a year ago. I bought the family home.”

  He stopped walking. “If this is magic between us, my experience is it usually knows what it’s doing. We were introduced for a reason.”

  “You don’t have a wife? Or a girlfriend?” I ventured, even as I worried asking might lead to telling him about Kyle.

  He chuckled. “Not at the moment. I find the women I’ve dated get spooked before too long, if you know what I mean.”

  “I do.”

  He studied me, as if he could sense I wasn’t telling him everything, which I wasn’t. “Should I ask about your experiences?”

  I shook my head.

  “In time,” he said. “Until then, when can I see you again? In person?”

  Inviting him over would be like parading him in front of Kyle, who had a front-row seat from across the street, and yet the pull was strong even without the chemical response of our physical bodies—soul-deep on the astral plane. “I don’t know.”

  “I’d like to show you my uncle’s home, although I should warn you, he was a bit eccentric. I think you’d find it interesting. Will you visit me there?”

  My voice nearly failed me. “I don’t even know your last name.”

  “Oliveiro. Ian Oliveiro. And you?”

  “Brynn Taylor.”

  He glanced around the woods once more. “I don’t remember meeting any Taylors in Hillendale.”

  He recognized where we were? “You’ve been here before?”

  “Hillendale is a unique town.” He pointed to a chimney charm peeking through the trees. “My uncle brought me here a few times. There was a gift shop in town where he bought some of his supplies.”

  “That was my Aunt Nora’s shop. I own it now.”

  “The boutique?” he said. “I drove by a couple of weeks ago and when I saw clothes through the window, I figured she’d sold out.”

  “She did. A friend and I took over and changed things up, but I still sell my botanicals there, at least for now.” I sighed. “A conversation for another time?”

  “I look forward to it, but Brynn, I want to see you again. Soon.”

  Who was I to question the magic, if that’s what had brought us together? The pull was irresistible. “I can come to you tomorrow night.”

  “I’ll be waiting.”

  “How do I get there?”

  He smiled. “The magic will bring you to me.” He blew a kiss and faded away.

  Chapter 15

  As I left for work the next morning, Kyle stood on the sidewalk outside his house. The sense of guilt kicked me hard.

  “What did you tell Lisa?” he called across the street.

  The guilt evaporated. I didn’t need him to moderate my conversations with my friends. “I didn’t have to tell her anything. She has eyes.” I started for the footpaths and he fell in step beside me. Ash shifted in her carrier and I readjusted my grip.

  “What’s going on between us isn’t anyone else’s business,” he went on.

  “Is that so? Then what did you talk to Dylan about last night?”

  Kyle huffed. “I’ve been trying to talk to you all weekend.”

  The words hadn’t been spoken. We both needed to acknowledge our relationship was over. “Talk to me now.”

  He huffed again. “I need to know what you told Lisa.”

  I stopped and faced him. “Like I said, I didn’t have to say anything. She checked my bedroom. No trace of you anywhere.”

  He wiped his face with a hand and looked away. “They’re going to treat us differently.”

  That was his reason for staying together? I laughed. “I can make this easy on you. Tell them it’s my fault this time. They were your friends before they were mine. They’ll stand by you.”

  He took a step away. “So we’re through?”

  “Isn’t that what you wanted? We rarely talk on the phone anymore, you basically moved out of my house and you’ve put conditions on marrying me.”

  “Until I get my job back.”

  “Why does that matter?”

  He shook his head. “I can’t talk to you.”

  “Hence the reason we haven’t talked all weekend.” We slowed as we neared town.

  “Everyone’s telling me I need to make things right between us, but I haven’t done anything wrong,” he said.

  Except distance himself emotionally—and I hadn’t closed the gap. I wasn’t going to point out the personality quirks that would keep us apart. “Giving you a free pass here. Tell them I wasn’t willing to wait for you to get your life back.” There. We’d said the hard stuff. It was over.

  “That makes it you breaking up with me.”

  “Isn’t that what you want?” I asked again. The last time we’d broken up, he’d wanted to be the one to end things, another example of his control issues. “Tell them I’m seeing someone else and you gave me the boot. Will that make it better?” My breath caught in my throat. I hadn’t meant to tell him about Ian. I hadn’t, but I’d come close.

  “No one will believe that. They know how hard you work, and someone would have seen you if that were the case.”

  I wasn’t about to refute his logic. Time to change the subject. Quick. “Have you found Daria?”

  He stared at me, his eyes glassy. My eyes teared in response. Yes, breaking up was hard, even when it was a foregone conclusion.

  “This thing with Daria, the accidents I’ve been having, it’s the power of suggestion,” he said, a catch in his voice. “I can’t possibly be arrested for something I’m not guilty of.”

  “Someone might hand you the drugs without your knowing what they are. You can’t take that chance,” I replied. “I have what I need to send the spell back to her, but you have to be near each other, even if she doesn’t know what’s going on. You didn’t know what was happening when it traveled to you.”

  He stared at me, indecision in his eyes.

  “Humor me,” I said. “I don’t want to be responsible for taking away your livelihood.”

  “I do love you, you know,” he said.

  I nodded. “I love you, too, but that isn’t enough, is it?”

  He threw his hands at his sides. “How did we get here?”

  I rolled my eyes. Recriminations wouldn’t change things. Instead of an honest answer, I went for the sarcastic response. “We walked.”

  He managed a smile.

  “Find out where Daria lives using your superior police skills and we’ll go reverse what happened. Let me know when you have something. Right now, I have to go to work.”

  He nodded, my added sarcasm lost on him.

  When I arrived at the shop, Cassandra was in the backroom sitting at the office desk, resting her chin in one hand and staring at the computer. I let Ash out of her carrier, fed her, and stood behind Cassandra. She had the profit and loss statement for the shop on the screen. The bottom number was red.

  “What are we going to do?” she asked softly. “It’s tourist season. We should be stockpiling profit right now.”

  We’d experienced a hiccup in business last summer, but we’d managed this far. As she’d pointed out, most of the profit came from our online orders. We didn’t need the expense of a brick and mortar store for that. “Cut our losses?” I suggested.

  “You could buy me out,” she said.


  “No. It takes a village to succeed, and without the consignments, we don’t have that anymore.”

  “I could talk to the people who used to sell here. Get them to reconsider coming back,” she said.

  “Until the next gossip cycle. No.”

  She studied me. “Something I should know about that gossip cycle?”

  I shrugged. “Old news, new day.”

  She pressed her lips together, studying me closely. “I suppose I should tell you Lisa called me last night.”

  “And so begins the new gossip cycle.”

  “It isn’t gossip when the news is firsthand and the people involved care about you.”

  I managed a smile. “You are the one person who told me to cut Kyle loose before.”

  She nodded. “Is it really over this time?”

  I nodded.

  She studied me closely. “You seem to be taking it better than the last time.”

  “I suppose I’ve had time to get used to the idea.”

  “What are you going to tell people?”

  I’d told Kyle the breakup would be my fault. Would she believe the implausible truth? “How about I’m seeing someone else?”

  She laughed. “Nobody will believe it.”

  “That’s what he said.”

  She rose to stand beside me. “Are you?”

  I shrugged.

  She narrowed her eyes. “Look, I get it. The couples we hang out with have been friends forever, but you and me are the outsiders. Making up a story so he looks good isn’t going to make any difference. They’ll stick together long after you and I are gone.”

  “You aren’t going anywhere. Lucas has been worshiping you from afar for years,” I said. “Now that he’s got you, he isn’t about to let you go.”

  “Hoes before bros.”

  I laughed. “I think you got that backward.”

  “Nope. Works both ways.” She tilted her head. “Who are you nominating as the other man?”

  If I was willing to tell anyone, Cassandra would be the one, and yet I wasn’t sure what was going on with me and Ian. “I’ll keep you posted.”

  She closed the financial program and we walked to the front of the store to prepare for opening.

  “What would you do if we close the shop?” I asked.

  She shrugged. “Pick up alterations at the mall again. Do piecework. Same thing I did before. What will you do?”

  “I have an internet store,” I reminded her. “One without rent or utilities.”

  “Are we doing this, then?”

  Reality check. I weighed the practicality of trying to continue against sinking more money into a losing proposition. “It’s August. Under normal circumstances, we should be flush and banking a cushion. The fact we aren’t feels like the writing on the wall.”

  Cassandra bowed her head. “I’m sorry I let you down.”

  I touched her shoulder. “You didn’t do any such thing.”

  “We’ll still be friends, won’t we?”

  I eyed her speculatively. “I wouldn’t tell just anyone the name of my new man, would I?”

  “You mean there really is a new guy?”

  I took her hands and met her eyes. “You can’t tell anyone. I only just met him.” And immediately tumbled him. What was I doing?

  She raised her eyebrows, waiting.

  “His name is Ian, and that’s all I’m saying for now.”

  She nodded. “Your secret is safe with me, but you wouldn’t have told me if you didn’t already know that. I hope he’s worthy of you. I want to know everything about him.”

  I laughed again. “He has to be the most handsome man I’ve ever met, dark hair, dark eyes, wide smile. We had instant chemistry.”

  Cassandra took a step back and blinked. “Look at you. Honest to God, you’re glowing just talking about him. You never glowed around Kyle—well except for that eye thing you’ve got going on.”

  “How can I be glowing? I only just met him,” I repeated.

  “I have a good feeling, and you already know how I feel about Kyle.” She hugged me and retreated to unlock the front door.

  I unpacked my special orders and lined them up on the counter.

  Ash came prancing from the back room and jumped onto the counter beside me, waving her tail in my face as she purred and begged for attention. I ran a hand across her back. Instead of continuing to her rug in the corner, she sat in front of me, staring at me. Not sure what to make of her break in routine, I scooped her up and rubbed her chin.

  A woman and her son walked into the store. She shot me a tentative smile and browsed the botanicals before she approached me.

  “Beautiful cat,” she said.

  “She’s kind of our mascot,” I replied.

  “Can you help me? I’d heard essential oils can help with attention span. The doctors told me my son might need prescription drug help, but I don’t want to do that. Do you have any ideas?”

  I set Ash on the counter and reached for one of the bottles I’d mixed last night. “Lemon oil and cedarwood. The bright lemon scent holds his attention while the cedarwood has a calming effect.”

  The woman turned to her son. “Come here a minute. Smell this.”

  He wandered to his mother’s side and when she unstoppered the bottle, he took a whiff. He shrugged and walked away.

  Odd. As if it had no effect on him whatsoever.

  “It was worth a try.” She handed the bottle back to me, gave me a conciliatory smile, and walked out.

  I was certain I’d blended the fragrance for her. Why hadn’t it worked?

  “Can’t please everyone,” Cassandra said.

  “I guess.” Except I didn’t mix the recipes to please people. I was the conduit for the magic.

  I sold the rest of my special orders before noon, shrugging off my failed sale to the woman and her son.

  It was my turn to buy lunch, so I took Cassandra’s order and headed to the sandwich shop. Before I could go inside, my cousin Jason called.

  “Have you spoken to Jeannine lately?” he asked.

  I sat on the sidewalk bench, preparing for an uncomfortable conversation. “As a matter of fact, I have. She stopped to see me over the weekend with her new boyfriend.”

  “Then you’ve met him.”

  “I have.”

  “Brynn, we need to do an intervention. Now. Before things get too serious.”

  I pursed my lips. “I think it’s too late for that. Besides, she deserves her chance at love, don’t you think?”

  “I do think, but consider all the difficulties they’re going to run up against. Cultural differences. Societal prejudices.”

  “Your mother,” I added.

  “That goes without saying. If they get married and have kids, those kids will face struggles, too.”

  “Jeannine is aware.”

  He sighed. “You don’t think this is her way of lashing out at my mother, do you?”

  “I do not. She cares about Travis.”

  He was silent a moment. “If Sharon and I invite them to dinner, will you and Kyle come?”

  I blew out a slow breath. “I’d be happy to come,” I said evenly.

  He was silent another beat. “Uh, forgive me if I’m reading something into this that isn’t there, but did you intentionally leave Kyle out?”

  The townspeople walked the sidewalks around me, many of them heading into the sandwich shop. I wasn’t going to announce my private life for everyone to hear. “Yes.”

  “Care to elaborate?”

  “Not at this time.”

  “I thought the two of you were pretty solid.”

  “Not anymore. Look, I’m picking up lunch for me and Cassandra. Can we talk about this another time?” I said.

  “I still want to do dinner. I’ll set something up and let you know?”

  “Sounds perfect.” I disconnected the call and walked into the sandwich shop to place my order.

  “Hey, Brynn. I heard Kyle hurt himself,” one of the loc
als said. “Sorry to hear. Anything we can do?”

  “Dislocated shoulder,” I replied. “He needs time to heal, but he should be as good as new in no time.”

  Another local sidled next to me, someone I’d sold a special order to this morning. She lowered her voice. “You know that spice you sold me this morning? I went straight home and sprinkled it on a cookie. It didn’t work. Did I do something wrong?”

  I turned to face her, concerned. Two special orders that had failed in one day? “How much did you use?”

  “Enough to cover the cookie, like a dusting of sugar.”

  “You might try a second cookie.”

  She nodded, but didn’t look convinced.

  “The stuff you gave me didn’t work, either,” another customer said. “Maybe you got a bad batch of whatever goes into it.”

  “Maybe,” I said. “I can mix a new recipe tonight if you want to pick up another bottle tomorrow. Free of charge.”

  The woman shrugged. “Not worth the effort. It was a long shot, anyway.”

  Well, damn. When things went bad, they went all the way.

  Chapter 16

  After we’d closed the shop, I walked home, intent on remixing the special orders I’d sold today. I was jarred from thought when I passed the spot on the footpaths that led to Nora’s enchanted beech tree.

  Ian.

  I took my phone from my pocket to cancel my date, and then changed my mind. The call could wait until I got home.

  Once inside, I let Ash out of her carrier, fed her, and headed for the workroom. None of the grimoires lay open on the work table. I stared at my phone once more.

  Pratt was half an hour away.

  Before I had a chance to think, I was in my car.

  All the way there, I patted my steering wheel, questioning this new impulsivity I seemed to have acquired, and yet every cell of my being told me to go.

  My skin prickled with anticipation, a sense of static electricity despite the summer humidity.

  The magic will guide you.