Outmatched witch, p.2
Outmatched Witch, page 2
She dropped her hands. “I broke them. All of them.”
When she didn’t elaborate, I said, “Charlotte, just spit it out. What happened?”
“They all got up and left. Every single one of them. The ones on dates, the ones there to hookup, and even the one who’d just asked his girlfriend to marry him. One by one, each of them left without looking back.”
CHAPTER 2
“That sounds more like an anti-love spell,” Iris said, wrapping her arms around her torso, trying to stave off the morning chill in the air.
“Take this,” I said, offering her a spare blanket I’d brought out just for her. It was just after sunrise, and even though it was late April, the mornings were still cool near the ocean. We were sitting on my front porch because I’d wanted to talk to Iris privately about Charlotte’s curse. I needed to understand just how bad it might be before we told my sister anything.
After Charlotte confessed her blunder the night before, I’d set her up in the guest room and told her we’d deal with it in the morning. My dad had said goodnight and promised to get together for lunch sometime soon. I still wasn’t sure how I felt about his reaction to Charlotte just breezing back into our lives after having been gone for ten years. He seemed… pleased to see her. Meanwhile, I was suspicious. And if I was honest, a little bitter. He’d raised her since she was eight as if she were his own. Then she’d left without even a note, leaving me to pick up the pieces.
“Thanks.” Iris draped the blanket over her and then picked up the cup of coffee sitting on the side table. “I am more than ready for the summer weather to make a showing.”
“Same.” I took a sip from my own mug and was just about to ask what we could do about the curse when the front door suddenly swung open and Jax stumbled out.
“Let go, you little monster!” he ordered, shaking his right leg.
Minx had her teeth planted in the hem of his jeans and was shaking her head while growling as if she were going to chew his ankle off.
“Minx!” I called, standing and reaching for the little dog. But she darted to the right, moving so she was just out of my reach.
Riiiip.
The Chihuahua tore a large hole in Jax’s pant leg, shaking her head violently as if that wasn’t nearly enough to satisfy her.
“Son of a mother-effing shit,” Jax spit out, shaking his leg to try to safely dislodge the dog. “If you break the skin, we’re gonna have some serious words,” he told her.
I bit back a laugh. The situation wasn’t funny, but the fact that he was doing his best not to lose his temper or do anything that might hurt Minx made my heart swell with love for the man. He had every right to be beyond pissed that my sister’s dog seemed to want to eat him alive, but Jax was being as patient with the tiny creature as anyone could expect.
“That’s enough, Minx!” I called out in my no-nonsense voice. The dog froze and turned her big eyes up at him. “Let go. Now.”
She promptly let go of Jax’s torn pant leg and tucked her tail down between her legs.
“Come here, baby,” I said softly.
The chihuahua hurried over to me and practically jumped into my arms. “It’s not nice to attack people, Minx. Jax is a good guy. He’s not going to hurt anyone. You don’t need to take a foot off.”
She stuffed her little face between my arm and my torso, effectively hiding from her small audience.
I glanced up at Jax, who was busy checking out his torn jeans. “Did she break the skin?”
Jax shook his head and grimaced as he checked out the damage to his jeans. “She only managed to mangle my last clean pair of pants.”
“Sorry.” I gave him a small sympathetic smile. “I’d offer to mend them, but it looks like that hem is beyond repair.” Minx had shredded the part she’d managed to tear from his pantleg. “I could buy you a new pair.”
He glanced up and frowned. “Why would you buy them? Minx isn’t your dog.”
“No, but Charlotte is my sister, and I can’t imagine that she’ll ever offer up reimbursement.”
He shook his head. “Don’t worry about it. It’s not your fault.”
I glanced back at the front door. “What happened here? Why didn’t Charlotte stop Minx from attacking you?”
“Your sister went to shower and left Minx in the kitchen with a bowl of water and some food. She was perfectly occupied until she heard me come into the kitchen for coffee. But then it was like something out of a Gremlins movie. Like she’d eaten and lost her mind. She saw me, bared her teeth, and launched herself in my direction, snarly and ready to draw blood.”
“Ready to draw blood?” Iris asked, sounding amused. “The poor dog barely even has teeth.”
Jax narrowed his eyes at her. “Just wait until she’s trying to eat your face off, then we’ll see how harmless you think her teeth are.”
Iris held her hands up in a surrender motion. “Sorry. I know she was attacking your leg. I saw it with my own two eyes. It’s just hard to imagine her going from this”—she waved a hand at me and Minx, who’d promptly fallen asleep in my arms—“to a snarling hell beast. She just seems so sweet.”
“Seems is the operative word here,” Jax said dryly.
I reached out and squeezed his hand. “I’m sorry. I’m sure she’ll get used to you.”
He gave me a skeptical look but returned my squeeze and said, “I’m going to head into town and get my coffee there before I take care of a few errands. I’ll call you later, all right?”
“Sounds good. And sorry about the coffee deprivation,” I said, wondering if I’d see him that night. Usually we had dinner together and Jax stayed over. But after the reception he’d gotten from Minx and the fact that my sister was now staying at my house, I wouldn’t be surprised if he kept his distance. I would.
“Me, too.” He gave me a tiny smile as he lifted my hand and gave it a kiss. No doubt, he didn’t want to lean over the hellhound to kiss me on the lips and risk getting his throat ripped out if she noticed him.
“Looks like Minx has a problem with men,” Iris said.
“Like most women we know who’ve been mistreated?” I joked.
Iris chuckled. “It’s true. Trust is a tough one when a girl has been wronged.”
“It’ll be okay, Minx,” I said, scratching her ear as I sat back down. “Jax is one of the good ones.”
Minx let out a little growl but then snuggled into my blanket, content to be in my lap.
I let out a small sigh and looked over at Iris. “She’s not going to warm up to him, is she?”
“Doesn’t look like it’ll be anytime soon,” Iris agreed. “Now, tell me about this curse your sister unleashed on the unsuspecting men of Premonition Pointe.”
I quickly filled her in on how Charlotte’s love spell had backfired. “Now we have an undisclosed number of men here in Premonition Pointe who’ve been cursed.”
Iris’s lips twitched with amusement as she quickly pressed her hand to her mouth. “Oh, Marion. I’m sorry. I know it isn’t funny, but the idea of the men down at Hallucinations suddenly being cock-blocked by a backfired spell is just too much.”
“Well, when you put it that way…” I shook my head, chuckling with her. Then I quickly sobered. “But what do we do about it?”
She shrugged one shoulder. “Nothing. The curse should just wear off on its own. Did we ever tell you about the time Grace accidentally cursed her ex-husband with erectile dysfunction?”
My eyes widened. “She did? How did she accidentally do that?”
“She was angry and was thinking about it. Sometimes strong emotions can make things happen even if you aren’t trying to cast a spell. Served him right, the two-timing bastard. But alas, those kinds of spells fade with a little bit of time. I’m sure everyone will be back to normal shortly.”
I choked out a laugh. “Grace is now my hero.” I pursed my lips as I considered what Iris had said. “If he was her ex, then how did she find out about his… ah, problem?”
“His new girlfriend blurted it out.” Iris shook with laughter. “That was after she left him of course. I hear he’s still single. Turns out most women in a town as small as Premonition Pointe aren’t too excited to date a cheater.”
“No, I’d guess not.” Anyone who’d cheat on the lovely Grace Valentine deserved whatever he got in the karma department.
Iris patted my leg and stood. “Don’t worry about your sister’s little mishap. I’m sure everyone will be back to normal in a few days.” She smirked. “I’m sure at least a few of them could use the ego check anyway.”
I chuckled. “That’s cold, Iris.”
She shrugged. “I’m just speaking the truth.” Iris waved as she started walking to her car. “See you at the office later.”
I returned the wave and took a long sip of my coffee, wondering how long I could stay on the porch before Charlotte came looking for me.
“Marion!” my sister cried from inside the house, her voice full of panic. “Where is she? Minx? Where are you, sweetie?”
“We’re out here,” I called back, rising from my chair and heading for the door.
A loud crash came from inside the house, making me wince.
“Everything okay in here?” I asked, holding Minx to my chest as we peered inside.
“Your plant got in the way,” Charlotte said angrily as she held her hands out for her dog. “Come to mama, baby.”
Minx curled tighter to my chest, her little claws digging into my arm. “You might want to calm down a bit, Char. Minx seems a little tense.”
“She’s not tense. She’s upset because she didn’t know where I was.” Charlotte took Minx out of my arms and held her up so that she could blow kisses at her.
Minx turned her face away and looked at me.
I swallowed a grimace. This was not going to go well. If Charlotte’s dog appeared to be happier with me than with her, my sister was going to lose her shit.
“Seriously? After all I’ve done for you?” Charlotte scoffed. “Now you’re just gonna turn your back on me for someone you’ve never even met before?”
I gave them a wide berth and headed into my kitchen where I found a half-eaten bowl of kibble on the floor, a bag of unfamiliar coffee, and coffee grinds coating the counter. Son of a… Ugh. I grabbed a fresh dishcloth and went to work on cleaning my space. Once I had the counters sparkling, I glanced over at Charlotte. “Will Minx finish this, or can we put it up?”
She waved an unconcerned hand. “Just leave it. She takes her time digesting. She’ll eat when she’s ready.”
I ground my teeth, knowing that if Ty or Kennedy brought Paris Francine, their sweet Yorkie, into the house, she’d make a beeline for it. Hopefully I’d remember to warn them if they showed up. They were living in the apartment above the garage, but they regularly visited the house.
“I’m starving,” Charlotte said, staring into my refrigerator. “You don’t have anything but cheese and lettuce in here.”
“That’s just not true,” I insisted. “There are all kinds of veggies in the crisper, yogurt, leftover lasagna, and some bacon.”
“The veggies are decomposing, your yogurt is expired, and the bacon looks like a science experiment. None of that is giving me confidence that the lasagna is safe to eat. Not that I want that for breakfast anyway.”
“Oh, come on, it’s not that bad.” I pulled the fridge door open and peered in. A moment later, I sighed heavily and started throwing the expired things out. “So I needed to clean out my fridge. Don’t judge. Here.” I handed her the freshly purchased yogurt. “I just got this a few days ago. And the lasagna is from last night.”
Charlotte let out a self-deprecating laugh. “Who’s judging? I don’t even have a fridge, let alone rotting lettuce. But I’m not in the mood for yogurt. Is there a good breakfast place around here?”
“No fridge? Don’t you have a place up in Portland?” I asked. Hadn’t she mentioned that’s where she’d been before coming to see the boyfriend she’d cursed?
“No. My lease was up. Since you and Dad and the guy I’d been casually dating was here, I figured I’d relocate.”
Perfect timing, Char, I thought with a heavy dose of sarcasm, but I kept it to myself.
I finished clearing out the fridge, and the tomatoes that had gotten far too soft landed with a quiet thud in my garbage can. While I quickly washed my hands, I said, “There are crepes waiting for us at the Bird’s Eye Café. Be ready in five minutes.”
My sister’s eyes lit up. “I’ll be ready in two.”
CHAPTER 3
“I can’t believe you ordered three kinds,” I said, eyeing all the plates in front of Charlotte.
“Choosing was just too hard.” She pointed at her blueberry crepes. “These are delicious. If you don’t order some immediately, I’m going to assume you’ve suffered a head injury in the not so distant past.”
“I’m happy with my cinnamon custard for today, but I’ll try the blueberry next time.” I shoved another bite of yummy goodness into my mouth.
“Brain injury,” Charlotte muttered, shaking her head. “It’s such a shame.”
I rolled my eyes but couldn’t suppress a small laugh. She was the same old Charlotte, always giving everyone shit.
“Why are you looking at me like that?” she asked, frowning as she studied me.
“Like what?” I put my fork down and reached for my mocha latte.
“Like you’re amused. That’s not normal. You never used to like it when I poked at you.”
This time my chuckle was louder. “Maybe I’m just mellower now. Or you’re funnier? Maybe both. Now eat. This breakfast is delicious.”
She took a bite and then put her fork down, looking serious. “You know what I never understood?”
I paused before taking another bite. “What’s that?”
“I never used to understand why my presence bothered you so much. No matter what I did, I always seemed to annoy you. Was it because I just existed? I could understand that, you know. It’s not normal for your mother to leave your father, have another kid, come running back and then leave again, this time for good. But I didn’t have any control over that, so I’d always hoped you’d stop blaming me.” She dropped her gaze to her plate and pushed the half-eaten crepe around.
“Charlotte, that’s not—” I started.
“Stop.” She held up her hand. “Please don’t try to tell me that was all in my head. I know it wasn’t. It’s why I left.”
That left me speechless. She’d left because of me? “Damn, Char. I’m sorry,” I said, meaning it. “I never meant to make you feel that way. I honestly never blamed you.” That was the truth, too. I hadn’t. Though I could see now why she thought so.
“That’s not how it seemed to me,” she said, this time staring me in the eye.
I took a deep breath. “I can see that. Back then…” I shook my head. “When you came to live with Dad, I was still in my twenties, and I hadn’t figured my life out yet. Dad was a mess. I’m not sure you knew that back then, but he was. He probably hid it from you, but not from me. So I was dealing with issues of Mom leaving, Dad falling apart, and me trying to help him raise a sister I’d just found out I had. To say I didn’t handle it that well would be an understatement. I’m sorry I made you feel anything less than wanted. But know this, I never wanted you to leave, and it hurt when you did.”
It was her turn to blow out a long breath. “I needed to figure some stuff out on my own.”
“Sure.” I nodded. “Understandable. Neither one of us had the most stable upbringing. And while Dad is great, Mom really did a number on both of us.”
“You can say that again,” she muttered.
I gave her a sympathetic smile. “I’m glad you’re back though.”
“You are?” There was a heavy dose of skepticism in her tone.
Laughing, I nodded. “I’m still adjusting, but I am glad to see you.”
“Does that mean I can stay in your guest room until I find a job and get settled?”
I sputtered on my coffee, making her laugh. “You want to keep staying at my house?”
“Where else? Aunt Lucy’s? You’re not going to subject me to having to listen to geriatric sex noises, are you? Now that she and Pops are coupled up—”
I held my hand up, stopping her. “Stop. That is not a visual I need. You can stay.”
She grinned. “Great. I’m glad we got that settled.”
It was on the tip of my tongue to tell her we still needed to work out something about Minx trying to eat Jax when I was interrupted by another patron.
“Excuse me. Do you mind if we steal a couple of these chairs?” a sleek, dark-haired woman in stylish knee-high boots, jeans, and an oversized sweater asked. Before I could even answer, she had one of the chairs already at the next table and was picking up the next one.
I raised an eyebrow. “Would if matter if I said no?”
The woman let out a loud chuckle as if I’d just said something witty instead of snarking at her. Albeit, admittedly for no good reason. No one was going to be joining us. However, she did pause before placing the second chair at her table. “Sorry. I’m just excited for my girls’ brunch. I can find other chairs if it’s a problem.”
Charlotte waived a hand. “Oh no. We’re not using them. Please, take them. And I apologize for my sister. I think she didn’t quite get enough rest last night. Her hot boyfriend made sure of that.”
“Charlotte!” I admonished, irritated that heat was crawling up my neck and toward my cheeks. Had my sister heard me and Jax the night before, or was she just being salacious to embarrass me? I could only hope the latter was the case.
“Good for you.” The woman winked at me and then took a seat with her party.
“It’s not my fault you need to soundproof your walls.” Charlotte took a sip of her coffee and smirked at me.
