And I can’t tell you how my heart wants to explode seeing you and Jesse together. I know I don’t let you tell me details, but I can see how happy you both are, and that’s what both of you deserve. I love you like a sister... (and someday you might be one? Please? Can you two just get to it already?)

  I know you’ll have a wonderful birthday because you’ll be with me. Okay, and Jesse and Zin, but mostly me. Wishing you all the good things for this year.

  Love you always,

  Laur

  Big, fat tears had collected at the corners of my eyes and were slowly sinking down my cheeks.

  “See? I warned you! Sappy!”

  “I love you too, Laur.”

  I hugged her, and she hesitated for just a moment. I was not really a spontaneous hugger.

  “And you weren’t harsh. You were honest, and it was needed. I never felt like you were being mean.”

  “Okay. Just don’t make me do it anymore.”

  “Promise. It’s my turn to give you alllll of the tough love and advice now. Be prepared.”

  “Oof. I’ll try. Now open!”

  I redirected my attention to the gift and ripped open the paper. I lifted out a gorgeous crescent moon wreath. It was wrapped in black twine and covered in moss. There was an array of mushrooms in rainbow colors along the bottom curve of the moon, and tiny flowers crept up to the top.

  “This is... where did you find it?”

  “I went to a farmer’s market over in Cloverdale a while back, and there was a lady selling these plus other, non-witchy wreaths.”

  “I must find her and carry these in the store!”

  “Well, I’m glad you love it, but you’re not allowed to think about work on your birthday.”

  “Okay. But you have her card, right?”

  “Yes! Open more.”

  I reached further into the box and pulled out one hair product after another after another.

  “It was time, Sam! Your hair is beautiful, and you need to be nicer to it.”

  I laughed, and my fingers hit a piece of paper at the bottom.

  I pulled it out and laughed because it was a laminated coupon like we used to make for Mother’s Day at school, promising eight hours of free decorating and style coaching.

  “This is fantastic. Exactly what I wanted.”

  “I know,” she said arrogantly, flipping her hair over her shoulder. “Plus, you make that big part-owner money now, so we can have fun with your wardrobe.”

  “Ha. I make that little part owner money now. But yes. New clothes would be good now that I can dress how I want and not for an office job.”

  I gave an exaggerated shudder at thinking of my black slacks and boring neutral cardigans from days of yore and Lauren scrunched up her face in agreement. “I also brought you a present.”

  “You really don’t understand the concept of a birthday.”

  “Giving presents makes me happy too.”

  I shrugged. I dug into my purse and pulled out a small black velvet pouch. Lauren pulled it open and took out a small rainbow-colored dragon statue.

  “Do I get my own car dragon?!”

  “You do. This is Celestina. She’s horrified by your driving and says you hit the parking blocks far too often, but she will try to help. Jesse’s getting one too, but he’s blue, and his name is Cerulean SeaWolf.”

  “Oh, I love her already. I will put you in my car today,” she added, speaking directly to the dragon.

  I just smiled and took out the second part of my gift.

  “Now sit. Eat a marshmallow. You’re cashing in on all the advice I owe you from the last four months of doing nothing but crawling through my quarter-life crisis.”

  I let my cards fly through my fingers and sent up my protection request. Lauren looked surprised and grumbled something to the effect of me needing to look up what a birthday was, but she sat anyway, and curiosity crept into her expression.

  “So, about Jer...” I began.

  Epilogue: Sam

  Five months later: Spring

  The sound of the packing tape gun was still annoying. However, I found it was maybe less tortuous than I had previously determined when I wasn’t reeling from being fired and having a complete existential crisis. I carefully wrapped the altar table in what I had left of the bubble wrap and placed it in a box.

  “Hey, I still have room in the truck for this load. Is this all that’s left?” Jesse asked, looking around at the few boxes I’d just finished taping.

  “Yeah, I think so. And it’s not like I can’t stop back by if I forgot something.” I shrugged.

  This little guest cottage had been a haven for me for the past almost-year, and I was going to miss it. Don’t get me wrong, I was deliriously excited about the little two-bedroom rental home Jesse and I were in the process of moving into. It was not far from Zin’s, and it was all one floor, a necessity for Jesse’s knee, and it had its own little courtyard with a tree and room for some raised garden beds that I’d already gotten approved by the landlord. He owed Zin a favor. I didn’t ask.

  “Are you sad? To be leaving?”

  “Nostalgic, but not sad. I can’t wait to set up our office space and let Laur loose in the house to decorate.”

  “Yeah, can you rein her in a little bit?”

  “Nope. I’m throwing away the reins. Lighting them on fire.” I picked up a box and followed him out to the truck.

  “The things I do for you, woman.”

  “You just love me,” I quipped back. “In all seriousness, though, I promise that we can pick things for the house together. I’ll stifle Lauren’s creativity if I must.”

  “You just love me, too,” he said, pushing the box he was carrying onto the truck and kissing me lightly before taking mine.

  I stuck my tongue out at him in a very mature fashion.

  “We are allowed to actually stay in the new house tonight, yes?”

  “New moon is tonight, so yes.”

  “Of course. Obviously.” He held my door open and helped me in before getting in on his side.

  “Obviously,” I continued when he opened his door. “Anyway, are you going to make it to the book signing tonight?”

  “Yep! Game should be over by 6, and I’ll change and head there. Are you excited to see your design on all those books at once?”

  “I am! I feel like the book is mine, even though I had nothing to do with writing it. My mom texted a bit ago that she flew back from Hilton Head early and is riding down for the signing with my dad. So that’s something.”

  My mom and dad had been on good terms for forever. Their divorce was as amicable as one could be, I supposed, they just weren’t great as a couple. It was still a little odd that they would choose to road trip together, though.

  “The book is still partly yours, Sam. You put your heart into that cover. And I’m glad your mom recognizes it too. Just... do I need to be ready to run interference?”

  Months ago, I’d learned that one of our regular customers was a romance writer, and I fell in love with her books, no pun intended. She’d purchased some of the new notebooks in the shop that sported my original designs, and we became fast friends. She convinced me to try my hand at designing a book cover for her next title, and it was finally released today. I was hosting her book launch celebration at the shop tonight, and she was doing a short reading and a signing, and I was something close to giddy about it.

  Giddy was never a word I would have used to describe myself, but there was no other way to convey the bubbly, giggly feeling I had at seeing my design on a romance cover.

  “I guess it is a little bit mine,” I agreed, unable to stop grinning. “And no. I think we’ve come a long way, and I’m not worried about it. I am still upset that the book release is the same night as the season opener. You know the littles are my favorite to watch.”

  “There will be a bajillion more games, I swear.”

  “I know, I know. Don’t remind me that I have to share you almost every night from now until August.”

  In addition to working as the assistant director for the program, Jesse had elected to coach two youth teams during baseball season—one five-and-six-year-old team and the other middle-school-aged. I loved seeing the younger ones practice. They tried so hard and were so cute when they got a hit, but I knew Jesse was invested in the jr. high team. Those kids looked at him like he was their hero, and he was determined to make sure they had fun with the sport. I couldn’t wait to see how their season went.

  I had originally tried to talk him into only taking on one team, worrying that he might burn himself out or put too much stress on his knee, but the way he’d been coming home energized and genuinely jolly after working with his teams, I couldn’t begrudge him the months of nights and weekends spent on the diamond. I’d even learned the rules of the game and everything.

  “You’re the most amazing, supportive girlfriend who ever lived.”

  He pulled my hand to his mouth and brushed a kiss over my knuckles. His openness with his compliments and affection still took me by surprise sometimes, but it settled around me like a warm hoodie.

  I CLEARED THE LAST surface of a cupcake wrapper as the evening wound down. The signing was a huge success— Gen sold out of the stock she brought and had a list of at least ten to sign and mail to people. The bookish cupcakes were adorable, and the colors matched the cover I’d designed.

  Maybe cake decorating is my next endeavor. We could sell baked goods here at the shop.

  I had to stop myself before my next hobby idea took hold. I was too busy as it was. Everyone had cleared out except for our families, plus Jer. I smirked at that.

  “That was a wonderful event, Samantha. And you’ve outdone yourself with this cover. I can’t wait to see Genevieve’s book with your design on the NYT bestsellers list.”

  My mom gushed over the cover for the fourth time, and she was still pushing too hard. But she was trying, and I was practicing the art of letting things go.

  “That would be an awesome accomplishment. I’m excited, though, because Gen mentioned me in some of her author groups on social media, and someone hired me to work on her next cover. It’s a romantic suspense story, and it sounds amazing.”

  There was a light chorus of excitement and congratulations from my family and friends. I wanted to bottle this feeling and sell it as a potion. I thought back to my indecision from the past fall, worried that staying in Emberwood would be settling for a small life. In some ways, this life was small. Or perhaps it was slow. I felt like I got to enjoy my moments and do the things that made me happy without trying to follow someone else’s rules. I was reminded every day that I’d made the right decision.

  “Hey, Sam?” Jesse called from across the room.

  “Yeah, babe?” I answered, making my way to him.

  “Can you tell me what this tarot card means? I don’t think I’ve seen this one before.”

  I felt a smile tug at my lips. I had been teaching Jesse to read tarot. He wasn’t bad at reading intuitively, but he was trying to learn all the traditional meanings as well. Sometimes specific decks included their own little signature cards that weren’t part of the traditional arcana, so I assumed that’s what he had found. He’d been trying to find a deck he liked, and I’d seriously considered creating a baseball-themed deck for him. I let my hand rest on his bicep and leaned over to see what card he was looking at. He stepped back to give me a better view.

  It was a hand-painted card, meaning it wasn’t from a deck we sold in the store, but it was gorgeous. The image was of a girl with long, dark, curly hair wearing a pretty lace sundress, oddly similar to the one I was wearing. In front of her was a man with shaggy blond hair down on one knee. I took in the details of the card as my brain caught up with my eyes. The title of the card was labeled THE PROPOSAL.

  “Jesse?” I murmured, turning to face where he’d been standing.

  Only I didn’t find him there because he was down on one knee, waiting for me to grasp what was happening.

  “Sam, when you came back into my life, I was only just beginning to figure out who I was again, and I think you were right there with me. We’ve come so far, and I am so excited for everything that comes next. You give your all into everything that you do, and you continually surprise me with not only your talent and creativity, but with your unending loyalty and support for the people you love. I am so privileged that I get to be one of those people. It almost feels like I’m being greedy because I already get to live this amazing life with you, but I want you forever. Will you marry me?”

  Epilogue: Jesse

  Ididn’t expect my hands or my voice to shake as much as they were. I opened the ring box to show the amethyst and moss agate ring that both Zin and Lauren said was the perfect engagement ring for a witch, and they swore Sam would love it.

  Her mouth dropped into a small “o” shape, and I waited patiently.

  “How... what?”

  She looked around the room at our best friends and families, and she started putting the pieces together that they hadn’t all dropped everything tonight because of the book cover, though that accomplishment deserved to be celebrated.

  “We’re getting married?” she asked, tears welling up in her eyes.

  “Well, normally, you’d say ‘yes’ first, but that would be the desired outcome.” I grinned at her; glad my kneeling knee wasn’t my bad one.

  “Oh my god! Yes! Of course, yes!” she practically shouted at me.

  I stood with some effort and took the ring out of the box to slide it onto her finger. Our friends and family burst into excited chatter, and there were plenty of happy tears in the mix, too.

  “It’s perfect. The ring. The card... where did you...” Her eyes floated over to her aunt before she finished the question. “You painted this? It’s incredible.”

  “Naturally, dear. I have been taking art classes for the better part of a year. My technique has improved.”

  Sam gave a watery laugh at that, now staring at her ring again.

  “You are too much. I’m going to design you the coolest wedding ring ever, and a coach’s jersey that says fiancé on the back instead of Garrett.”

  “I was thinking you could design my new tattoo. It could go around my ring finger, but I feel like I need one on the other forearm since you seem to like the skull so much. And this one could remind me of more than a drunken night in Florida.”

  Her eyes darkened predictably as she ran her nails over my bare forearm.

  “You should take me home. To our new house. Right. Now.”

  She pressed her lips to mine and kissed me perhaps more insistently than she normally might in public, but she got her point across. I quickly thanked everyone for helping me pull off the proposal and tugged my fiancé out into the cool spring air. She seemed to be mesmerized by the ring on her finger, and I had to guide her around a trash can and a pole so that she didn’t crash into them.

  The only thing she claimed she had to do before making it to our room was to place the tarot card painting on the fireplace mantel.

  “There. Now, it’s ours.”

  “Now, it’s home,” I added, though I was looking at her and not the art.

  This was what home would always be.

  A sneak peak at Testing Recipes for Disaster: Emberwood Book II:

  Prologue- Jeremy

  Spring

  My eyes were sweating. The spring air was warmer than it should have been when Lauren and I walked out of Books and Broomsticks, and this had to be the reason for the watery eyes.

  “Do you need, like, a hanky or something, Jer?” Lauren asked, keeping up with me easily on the way to my car, though I had no idea how with the heels she was wearing.

  “I have allergies, Garrett. It’s a well-documented medical condition that—”

  “That makes you cry when you see your best friend down on one knee, proposing to the woman of his dreams? You’re allergic to commitment? Or love? Or—”

  “All of the above, maybe. But fine, it was nice. They were both really happy, and...”

  Jesus, I thought, my voice already tightening again thinking about Jesse’s stupid proposal.

  “It was just nice, Laur. I’m sorry I don’t have a heart of stone like some people,” I said pointedly as we reached my GTI.

  Her lips quirked up, but it didn’t light up her face like her smile usually did. Guilt tingled in my chest. I wasn’t sure what I was guilty of—giving each other shit was what our entire friendship was based on. That, and the fact that her brother was my best friend.

  “Thanks for the ride,” she said as she slid into the passenger seat. “I really wasn’t excited to get a ride home from the happy couple. Or my mother and her tears, though you’re now making me think I didn’t escape much of anything.”

  Her smile was a little bigger with that insult, and I just huffed dramatically and put the car in reverse. I opened my music app the moment silence settled around us and started a playlist that I thought she’d like. Quiet with Lauren and me was dangerous for too many reasons. I’d crossed the line from friendly to flirting more times than I cared to admit, and even if Jesse seemed to have calmed down somewhat about it, his disapproval was fine with me. I wasn’t operating under the delusion that I was let-him-date-your-sister material.

  “You can change the song if you want,” I said, desperate for something benign to fill up the ride to her townhouse.

  “It was nice.”

  “Hmm?”

  “The proposal. It was kind of perfect. I did sound... negative, before. I’m not. My best friend is going to be my actual, legal sister. And they’re so happy...”

  “I know, Laur. I was just giving you a hard time. Sorry if it bothered you.”

  Things were getting far too serious, and we still had at least four minutes until I dropped her off. My hand gripped the gearshift to keep from reaching for hers, but I let my eyes drift to her pretty green ones. Her red hair was pulled away from her face but curled down her back. She looked gorgeous, and it killed me not to tell her that.

 

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