“She can serve,” Hattie shouted across the room.
“No, she can’t!” I shouted back. “She’s the guest of honor!” I sent Fabienne out to join the other diners.
“Then you do it, Agnes,” Hattie amended.
“She can’t either,” I said, knowing that Sophie would raise a stink if I brought in outside help. “I’ll do it. Just give me a clear path.”
“And a clean apron,” Hattie said, producing a black bistro apron like the ones we used in Hattie’s Kitchen when we had to serve.
“Thanks, Hattie,” I said. “The dining room’s upstairs.”
She sent six platters holding bowls of consommé shooting past me. “They’ll be waiting for you at the top,” she said as I climbed the steep flight of steps.
Everyone was served on time, and every course went without a hitch. By the time dessert was finished, all the entrée and appetizer dishes had washed themselves. Fabienne tiptoed into the kitchen just as the last platter slid into the cabinet.
“Oh, but you are so marvelous!” she said, hugging me. “Thank you for such a wonderful dinner, Katy. I wish you had joined us.”
“I couldn’t. There was too much to do here,” I said.
“And thank you, Madame Hattie.”
“My pleasure,” Hattie said. “Hope you enjoyed your dinner party.”
“It was perfect,” Fabby said. She turned to Agnes. “And thank you, too,” she said shyly. “So much.”
Agnes took her in her arms and patted her shoulder. Then Fabby left the kitchen, looking as if there were tears in her eyes.
“What was that about?” I asked.
Agnes smiled. “We were in Hawaii,” she said softly. “I met her there. I’ll bet you didn’t even notice I was gone.”
“Well…” It was true. In the rush of magical food preparation, I hadn’t paid any attention to Aunt Agnes.
“Fabienne is a teleporter,” she went on, “An astral traveler, like me. She just didn’t know it until tonight. Every time she feels stressed, she winks out, but she can’t control it.”
I was stunned. “Winks out?”
“Travels.”
“You mean she’s a witch?”
“Of course she’s a witch. Cowen can’t do what she does.”
“But…the others…”
“She may be the only one in her family,” Agnes said sympathetically. “Perhaps after your experience here in France is done, you’ll bring her back to Whitfield. I’ll teach her how to use her gift to best advantage.” She washed her hands. “Well, Hattie and I must be off.”
Hattie grinned. “We’re leaving the dessert dishes for you.”
“That’s okay. I appreciate your help.”
“Don’t expect it every day,” Hattie grumbled.
“Actually,” Agnes said, “we probably won’t be able to come back at all, unless it’s an emergency. Gram and I are going to Hakone, Japan. The hot springs will be good for her bones.”
“Oh,” I said. “Japan sounds wonderful.”
“But you have Paris, dear.”
Hattie snorted. “And your French cooking school.”
I felt abashed. I hadn’t served one dish that Hattie couldn’t make in her sleep. And without her magic, not even one dish would have been served on time.
She lifted my chin with her strong brown hand. “Still, you did well tonight,” she said. “And you’ve got a job waiting for you back home, whenever you’re ready.”
I closed my eyes. Back home. Yes. “Thanks, Hattie,” I said. “Thanks for—”
But just then Agnes gave a curt nod of her head, and the two of them winked out.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Molly Cochran, author of the teen paranormal romances LEGACY and POISON, has written 26 published novels and four nonfiction books under her own name and various pseudonyms. Her books include New York Times bestselling novels GRANDMASTER and THE FOREVER KING, coauthored with Warren Murphy, and the nonfiction DRESSING THIN, also a NY Times bestseller. She has won awards from the Mystery Writers of America (Best Novel of the Year), the Romance Writers of America (Best Thriller), and the New York Public Library (Outstanding Books for the Teen Age).
SEDUCTION, the third installment in the Young Adult LEGACY series, is scheduled for release later this year through her publisher, Simon & Schuster. There are also two novellas in the series: WISHES and POISON (which you’ve just finished reading).
Molly has lectured extensively and has taught writing at the college level as well as at a women's prison (where she was NOT an inmate). She also writes a blog on writing technique which appears on her website, MollyCochran.com. Her official Facebook page is facebook.com/MollyCochranBooks.
She lives in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.
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