Forever Charmed

  Chapter Eight

  “I have to get to work,” I said as I put the last of the dishes in the washer. “I never thought about leaving strangers alone in the house. It’s creepy.”

  “Well, that’s the only thing creepy about this whole situation, right?” Annabelle said sarcastically.

  I’d always thought I was a good judge of character. I was a little bummed over the way Nicolas had left without saying goodbye.

  “You should call the police and report Nicolas for not paying,” Annabelle added as she grabbed her purse.

  “No, I think I’ll just chalk it up as a lesson learned. I’ll always remember to collect the money first, or at the very least, get a deposit.”

  After saying goodbye to Annabelle, I rushed toward Bewitching Bath and Potions. The historic section of town housed all the specialty shops and boutiques. The main road ran along the river, twisting and turning through Enchantment Pointe. A stone wall surrounded the outer edge of town with cobblestone sidewalks and wrought-iron accents sprinkled around.

  I knew my mother would be waiting and I wasn’t looking forward to telling her about the catastrophe I’d experienced with my first two guests. I’d leave out the parts about the spell and the burnt pancake—and the fact that one of them had skipped out on the bill. No need to give her any more reasons to be disappointed in her one and only daughter.

  I pulled up in front of the shop and turned off the ignition. The events of the morning were just now fully sinking in, not to mention that I was starting to feel faint from lack of sleep. Pulling my purse up over my shoulder, I trudged toward the entrance. The bell chimed on the door when I entered. No one was in sight, no customers and no mother.

  Annette LaVeau made all the items right there in her shop. Her merchandise included soaps, lotions, scrubs, and bath salts. She had a special knack for mixing scents—magical oils were her specialty. She was a workaholic when it came to her business: sections of the store were specifically designated for specific items, and you’d better not get them out of place either. Fragrances, oils, powders and herbs on the right. Soaps, shower gels, lotions, shampoos and conditioners on the left.

  “Mom, are you here?” I walked further into the shop.

  She popped up from behind the register where she’d been arranging items under the counter. People could tell immediately that we were mother and daughter. We were the same small size—five-foot-one—but we packed a powerful punch. My mother had recently cut her hair in a fashionable bob with the occasional gray hair showing up in the otherwise dark strands. She wore the store’s signature polka-dotted apron over her black T-shirt and black and white Capri pants.

  She sighed as soon as she saw me. Must she do that every time I walked into a room?

  “Hello, dear.” A small swirl of smoke circled behind her.

  “Working on another spell?” I asked as I joined her behind the counter.

  She held up a light blue bottle. “I’m making a facial lotion for Mrs. Combs.” She stirred the pot a few more times, then dipped the bottle into the concoction. “This should help her with the warts.”

  “I have noticed she’s sprouted quite a few more lately.” I draped the Bewitching Bath and Potions apron around my neck.

  My mother wiped her brow and let out a deep breath. “Whew. I’ve been swamped all morning. I’m glad you finally decided to show up.”

  I stared at my mother’s forehead.

  “What?” She scowled. The color drained from her face. “Not again,” she said.

  I thought by now she’d be an expert at penciling on those eyebrows and keeping them in place. One brow was still perfectly drawn on, but the other had been smeared all the way across her forehead. To her credit, she’d stopped reminding me of the way I’d destroyed her face. She just let out breathy sighs instead.

  She shook her head. “Well, I don’t have time to put it back on right now. It’ll have to wait a minute. I need to finish these orders for the customers.”

  “Would you like for me to fix it?” I asked, transfixed by the sight. It was like a car accident; I couldn’t look away.

  “You don’t know how to add the arch that I’ve perfected over the years.” She didn’t glance up from her bottles.

  Ouch. That hurt.

  “Why were you so late anyway?” she asked.

  “I was working around the manor.” I moved a couple bottles across the counter out of her way.

  She snorted, but didn’t ask for more of an explanation.

  “Can you label those soaps and place them on the shelf?” She pointed.

  “Sure.” I let out a deep breath, picked up the soap and wrapped it in the paper.

  Without warning, that strange vibe took over again. I had to steady myself with a hand on the counter. Was I coming down with something? Why had I been feeling so strangely? If I didn’t know better, I’d swear it had something to do with Nicolas Marcos. I hadn’t felt this way until he’d shown up. But he was gone now, so shouldn’t I be feeling better?

  The bell over the door chimed and I looked up. My heart rate increased when I saw who was walking my way.

  “Oh my,” my mother said.

  This was not going to end well. I felt it.

  “Hello, Mr. Marcos,” I said without looking at my mother.

  I knew her mouth must have dropped open. The wheels were turning wildly in her head.

  “Nice to see you, Hallie. This is a lovely shop.” He looked around the room.

  “Thank you,” I said.

  “I need to talk to you.” He leaned in close over the counter.

  “How did you find me? And by the way, you left without paying.” I frowned. “You owe me for the night.”

  My mother let out a little gasp, but I refused to look in her direction.

  “I asked around town and was told how to find you.”

  Great. All of Enchantment Pointe would be flapping their gums about me. I could only imagine how those conversations had gone.

  My mother was pretending not to listen, but if she leaned in any closer she’d fall right on her face.

  “What is it, Mr. Marcos?” I placed my arms across my chest.

  He glanced over at my mother again, maybe looking at her one eyebrow.

  “Is there some place private where we can talk?”

  After the way he’d acted around Liam this morning, I wasn’t sure I felt safe being alone with this man.

  “We can talk here.”

  My mother would question me relentlessly after he left anyway. Might as well save myself the time and talk out in the open right in front of her.

  He stepped to the side and motioned for me to join him.

  I looked him up and down, then slowly moved over to his side. Damn him. He still looked gorgeous and smelled just as enticing.

  “Now are you going to tell me what’s so important?”

  If he dared to complain about my breakfast I’d tell him off right there in front of my mother.

  “You need to get rid of Mr. Rankin. Your life is in danger if you don’t.”

  The words had barely left Nicolas’ lips when Liam burst through the door. The bell over the door jingled so hard I thought it would fall off.

  “Don’t listen to a word he says!” Liam pointed at Nicolas with venom in his eyes.

  I’d gotten myself into a real pickle this time. My mother wasn’t going to let this one go for months.