Page 7 of Mystery in the Mountains

She limped her way over to her van and set off into town.

Later that night, she was ready to relax, so she took a long hot shower, trying to wash off all the grime of the day.

The rain had finally stopped, and the sun was setting. She decided to make herself tea and sit on the porch swing.

As she sat and looked out over her yard, she remembered all the nights her mom sat on the porch swing while Sunny caught lighting bugs in the yard, memories tied to the Black family. The four were often catching those fireflies as their mothers chatted and shared magic. She had felt the absence of that since her mom died, but with being back, it was even worse.

As if the endless pit the loss of her friends and family wasn’t enough, there was Asher. He was so much more than a friend.

He was her person. Her mate.

Finding your mate as a child is wonderful and awful all at the same time. She was filled with this need to learn who she was, but it had already been decided for her, which was part of what had caused her to run.

But then there was Asher. She missed him every day. Ached for him. She told herself she would come back, but with each mile and each day, it got harder and harder to.

A rustle from the tree’s edge caught her attention. Even in the dim light, she could see a black furry figure sitting there, watching her. While this might scare most people, its presence calmed her. Even still, after all this time and as complicated as it was, it brought her a sense of peace.

“I’m so sorry,” she said.

It just stood there, watching her.

“I’m going to make this better. I promise.”

At that, the black figure turned back into the forest and slipped away.

She closed her eyes and listened to the woods as twilight gave way to the stars.

A slight chill wisped in the air on this late April night. The warmth from the cup of tea calmed her. Her mother had always said when things got hard to just keep moving. And that was all she could do now.

Just keep moving and hope it was the right thing.

Chapter

Four

10 YEARS AGO ~ SUNNY

A cool spring breeze blew through Sunny’s window as a knock sounded at the door. She popped up and ran down the stairs because, there, standing at the screen door, with a big grin on his face, was Asher Black. He was tall for his age, with dark-brown eyes, a mop of dark curly hair, and a smile that warmed Sunny to her very core.

“Hey, Sunshine, wanna take a walk?” he asked, holding up a small picnic basket.

“Asher, is that you?” her mother called from her parlor. “Come in.”

“Yes, ma’am,” he said as he opened the screen door.

Sunny’s mom Laura stepped out of her parlor, carrying a small bottle and a brown-paper-wrapped bundle. “I’m out of willow bark tincture, and your mom said she would fill this up for me. I also picked this up for her at the Sun & Moon Herb Shoppe when I went to Charleston yesterday. Could you give it to her?”

“Sure thing,” he said with his easy, confident smile, taking them from her and slipping them into the basket.

“What are you two up to this afternoon?” she asked as she leaned against the doorframe.

Behind her was the parlor full of magic Sunny loved. There were crystals and books and tarot cards and all kinds of little trinkets that held so much meaning to them. Her mother was a seer just like she was. While Sunny didn’t have much control over her gift like her mother did, she wanted to be just like her someday. People from Hecate’s Hollow would come to her with their problems, and she would help them. Being able to help people in the community like her mother was something Sunny looked forward to doing when she got older.

“I thought we might go on a little picnic . . . if Sunshine wanted to,” he said.

His eyes tentatively found hers, looking for the answer.

Of course she wanted to. She wanted to do anything where Asher was concerned. He was her best friend. He was everything to her.

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