Page 30 of Hexes and Hiccups
“Don’t tease,” she said, though there was a smirk creeping over her face.
As they waited for the receptionist to come back with the maps of the passageways, Daisy let her mind wander over the case at hand. Perhaps the passageways were the missing piece of the puzzle she had been looking for, and everything would quickly return to normal. The rumors would fade, and Willowbrook could become what it once was.
Daisy hoped at least.
14
Daisy
By the time they left Town Hall, the sun had finally set beyond the horizon, leaving a growing evening and a cool breeze. Stars shone brightly overhead, becoming more and more bright as time went on. Bats chittered in the distance, their silhouettes flashing in and out of older chimneys. Daisy reveled in the easy night for as long as she could. Things hadn’t been that simple in quite some time, and she missed the ease a nighttime walk once gave her. At least she had Tessa with her throughout it all, providing that glimmer of hope and faith that she needed. They walked down the sidewalk back towards their neighborhood, once again passing through Main Street.
Streetlights glowed like amber above their heads as they passed by Fields’ Herbals.Tessa held one of the maps up as they went underneath the light, her brow furrowing tighter and tighter the longer she tried to read it. They continued on, the streetlights fading in and out with every step they took.
“Good grief,” Tessa mumbled as she folded the map back up. “I thought reading maps was easy.”
Daisy laughed. “Since when?”
“Well, I don’t know,” she said. “I guess never. These are quite odd to get right, with all the roads intersecting above and below ground.”
“I figured it would be.”
“Know any master map readers?”
“Unfortunately,” Daisy replied, holding back her laugh, “the last one I knew left town.”
“Bummer.”
They both laughed together as they kept walking, grateful to find a glimmer of happiness within the growing darkness. Daisy hung close to Tessa as some cars drove by, her mind racing with everything left for them to do. While she hoped the map would be the final piece they needed, allowing them a bit of rest, Daisy didn’t bother to get her hopes too high. There would always be another catch, another bump in the road. This time, she realized, they would be ready for it, no matter what it turned out to be.
Daisy began to reach for the map as they passed under another streetlight, when a sleek car slowed down beside them. Daisy peered over her shoulder curiously as the window began to slide down, revealing a handsome and familiar face on the other side.
“Well, well, well!” Ethan grinned as he spoke from the driver’s seat, lowering his head to get a look at them. His overgrown hair was out of his face and tucked behind his ear, a comfortable-looking plaid button-down rolled up to his elbows. Ethan’s gaze clung onto Daisy, bringing a sheepish blush to her cheeks. “If it isn’t Willowbrook’s famous detectives!”
Tessa immediately got into character, holding one hand against her forehead in a mock salute. “Leave your problems tous, sir.”
Ethan laughed, his car rumbling as he crept alongside them. “You two have been busy, haven’t you?”
Daisy shrugged. “As usual.” Her heart hammered relentlessly, despite having gone out with Ethan multiple times. The schoolgirl crush remained, even when there was a car separating them. She was almost inching away, almost hiding behind Tessa slightly. But her confidence grew in seconds, a flare of her friend’s empathy magic, she assumed. “What brings you out this evening?”
“Well, as a matter of fact, I was on my way toyourhouse, Daisy.”
She blushed harder. “Really?”
Ethan nodded. “I thought you might want to get some dinner with me tonight. Swing Timeis playing at the drive-in, too.”
Daisy’s heart melted at his words. On one of their first dates, she mentioned that the series of classic movies done with Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers remained her absolute favorites. They were full of dancing and laughter, brilliantly done music and even better tap performances. Ever since she was a kid, watching them were her moments of absolute pleasure, as she imagined herself being as talented as Ginger Rogers. The movies became a sort of guilty pleasure as she got older, with Swing Timebeing her all time go-to romance flick.
“You remembered,” Daisy finally said in a quiet voice.
Ethan beamed. “‘Course I did. Whaddya say, Daisy?”
Honk! Honk! Honk!
A line of cars were beginning to pile up behind Ethan. While a few of them managed to whip around him, most of them were impatiently waiting in line, their angry faces blurry through their windshields. Ethan winced as the car horns came again, but he didn’t move, still waiting for an answer.
Daisy laughed. “Well, I can’t remember ever turning down an opportunity to watch Swing Timeat the drive-in.” She whipped around to Tessa, who watched the exchange with a smirk.Daisy’s eyes snapped down towards the folded up maps. “I can –”
Tessa held up her hand to stop her, already tucking the maps beneath her arm. “Don’t you worry about it for a single second,” she said as she nodded her chin towards Ethan. “Go have a night off. Have some fun for a change.”
