Page 108 of Love, Magic and Misfortune
Violet shook her head. “No.” When she turned back to the door, Freddie was bounding up the walkway in his usual brown leather jacket, but he was carrying a bright bouquet of sunflowers in his hand. When he reached the porch, he grinned.
“Congratulations?” He held the flowers out, one dark golden eyebrow quirked up in hesitation.
Exhaling a breath, Violet stepped aside. “Yes, thank you. Please come in.”
“I don’t know anything about art, really.” He walked inside, happy as a clam. “But I’m excited to see what you do. It sounds really fancy.”
Before she could force another polite response, a large, unfamiliar van pulled up just outside the house. Whoever was inside beeped the horn multiple times. Violet set both bouquets on the entryway table and stepped outside. Simone, René and Freddie followed her and soon, Jasper was there, too.
The door to the driver side opened. When her sister hopped out of the vehicle, Violet’s jaw dropped. She walked down the path and past the thick hedge of purple hydrangeas lining the front area of the cottage. Thankfully, the rain was only misty now, the sun fighting and peeking its way through the cloud cover overhead. “Rosie? What on earth?”
Her sister walked up the path and wrapped Violet up in a tight hug. “Hi sweetie. Congratulations on the exhibit. Jasper texted me.”
“Thank you—what is this van?”
“I brought you something. My lying, manipulative, imposter of an ex-girlfriend finally fessed up to some things.” She leaned past Violet, looking at everyone on the porch. “Hey, people, can you help?” Rose turned and walked back down the path toward the van. Violet followed.
When they were all gathered at the back, Rose pulled the double doors open in a grand gesture. “Ta-da! It’s Gram’s chest. Ginger’s grimoire and most of the other creepy witchy things that were inside are missing, but the police are still tracking.”
“Wicca isn’t ‘creepy,’” Simone said, lips pursed. “It’s just misunderstood.” Rose looked at her, scanning her from head to toe and then looking away, not saying a word.
Violet leaned into the van, running her fingers across the familiar surface, quietly taking in all the details she’d painted when she was so small. She felt disappointed about the absence her great-grandmother’s journal, but on the whole, her heart swelled, like she’d never seen anything more beautiful.
Rosie hopped into the van, oddly chipper for someone who’d recently had their heart broken. “Between the six of us, we can get this on the back porch, you think?”
Jasper sighed, folding his arms. “We can hire people for things like this?”
Rose slapped the top of the box with her hand. “Nah, we can handle it. We got this.”
“Yeah,” Freddie nodded. “I think we can do this.”
Everyone else groaned, but Simone walked back toward the house. “I’ll be the door holder.”
43
Now
They’d handled it, somehow, working together to get the large chest to the back of the cottage and onto the sun porch (and without any injuries on Violet’s behalf).
Throughout dinner, they’d all talked and laughed comfortably, excited about all the new business the town was getting because of Simone’s big magazine article. Quietly, though, Violet noticed her sister losing steam and slowly retreating into herself.
Freddie left first, needing to get back to the store to check on things. Shortly after, Violet walked René and Simone to the door as well. Halfway there, though, Simone turned and stomped back toward the kitchen.
“Oh shoot, I left my shawl on my chair.”
Violet smiled as her friend turned and sauntered back down the hall.
“Jasper seems to be very well these days,” René said coolly as they continued walking toward the foyer.
Violet looked up at him. “You told me that you know what’s wrong with Jasper.”
“I did.”
“I know now, too.”
“An excellent development.”
He stared at her with his infinite brown eyes, his expression suddenly like a gentle mask: pleasant but unreadable. She narrowed her eyes. “How do you know, René? If Jasper didn’t tell you, howcanyou know?”
