Page 58 of Seven Secret Spellcasters
Mia held up Abigail’s prep list. “You left this out on the table, so I started when I got home. I wanted to get away from a few people.”
Abigail set the totes by the sink. “Okay, I’ll guess Mother Adams and Blake.”
“Close, Mother Adams, Blake, and Jeani.” Mia turned the mixer off and went to the fridge. “She was acting strange at the Halloween party.”
“Mia, she was drunk at the Halloween party. Don’t worry about her, she was never really a part of Trent’s life. I think she might have had a hand in why he decided to hand off his magic. He hated the idea that his entire life including who he was to marry was being planned for him by the coven. Jeani’s nice, but she’s not you.” Abigail hugged Mia, then turned to see Finn coming in. “Finn, can you finish unloading, then clean the van’s shelves? Lock it up when you’re done and bring in the keys. I’m going to start baking cakes.”
“Okay. Oh, hi, Mia. We had a lot of deliveries today, and almost everyone wanted us to tell you hi.” Finn put the totes by the ones Abigail had brought in. They’d wash them and then put them away for next week’s deliveries.
Mia met Abigail’s gaze, shrugging.
“You’re a celebrity, my dear. Don’t worry, it will go away.” Abigail patted her shoulder, then went to wash her hands and put on an apron.
“What if it doesn’t?” Mia asked after Finn had gone back outside.
Abigail grabbed a container of sugar from the cabinet and set it on her worktable. “Then we’ll deal with that when it happens. Don’t borrow tomorrow’s problems for today.”
And with that, she turned up the music, and they spent the rest of the day cooking.
At six, Trent poked his head around the kitchen door. “Find a stopping point,” he said as he looked around at the women baking. “We’ve got pizza.”
Mia scratched off an item on Abigail’s list. She’d put the last pan of double-chocolate brownies in the oven. They needed thirty minutes to bake, then she’d let it cool until tomorrow, when she’d cut them into mini squares and put a chocolate-covered cherry on top of each. A local chocolate shop made them in their store on Main Street, and they were amazing.
She grabbed all of her dirty bowls and set them in the sink. “I’m ready to eat. I’ll need to come back and get the brownies out of the oven and clean up, but I’m starving.”
Finn was cleaning her station. She’d finished her cookies, and Abigail had stopped her from starting to work on the hot appetizers. “I’m good. I can help tonight if you want. I’m not working at the Lodge until Thursday.”
Abigail collected all their prep sheets. “If we put in another hour after pizza, I think we’ll be in good shape for tomorrow.”
Mia loved Abigail’s organizational process. At first, her changes had bugged her. It wasMia’sMorsels, right? But she had to admit, things ran smoother with Abigail at the helm.
“Finn and I will clean up, and you can do your prep sheet work,” Mia said as they walked out to the reception area, which smelled like pepperoni, tomato sauce, cheese, and fresh bread. There was nothing better than the smell of pizza when you were hungry.
She grabbed a plate and put three slices on it. Trent tossed her a bottle of water, and she sat down with a groan. “You guys are the best.”
Christina dabbed at her eyes.
“Now you’ve done it.” Levi handed her a box of tissues. “My girl has been crying about leaving Magic Springs all day. She’s a wreck.”
Mia took a bite of the pizza and perked up. She’d forgotten to eat lunch. “Your mother thinks I’ll be heartbroken with you out of the boonies. She’s sure you’re going to love Portland much more than Magic Springs.”
“Uh-oh. You had a run-in with Mom today? That must have been when I got the ton of texts from her. I ignored them. She’s not ruining my mood. I want to celebrate getting engaged to my knight in shining armor without her digging at every choice I made for the party. Tell me that Jeani did a good job. I asked Mom to hire her for the Boise event.”
“She did an excellent job,” Mia said between bites. “You’re going toloveit. And don’t ask, because I’m not telling you what it looks like. I didn’t even take pictures, but I wanted to. Even your mom was impressed.”
Trent looked over at Mia but didn’t say anything. It was like the guy could read her mind. Well, he could, but she thought she’d blocked him out. He knew she’d been concerned about Jeani and that she didn’t like Mother Adams. As a result, he knew she’d had a stressful afternoon.
“How’s the cooking going? Are you going to need help tomorrow?” Christina asked. “I’ve got a spa day planned with Mom and Jessica, but if you need me in the kitchen, I’ll dump them.”
“You will not.” Abigail shook her head. “Like I told you this morning, you’re not needed. Go have a massage and a facial and get those nails done. You look practically homeless.”
Finn burst into giggles. There was no way Christina looked anything but polished and perfect.
“Oh, don’t you laugh, missy. I have a slot for you at the hair salon at five. All of you are expected there at that time. Finn, I left an outfit in your bedroom. Dress, shoes, and the necessary underthings. I hope you like it.” Christina grabbed another slice of pizza. “Although, if I don’t stop eating like this, I’m not going to fit into my gown. And it’s designer.”
Mia was wearing another one of Christina’s castoffs. Before she packed for Portland, she had brought several dresses out of her storage room on the second floor. Mother Adams had told Christina to get her bedroom cleared out when it became clear she wasn’t coming home to live. So Mia had let her put her furniture and the ton of boxes filled with clothes and shoes in an empty classroom.
There was still stuff there, but Mia wasn’t going to make Christina pack up everything. She wanted her friend to know she always had a home here in Magic Springs, just in case.
