Magic & Mishaps Read online

  Magic & Mishaps

  Starry Hollow Witches, Book 9

  Annabel Chase

  Red Palm Press LLC

  Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Also by Annabel Chase

  Chapter One

  “Would you please pick a spot and go? You’re not choosing an engagement ring.” I glared at my aging Yorkshire terrier as he sniffed along the ground as though snuffling for truffles instead of a place to park his poop.

  Prescott Peabody III, or PP3 as he was affectionately known, gazed up at me with his soulful brown eyes and I immediately felt guilty for getting impatient with him. He wasn’t a spry young puppy anymore and wouldn’t be around forever. I vowed to stop rushing him.

  My daughter rounded the corner of Rose Cottage clutching a long stick.

  “You don’t need a pretend wand when you have a real one now,” I said.

  “You’re funny, Mom,” Marley replied, her expression deadpan. “I’ve been thinking.”

  I held up a hand. “Stop right there.”

  Why hold her back? She’s already surpassed you in the brains department. Raoul, my raccoon familiar, scampered out of the woods to join us.

  “Have you been lurking there all this time?” I asked.

  It’s funny to watch you being led around by a dog. He punctuated his statement with a snicker.

  I tugged on the leash. “I think you’ll find it’s the other way around.” Just then, PP3 surged forward and I nearly tripped over my own feet.

  Raoul folded his raccoon arms. You were saying…

  “I think we should plant an herb garden,” Marley said.

  I spun around to face my daughter. “You think what now?”

  “An herb garden. Right here.” She used the stick to sketch out the placement of the proposed garden by drawing lines in the dirt.

  “Are you nuts? Aunt Hyacinth would never allow us to mess with the status quo.” Hyacinth Rose-Muldoon took great care of Thornhold, the family estate, as well as its adjoining property. If there was so much as a rose with a missing thorn, I’d hear about it.

  Marley regarded me. “Come on, Mom. This isn’t about Aunt Hyacinth. This is about you.”

  “How is this about me?” I held PP3 at bay as he barked at a passing butterfly. It wasn’t difficult to distract the aging dog from the task at hand.

  “You’re afraid you won’t be able to cultivate an herb garden because of your black thumb.”

  For an eleven-year-old, she was annoyingly astute. “You know perfectly well that living things and I don’t mix.”

  “I’m a living thing,” she said. “Raoul is a living thing.”

  Raoul nodded in solidarity.

  “And you basically take care of yourselves,” I said. “I’m merely a casual observer.”

  Marley tossed the stick aside. “Give yourself a little credit, Mom. If you were truly incapable of nurturing living creatures, I wouldn’t be me.”

  “Why do you want to grow herbs when we can just buy them?” I asked. There were plenty of charming shops in downtown Starry Hollow where Marley could choose herbs to her heart’s content.

  “I want to be an expert in herbology,” she said. “I want to cultivate goat’s rue and groundsel and dogbane—all sorts of plants I can experiment with at home. The academy has an impressive garden, but I’d like to have my own where I make all the choices.”

  I smirked. “Now you sound like Aunt Hyacinth.”

  Bonkers swooped past my head, startling me. The adorable flying cat landed on Marley’s outstretched arm like a hawk at a bird show.

  “Bonkers says she’ll help,” Marley said, interpreting on behalf of her familiar.

  “How?” I asked. “By telling us how dead the plants look from the air? We don’t need the additional vantage point.”

  “You don’t have to do anything,” Marley said.

  “Famous last words,” I replied. “That’s what your father said when we got PP3, and look at me now.” PP3 had finally done his business, so I pulled a bag from my pocket and scooped up the waste. I tied the top of the bag and started to walk toward the front of the cottage.

  “Will you at least think about it?” Marley asked.

  “Fine,” I said.

  Marley skipped ahead of me and offered to take the dog’s leash. “Can we have pizza for dinner?”

  Ooh, Raoul chimed in. Can we, please?

  “Not tonight,” I said.

  “But it’s Friday,” Marley objected.

  “And we’re having dinner at Linnea’s,” I said.

  “Yay! Just us?” she asked.

  Raoul pinned a hopeful gaze on me.

  “Alec, too,” I said.

  Marley beamed at me. “Good, I was hoping you’d say that.”

  Raoul dropped to all fours. Whatever. I have plans anyway.

  “And what sort of plans are those?” I asked.

  The best kind, Raoul said. The sort that involves the dump and all my friends.

  “Sounds delightful,” I said. “Enjoy yourself.”

  I’d bring you back a ham bone, the raccoon said, but you don’t deserve it.

  “Consider me gutted.”

  Raoul harrumphed. Says someone who’s clearly never tasted a ham bone from Nirvana.

  I ignored him and opened the front door. “Marley, wash your hands and brush your hair. Alec is picking us up in half an hour.”

  “Do you think Linnea will mind if I use magic to make dessert?” Marley asked. Ever since her magic had manifested, she’d been wanting to try every spell she encountered. I’d had to put my foot down on multiple occasions and tell her to save her enthusiasm for lessons at the Black Cloak Academy.

  “You’ll have to ask Linnea,” I said, unhooking PP3’s leash from his collar. No doubt my cousin would allow it. Linnea was a Rose and had every confidence that Marley would follow in their esteemed footsteps. Given the fact that I had an army of tutors and still managed to blow up the microwave last week with a popcorn spell, I wasn’t convinced the transition would be as seamless as my new underpants.

  Marley zipped to her bedroom and I went to mine to freshen up before Alec arrived. My whole body warmed at the thought of the dashing vampire. I still couldn’t believe we were finally together, doing normal things that couples do like having dinner at my cousin’s. I went into my closet and changed into my blue top with ‘Living the Dream’ in big white letters. I could get away with super casual attire at Palmetto House. Linnea didn’t run her inn the way my aunt ran her home—thank the gods—which was probably one reason I felt comfortable dining there.

  The sound of a car alerted me to Alec’s arrival and I hurried to touch up my lipstick before rushing downstairs. We’d kept each other at arm’s length long enough and I had no desire to keep the vampire waiting.

  With its intricate wrought iron on the outside and well-appointed furnishings on the inside, Palmetto House was a beautiful specimen of a house. It was plain to see why it had become popular with tourists and business travelers in Starry Hollow.

  “Thank you so much for coming,” Linnea said, greeting us in the foyer. The witch was always effortlessly chic. She wore her white-blond hair in a messy bun and a simple blue dress with strappy sandals.

  “I never bypass the oppo
rtunity to let someone else cook dinner,” I said. Culinary skills were not one of my assets.

  “But can I make dessert?” Marley asked. She twirled the tip of her wand in the air.

  Linnea took the request in stride. “As much as I appreciate the offer, I have a burstberry pie that was a special request from one of my guests. Next time, though, I promise.”

  Marley let out a tiny squeal. “Thank you!”

  “Bryn and Hudson are setting the table,” Linnea said.

  Marley needed no further prompting. She shot into the adjacent dining room in search of her cousins.

  “I have three guests of the inn joining us for dinner,” Linnea said. “I hope you don’t mind.”

  “Of course not,” I said. Linnea didn’t always include guests in family dining. It completely depended on the visitors.

  “Oh, here’s one now,” Linnea said, as an attractive woman descended the staircase. Her red dress hugged every curve on her body. “This is Bonnie Rydell. Bonnie, this is my cousin, Ember, and her…” She paused uncertain.

  “You can say boyfriend,” I interjected.

  Linnea relaxed. “Her boyfriend, Alec Hale.”

  “A pleasure to meet you,” Alec said.

  “Where are you from, Bonnie?” I asked.

  Bonnie tossed her glossy hair over her shoulder. “Right here in Starry Hollow. My apartment is being painted, so my landlord is paying for me to stay elsewhere for a few days until it's done. I’ve heard great things about Palmetto House and figured why not treat myself?”

  “It was nice having Bonnie here last night,” Linnea said. “She was my only guest.”

  Bonnie snickered. “Linnea and I drank wine in the backyard until almost midnight.”

  “I think we spilled enough to get the ants drunk,” Linnea said. “Thank the Great Goddess for hangover potions because I had my other guests arrive early this morning. Check-in isn’t until eleven, but the wife is pregnant and I wouldn’t dream of keeping a woman in her condition waiting.”

  Bryn, Linnea’s sixteen-year-old daughter, poked her head through the doorway. “Table’s set.”

  “Thank you, honey,” Linnea said.

  “No Rick tonight?” I asked.

  “He has minotaur flu,” Linnea said.

  Bonnie recoiled. “They have their own flu?”

  Linnea laughed. “No, I mean he has a cold, but he’s acting like he’s at death’s door.”

  “I was hoping that was a joke,” Bonnie said. “I’ve done a lot of interspecies dating—we nymphs don’t tend to stick to our own kind—but I’ve never heard of minotaur flu.”

  “I’ll be sure to check on him before bed, in case he actually needs something,” Linnea said. “Speaking of needs, would anyone like an aperitif?”

  “You know you can count me in,” Bonnie said.

  Linnea looked at me expectantly.

  “Why not?” I said.

  “One for me as well,” Alec said.

  “Is it possible to have a Shirley Temple?” a woman’s voice asked.

  Someone in Starry Hollow knew what a Shirley Temple was? I whirled around to see a dark-haired pregnant woman with a handsome angel by her side. We stared at each other for a long beat.

  “Emma Hart?” I finally said.

  A smile emerged from her thoughtful expression. “I knew you looked familiar.” She stroked her huge belly. “I’m surprised you recognized me.”

  “Are you kidding? A few extra pounds looks great on you,” I said. “Daniel, right?”

  The angel nodded. “You’re the reporters.”

  I nodded. “Wow, small world. Congratulations, you two.” Alec and I had met Emma and Daniel when we visited Spellbound, a town that had been cursed to prevent any paranormals from leaving. Emma and Daniel had broken the curse, so when the borders finally opened, Vox Populi decided to run a story on the charming town.

  Emma smiled shyly. “Dare I ask?” She jerked her head toward Alec.

  I looped my arm through the vampire’s. “Yep. We’re together.”

  “I knew it!” Emma said. “It was only a matter of time.” She looked up at her husband. “Didn’t I say that to you after they left town?”

  He kissed the top of his wife’s head. “You certainly did.”

  “A reunion, how nice,” Bonnie said. “I’m Bonnie Rydell. I live in town.”

  A timer sounded in the kitchen. “Stars and stones,” Linnea said. “Dinner’s ready. I completely lost track of time. I’ll bring the drinks to the table.” She bustled into the kitchen.

  I called to Marley and we all moved into the dining room. I watched with amusement as Emma misjudged the distance of the table and couldn’t quite squeeze into the chair. Gentleman that he was, Daniel pulled his wife’s chair back to give her sufficient space before taking the seat next to her.

  “How far along are you?” I asked. It seemed like only yesterday that I was pregnant with Marley. I still remembered the thickening of my waist and the acid reflux. The upside of being a teen mom was that I bounced back quickly. Or at least my body did.

  “My healer estimates two months to go, but it's a little hard to say for sure,” Emma replied.

  “You're not sure about the conception date?” Linnea waved a dismissive hand. “I’m sure that happens a lot.”

  Emma poured gravy onto the roast. “It’s more to do with the gestational period of a hybrid. We don’t know whether this baby will be textbook.”

  “An angel and a what?” Linnea asked.

  “I’m a sorceress,” Emma replied. “I guess, technically, I’m a hybrid too, because my father was…not a sorcerer.”

  I sensed a story there, but I decided not to pry.

  “I’m a hybrid,” Marley announced proudly. “My dad was human and my mom is a witch.”

  “And how has that been for you?” Emma asked.

  Marley shrugged. “I’ve only come into my magic recently and my mom didn’t know she was a witch until…” Her gaze flicked to me and I knew she was wondering whether to say more.

  I flashed a smile at the guests. “It’s a long story.”

  Alec’s hand reached for mine. “But it ends well.”

  “How did you two meet?” Bonnie asked, poking her fork in the direction of Emma and Daniel. “I just love hearing these stories. I ask every couple I meet.”

  Emma and Daniel exchanged affectionate glances.

  “Emma came to town unexpectedly,” Daniel said.

  “I got lost in the mountains and Daniel saved my life,” Emma added.

  Daniel grinned at his wife. “And she saved mine.”

  Bonnie stared at them in awe. “Are you talking literally or figuratively?”

  “Both,” they said in unison.

  Bonnie turned her attention to Alec and me. “How about you two? Care to share your origin story? Give a girl hope, why don’t you?”

  I shifted awkwardly in my seat. It was difficult to talk about my relationship with Alec when Sheriff Nash’s beloved niece and nephew were in the room. Even though Bryn and Hudson were my family, too, I knew they had a soft spot for Uncle Granger.

  “We met at work,” Alec said.

  “It was difficult because he’s my boss,” I said.

  “And her aunt is my boss,” Alec added.

  “And you were involved with someone else,” Hudson said to me. I felt the breeze pass my leg as Bryn kicked her brother under the table.

  “Ooh, the plot thickens,” Bonnie said. “It’s okay. You don’t have to worry about any finger wagging from me. Love is love. Sometimes it can’t be helped.”

  “My dad says…” Hudson began.

  Linnea cut him off with a menacing look. “You two look finished. Why don't you go finish your homework?”

  Bryn and Hudson immediately vacated their chairs and disappeared.

  Marley looked at me. “Should I go, too?”

  Linnea ruffled her hair. “I know how much you like to help in the kitchen. I have the pie in the oven. Why don
't you check on it for me?”

  Marley's blue eyes sparkled. “Of course!” She practically ran from the table. I had no idea where she’d inherited her interest in culinary skills, but it certainly hadn’t come from me. Takeout menus were my idea of a recipe.

  Bonnie’s gaze rested on me. “And how did you know this guy was the right one for you?” Her mouth curved into a flirtatious smile. “Aside from the fact that he’s tall, handsome, and dripping with money, of course.”

  “I'm not sure that you ever know with certainty,” I replied. “It's a relationship, not your favorite chocolate bar.”

  “I knew,” Emma interjected. “For me, it was like there was a flashing neon arrow over Daniel's head, pointing downward.”

  “Now there's a visual,” Daniel said, pretending to glance upward for the nonexistent sign.

  Bonnie leaned forward, listening intently. “You think it was a sign from the universe that the two of you were meant to be?”

  Emma nodded. “I really do. There was really never anyone else for me but Daniel.”

  The angel nudged her gently. “Come on. You can't forget about Demetrius.”

  Emma blushed. “Demetrius was never my boyfriend. Besides, he and Begonia are perfectly happy together. It all worked out the way it should.”

  Bonnie clasped her hands in front of her heart. “I sure hope that's true. I want to believe it.”

  “Are you involved with someone?” Linnea asked.

  “I plead the fifth,” the nymph said. If Bonnie was involved with someone, her expression suggested that it wasn’t going well.

  “After my marriage ended, I thought I’d never be in another relationship,” Linnea said. “Then I met Rick and all bets were off.”

  “I bet he's different from your husband,” Bonnie said.

  “Night and day,” Linnea said. She strained to listen for any sounds of her children within earshot before continuing. “Wyatt was a cheating wereass. Charming and full of delicious sin, but a serial cheater nonetheless.”