The women came to stand in a circle around the reflection pool.
“Sacred Grove, we witches of Chancellor gather under your limbs and offer you our love and protection,” Betty called.
“Let no axe fall thee,” Violet added.
“Let no machine shake thee,” Dr. Franklin intoned.
“Let no man touch thee,” Mrs. Bradley said.
“We sweep mankind’s coveting eye away,” Tootie added then nodded to the girls.
“Forever protected may you be,” called the ladies as they began moving in a circle around the pool, sweeping the ground as they walked. “With love and magic, we protect these trees! With magic we entwine. With magic we enwind. With magic we bring here. Let no foulness enter here! So mote it be. Thank ye!”
And just like that, the women’s auxiliary of Chancellor, who were, apparently a secret coven, finished casting what appeared to be a protection spell on the little grove.
I sat there in stunned silence.
A moment later, the ladies relaxed and began clasping one another, hugging, offering kisses, and chatting about their next get-together.
Several ladies stopped to say good-bye, leaving one by one, until Violet, Tootie, and Betty remained.
“You see, nothing to it,” Tootie said.
“But who are you praying to? God? A witch goddess? The devil?”
At the last part, all three of them laughed. “The universe, my dear, is infinite in its love. We pray to love, to compassion, to gratitude. We evoke the mystery of love and magic, which is all. You should join us. You have the gift. Thank you again for the cupcakes. They worked splendidly,” she said, and with a wave, left me standing in the grove, alone once more.
Not wanting to see what might show up next under those trees, I headed across the street toward my new home. I went inside, flipping on the lights, then locked the door behind me.
“Honey, I’m home,” I called, jokingly, once more.
I was startled, however, when a stiff breeze blew in from the greenhouse, fluttering the cards in the recipe box which sat open on the counter. One of the cards jumped out and danced—as if a hand was pushing it—across the floor where it landed at my feet.
I bent to pick up the card.
Reading over the ingredients and the spell, I grinned. “Emma Jane, you’re a genius,” I called into the ether then headed into the kitchen.
Chapter 18: Horatio
“Stop fidgeting,” Viola chided. “Everything looks great.”
She was right. The lobby of the old theater had never looked more beautiful. Flower arrangements filled the place with the sweet scents of roses, carnations, and lilies. The brass on the bar glistened. The bartender served the well-dressed guests glass after glass of Blushing Grape wine. The aromas of butter and garlic filled the room. The chefs were preparing hors d'oeuvres for after the ceremony. A sweets display, which featured a cute little sign noting it was a “preview” of the reopening of Green Earth Apothecary and SerendipiTEA Gardens, was garnering a lot of attention. Town socialites and theater bugs munched on Julie’s sweets while we all waited for the ceremony to begin.
“It’s not that,” I said, distracted. I checked my watch again. No Julie. No Dad. Where was everyone? Clearly, Julie had been by, but where was she? My need for her to be there, for her strong presence, for her support, weighed on me. How was it someone I was just getting to know suddenly meant so much to me, occupied so much of my headspace?
“She’ll be back,” Viola whispered.
Of course Viola would figure it out. I grinned at her.
The door opened. It was the mayor. Great, now we’d definitely have to get started. He paused, shaking hands and chatting with everyone as he worked his way toward the theater doors.
“Here, let me fix your tie,” Viola said, turning me. Just like Mom might have done, Viola straightened my tie with a stiff jerk then adjusted the little grape leaf and purple rose corsage on my lapel.
“Easy,” I said lightly, but I noticed then that my voice seemed to echo over the crowd. The room had become silent.
We turned to find Dad standing in the doorway.
I hadn’t spoken to him since the night of The Grove meeting.
“Dad,” Viola called cheerfully. Passing me a knowing don’t get into it with him now look, Viola crossed the room and linked her arm in his.
Seeing that my dad wasn’t there to make a scene, the others started talking again.
“Hey,” someone said lightly, setting a soft hand on my shoulder.
I turned to find Julie standing there. She was wearing a stunning black dress, her hair pulled up into a loose bun at the back, her dreads wound loosely. She looked so beautiful.
“You look amazing,” I gasped.
She laughed. “You too. How long before you get started?”
I was just about to answer her when the theater lights dimmed. “Um, now.”
Julie nodded. “Okay, I’ll catch you after then,” she said then headed toward her sweets display. As I watched her go, I had to be mindful I was about to stand on stage in front of a hundred people. Admiring Julie’s curvy body even a second more could prove embarrassing for me.
“Ready dear?” Professor Lane asked then, looping her arm in mine. “When was the last time you were on this stage?”
“Peter Pan.”
“Oh, yes. You made a very convincing pirate.”
“I didn’t have any lines,” I replied.
Professor Lane laughed. “Really?”
“I was Tinker Bell,” Viola said from behind us. I looked back to see Viola gently guiding Dad into the theater. Maybe it was just my imagination, but he looked pale and thinner. The last few days, it seemed, had been hard on him. Viola said he hadn’t come into the office nor had he been by the restaurant. He just stayed at home. No one had even seen him.
“And you were stunning,” Professor Lane said, smiling at her. “We do need to get you back on the stage, my dear. Don’t you think so, Aaron? Viola always took after her mother. She’s a natural.”
My dad muttered something incomprehensible in assent.
“Let’s get you into place, shall we?” Professor Lane said. With that, she led me toward the stage. How many times had I sat beside my mother in those old theater seats as she directed work, watched a performance, or simply provided her expertise? Now I was there to honor her memory, and nothing made me feel sadder and more proud in the very same moment.
Chapter 19: Julie
I watched as the crowd entered the theater, the ushers shutting the doors behind them, then got to work.
A phone call to Viola had done the trick and soon I had the greenlight to put my plan in action. Working quickly and quietly, I set up my display. First, I set out the cupcake stands and strung the display with blue lights and grape vines. I then worked quickly pulling out the massive box of cupcakes I’d made that morning. The cupcakes, made from Blushing Grape Vineyard’s ice wine, Frozen Kisses, and sweetened with apricots, had turned out perfectly.
The bartender had already started setting out wine stands all around the room as the caterer prepared the rich feast of hors d’oeuvres that would follow the renaming ceremony. The chefs, who I soon discovered were students from the culinary school, worked at stations preparing bacon-wrapped scallops, duck foie gras, shrimp ceviche, stuffed squash blossoms, and a myriad of other culinary delights. With a little arm wrestling, my cupcakes were now the singular dessert at the event—and with reason. If I could get Aaron Hunter to taste one, everything in Horatio’s world had a chance to go back to right.