Bewitching Blend (A Paramour Bay Cozy Paranormal Mystery Book 2) Read online

  “From their savings? Maybe an inheritance?” I couldn’t help but smile as I grabbed my purse and the folder I’d worked on all night from underneath the counter. Pretty soon, these two ladies were going to announce that the mayor was an alien from another galaxy. It was a good thing they had no idea that the Marigolds didn’t just dabble in herbal homeopathic remedies…we were the real deal. “Elsie and Wilma, Oliver and Alison are in their…what? Mid-sixties? I’m sure they’ve saved up some of their hard-earned money to enjoy their later years.”

  “Oliver said he took on the treasurer position to have something to do in his retirement,” Elsie exclaimed, as if she were shocked that anyone would do such a thing.

  “Then you should be happy for his selfless service to our community,” I pointed out, wishing they didn’t always think the worst of people. “You shouldn’t be implying or creating tales about him stealing money from the town. Audits happen all the time as a way to discourage such behavior.”

  I don’t know. They might have a point. Have you seen the minivan that Alison Bend is driving? That thing is loaded to the gills.

  Elsie and Wilma began to protest their innocence, given my subtle reprimand at their immediate judgement of a resident who was free to spend his own money as he saw fit. On the other hand, I was grateful they hadn’t set their sights on me. I was also thankful that neither one of these ladies could hear Leo. He has a tendency to be a bit dramatic himself.

  I am not dramatic.

  “Would you like us to walk with you over to the inn?” Elsie asked, seemingly having forgotten that Wilma had spent whatever energy she had left buying the tea. I had no doubt that the elderly woman would feel better come morning with the help from the bewitching blend I’d created yesterday evening. “It’s been a while since we’ve spoken with Gertie.”

  “Now Elsie, you just want to get a glimpse of those auditors and maybe be in a position to overhear what they have to say in regard to their reason for being here. I’m sure the audit is just standard procedure.” I followed her and Wilma to the door before realizing that I’d forgotten my winter coat in the back room. “I appreciate the offer of company, but I think it’s best that I take this meeting by myself. Besides, you really should get Wilma home and make her some of that tea. It wouldn’t hurt for you to have a cup, as well. You never know.”

  Elsie regarded Wilma with a critical eye, but it wasn’t like she could ignore her friend’s red nose and puffy eyes.

  “I need to grab my jacket, so you two go on ahead. Enjoy your tea.”

  Maybe they shouldn’t leave quite yet.

  Leo was usually snarky, so it was rare he used an apprehensive tone that had me stopping in my tracks. I spared a hesitant glance his way to find that he’d tilted his head, almost as if he were smelling the air for…danger?

  I’m not sure, Leo answered me with a rather serious connotation.

  His uncertainty had that intense burning in the palm of my hand that I had yet to figure out. I’d noticed the sensation the evening of my thirtieth birthday, but a lot had happened that night that I’d rather not get into right now.

  You don’t feel the electricity in the air?

  By this time, Elsie and Wilma had vacated the shop. Their exit had let the cold breeze come in off the street. The black turtleneck I wore with my emerald green and black flowing skirt had done nothing to prevent goosebumps from breaking out all over my skin.

  Was I simply cold or was I picking up the menacing force Leo seemed to catch with his slightly off-kilter nose?

  My nose is fine, thank you.

  It wasn’t, but it was better to just go along with him.

  “Leo, I’m not picking up anything unusual.” I walked away from him before he could criticize the pace at which I was learning witchcraft. I was liable to disparage his ability as an instructor. That would only lead into another argument that I didn’t have time for. “I’m late for my meeting. And seeing as this tea shop allows us to stay afloat, I’d best get moving.”

  It wasn’t long before I’d shrugged into my new dress coat that Mindy had convinced me to buy the other day. I locked the front door of the tea shop after I’d stepped outside. I made sure my handmade sign was front and center, telling any potential customers that I would only be gone a half hour at most.

  I stopped at the display window, ignoring the cold temperatures as I stared back at Leo. He’d moved from his spot and was now standing on all four paws. His ears were well-spanned apart, as if he were listening for something only he could hear.

  I wished he’d chosen another day to do this to me. It wasn’t fair that his odd behavior was leaving me worried that something might happen out of my control.

  I deserved a little bit of peace and quiet, right?

  I’d had a lot thrown at me in the short time I’d arrived in Paramour Bay, and I’d like to think I’d handled it with grace. My life had finally settled into a wonderful routine. I was making friends, the shop had a steady stream of business, and my mother was becoming used to the idea that I’d moved away from the city and was following along in the family traditions.

  No, I wasn’t going to let Leo’s behavior worry me. He was more dramatic than those soap operas Elsie and Wilma made time to watch every afternoon while complaining that Paramour Bay wasn’t nearly as exciting as those storylines on television.

  I purposefully turned away from the display window and continued to walk down the sidewalk as I tucked the folder underneath my arm. My gloves were in my right pocket, so I quickly pulled them out and drew one of them over my still-tingling palm.

  Ignorance was bliss, right?

  Well, I could be the queen of ignorance.

  Nothing was going to ruin my day or my upcoming first big sale.

  Chapter Two

  “Gertie, it’s nice to finally meet you in person.”

  I meant every word of what I said, however it did take me a minute to get over my initial shock at her appearance. From the sound of the woman’s voice on the phone, I was expecting someone in her mid-sixties.

  Gertie Watson had to be well into her nineties, if not…well, many years older.

  I made a mental note to ask Elsie and Wilma just how old the woman really was, considering she could have retired long before I was born. Truthfully, I was afraid she was going to lose her balance and fall to the ground due to her frail appearance.

  Running any kind of business was rather strenuous, let alone a bed and breakfast where meals had to be prepped and served throughout the day, linens had to be laundered, and boarders and their accommodations needed attention from a well-trained staff daily. It made me tired just imagining all that went into keeping this establishment functioning effectively each and every day, let alone all those operations being supervised by woman who couldn’t walk unassisted.

  “Come in, dear.” Gertie’s cane shook as she slowly—and I mean slowly—turned away from the large seating area. Astonishingly, there wasn’t a strand of grey hair out of place. I expected the interior to smell of mildew after seeing the woman’s knotted hands, but there was a sweet flowery scent that was rather welcoming. “I was just overseeing the lunch preparations. I run a tight ship around here.”

  I was glad she’d prefaced the lunch preparations with the word overseeing. It was as if I could literally feel the arthritis settling into my joints at the thought of such physical labor three times a day, plus the additional chores that couldn’t go ignored.

  It was then it hit me as if I’d been jaywalking in New York City and a taxi cab had come out of nowhere and knocked me twenty feet into the air—my Nan had to be somehow responsible for Gertie’s extraordinarily good health.

  “I’ll give you a tour of our little B&B in a bit, after we’ve concluded our business.”

  “I’d love that, Gertie,” I replied sincerely, thinking of all the practice I’d get with Nan’s spell book in the coming weeks. Were all the tea blends bewitched with a health and anti-aging enchantment or did Gertie g
et a special concoction straight from the spigot, so to speak? “What is that fragrance I smell? It’s so…welcoming.”

  Okay. That wasn’t the best adjective I could come up with, but the sweet scent did make me want to stay here forever. It was like walking through a field of wildflowers on a warm, sunny day with a faint refreshing breeze. My reaction truly was a contradiction.

  You have to understand that the bed and breakfast resembled one of those New England haunted manors in those old budget horror movies that had a person tossing popcorn into the air when something went bump in the night. I expected there to be cobwebs in every corner, creaks shrilling out with every step, or some hidden passageway revealed with a flip of a lever.

  And here I thought my overactive imagination had been tamed after the past few months of anything but a mundane routine. Although, I was a witch…with a legacy running all the way back to the first Connecticut witch trials. Maybe I’d been expecting too much from my first big business meeting.

  I continued to follow Gertie through the spacious area where the walls were lined with rich wood, antique furniture that could have come out of the early 1920s, and ancient Oriental silk area rugs that most likely cost more than all the items in the quaint stores along Main Street, including my tea shop.

  The B&B was basically a historic two-story Cape Cod Gothic manor on the main thoroughfare coming into town across from the oddly located wax museum.

  I know what you’re thinking.

  A wax museum in such a small town?

  I found it oddly strange as well, but apparently my Nan helped out the institution through donations from time to time. I’d yet to hear who owned the place, but I’m sure they’ll reach out to me come tax season or when they wanted to renew Nan’s previous financial agreement with me.

  Sorry.

  I’m getting off topic.

  Anyway, this historic home had been in Gertie’s family for many generations. The inn had made several appearances in architectural and home décor magazines over the years, generating interest here and there from travelers all around the world.

  Let’s face it. Paramour Bay only had three hundred and fifty-four residents. Technically, the figure was three hundred and fifty-five if I counted myself. My point was that the town didn’t get many strangers milling about River Bay, which was the main road in and out of town.

  “Ms. Gertie, you have a beautiful place here,” I said sincerely, wanting to keep the conversation flowing as we leisurely continued to walk toward the kitchen. It was hard for me not to put my hand on her arched back to ensure that she didn’t fall, but she appeared to be a very prideful woman. “The traditional tapestry patterns etched on the furniture are absolutely stunning.”

  “Why, thank you, Raven. I was just telling Alison that it might be time to change things up a bit. My guests seem to get younger and younger as the years pass me by.”

  Alison? As in Oliver Bend’s wife? Once again, I somehow managed to keep a straight face as the large kitchen came into view, revealing a woman who could only be Alison Bend. What were the odds? As far as I knew, there was no other Alison who resided in our small town.

  What could she possibly be doing here at the inn?

  I expected to hear Leo say something witty, but he was most likely scouring the streets for whatever had his whiskers tied in a knot today.

  “Raven Marigold?” Alison stepped forward with a big smile on her face. No overt shadow of guilt was present that would even ever so slightly suggest she and her husband had done something to warrant the audit that was being conducted. She actually appeared to be a genuinely nice woman. “I’m Alison Bend. We haven’t had a chance to meet you since your arrival, but your grandmother was a pillar of our community.”

  I take back my assessment.

  Alison couldn’t be that nice if she were willing to lie right to my face. Nan had been one of those women who others would call unique or distinctive. It hadn’t been because she was a witch, but more so for her ability to be very direct. I was somewhat the same way, but I’d managed to curb that distinctive quality as it had a habit of upsetting the locals.

  “It’s nice to meet you, as well.” I had taken off my coat and gloves in the front foyer, having plenty of time to hang my winter jacket on the antique coat rack. There had only been one hook left, which told me that the auditors were most likely in their rooms awaiting the noon meal. From my understanding, they’d only arrived in town today. They probably wouldn’t be starting the audit until tomorrow morning. “Do you drink tea? You’ll have to stop by the shop sometime.”

  “I usually only drink tea when I’m under the weather, but Gertie has just made us some Chai tea that is absolutely delicious,” Alison praised a little too much, letting me know that she was trying to make an impression. She didn’t need to do that, but her reasoning became clear when she continued the conversation. “I can’t begin to tell you how generous your grandmother has been to the town’s wax museum. She was always…”

  A ringing sound set up residence in my ears and drowned out the rest of what Alison had to say about the odd institution located right at the city limit line. How could Leo not have told me that Alison Bend owned the wax museum? I’d mentioned numerous times how peculiar I found my Nan’s interest in such a strange enterprise in such a small town.

  Oh, that’s right.

  I forgot to mention that Leo has short-term memory loss from the dark magic my Nan had dabbled in to keep him on this earth beyond his natural time to help me transition into becoming a witch. Necromancy wasn’t a sphere many white witches spent much time studying. That might serve to explain Leo’s appearance.

  Trust me, it wasn’t easy going from being an average human being to having the ability to cast spells.

  “Anyway, I’d love a chance to sit down with you before the end of the year to talk about what continuing Rosemary’s practice of making generous donations could do for the museum.”

  I smiled, unsure of how I was going to get out of this sour-pickled situation I’d found myself in. The shop had basically been closed for two weeks after Nan had passed away, so I was making up for lost time in the profit area. It also didn’t help that I’d had to overcome a steep learning curve about tea leaves and how delicate a procedure it could be to get just the right blend.

  Now would probably be a good time to mention that I’m a die-hard coffee drinker. I mean, I lived for the stuff when I resided in the city. Technically, I still do. The only one in town who knew of my dark roast secret was Liam. Sheriff Drake, to jog your memory. I still get warm all over at the memory of him actually bringing me a cup of coffee on my birthday. The man was certainly considerate, if nothing else.

  “Raven,” Gertie said somewhat in a bemused tone. She scooted her cane and slip-on shoes sluggishly until she could get a good look at me. “I just realized that your name starts with an R. I always thought it was coincidence with your grandmother and mother.”

  “The women in my family seem to have an odd sense of humor in that department,” I admitted with an awkward laugh, still unsure what to make of Alison’s presence. Why was she here? Had Oliver sent his wife to spy on the auditors? “I’m still discovering my lineage, but my great-grandmother’s name was Rowena. Then came my Nan, Rosemary. And, of course, my mother’s name is Regina.”

  “Will you continue the tradition?” Gertie’s question seemed rather out of place considering I hadn’t had a date since moving to Paramour Bay. Her intense interest had me gripping the strap of my oversized bag I still had slung over my shoulder. “When you have children at some point, of course.”

  “I guess that would depend on my husband’s level of forbearance.” That answer should suffice, right? For some reason, I got the impression that Gertie was referencing the fact that neither my Nan or my mother had ever married. It was definitely time to change the subject. “Alison, will you be joining us to go over the B&B’s annual order?”

  “Oh, I was just picking up my granddaughter. He
r car is in the shop. Leaky radiator.”

  As if they’d choreographed the next scene, a young girl with long blonde hair appeared from literally out of nowhere.

  “Gertie, I’m going to go ahead and set out the fruit platters.” She was young, maybe around twenty years of age. I’d never seen her before, but she did resemble Alison. “The finger sandwiches are also ready to go, but I won’t put those trays out until you’ve taken a look at their presentation.”

  Gertie must really run a tight ship, and I could appreciate that given how many years she’d dedicated her life to her profession. She wanted it perfect. I understood her need to strive for excellence.

  Let’s face it. Nothing was worse than being the pariah of town.

  Somehow, Alison was triggering my insecurities that I’d thought I’d been able to vanquish over the past two months.

  “Thank you, Kimmie.” Gertie motioned for me to take a seat at the large kitchen table that could have easily sat ten, though I’d seen a formal table twice this size out in the dining room. “Raven, please have a seat. I won’t be but a second.”

  I wasn’t so sure that was true, given that each step Gertie managed to take with her cane was at least thirty seconds each. I also didn’t want to be alone with Alison, but it appeared that I didn’t have much of a choice. It was easier for me to concentrate on pulling out the folder I’d brought with me that included a list of special tea blends she’d ordered in the past. Hopefully, Gertie would agree with the amount and price for these same items, and then I could be on my way.

  “You’re Raven Marigold,” Kimmie said, not having followed Gertie to the other side of the kitchen and out of sight. The young girl’s inquisitive gaze only added to my discomfort. “You’re the one who moved here from New York City.”