Chapter 19

Kade planned a perfect day date for him and Celeste. A surprise trip to the local apple orchard. He couldn’t wait to spend quality time with Celeste, away from the hustle and bustle of Whispering Pines. As they arrived at the orchard, the scent of ripe apples and cinnamon filled the air, and Celeste’s eyes sparkled with delight.

“Apple picking?” she exclaimed, clapping her hands together. “What a wonderful idea, Kade! I can’t remember the last time I did this.”

Kade grinned, handing her a basket. “Well, my love, today is all about making new memories together. And maybe, if we’re lucky, you’ll recall some of the old ones too.”

Hand in hand, they ventured into the orchard, the dappled sunlight filtering through the leaves and casting a golden glow on their path. They laughed and chatted as they plucked apples from the branches, their baskets gradually filling with the crisp, colorful fruit.

As Celeste reached for a particularly high apple, a sudden memory flashed through her mind. She gasped, nearly dropping her basket. “Kade!” she exclaimed, her eyes wide with excitement. “I remember a spell my grandmother taught me when I was a little girl. It was meant to call apples to you, so you wouldn’t have to climb the trees.”

Kade raised an eyebrow, intrigued. “Really? That sounds like a handy trick. Why don’t you give it a try?”

Celeste bit her lip, hesitating for a moment. “I’m not sure if I remember it correctly, but here goes nothing.” She closed her eyes, focusing her energy, and began to chant softly under her breath.

At first, nothing happened. But then, a gentle breeze picked up, rustling the leaves around them. Suddenly, apples began to detach themselves from the branches, floating through the air toward Celeste. Kade watched in amazement as the apples swirled around her, forming a vibrant, levitating orbit.

Celeste opened her eyes, laughing with pure joy as she realized the spell had worked. However, her laughter quickly turned to panic as more and more apples joined the throng, their numbers growing at an alarming rate. Soon, Celeste found herself surrounded by a veritable mountain of apples, the fruit piling up around her feet and threatening to bury her completely.

“Kade!” she cried out, half-laughing, half-pleading. “Help me! I think I overdid it with the spell.”

Kade, chuckling at the sight before him, waded through the sea of apples to reach his beloved. He wrapped his arms around her, plucking an apple from the top of her head and taking a playful bite. “Well, my love,” he teased, “it seems we won’t be running out of apples anytime soon.”

Together, they managed to gather the wayward apples into baskets, donating the excess to the orchard’s owners, who were both baffled and delighted by the sudden windfall. As the sun set, Kade and Celeste made their way home, their hearts full of laughter and love.

Later that evening, as they sat down to dinner, Celeste proudly presented a freshly baked apple pie, the tantalizing aroma filling their cozy kitchen. Kade grinned, cutting a generous slice for each of them. “Your magical mishaps certainly keep life interesting.”

Celeste laughed, leaning across the table to press a sweet kiss to his lips. “And I wouldn’t have it any other way. Though next time, maybe I’ll stick to picking apples the old-fashioned way.”

As they savored the warm, flaky pie and recounted the day’s events, Kade and Celeste knew these were the moments they would cherish forever—the laughter, the love, and the magic that bound them together, even in the midst of life’s most unexpected adventures.