Chapter 18

18

Harlow’s bodyhummed with excited nervous energy. How long had it been since she’d done anything as fun as a silly golf cart race? She honestly didn’t know, but it was much longer than her year of exile from Cash and ghost hunting. Even before that, she’d been so focused on her career that her idea of fun had been researching historically haunted locations and then deciding whether it was worth checking them out.

A chill washed over her, and she wrapped her arms around her body, trying to stave off the gooseflesh. Her life had solely revolved around her career and Cash. Even Imogen had been just a side character in her life. She wondered, if she’d been closer to her sister, if she’d have noticed sooner that something had been terribly off about her behavior before the spirit had managed to go through all of her resources. The guilt that had been eating away at her for months intensified.

The answer was staring her in the face.

Yes.

“Hanna? Can you set the countdown clock?” Wanda called, pulling Harlow out of her sudden maudlin thoughts.

Harlow shook her head, silently scolding herself for not staying in the moment. She was done worrying about the past. At least for the moment. Tonight was about connecting with the women of Keating Hollow and finally letting her hair down.

“On it!” Hanna called. The witch stepped out of the golf cart and raised her arms in the air. Magic suddenly crackled at her fingertips. With a determined look on her pretty face, she pointed at the river and called, “Goddess of the waters, help us set a clock. Count us down from three, so we can fly like bees.”

Everyone laughed at her silly spell. And when nothing happened, Wanda said, “Looks like the goddess isn’t super impressed with your spell work, Hanna.”

Hanna frowned. “I don’t know why that didn’t work.” She scrunched up her face in concentration and repeated the incantation, only this time she touched the pentacle pendant she wore around her neck with one hand and added, “So mote it be.”

Instantly, magic shot from her fingertips toward the water, and a spout of water shot up and hurtled toward the golf carts, already forming what looked like a digital clock with the number 3 in it.

It was an impressive bit of magic to be able to manipulate water like that. No wonder she’d needed the help of her pentacle. For trickier spells, it helped to harness the magic through a talisman.

“Remember! No rules!” Wanda called as the numbers counted down to one.

Both golf carts took off, speeding along the river as the women all let out cries of excitement. Immediately Hanna cast a spell, sending a cloud of rain over Wanda’s cart. The water rushed down, causing Wanda to curse under her breath when the visibility was reduced to nearly zero. She turned the windshield wipers on, but they were no match for the rain.

“I’ve got this!” Yvette called and sent a ball of fire right at the raincloud. It burst, and the rain dissipated.

Harlow was in awe as she watched Yvette, Brinn, Hanna, and Miranda fire off randomly harmless spells that would slow each of the golf carts down. There was everything from fog to lightning bugs and potholes to speed bumps.

“Show us what you’ve got, Harlow!” Wanda called over her shoulder. Harlow bit down on her bottom lip and racked her brain, trying to think of something. While she was a witch, her talent was in communicating with and banishing ghosts. She sure as heck wasn’t going to summon one. That was the last thing she’d do. But the thought of spirits gave her an idea. They often times showed up as light before they materialized. And when that happened, she could sometimes ward them off with a bolt of her own shimmering magic. She closed her eyes and imagined a celebration of sparkling light encircling Abby’s cart and then called, “Illuminate!”

Magic materialized and formed a ribbon of magical light that whipped around the other golf cart in a tornado fashion, causing them to come to a stop.

Wanda let out a whoop as she rounded a tree and passed the stopped golf cart.

It took the other team a few seconds to break Harlow’s spell, and Wanda put her fist in the air, already celebrating.

But a few yards before the finish line, colorful animated gnomes appeared and started dancing around Wanda’s golf cart. She swerved, doing her best not to hit any, but it slowed them way down.

Harlow blinked, taken completely off guard. Then she let out a loud laugh when she realized the spell had been cast by Imogen. She leaned forward and said, “Wanda, they aren’t real. Drive right through them. They’re an illusion.”

“Seriously?” Wanda glanced back over her shoulder, and when Harlow nodded, she tightened her grip on the steering wheel and powered on. But it was too late.

Abby’s golf cart shot forward, and the other team won the race by less than a foot.

The other team jumped out of their cart and started dancing around in celebration. Wanda and Yvette joined them, but Harlow sat in the back of Wanda’s golf cart, feeling uneasy. The air had suddenly gotten sticky, and the hair on her arms was standing up.

That meant one thing.

A ghost.

She held her breath, praying it wasn’t Crazy Cora. Without any thought, she automatically reached for her iron spike. Then she forced herself to leave it in place. If it was Cora, the spike wasn’t going to help. There was no need to brandish it and worry her sister. At least if it was a crazy ghost, she had an entire circle of witches who could help if needed.

“Can you see her?” Brinn asked.

Harlow startled, having not even realized that Brinn was still sitting next to her. “See who?”

“The spirit. You feel her, don’t you?”

“Yes. Do you?” Harlow asked.

“I saw her first.” Hanna gestured to the river, where an ethereal spirit was walking along the far bank with her face tilted toward the moon. “Then I felt you stiffen. Don’t worry, she’s harmless. All she ever does is wander under the moonlight.”

Harlow stared at the spirit in curiosity. “Do you know who she is?”

“Sure. That’s Willa Keating. She’s one of the town’s founders,” Brinn said.

“And she just roams the river?” Harlow asked. “Never goes anywhere else?”

“Not that I’m aware of. I’ve never seen her anywhere else.”

Harlow nodded. “I see.” Then she tore her gaze from the spirit. “You’re a medium, too?”

She gave Harlow a whisper of a smile and nodded. “I obviously knew you were. My husband and I used to watch your show all the time before you decided to step away. Can’t say I blame you. Dealing with hostile spirits is draining in the extreme.”

Harlow felt an instant connection with Brinn. It wasn’t often that she met another medium who didn’t want to pick her brain or talk endlessly about her show. All of them seemed to want their own show, and most wanted Harlow to help them get it. Brinn wasn’t giving off any of that kind of energy.

“I wonder what made her appear,” Brinn said, staring at Willa.

“Is it unusual for her to appear?”

“Yes. Usually only on the solstice or when the veil is thin to the spirit world.

Harlow felt a wave of unease wash over her, and she wondered if she was the reason the spirit had appeared.

Just as she had the thought, Imogen let out a loud laugh, and the spirit turned in her direction.

Harlow stared, wondering why the spirit was focused on her sister. Was she drawn to her? And if so, why? As Imogen’s laughter died down, the spirit slowly started to fade into the ether. Harlow blinked and Willa was gone. She glanced at the last place she saw the spirit and then to her sister.

Imogen was chatting with the ladies of Keating Hollow, getting information for her wedding planning business. There wasn’t anything out of the ordinary. But still, Harlow couldn’t help feeling like she was missing something. She just didn’t know what.

“Harlow, Brinn, get over here,” Wanda called. “Abby brought chocolate.”

“Can’t resist that,” Brinn said as she climbed out of the golf cart. “Are you coming?”

Harlow nodded. “Definitely.

A couple hours later, as Harlow and Imogen waved to Wanda when she dropped them off in front of the Incantation Café, Harlow’s heart felt full. She’d gotten to know a few of the ladies of Keating Hollow, but this was the first time she’d really felt like she was part of the community and not just the bartender who kept the drinks coming.

Harlow hit the key fob to unlock the doors of her Subaru and then took her place behind the wheel. Imogen follow suit and was smiling to herself as she settled into the passenger seat.

“Did you have a good time?” Harlow asked as she backed out of the parking space.

“Yeah. Who knew golf cart races were so brutal?”

They both laughed.

“Nice one with the gnomes. I had no idea that spell was going to come in handy so quickly,” Harlow said as she pulled out onto the two-lane road that headed back to their house.

“Right?” Imogen said with a smile. “Hanna said breakfast is on her the next time I’m at the café. Which, coincidentally, is going to be tomorrow because she said I can pick her brain about wedding vendors.”

Harlow returned her smile. “That’s really nice of her.”

“I thought so, too.” Imogen let out a contented sigh. “You know what, Harlow?”

“What’s that, Gen?”

“I think getting laid off and being forced to move to Keating Hollow may have been the best thing that could’ve happened. Thanks for the bedroom and for hooking me up with your friends. I really appreciate it.”

Harlow had to swallow the lump in her throat as emotion threatened to overwhelm her. It had been so long since she’d seen her sister happy, much less happy with anything that Harlow had done. She’d almost forgotten what this easiness between them had felt like. She reached over and squeezed her sister’s hand briefly and, in a slightly gruff voice, said, “You’re welcome.”