8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

R ight at this moment, Olivia was okay. Not good. Not great. Just okay. But considering how out of sorts she had been over the last few days and her magic still acting of its own accord, she could appreciate a moment where she wasn’t making flowers sprout everywhere or flinging ingredients at her best friend.

The weather was really starting to cool down and that helped a lot. The leaves on the trees that lined Main Street were just beginning to change from green to hues of red, yellow, and orange. This was her time of year, the time when she felt most connected to her magic. It was around this time six years ago that she and Daniel had first arrived in town. She had always thought it was a sign that good things happened this time of year.

But then Draven happened. And she’d started to question that belief. It pissed her off, the fact that he could take that joy away from her.

Not even the fact that it was once again Friday did much to cheer her up. But she supposed she should count her blessings.

She had seen Draven every day this past week and each interaction was pleasant. Nice even. She was beginning to look forward to seeing him standing out on his porch or going to the mailbox every morning. Somewhere over the last week, he had become part of her routine.

That only annoyed her more. It was nearing impossible to dislike the man. He was always in a good mood and he always looked happy to see her. Even when she was glaring at him from her own porch while clutching a cup of coffee and sporting some serious bedhead, it would be so much easier if he was rude or mean or walked around with a scowl on his face. If anything, this whole experience was showing her that life would be so much easier if the evil people of the world looked the part.

They should all have one of those mustaches they could twirl around their finger.

Daniel was thrilled. To him, Draven was like a shiny new toy. Most evenings they would be on their knees in his backyard, planting flowers or vegetables while Daniel peppered Draven with question after question.

Under her watchful eye, of course.

Draven was taking it all in stride, answering every question with kindness and patience. It made her happy to see her son happy.

But each night, when she was alone with her thoughts, the fear would creep in.

Was she a bad mother for letting her son get close to Draven? Was it foolish of her to feel a little bit of joy when she saw them together?

Yes. That was the easy answer. Because no matter how nice he was to her and her son, he was still a liar and he was still hiding a potentially dangerous secret. Each time he dodged a question or wouldn’t look her in the eye, she was reminded of that fact and it was that reminder that kept her spying on him.

Each night she cast the reflection spell, the guilt gnawing at her. She justified by telling herself over and over that it was for the safety of the town. The guilt did not abate. Each night she watched him read, watch TV, and write, though she never got a look at what he was writing. Maybe at some point, she could try and sneak a peek at it. There was no spell she could think of that would help her do this. But there had to be something.

There were so many things to consider here. The worst thing about all of it was the crippling uncertainty, that maybe Draven did not mean them any harm. That maybe the secrets he was keeping were harmless. That maybe she could give him a chance. That was the scariest thing of all. Hope.

So, in the light of day, she clamped it down, not letting the feeling take root. No matter how much she might want it to.

In the light of day, she could pretend all was well, which meant that she was feeling okay.

The problem? Jill would not let it go, the idea that Draven had now become a permanent part of their lives. She was currently bursting Olivia’s short-lived moment of peace by asking the same question she had been asking for days.

“Why can’t you just admit that you like him? That you feel something for him other than suspicion and wariness?”

She shook her head. “It doesn’t matter how I feel. I know he’s hiding something. You can’t tell me you don’t feel it too.”

Jill sighed. “You know I do. We all do and we’ve told you that over and over again. But maybe, whatever he’s hiding is not what we think. Maybe there’s a good reason he’s keeping it quiet. Everyone has a right to their secrets, Liv. I would think that you, of all people, could understand that, feeling the need to keep a part of yourself secret. Besides, he’s been here two weeks now and nothing bad has happened.”

“That’s not the point and maybe he does have a right to his secrets. But we also have every right to make sure those secrets can’t hurt us. I can’t just ignore the fact that he continues to lie right to my face—any time I bring up him coming to town. Every time I allude to knowing he’s not being truthful, he shuts me down. Or redirects. I can’t get past that.”

“No,” Jill snapped, her tone growing heated. “You won’ t get past that. You won’t even try because you automatically assume the worst. You said he told you he’s trying to protect his family. That’s something I know you can understand.”

“It’s not the same. This is our home, Jill. Mine and Daniel’s and yours. And everyone we love. I’m not willing to risk it. Why are you?”

Jill would not look her in the eye. “Let’s talk about it when Parker gets here, okay?”

They made their way upfront and to the table that was reserved on Fridays for Olivia and her friends. They always had coffee and chocolate cake. It was Parker’s favorite, and they caught up on each other’s lives. They talked about all the things they didn’t have the chance to during Wednesday night dinners with their family.

It usually consisted of Jill gushing about how sweet Malcolm was. Parker would go on about whatever spell she’d created that week. Olivia would brag about how well Daniel was doing in school or just how great of a kid he was in general. It was just the three of them living their lives together. She looked forward to it every week.

“I swear Friday could not have come soon enough,” Parker said as she pushed through the front door. She shed her coat and then grabbed a cup of coffee before sliding into her usual seat.

She and Jill took the two remaining chairs. Olivia did not waste any time.

“Alright, Jill, Parker is here now. Tell me what’s going on.”

Parker glanced between the two of them. “What’s going on?”

Jill grimaced. “Olivia wants to know why she seems to be the only one concerned about Draven’s presence in town. Even though she’s totally interested in him.”

Olivia glared at her.

“Sorry,” she said, throwing her hands in the air. “I admit that was uncalled for.”

“Will someone please just tell me?” Olivia asked.

Parker glanced at her and cleared her throat. “My abuelita had one of her feelings. About Draven. About you and Draven specifically.”

Both her friends had the good grace to look guilty.

“You both knew?”

They nodded.

Embarrassment welled up inside her. It made sense now why she was the only one on edge about Draven.

Parker’s abuelita was a town matriarch directly descended from one of the three original families that founded Addersfield. She had helped the three friends out a lot over the years as they took on the duties of the witches before them. She was known to be psychic, though she claimed there was no such thing. To her, they were just feelings. But everyone knew better than to ignore her premonitions. They were never wrong.

“Please don’t be mad, Liv,” Parker begged.

She slumped forward, head in her hands. An arm came to rest on her shoulder. The scent of jasmine reached her nose. Jill.

“Please, Liv. Just hear us out.”

Sitting up, she looked at the faces of her friends. Concern. Worry. For her.

“I’m not mad. I’m just; I don’t know? Embarrassed, I guess and a little upset that Rosa wouldn’t just tell me this herself. I trust you guys and I know you both would never do anything to hurt me. But being kept out of the loop just brings back bad memories, you know? Reminds me of when I was the kid in school who got excluded because I walked funny. I know it sounds stupid because you guys are my best friends. But, ugh. Never mind.”

Parker grabbed her hand. “Hey. It’s not stupid. You’re allowed to feel however you want to feel. You know you don’t have to pretend with us. We felt terrible about keeping it from you and Rosa wanted to tell you right away. We asked if we could. If it helps, we were going to tell you today, I swear. We just wanted to give you some time to get to know Draven on your own.”

“What did your abuelita have to say?”

“The day Draven came to town, remember how you felt?”

She nodded. “Yeah. There was something in the air that day. Like something important was going to happen.”

“Right,” Parker continued. “We all felt it too. That night, Abuelita asked me about you. She said she had a feeling that Draven would be important to you. That we should help you get to know him.”

“That’s it? She didn’t say why he was here? Or what he might know about us having magic?”

“All she said was that him being here meant good things.”

Good things? What the hell did that mean?

“I don’t understand. Why wouldn’t she have said anything when I asked her two weeks ago? Or this past Wednesday? I don’t get it.”

Parker leaned towards her. “She didn’t want to influence your thoughts or feelings. She didn’t want you to not feel how you were feeling. Just because she has these feelings does not mean it’s 100 percent accurate. You know that. We don’t understand it either, Liv. At least not completely. You know this kind of thing is never clear. But we do trust it. So, when we saw that you and Draven might actually be into each other, we figured we’d just let it play out. We’ve all been keeping an eye on him, though. We always know where he is and what he’s doing.”

She wanted to believe that. So far, Draven had been nothing but kind. He was respectful of her boundaries where Daniel was concerned and she liked spending time with him. He was serious, but not in a patronizing way. When she was able to make him laugh with one of her sarcastic comments, she felt so good, like maybe if she showed him some kindness, he would open up to her.

But she didn’t even know if he deserved that kindness. Her heart was at war with her head. She couldn’t let her guard down. She shouldn’t.

And yet …

“What about protecting the town, you guys? What about the fact that we’re witches? The fact that we have magic? That sometimes we put spells in our food. And spy on people. Or how about the fact that this whole town is protected by magic? How could I ever explain all that to him?”

Jill sighed. “We don’t know. Maybe you won’t have to explain all of that to him. But we’re just saying, if you want to try, we’ve got your back. We know it’s only been a couple of weeks. But it just feels right, you know?

She did know. From the moment she first laid eyes on Draven, things felt right, even if she didn’t want to admit it. It was like the universe was waiting for them to meet. Being a witch meant you took those kinds of feelings seriously.

“I hear you guys,” she admitted. “I really appreciate the support and I will consider everything you said, I promise. But you all have to promise me, no more secrets.”

They both smiled, nodding and vocalizing their consent.

Then Jill’s eyes bugged out, glancing over Olivia’s shoulder. “Speak of the devil,” she mumbled.

Olivia turned around to see Draven walking through the door. Her face warmed. He had been coming in once a day, ordering a large coffee and a glazed donut. He was officially a regular. But was he also here to see her? The idea of it sent butterflies fluttering in her stomach.

She glanced at her two best friends. Both of them were wearing shit-eating grins.

“Go talk to him, Liv,” Jill whispered.

“What? No!”

Parker leaned in. “Maybe things will feel a little different for you now that you know what my abuelita thinks. Just go and talk to him.”

Or she could use the knowledge to her advantage. Her friends wanted her to give him a chance? She would. But not for the reasons they wanted. Because she still wasn’t ready to admit her feelings. For now, she would stick to her original plan.

Her eyes met his as he walked towards the counter. Offering him a soft smile, she rose from her chair and walked towards him and then around the other side to take his order. Her eyes staying on his the entire time. It felt like he was saying so much with one look. Like he wanted her to figure him out.

God, she was trying.

Just breathe, Olivia. You can do this.

“You again,” he joked as he leaned against the counter.

“Yup, it’s me. Just the owner of this place. Your friendly neighborhood baker. Who would have thought I’d be here?”

“Who would have thought? Well, I'm here for my usual order. I’ve become quite the cliché,” he said, shaking his head.

“Coffee and a glazed donut?”

He laughed. “Yeah. You knowing my order officially makes me a regular, right?”

“I guess it does. Well, that and the fact that you’ve been coming in here every morning for the past two weeks. You must really like the coffee here.” She went to grab a cup for his coffee when she realized she had brought her cup of tea from the table along with her and she was still holding it. Apparently, his presence sucked up all of her brainpower.

“Among other things.”

Her cheeks heated—smooth bastard. With a sheepish smile, she set the cup next to her on the counter and poured some coffee into his cup before grabbing him a donut.

“Before you go,” she said as she handed him the items, “there’s something I wanted to ask you.” She leaned forward, resting her chin on her hand, eyes wide and beseeching locked on his.

“What’s that?”

“Would you like to go on a date with me?”

She waited with bated breath for his answer. She was expecting him to say no right away. But his eyes had flicked over to the cup next to her elbow. She glanced over to see what had gotten his attention and froze.

The spoon in her cup of tea was stirring itself.

Shit.

Her other hand was fidgeting while they talked. That’s what must have done it. Dammit. Normally a witch needed a spell to wield magic. But during times of heightened emotion, things could just happen. Like all the damn flowers she kept sprouting.

He had definitely noticed this. Had he also noticed all the flowers around her house? She could hardly ask him. She should have been paying more attention just now. Maybe she could just play it off.

“Draven,” she tried.

His eyes snapped to hers. “Yes? Sorry, what were you saying?”

“I asked if you wanted to go on a date with me?”

His eyes flicked quickly back to the cup where the stirring had now stopped and back to her again. His eyes looked bright, almost triumphant. That was odd. She would have expected fear or surprise. She tried not to let hope take hold of her heart.

“Oh, uh … Yes. Yeah. I’d love to. Tonight?”

She nodded her head slowly. “Tomorrow night, actually. If that works for you? Eight? You can pick me up at my place.”

He grinned at her. “Sounds great. But I get to plan the evening. Is that okay?”

That surprised her. “Umm. Yeah, sure.”

“I’ll see you later then. Thanks for uh …” he trailed off, holding up his coffee cup before stepping outside.

He hadn’t added any cream or sugar to his coffee like he usually did. Which meant he was distracted. Shit. Maybe she’d officially scared him off for good. But then why would he have agreed to go on a date with her?

She rushed back over to the table. “Guys! Draven just saw me doing magic.”

“What, how?” Jill asked, while Parker blinked in surprise.

“It was my damn tea,” she said, gesturing to the now probably lukewarm cup of tea still sitting on the counter. “The spoon started stirring itself.”

“Classic,” Jill said, not bothering to hide her chuckle.

“Not helping, Jill,” Olivia snapped. “I’m worried that I won’t be able to keep things under control around him.”

Jill rolled her eyes. “Oh, come on, Liv. You could totally play it off if he asks about it. Or you could use this as an opportunity.”

“How do you mean?”

“Well. We all agree that Draven probably already knows about magic, right? It’s the only thing that really makes sense, even if he doesn’t know about the protection spell. So, this could be your opening. Like hey, Draven. I know you saw that thing with my teacup earlier. Well, I’m a witch and I have magic. Now, tell me what you know about it.”

“Jill,” Parker groaned. “That’s ridiculous. Right, Liv?”

Olivia paused. The wording was all wrong. But the idea wasn’t terrible. He seemed unsurprised by the display of magic. Maybe even excited. So maybe she could mention it on their date tonight.

“Okay,” she said with a smile. “Maybe you’re on to something. So, I’ll tell you what; I’ll feel Draven out on our date tomorrow. Try to see how he would respond if I did bring up magic. I think it’ll be my best chance.”

“Date!” Jill all but squawked. “You asked him out?”

“I did. For tomorrow night at eight. Though he might not show up now.”

Parker grinned. “Liv, that’s great. I can’t wait to tell my abuelita. Don’t worry! He agreed to the date even after what he saw. That means he likes you.”

Olivia shrugged. “I guess that’s true. Or he just wants to get close to me to make sure what he saw really happened and then he’ll run far, far away.”

“Wow,” Jill said, her face deadpan. “Way to ruin the fun. It’s going to be fine. I know it’s hard. But try to see this as a good thing, okay? He likes you. So, where are you going anyway?” Jill asked. “You know, since you pulled that date out of your ass.”

“I don’t know, actually. He said he would plan it.”

Parker looked at her, brow furrowed. “On such short notice?” Her mouth moved into a full-on smirk. “You know what? I bet that boy has been waiting to ask you out and you beat him to the punch. He probably already had something planned.”

The idea made her heart flutter. “You think?”

There was that pesky thing called hope again. She could pretend that this date was all business. But in her heart, it was so much more.

“Oh, I do and I can’t wait to hear all about it,” Parker said, clapping her hands. “Now, let’s get down to business. The Fall Festival is in just two short weeks people, and we have got a lot of work to do. How are you both doing with your lists? Jill, everything on track with the booths and games?”

“Yes, ma’am. We’ve got all your classics: bean bag toss, ring toss, balloons darts, and we’ve got face painting and the corn maze as well this year.”

Parker scanned her checklist. “I’m good on decorations. Lots of twinkling lights and paper lanterns. Hay bales, pumpkins, buckets of apples, etcetera.”

Olivia tuned them out. Her nerves were taking over again. She hadn’t been on a date in such a long time. Never mind the fact that Draven had seen her doing magic. Even if she was kind of excited, she was also very nervous.

How was she supposed to tell Draven about her magic? Because now it seemed like she might have to do just that, if she expected him to share his secrets with her. The last time she told someone, it hadn’t gone well. Maybe it was a little unfair to hold her past experiences against him. But then again, maybe not. She didn’t owe him anything and where romantic relationships were concerned, life had not been kind to her.

But she also wanted to be prepared for anything. So, she had to consider every angle here. Like, did knowing what Rosa said really cancel out the fact that they still weren’t sure what Draven was doing in town and what he might be up to?

Probably not.

But she did like him, more than she was willing to admit. She was sure he liked her too, and Daniel. Why else would he have spent every night during the past week with the two of them?

Her head said it might be the world’s best cover. Her heart whispered something else. She just had to decide which one to listen to.

“Olivia, did you hear what I said?” Parker asked.

“I’m sorry, what?”

She laughed. “I asked how things were going with the food?”

“Oh, right. Sorry. Guess I spaced out for a minute. Food. Well, everyone from the diner will be there to help out. I spoke to Emily and Ian a few days ago. It’ll be just the basics though: burgers, hot dogs, corn on the cob, and chili too, I think?”

Jill chimed in. “Yeah, I’ve been coordinating with them. We’ll have all of that. I’ll be making my cider donuts too. We’ll also have cookies, brownies, and cupcakes.”

“How about on your end, Liv?”

“All good. I’m making all of my best stuff. Churros, horchata, Mexican hot chocolate, and Janella said she would get me her recipe for pan dulce.”

“Oh, I have it right here,” Parker said, sliding a sheet of notebook paper over to her.

“Perfect, thank you. This will be my first year making them. I hope I do them justice.”

“I'm sure they’re gonna taste great. Mama is happy she doesn’t have to do it this year. Alright, that takes care of the festival part,” Parker said, smiling. “Let’s get to the fun part.”

Jill laughed. “You’re like a kid in a candy store.”

“What? Come on; this is our big event. Of course, I’m excited.”

Parker pulled out her family’s spell book, taking a minute to find the correct page. While the big spell book, the one that helped fuel the town protection spell was kept on the altar, families tended to keep books as well. Olivia even had her own.

They all knew the spell and ingredients by heart. But they always double-checked everything each year just to be safe.

Jill pointed at the words. “Here’s what we need: dried lavender, red rose petals, rose thorns, rosemary, sage, hawthorn berry, sea salt, bay leaves, black pepper, a white-sand shell, five clear quartz crystals, and the blood of a witch.”

“Who’s turn is it this year?” she asked.

“It’s your year, Liv,” Parker said.

“Oh, joy. Lucky me.”

It was only a small cut, just enough for a few drops of blood. Not a big deal. She just wasn’t a fan of blood.

“Don’t worry, it’ll be quick,” Parker said, patting her on the back.

“Anyway,” Olivia said, not wanting to dwell on it. “I’ve got the red rose petals and thorns covered. The damn things won’t stop growing. Oh, and the shell. I’ll pinch one from mine and Daniel’s collection.”

“I’ll get the quartz crystals from my abuelita,” Parker said. “Also, the hawthorn berry, bay leaves, and black pepper.”

Jill chimed in next. “I’ve got dried lavender and sea salt.”

“Guess that leaves rosemary and sage,” Parker grimaced. She hated picking things from her garden. She had an expert green thumb, but she hated picking things.

“I’ll trade you,” Olivia said. She was only half kidding.