Chapter 1

"I'm here!"Lily called as she hurried across the outdoor patio of The Salt Circle. "Don't order without me."

Sage Easton looked past the waiter and smirked at her youngest sister. "I knew that text about afternoon cocktails would light a fire under your feet."

Lily slipped into a chair across from Sage and smiled up at the waiter. After being trapped behind her computer for three days straight to meet a deadline, she was more than ready for an adult refreshment. What better place for lunch and a cocktail than the bayside café that was right in downtown Befana Bay? "Pomegranate martini, and don't skimp on the tini."

"She means vodka," Sage said. "Two please."

"He knew what I meant." Lily rolled her eyes at Sage and wondered if older sisters ever stopped being know-it-alls. She turned her attention to the handsome waiter and, not for the first time, wondered what it would be like to run her hands through his thick dark hair. "Right, Gavin?"

Gavin chuckled softly as he nodded. And then instead of writing down their order, he snapped his fingers and instantly two pomegranate martinis appeared on the table. "Those should have plenty of tini." He winked and added, "I'll be back in a minute to take your order."

"You should date him," Sage said with a knowing smile as he retreated. "I bet he wouldn't disappear after locking lips with you."

"No can do," Lily said, shaking her head sadly. "His birthday is in late July. You know how I feel about Leos. There can only be one peacock in a relationship."

Sage raised one questioning eyebrow. "What's Braxton's sign?"

Lily sighed heavily. "Sagittarius. The perfect fit for a Leo. Too bad he keeps kissing me and then bolting. I don't do mixed signals. If he's not man enough to actually ask me out on a date, then the hell with him. I'm not into games." Lily was still mad that the owner of The Enchanted Outdoors couldn't sack up and actually do something about their obvious attraction. "Besides. He stole that painting of August's from me. Not cool."

Sage let out a bark of laughter. "Stole? That's a little harsh, isn't it? All he did was buy one of August's paintings at the gallery opening. It's not like anyone knew you wanted it."

Lily ignored her sister's comment. In her mind, Braxton had snatched that sunrise painting of downtown right out of her hands. Who cared if it was an exaggeration? If it kept her mad at him, then that was a win in her book. Anything to keep from thinking about the kiss he'd laid on her when he'd followed her out of the gallery just before he'd bolted… again. The first time had been at the Witches Ball three months earlier, and frankly, Lily wished Braxton had never turned up in Befana Bay. He was proving to be a giant pain in her backside.

Her current plan of action was to just ignore him. She didn't have any real reason to go into The Enchanted Outdoors. She had all the outdoor equipment she needed. It seemed simple, right?

If only.

For some reason she couldn't seem to get that last kiss out of her mind. And she was starting to hate him for it.

"Whoa. What's that look?" Sage asked, her brows furrowed with concern. "You kinda look like you want to murder someone."

"That's a little extreme," Lily said, forcing a tight smile. "But I wouldn't mind if he suffered a boil or two."

"Evil," Sage said with a shake of her head. "But I can't say I blame you. If August had run so hot and cold on me when we were getting together, I'd have fed him to the orcas."

Lily snorted. "Good luck with that. I think they've adopted him into their pod." The man had an uncanny knack of being able to communicate with the majestic animals. She'd never seen anything like it.

"True. Maybe he'd have been crab food instead. Those claws are brutal." She smirked. "Anyway, enough of that." Sage pulled out the Befana Bay Bell and cleared her throat. "Let's see what Endora has to say in the latest ‘Ask Endora' column."

"Really?" Lily said with a groan. "Why do you torture me?" Lily had a feature in the local paper called "Ask Endora," and while it was a blast to write, she was always nervous when anyone talked about her satirical advice.

"Because," Sage said with a laugh. "This is gold." She cleared her throat. "Dear Endora, I've had my eye on a guy in town for almost two months now. He's friendly and we flirt every time I step into his establishment, but so far, he hasn't asked me out. I don't know how to make it any clearer that I'm interested. He's definitely single, so it's not that. Any advice on how to finally get that date with my rugged mountain man? Signed, Pining in Befana Bay."

"Stop." Lily covered her eyes with one hand. "You're not going to read what I wrote, are you?"

Sage snickered. "How can I not? I want to be a fly on the wall when Pining actually does this."

"It's satire, Sage. They aren't supposed to actually take my advice."

"They should. I don't know one man who wouldn't love this approach. August sure wouldn't have balked." She laughed and then continued reading the article. "Dear Pining, Any man who is so dense that he can't seal the deal for a date after endless flirting obviously needs to be knocked over the head with your intentions. I suggest you show up in a trench coat and your sexiest lace-up boots. Nothing else. Ask for help with a broken lace and once you have his full attention, flash him the goods."

"That's enough," Lily said, looking around and flushing when she noticed the couple sitting next to them were staring with rapt attention at Sage.

"Oh, no." Sage shook her head. "The next paragraph is the best part." She grinned at the couple listening in and continued. "Once he's too shocked to speak, thank him for the invite to your favorite restaurant and tell him you'll meet him there at seven that evening. Then walk off before he has a chance to respond. No doubt, he'll be at that restaurant armed with flowers and condoms." Sage was laughing so hard she could barely get out the word condom. She wiped her eyes and finished the article. "Or, you know, maybe forgo the flashing and just ask him out. Both ways will unequivocally alert him to your interest."

"Oh, the trench coat is definitely the way to go." The older man who was sitting behind Sage gave them a solemn nod, and the couple started cackling.

Lily reached over and grabbed the paper from her sister. "Why do you always insist on embarrassing me?"

"I don't know why you think that's embarrassing. Everyone loves your column. It's amusing, and you're good at it. You should be proud."

"I am," Lily said quietly. "I just prefer to be a little more discreet about it."

Sage rolled her eyes. "Lily, the entire town knows you're the one who writes the column. It's not like it's a mystery."

"I know, but I just prefer to let the words shine instead of having the focus on me."

"Fair enough." Sage lifted her cocktail. "Here's to sister time on a Tuesday afternoon and taking time out of work to enjoy it."

Lily grinned at her sister, knowing this was a huge shift for Sage. She was such a workaholic that earlier in the year, their grandmother had actually taken Sage's power away so that she couldn't work. Her magically infused glass creations had been on hold until she'd learned a little work-life balance. And while Lily had thought her grandmother's tactics were a bit over the top, it had ended well for Sage. She'd found her partner, August, and had started taking time away from her studio and gallery at least once a week for cocktails and gossip with whichever sisters were available. It was a great start. "Thanks. Too bad Prim and Indigo couldn't make it today, but we'll drink their share."

Sage chuckled and clinked her glass. "I like the way you think."

After they'd finished their lunch, Lily followed her sister out of the restaurant.

"Want to come by the gallery to see my latest creation?" Sage asked, shielding her eyes from the summer sun.

"Sure. What is it?" Lily fell into step beside her sister as they started to walk up Witch Tower Road, away from the bay.

"A glowing chandelier. This one is jasmine vines, and the flowers light up with voice activation. I'm really excited about it."

"Dang, Sage. That sounds wonderful," Lily said wistfully. Sometimes she wished she had even half the talent her sister did when it came to making art. There was just something so satisfying about working with her hands. Too bad everything she tried to create ended up looking like a grade school craft project. Words had always been her strong suit.

"I think it could be. Needs a little tweaking, but with some refining, I think it could really be a showstopper." Sage radiated with pride, and Lily took her hand, squeezing it.

"I'm sure—" Lily started, but she stopped midsentence when she saw a tall, middle-aged, busty woman with bright red hair, wearing only lace-up boots and a trench coat so short that a glimpse of her butt cheeks was showing. The woman was striding straight for the front door of The Enchanted Outdoors. She had a fishing pole in one hand and her phone in the other.

"Whoa. That's quite a statement," Sage said as her gaze locked on the woman.

The door swung open and, as luck would have it, Braxton Kirkwood strode out onto the sidewalk with another customer and headed straight for the line-up of kayaks. The same Braxton Kirkwood she'd been trying to forget ever since the hit-and-run kiss at August's gallery opening.

"Braxton," the busty redhead said in a voice that nearly purred.

Braxton glanced over at her, and his welcome expression turned to one of complete confusion. "Cynthee? What?—"

"My pole needs fixing," Cynthee said, thrusting it out toward him.

He tore his gaze from her barely covered body and focused on the fishing pole. "What's, uh…" He cleared his throat. "What's the problem?"

"It doesn't… um… the line is stuck, I think," she finished lamely.

"Okay, I'll just take a look and?—"

Cynthee jerked the pole away from his reach and tossed it to the ground as she reached for the belt of her trench coat.

Three things happened at once. The hook at the end of the fishing pole latched onto the pocket of the trench and whipped one side open, jerking Cynthee and causing her to trip over the fishing pole. She went down hard with an oomph, one arm trapped under her body as she lay completely exposed on the sidewalk.

"Mommy!" a young boy called, pointing at Cynthee with wide eyes. "Why does she get to wear her birthday suit?" Before the child's mother could respond, the boy pulled his shirt off and started to strip off his trousers.

"Mikey, no!" the mother called, grabbing his shirt and running over to him.

Cynthee struggled to get up, and it quickly became apparent that the fishing line had gotten tangled around her boots, and she had no way to get to her feet until the line was cut. "Oh, no," Cynthee whimpered as she looked over at Braxton. "This didn't go as planned."

He raised his eyebrows so high Lily thought they might disappear behind his hairline. "You're… ah… I mean…" he waved a hand in her direction. "You need to cover up."

Mikey was standing over her, his shirt still off, but he'd managed to keep his trousers. "I'm Mikey," he said cheerfully.

Mikey's mom snatched him around the waist and covered his eyes as she scowled at Cynthee. "Put your clothes back on. What's wrong with you?"

Cynthee's eyes filled with tears as she struggled to close the trench, but she was laying on too much of it to fully cover herself.

Sage leaped into action, pulling a pocketknife out of the pocket of her jeans. She quickly went to work on the fishing line and then helped Cynthee to her feet before yanking the trench closed. She took a step back and studied the woman. "Were you just about to ask Braxton out?"

Cynthee's cheeks turned bright pink, confirming Sage's suspicions. But all she said was, "Sorry." She cast a quick horrified glance in Braxton's direction, and when she saw him scowling, she hung her head and hurried over to a red Kia that was parked just beyond The Enchanted Outdoors.

Sage turned to Lily and snickered. "Seems like she forgot the most important part of your advice. She forgot to thank Braxton for the dinner invitation."

"What?" Lily asked, turning to stare at her sister. She didn't really think that Cynthee had taken the day's satirical advice that seriously, did she?

"That scene had your words written all over it," Sage said with a chuckle. "Too bad she blundered it."

Lily couldn't help it. Laughter bubbled up from the back of her throat, and suddenly she was laughing so hard that tears rolled down her cheeks.