Chapter 14

Lily grinned at her sisters."Looks like we have dates to the bar tonight."

Sage laughed. "I'm sure August will be pleased to learn that.

"Call him and have him meet us," Lily urged and then introduced Prim, Sage, and Indigo.

When Niko took Indigo's hand, she gave him a half smile and said, "Well, I didn't expect to see you here in Befana Bay. You're not stalking me, are you?"

"No, but if I'd known you were here, I just might have come sooner." He lifted her hand and pressed a kiss to her palm, "It's lovely to see you again, Indigo."

"Uh, explain?" Lily demanded. "When did this happen?"

"Maybe they had a salacious rendezvous when he was renting those broomsticks," Prim said with a giggle as Indigo proceeded to ignore them.

Niko glanced at the broomsticks. "Do you work at Brooms That Vroom?"

"She owns it," Braxton said.

Niko chuckled. "Isn't that interesting? It looks like the universe is really invested in us meeting again, doesn't it?"

Indigo rolled her eyes. "All you had to do was call if you want a date. You don't have to involve the universe."

"Now I know." He held his arm out to her. Indigo slipped her arm through his, and the pair headed up the street, leaving everyone behind.

Lily turned to her sisters. "Did you know anything about this?"

Both Sage and Prim shook their heads.

She glanced at Braxton. "How about you? Did you know they knew each other?"

"Nope. I haven't seen Niko since high school. We didn't even know he was coming to town until he showed up today."

Lily peered after them. "Indigo has some serious explaining to do."

Sage chuckled and said, "Let's go get our drink on. Once Indigo has a few in her, I bet we get the story we're looking for."

The unlikely group headed to The Grimoire, the town's newest fancy bar. One entire wall was filled with spell books while the other was lined with various top-shelf liquor bottles. It had an upscale vibe with mood lighting, fancy leather chairs, and gorgeous hardwood tables. It was a perfect atmosphere for the magical town of Befana Bay.

"I love this place," Lily said as they found a long table near the back where they could all sit together. She started to pull a chair out, but when Braxton moved to the other side of the table to sit next to Dante, she quickly changed course and plopped down right next to him. When he shook his head at her, she just smiled and said, "Get used to it, buddy. If another victim from my column shows up, I'm the only one who can snap them out of their trance, so my plan is to stick as close to you as possible."

"So I'm supposed to think of you as a shield?" he asked, looking amused.

"Exactly." She leaned in, gently bumping his shoulder.

"And what if something worse happens? What if the curse starts targeting you?"

Lily sobered and stared into his eyes. "Then we'll cross that bridge when we come to it. In the meantime, can't we just enjoy what we have? Because Brax, the thing is, the curse isn't going away as long as I have feelings for you. Pushing me away isn't going to change anything."

A swarm of emotions flashed through his dark eyes, and as much as Lily loved her sisters and was happy to be spending time with his friends, she wished with all her heart that they were alone so that she could show him just how much she cared for him.

Finally, Brax put his arm around her shoulders and gave her a soft, lingering kiss before he whispered, "Okay."

"Looks like I missed a few things," August said, drawing Lily's attention.

She smiled sheepishly at her sister's partner and said, "That's what you get for spending all your time in your studio."

Sage laughed. "Yeah, I used to be the workaholic. Looks like we switched rolls. He's been hiding away in his studio all month."

August rolled his eyes. "That's not true. Though I do admit that I've been spending more time there these days. What can I say? When the paintbrush calls, you do what you have to do."

"After that painting of Levi and Silas was featured in the local paper, it made the rounds with the celebrities, and now he's inundated with commissions." Sage pursed her lips and gave him a side-eye glance. "And he's had trouble saying no."

"What can I say?" He laughed. "It's nice being wanted."

Lily chuckled. "I bet. Plus, you needed inventory for the Midsummer Festival."

"Also true," August said. He and Sage had neighboring booths, and even though Sage was needling him, she didn't really have room to talk. Lily happened to know that she was putting in some extra hours to make sure she had a full range of stock as well. And this time her grandmother hadn't given her a hard time about it. Lily supposed since Sage actually was making time for her boyfriend and her sisters, Bethany wasn't as bothered by Sage's workaholic tendencies.

There was an uproar of laughter from the other end of the table, and they all turned their attention to Indigo, who was challenging Niko to a broomstick race.

"Just tell me the time and place, Easton," Niko said, his eyes flashing with defiance. "You don't scare me."

She raised one eyebrow and said, "You sure about that? I hold the record for fastest flyer in the nation. I wouldn't blame you if you wanted to bow out to save your ego from being crushed, but if you want to get your ass kicked, I'm all in."

Niko's lips twitched with amusement. "How about we make it interesting?"

"Oh, you want to place a bet?" Her eyes sparkled, and Lily couldn't remember the last time she saw her older sister look so radiant. There was something about Niko that really lit her up.

"Is it even a race if there aren't any stakes?" he asked, holding her gaze. The way they were looking at each other, Lily wondered if they even remembered there were other people in the room.

"If I win," Indigo said, "I want that romantic candlelit dinner we never got, followed by dancing under the moonlight just like you promised down in the Keys."

"Keys?" Lily whispered to Sage. "Did you know Indigo went to the Keys?"

Sage nodded. "Yeah. It was when she went to that enchanted retreat a couple of years ago after the busy season so she could recharge."

That sounded vaguely familiar to Lily. It had been around the time she'd been under deadline for an "Ask Endora" anthology. "Recharge?" she said with a laugh. "Sounds like whatever happened down there, it definitely worked. Though I'd envisioned a spa retreat with salt scrubs and facials, not a hot weekend with some random stranger."

Sage cackled. "Sounds like whatever happened, she had a lot more fun than she would have if she'd spent the entire time in the steam room."

"I bet there was plenty of steam," Lily mused.

They both started giggling while Braxton and August got up to head to the bar.

Prim cleared her throat and gave her sisters a disapproving shake of her head. "Maybe you two shouldn't be talking about this with Indigo sitting right there."

"Oh, Prim," Lily said. "She's not even paying attention to us. Look at her. She's only got eyes and ears for the new hottie in town."

Prim glanced at Indigo and Niko and bit down on her bottom lip.

"What is it?" Sage asked her.

"I don't know. Something just feels off to me."

"About Niko?" Lily was on full alert. Prim had a sense about people, an intuition that was almost always on target. If she thought someone was bad news, it was time to sit up and take notice.

"No." She frowned. "I mean, not about his character or anything. It just… I don't know. It just feels like everything isn't as it seems. I can't really explain it."

Lily focused on Niko. There was no denying his charm, and she could see why Indigo was so into him. But it was strange that he just showed up unannounced after he and Indigo had some sort of connection from a couple years before, and now he and his best friends were in Befana Bay. It was all just a little too coincidental.

When Braxton returned, Lily asked, "How did you end up in Befana Bay?"

He blinked at her and then said, "I was looking for a fresh start and mentioned it to Niko during one of our monthly calls. He said if he ever left Florida, he was considering Befana Bay. I looked it up, and now here we are."

Lily, Sage, and Prim all shared a look. Didn't that just explain it all.

"You don't know what you're talking about," Indigo said, her voice raised as she challenged Niko. "I'm telling you, some of the best-written books out there are cozy mysteries."

He scoffed. "You're telling me they're better than suspense?"

"Absolutely. You just get more with a cozy mystery. Family, friendship, community, and a murder to solve. With suspense, usually it's just one or two people on their own, trying to just survive. I'm not saying they are bad, but who wants to read about a life like that all the time?"

"Clearly, a lot of people," Niko said with a smile as he continued to challenge her. "Just look at the bestseller lists. There's no denying they are popular."

Indigo rolled her eyes. "Yeah, for people with cold, dead hearts." Then she rummaged around in her bag and pulled out a tattered copy of Louisiana Longshot, a book by Jana DeLeon. "Read this and tell me it isn't some of the best writing and storytelling you've ever read in the mystery genre."

Niko picked it up, read the description on the back, and said, "I'll give it a shot if you do something for me."

She raised one eyebrow. "What?"

Without a word, he slipped his hand into her hair and pulled her in close, their lips a mere inch apart. "Let me take you home tonight."

Everyone was silent as they waited for her answer.

Finally, Indigo seemed to realize that everyone at the table was staring at them. She pushed him away and said, "Nice try, suspense boy. Read the book, and then we'll talk."

He laughed. "Okay. But what about that broomstick race?"

"Oh, we're still doing that," she said. "Tomorrow. Then we'll decide when you're taking me on that date."

"Or when you're cooking me that homemade meal," he countered and then winked as she flushed pink.