The Hidden Grimoire by Karla Brandenburg (pride and prejudice read TXT) 📕

the sofa and onto my shoulder. Ash, my six-month-old kitten, nuzzled my head and purred in my ear. I took her off my shoulder and held her in my arms, allowing her to calm my nerves.

Jason shook a finger at me. “My parents took you in.”

“A fact they never let me forget, right up until I was eighteen and your mother kicked me out,” I shot back. “Then your mother tried to steal my inheritance.”

He narrowed his eyes. “She wouldn’t.”

“Ask your sister,” I said. “She was there.”

“I don’t want you talking to my sister, either,” he added.

“Your sister’s a grown woman. She can make her own decisions. Unlike you, she at least made an effort to be civil.”

“Jason, would you like to sit down and discuss this? Have a cup of coffee?” Nora asked.

I stifled a growl. “He doesn’t deserve good manners.”

Ash wriggled out of my arms, trotted over to Jason and wove around his legs.

I folded my arms. “Traitor.”

She chirped in response, somewhere between a meow and a purr.

I raised an eyebrow and Nora laughed.

“You know, your father grew up in this house,” Nora said. “As did I and your aunt Charlotte. It’s Brynn’s house now. I’m recently married, you see, so I sold it to her. Would you like to see pictures of your father when he was younger? There are several family portraits in the stairwell.” She turned toward me. “Unless, of course, you’ve taken them down.”

I shook my head.

Nora walked to the staircase behind the living room wall, but Jason didn’t follow. Instead, he glowered at me. She reappeared moments later carrying a couple of the photos.

“Your grandparents,” she pointed out. “And this is your father, standing with me and Charlotte.”

Jason looked, but he didn’t take the pictures.

“We were all close once. A family. Then people started getting married and moving away. Funny how that can change relationships, don’t you think?” She tilted her head. “You moved away when you got married, didn’t you?”

Jason’s eyes grew narrow. “I moved for work.”

“So did Brynn’s mother. So did your father.”

Jason looked away.

With another knock on the door, Ash went skittering to the sofa, where she kneaded a woven rug in the corner that was “her spot.”

I opened the door to Kyle in his police uniform. “Your neighbor called.” He glanced over my shoulder at Jason. “She said she heard yelling over here. Thought I’d stop over and see if everything was okay.”

I took his hand and drew him inside. “I was saving the news for dinner,” I told Nora, “but since he’s here now I might as well tell you Kyle and I are back together.”

Nora’s dark blue eyes sparkled.

I turned to Jason. “Kyle Jakes, this is my cousin, Jason Hanson.”

Kyle shook Jason’s hand.

Jason shifted his attention between me and Kyle. “It doesn’t bother you that she’s a witch?”

Kyle straightened and adjusted his utility belt. “Ah, your aunt Theresa’s son.” He turned to me. “There’s an old saying about apples and trees that has me guessing he’s responsible for the shouting. Is there a problem?”

I shook my head.

He turned to Jason. “Brynn and Nora are respected members of this community. Is there a reason for your visit other than to harass these fine ladies?”

“Stay away from my family,” Jason said one more time before he shouldered his way out the door.

“Is there anything I can do?” Kyle asked, holding onto my hand.

“Not sure what that would be. I guess he needed to get something off his chest,” I added with a touch of sarcasm.

Kyle kissed me, then smiled. “I’ll see you for dinner.” He nodded to Nora and left.

“Well, well, well.” Nora resumed her seat at the table. “Kyle bought the house? You’d think someone might have mentioned it to you sooner.”

“I do my best to distance myself from the town gossip. They probably thought it would be funny when I found out,” I replied.

­“But why wouldn’t he say something?”

I dropped into my seat. “We weren’t speaking, remember? And then he thought I’d be moving away after everything that happened over the summer. As he put it, it was time he grew up and bought a house of his own. Now that we’ve patched things up, he’s talking about flipping the house and moving in with me.”

“Well, well, well,” she said again. “I imagine if he had any doubts about you before, Jason painted him a clear enough picture. I suppose you both know what you’re in for.” She took a sip of her coffee. “Kyle’s father always guessed about me, although we never talked about it when we were dating. I don’t doubt he mentioned something to Kyle, too, by way of a warning.”

Kyle knew. While we hadn’t discussed my extra talents openly, we’d touched on the topic in our conversations and he’d reassured me he wasn’t frightened that I was ‘different.’ “Well, if Kyle wasn’t sure before, he’ll probably have questions at dinner tonight.”

“You’re happy?” Nora asked.

My heart bloomed with the way I loved Kyle. “I am.”

“Then I suppose you know what you’re doing.” She finished her slice of bread and dusted her hands off over her plate. “I’m impressed with the control you’ve learned. I didn’t see anything flying across the room directed at Jason’s head.”

I chuckled. “Not that I wasn’t tempted.”

“And speaking of knowing what you’re doing, it’s time to show you the book.” She shot a glance over her shoulder, toward the kitchen. “Do you remember me telling you how Jerome used to tease us about ghosts in the coal chute when your mother and I were little?”

“Yes?”

“He wanted your mother and me to think he was much too intelligent for such fairytales.” She ducked her head and lowered her voice. “But I suspect his stories came as a result of witnessing a thing or two on his own.”

Like the time a couple of months ago when, with no one in the house, the lid to my music box had been opened? “The house is haunted?”

“Not exactly.” Nora crooked a finger for me