Prelude to a Witch by Amanda Lee (free novel reading sites TXT) 📕

“She would say her wine is medication enough.” And the pot field that was strategically hidden from prying law enforcement eyes on the back property, I silently added.

“She has trouble focusing on one thing,” Hannah mused. “She clearly enjoys torturing people.”

“That makes her sound evil. She only likes torturing some people. If you’re not on her list, you’re perfectly safe.”

“Have you been on her list?”

“Yup.”

“And what sort of punishment has she doled out to you?”

“Most of it was minor, kid stuff.” I couldn’t answer that without mentioning the big family secret. All of Aunt Tillie’s punishments involved curses and spells.

Hannah studied me for a long moment. “You don’t trust me.”

“I don’t know you.”

“Would it help if I told you I’m not interested in Landon?”

I liked that she was straightforward. “I don’t think you’re interested in Landon,” I assured her. “I do think you’re intrigued about how Landon ended up here.”

“That’s a very astute observation. The man I knew, who was then more of a boy really, had big dreams. They involved city hopping until he got to a big metropolis. He started in Traverse City and was expected to jump to the Detroit office. It never happened.”

“He was offered a position in Detroit,” I explained. “He decided to stay here.”

“With you.”

“You think I held him back.” It was a statement, not a question. “It’s okay. You can say it.”

“Actually, I think you balance him out,” Hannah corrected. “Holding him back is something you’re worried about. I should point out that nobody else here is worried about that, including Landon. That’s all internal, coming from you.”

“Is this your psychology degree at work?”

“Yes, and I know it drives people crazy. That’s a failure of mine.”

“I don’t think you’re a failure.”

“No?” She arched an eyebrow. “I do have a few bad personality quirks. Analyzing people is one of them. Yours is occasional bouts of insecurity.

“I like watching you and Landon together,” she continued. “It’s obvious you love one another. He’s vastly changed from the man I knew at the academy. The job is no longer his only reason for being. Now you’re his main reason for being.”

My cheeks burned under her studied gaze. “I don’t think that’s true.”

“But it is. He loves you with his whole heart. It’s written all over his face when he looks at you.”

“Are you bothered by that?”

“No. Landon was nothing more than a passing phase when I was young and trying to figure things out. You needn’t worry. I’ve since figured things out. I’m not the same person he knew back then either.”

“You’re not?”

“Nope. I’m involved, too.”

I tried to decide if that was a relief. I didn’t look at Hannah as a threat — despite Landon’s insistence that she was likely still crushing on him — so I was happy for her. “That’s nice.”

“Her name is Adrian.”

“Oh.” Realization dawned. “Oh.”

Hannah laughed at my response. “It’s okay. I didn’t realize when I was dating Landon. We didn’t connect, and part of that was because he was looking for a fling. I was trying to figure out who I was at the time. I wasn’t looking for a connection either.

“The thing is, at the time, I assumed Landon would spend fifteen to twenty years focused on his job,” she continued. “Then I thought he would find some pretty young thing to marry and have children with. He did the exact opposite.”

My nose wrinkled.

“Not that you’re not pretty,” Hannah offered with a laugh. “That came out wrong. You’re definitely pretty. I simply thought he would opt for an empty-headed woman because the job was going to be his driving force. He went the other way, though. He went for a woman of substance ... and he’s completely infatuated with you.”

“We’re happy,” I said. “I don’t know that he’s infatuated with me.”

“You associate that word with the negative when it’s not necessary,” Hannah said. “He is infatuated with you. He’s constantly touching you, whether it be a stroke of the hair or his fingers brushing against your arm. He’s also constantly looking at you. That’s infatuation.”

“We’re newly-engaged. It’s a hormonal thing.”

“I don’t think so, and there’s no need to sell yourself short.” Hannah graced me with a kind smile. “You changed Landon’s life. You worry that you won’t be enough for him, but you’re wrong. He loves the life you’ve built together. I’ve never seen him more fulfilled.”

“I guess that’s good.” I dragged a hand through my hair. “You know, he’s going to be really upset when he figures out you no longer have a crush on him. That was boosting his ego.”

She laughed. “Something tells me he’ll survive. You’re all he really cares about.”

“That’s not true. He cares about his job. This murder is giving him fits.”

“It’s giving us all fits.” Hannah leaned back in her chair and flicked her eyes toward the window. “Part of my job is to read a community. That’s what I’ve been trying to do while hanging around Hemlock Cove today. Do you know what I found when I tried to read Hemlock Cove?”

“Schizophrenia?”

“Kind of, and it makes me laugh that you also see it. My understanding is that you left Hemlock Cove for a few years and moved to Detroit.”

I froze. Had she been checking on my background? “Who told you that?”

“Landon. We had lunch at the diner before he took off with Chief Davenport. He mentioned that you’d only been back in Hemlock Cove a few months when you two met.”

I was intrigued. “What else did he say?”

“It wasn’t so much what he said but how he said it. He always smiles when your name comes up. So does Chief Davenport.”

“Chief Terry helped raise us. Aunt Tillie was our primary caregiver sometimes when we were kids. She would drag us around when she was in the mood to torture Mrs. Little. Sometimes Chief Terry would have to get us out of trouble.”

“He’s your father figure.”

I pressed the tip of my tongue to the roof of my mouth