Interrupted Magic by Karla Brandenburg (best reads of all time .TXT) 📕

Barry cleared his throat. “Yvonne mentioned you might be interested in selling your storefront. It just so happens I have a buyer who is looking for a place. I took the liberty of drawing up an offer for you to consider. When would be a good time to sit down and look it over?”

Cassandra gasped and Barry folded his hands.

“Unless I’ve misunderstood?” he went on.

Cassandra glared at Yvonne. “We’ll have our Realtor call you,” she said.

Yvonne bowed her head before she cast a sad little smile my direction. “Having you here has been like having your mother back. I miss her so much.”

I bit back a sarcastic retort, but after I’d told Cassandra about the comments directed toward me at lunch, she had no such compunctions.

“Is that why you’re so eager to give her the boot?” she asked.

Yvonne stiffened. “As I recall, Brynn approached me.”

“Yesterday, and here you are with a signed contract. Fast work.”

I put a hand on Cassandra’s arm, grateful for a champion, but this was a fight we weren’t going to win. “Let it go.”

“You’ll let me know what you decide?” Barry said.

“We’ll be in touch,” I replied.

He nodded, and escorted Yvonne out of the boutique.

Cassandra groaned her frustration. “They make me so mad. I hate judgmental people. What makes them better than us?”

“We need to evaluate the offer,” I said. “As long as it’s fair, we aren’t doing ourselves any favors holding out.”

Cassandra threw the garment she’d been working on to the counter. “I do piecework for a client in Meadow Hill who’s a Realtor. She’ll give us a fair assessment.” She pulled her phone from her pocket, scrolled and made the call.

I checked the cash register. No sales so far today. I doubted we’d get much before the weekend, when the tourists showed up. Prolonging the inevitable meant bleeding more money. I looked around the store, hit by a wave of nostalgia. The cupboard of botanicals in the corner and the table of bath salts were all that remained from when Nora ran the business. Years of the rich scents of sage and lavender along with dozens of other subtle undertones had infused the woodwork and the walls.

My cell phone buzzed in my pocket with a text, shaking me out of my reverie. I had to dab my eyes before I could read the message.

Jason: Dinner. A week from Saturday. Can you be here by six?

I typed a hasty ‘yes’ and returned the phone to my pocket.

Cassandra looked around the store, hands on her hips, the way I’m sure I had moments earlier. “I guess that’s that.”

“What did your Realtor friend say?” I asked.

“She said she’d run comps so we know what would be a reasonable price. No time like the present, eh?” She, too, swiped at her eyes before she smiled.

“I’ll hold down the fort if you need to meet with her to put things in motion.”

She nodded, gathered her purse and took off.

I scooped Ash up and settled her in my lap as I sat on the stool behind the counter, stroking her silky fur. “More new beginnings,” I whispered.

Be the queen of my castle.

Ian’s offer was tempting, and yet I’d always chosen my own path. Was moving in with him the easy way out? And what about my house? With the prying neighbors—including an ex-fiancé across the street—having Ian at my house invited more trouble. They’d want to burn me at the stake, or run me out of town on a rail. I gave way to a smile. People might not do those things anymore, but the citizens of Hillendale would make my life uncomfortable.

I carried Ash to her rug and wandered the store, straightening Cassandra’s fashions and merchandising my products before I stopped by the window and watched people walk the sidewalks. One person checked the signs hanging on the eaves along our stretch and stopped in front of Windfall. Her bushy brown hair was pulled into a ponytail today, but I recognized Toni, the woman Chip had brought to game night. She smiled and walked into the store.

“What brings you to town?” I asked.

Her cheeks turned rosy and she shrugged. “Dinner with Chip tonight. I’m early, so I came to look around the shops. I thought I’d check out Cassandra’s stuff, and I’d heard your products were—what was the term Lisa used?—magical.”

Not anymore. “Feel free to look around.”

She shot me a nervous glance and approached the clothes racks. “How’s Kyle doing? I heard he got hurt.”

“Dislocated his shoulder. He’ll be good as new in no time.”

Toni nodded. “I also wanted to tell you how much I enjoyed meeting you last weekend. Whatever happens, I hope you might still consider me a friend.”

I shouldn’t be surprised she knew the local gossip. Chip was one of Kyle’s posse, after all. “Of course,” I replied. “Although I’m not sure how often our paths might cross, with you living in Milwaukee and me...” I stopped, unsure of what my future held. I cleared my throat. “Although my cousin lives in Milwaukee, so I do get there from time to time.”

She nodded again. “I probably sound pushy. I’m sorry. It’s just you were so nice to me. I could tell something was off between you and Kyle on Saturday, but what do I know? Some couples are just distant. They like it that way, you know?” She winced. “This is none of my business. I’ll shut up now.”

I squeezed her hand. “You’re fine, although I’m surprised Chip didn’t try to convince you what a witch I am and warn you to stay away from me.”

“No,” she said vehemently. “He likes you, too. He says Kyle’s been sulky and rude for months and he’s surprised you hung around this long.”

I chuckled. “I knew I liked Chip.”

“Any suggestions for how to keep things moving along with him? I hear you have special scents that attract men.”

I wondered if any of those scents still worked, although many of the bath salts on display had been mixed before my