Everspell (3 page)

SERENA

I walked out to the parking lot, so happy that it was finally Friday and Logan and Sully and Jade and I were all getting together that evening. I had been looking forward to it all week. And I had kept my promise. I could report to him that I had made a couple of new friends this week: Amber, Jamie and Melissa. I was only talking a little to Jamie and Melissa, whom I saw in a class or two and at lunch. I had waved once at Amber since I was introduced to her. But the point was I had done what I said I would, which was to make an effort at meeting new people at school. However, as I walked to the parking lot, none of that mattered, because each step brought me closer to my car, which brought me closer to seeing Logan again.

“I didn’t think anyone could be happier than me that it was Friday, but based on the smile on your face, I guess I was wrong.” Jade came up behind me and caught me smiling like a fool.

“Yes, you’re right. I am beyond happy it’s Friday.”

“Me too. I hate that Sully’s not in school with me anymore. It sucks!” She hollered the last statement and swung her purse in the air for emphasis.

“Ugh. You guys are sickening.” Tabitha said as she approached. “Can we—for two seconds—not talk about Sully or my brother?” She didn’t wait for an answer, just stalked off to the car. We stood there and stared after her. Her mood swings were really starting to worry me. Jade had another word for it.

“She is really starting to harsh my gig, Serena. Who spit in her Cheerios? Then she stomped off toward the car too. Now I was going to have to drive home with
two
sullen teenagers. Fabulous.

****

The drive home was at least silent. We dropped Jade off at her driveway and she and I made plans to see each other later. Even though we would end up at the same place, Sully would still pick her up himself after the guys got home from work and got cleaned up. Elizabeth wasn’t home from the flower shop yet, and I was glad. I wanted some time to talk to Tabitha. Something was up with her and I meant to find out what it was.

She had other plans. The moment we stepped through the doorway, she bolted upstairs and slammed her bedroom door shut. I was left standing in our hallway, puzzled by her wild mood swings. This was definitely not the Tabitha I knew and I was going to get to the bottom of it. I dumped my books on the credenza in the hallway and stormed up the stairs, steeling myself for a stern conversation with Little Miss Sunshine. I got to her room and was surprised to find Sage lying outside the bedroom door. It seemed even Tabitha’s beloved guardian dog had been banished. This worried me more than anything else. I was about to burst through the door when I heard the low murmurs coming from inside.

“I’m not really supposed to tell anyone, Larissa. In fact, I’m sure they’d go postal if they even knew I was talking to you about it.”

I stopped short of knocking. I certainly hoped she wasn’t talking about what I thought she was talking about. I felt bad about the eavesdropping, but I told myself it was a necessary evil. Guiltily, I put my ear back to the door.

“I don’t know about that, Larissa. It’s kind of a secret thing. What I can do is more about who I am than what tricks I do. I don’t like the way you’re making it sound. I’m not a performing seal.” Even though I wasn’t supposed to even be listening, I was so proud of the way she was defending herself. In the long run, it wasn’t ever as if we would have chosen it for ourselves. We had to just play the hand we were dealt. There was a pause while her friend responded and then Tabitha spoke again.

“Well, okay. I can try. I’ll let you know.” I was nearly crazy with the lack of information. Try what? Let her know when? What were they talking about? I heard motion in her room like she was coming toward the door, and I almost killed myself skittering down the hall and ducking into my own room before she could see me. I very nearly tripped over Sage, too. I threw myself onto my bed and yanked open a magazine, trying to look casual, like I had been lying there reading it when she walked in.

“Serena?” I looked up, attempting to look disturbed and startled, at the same time.

“Yeah? Oh, hi Tabitha. What’s up?” I feigned breeziness in my tone and manner, hoping I was pulling it off.

“I just wanted to apologize. I think I was kind of out of hand earlier. I owe you an apology. Sorry.” She stood there and I thought she might want to say more. I sat up and started to ask her about the phone conversation but she abruptly turned and walked out of the room. Something told me now was not the time. Besides, I was meeting Logan and I had been looking forward to that all week long. I didn’t want to think I was being selfish but if I looked at the whole thing rationally, there was no way I was going to solve this tonight, so what was wrong with spending time with Logan now and addressing the issue with Tabitha tomorrow? Besides, maybe getting his perspective would be helpful. I resolved to talk with Tabitha in greater detail when she was more receptive. For now, I needed to get ready. Logan would be here soon.

****

I wasn’t wrong. Logan showed up right on time. Elizabeth had arrived home a little earlier, and she and I were sitting in the front room chatting. She had come in the door exhausted from the flower shop, hanging up her coat and purse and slipping off her shoes; she hadn’t even made it any further than the couch in the front room. She slumped there, and I took pity on her and brought her a hot cup of tea and a plate of cookies. She told me all about the day at the shop, which was getting busier and busier, through word-of-mouth, and Elizabeth’s own creative advertising, which consisted of making a slight mental suggestion to each customer who came into the shop. They, in turn, would find themselves inexplicably compelled to talk the shop up to friends and relatives. It was great for business.

When Logan arrived, Elizabeth was just telling me about Lily’s new friend. Apparently, she had a new admirer. A gentleman had come in at the beginning of the week and ordered a beautiful bouquet of flowers to be delivered to the private hospice for a sick friend. He had come in the next day and the day after that. Each time he came in, he asked for Lily to help him. When Lily had stepped out for a few minutes and Elizabeth tried to help him, he politely told her he preferred to wait for Lily. And he did. He sat down at the coffee shop next door and waited almost twenty minutes for her to return. When she did, he came back in and ordered another couple dozen arrangements to be delivered to the sick friend. Elizabeth said the admirer introduced himself to them both as Declan Drake and asked Lily out for coffee, right then. She said Lily was flushed, and then flattered, then she took her apron off and went next door with him without hesitation. When she came back, over an hour later, Elizabeth said she was giddy.

“So, this was like a date?” Logan was very interested in this part of the retelling. “Like a real date?”

Elizabeth turned to Logan. “As real as a date can be. Anyway, it was just coffee. Don’t freak out.”

“I’m not. It’s just…I saw her, this morning, and she never mentioned anything. But she did look pretty happy.

“Likely because she’d just met Declan.”

“Hmmm.”

“Don’t judge, Logan. I know she’s your mother, but you don’t even know him yet.”

“Well, given what I’ve been through, I think I’m entitled to a little healthy doubt.”

I decided that was my cue. “Ok, you two. Enough sparring. Logan, shouldn’t we get going? I remember something about a surprise for me?”

“Yeah! There is a surprise. And we don’t want to mess up the timing.” He leaned down to hug Elizabeth. “You know I want the best for my mom, don’t you, Elizabeth?”

“I do, Logan. But give this fella a chance. He asked your mom out for a real date tomorrow night. Let’s leave the jury out until then, okay?” She returned Logan’s embrace.

“Okay,” he agreed. “But I’m gonna tell her I want to meet him.”

“I think she’d like that, actually.” Elizabeth stood and hugged me too. “Have a good time tonight. Be careful and don’t be out till all hours.” She winked at me. The warning was pretty perfunctory at this point. Elizabeth knew I was in no better hands than when I was with Logan. I was hoping Tabitha would come down and say good bye, but she didn’t, and I had already decided I wouldn’t press the point. I had told Elizabeth a little bit about how Tabby acted earlier.

“I’ll tell Tabby you said goodbye.” She gave me a knowing look, and I was grateful she didn’t bring it up in front of Logan. He was too excited by his secret plans to notice, or even try to mindjump anyone. I kissed Elizabeth goodbye, and we were gone.

Chapter Five

LOGAN

On the drive over to the house, Serena kept peppering me with questions about the surprise. I wasn’t giving up any clues. I knew Sully had undergone the same full-court press from Jade, and wondered if he had been able to keep it under wraps as well as me. He melted like butter under a hot knife under just my sister’s stare. Serena had nearly the same effect on me, but I tried not to let her know.

“We’re almost there, Logan. Can’t you give me a tiny hint?” She slid maddeningly close to me in the car. I could smell her perfumed skin and feel strands of her soft, silky hair brush against my arms. She made it impossible for me to concentrate on the road, and she knew it.

“Serena, come on. You’re gonna make me crash. You know what you do to me.”

“What? I just want to be close to you.” She bent her head and nuzzled my shoulder.

“You know what you’re doing. You’re bewitching me. But I’m still not going to tell you anything.”

She scooted quickly back to her side of the car. It seemed so abrupt, it made me laugh out loud.

“Oh! Logan, you are so frustrating!” She stayed close to her door and pretended to be mad, but pretty soon she busted out laughing at her feigned drama and we laughed together, holding hands, until we pulled in front of the rented house. She was so excited, she jumped out of the car before I could get around to her side.

“Slow down, Serena. You’ll spoil the surprise. Let me go in ahead of you.”

I opened the front door and right away I saw Jade in the front room, cooling her heels, and not looking happy about it.

“Hey. Where’s Sully?”

“Hey, yourself. He’s in the kitchen. He’s been in there forever. He won’t let me in there and he won’t let me move from here. Oh, and also, he’s cursing your name
big
time. You better get in there.” She pointed imperiously toward the saloon doors leading to the kitchen. I nodded and headed in. Behind me I heard Serena and Jade hugging and saying hello. Over my shoulder I hollered for Serena not to come in the kitchen either.

I swung through the saloon doors and stopped dead. It looked like we’d been robbed or something. There were grocery bags and groceries strewn all over the counter, every pot and pan had been used and lay either on the stove or in the sink, and the cutting board rested on the counter, covered with the remains of asparagus tips and garlic leaves. And standing in the middle of it all stood Sully, wearing an apron and a cat-that-ate-the-canary grin. Because he had pulled off what he swore to me he could. He stepped to the side, waved his hand with a flourish, and I could see our second-hand table behind him, well-appointed with some kind of lace tablecloth, real cloth napkins and dinner settings for four. The plates were laid with the meal he had prepared; seared scallops in a lemon and chive butter, roasted asparagus, and fettuccine. On the side, he had even prepared a salad with vinaigrette.

“Sully, I don’t even know what to say. You have completely smashed it, man. You hit a home run. This is amazing.” I clapped him hard on the shoulder and gave him a man-hug.

“Thanks, Logan. You know I just want the girls to love it. Everything Jade’s been through, and Serena. They really deserve it.”

“They do. So, let’s not make them wait any longer. Do the honors, Chef.”

Sully walked over and pushed open the saloon doors to get the attention of the girls. He made a great show of brushing imaginary sweat from his brow, then ceremoniously bowed and said, “Ladies? Your dinner is served.”

Serena and Jade got up from the sofa and followed him through the doors into the dining area. When Jade saw the table, with the food and the place settings and the candles, she clapped her hands over her mouth in astonishment.

“Ohmyword, Sully! Is this the surprise? Did you do this? Oh wow!
You can cook
?” She fell into Sully’s arms and practically disappeared into his huge forearms. I saw the look on his face and for the first time I knew he really loved my little sister. Serena quietly slipped her arms around my waist, and as we watched Jade and Sully together, I felt a little more like a father than a big brother.

Dinner tasted even better than it looked. We teased Sully that he would make a really good wife someday, and I swore my sister blushed for the first time in her whole life. We wiped out everything Sully had made for dinner and watched in amazement when he got up and produced a peach cobbler he had put together from scratch for dessert. I just looked at him with my mouth open as he paraded it out from the oven and placed it in the middle of the table. Jade squealed with delight. It happened to be her favorite. He must have done some research with my mom.

He was out of control.

“Dude, I do
not
even know you. Who taught you to do all this?”

Sully grinned from ear to ear.

“My mom. She said a good woman will always appreciate a man who knows how to cook.” He lowered his eyes a little when he said it, but we all knew the “good woman” he’d been trying to impress here. And there’d be no doubt he had hit the mark. My sister gazed at Sully all doe-eyed. Even Serena looked at Sully with a new level of respect. One thing became clear to me. I needed to learn to cook.

****

After dinner, Serena and Jade offered to clear the dishes and clean up the kitchen. I teased them the offer sounded a little empty, coming from a couple of witches.

“Seriously, what are you really offering? You won’t even break a sweat.”