Page 14 of Wicching Hour

They nodded.

“All of that has already been purchased. It’s being boxed up and shipped to the East Coast tomorrow.”

The kids eyes got big as they spun in a circle, hunting for green dots. Carter blew out a low whistle.

“Oh my,” Hester breathed. “I guess your gallery is a success.”

“So far,” I said. “What that means, though, is that everyone can relax. If we don’t sell anything today, it’s cool. Everyone’s getting paid.”

The teens grinned at each other.

“What do the white dots mean?” Hester asked.

I looked to where she pointed and thought back. “They mean I need to call my agent and ask. I think those were sold to that other collector last night.” I shrugged. “I was talking to my dad at the time,” I said with a big grin. “And that is a phrase I have never before used in my life.”

“I was going to ask you,” Faith whispered. No idea why. “That man is your dad?” She glanced at her brother. “You were right.”

“Mom had always told us that no one knew who your dad was,” Frank explained, “but there was something about that guy. He gave off immense power and you have the same eyes. Hair too.”

“His eyes are a bright blue. Mine are green,” I said, confused.

“Yeah, but the shape is the same,” Frank clarified. “And you don’t have Corey green eyes. Yours are a brighter color, like if you mixed your mom’s dark green and his bright blue, you’d get your light green that sometimes looks almost teal. I don’t know. It’s also the shape of his face. Our moms have heart-shaped faces. Yours is more angular like your dad’s.”

The butterflies from last night returned. I looked like my dad. “Cool.”

I checked the time on my phone. “Okay. We have ten minutes until we open. Everybody do whatever you need to do. Remember, there’s a bathroom in my studio. Feel free to use it whenever you need it. Even if I’m working in there, it’s fine. I don’t distract easily.”

I remembered what Elizabeth had told me about Faith. “And if anyone wants to say hello to Cecil before we open, meet me on the deck in a couple of minutes.” I grabbed my backpack, took it into my studio, and left it by the steps to the loft. I ran up and used the full bathroom, leaving the half bath downstairs for whoever might need it, and checked if I was presentable.

I brushed my teeth again and then went downstairs and out the back door, finding my whole staff on the deck, looking over the railing.

Leaning over with them, I called, “Hello, Cecil!”

His tentacles slapped at the surface. I heard a quiet gasp from Faith and a chuckle from Carter. I glanced around for the tennis ball and saw it sitting under a bench.

“Don’t go anywhere,” I called, running into the studio for the orange ball flipper thing. I used it to pick up the soggy ball and then went back to the railing. “Okay, everyone look out at the water.” I reached back and flung the tennis ball, sending it sailing over the waves.

On a bark of joy, Wilbur shot out from under the deck and went after it.

“You have a pet seal?” Frank asked, eyes wide.

“He’s not my pet,” I said and then lowered my voice. “You guys know my dad is water fae, right?”

Hester and Carter nodded, but Frank and Faith shook their heads.

“Your dad is fae?” Frank whispered.

Huh.I thought the whole family knew that much at least. Then again, Elizabeth wasn’t a gossip, so it shouldn’t have been surprising that her children didn’t know. “Yes. That’s also why I have ocean friends. Wilbur, the harbor seal you just saw, is a selkie and one of my father’s guards.”

Everyone’s eyes got large at that. “So, when he’s in his seal skin, we play fetch, but he, just like all the other creatures of the sea, is deserving of your respect. And if you ever see a pale naked guy out here, come get me. It means Emrys—Wilbur’s real name—has a message from my dad.”

Their varying expressions of shock and wonder cracked me up. I checked my phone again. “Time to open.”

I had a moment to wonder if I’d overshared, but then decided to let it go. If three wicches and a shifter couldn’t keep a secret, who could? Plus, they worked here. They needed to know who they were working for so they could be prepared for weird stuff.

I was wrong about my belief that it’d be a quiet day. It was not. It wasn’t as crowded as last night and there were no big rollers—as far as I knew—but we did a steady stream of sales all afternoon. Unlike last night, when big pieces were sold, today we sold lots of the three-hundred-dollar-and-under items. We also had tons of people just looking around, which was cool.

The strange man who’d been staring at me last night tried to come back in, but Carter stopped him at the door. The guy argued, but Carter was very persuasive. I was standing near Hester at the time and moved forward in case a magical push was needed.

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