Page 23 of Enduring Magic

“I lost—”

Coop clamped his hand over Keaton’s big mouth and cast Autumn a tight smile. “His socks. He lost his lucky socks. And he refuses to finish dressing until we find them.”

Autumn’s eyes flared wide like she was positive it wasn’t socks but their damned minds that went missing. And she wouldn’t be wrong if that was at all what she suspected.

After a quick glance toward Keaton’s feet, she frowned and nodded. “Yeah, okay.”

A muffled squeak sounded from behind her, and her expression shifted toward guilty before she masked it.

“What was that?” Coop demanded.

“What?”

“That squeak.”

“What squeak?”

“Autumn,” he growled.

She gave him a sickly grin. “Oh!Thatsqueak. Just Saul. Gotta run!”

With a simple snap of her fingers, she was gone, leaving Coop with his hand still clamped over Keaton’s downturned mouth.

His brother shoved Coop away and glared. “You’ve lost your damned mind, C.C.”

“Yeah, I’m afraid that’s what your wife thinks, too. And I will if we don’t find that ring. Come on.”

Halfway to their destination, he stopped and turned back toward the spot where Autumn had disappeared. “Don’t you think the thing with Saul was weird?”

“Everything with Saul is weird. Why should today be any different?” Keaton tried to keep walking, but Coop gripped his arm and stopped him.

“I’m serious, Keaton. Why would Autumn have Saul with her when he’s Summer’s familiar? He’s never far from her unless he’s forced to be.”

“How should I know? C.C., we have to find the ring. We don’t have time to worry about why my wife might be babysitting that crazy-ass squirrel.”

“I feel it in my bones, man. Something’s up with those two.”

His brother sighed heavily. “Go find her, then. I’ll look in Zane’s room again.”

Ignoring his instincts and giving up the mystery, Coop shook his head. “No. I’ll go with you to look. We don’t have any time to spare.”

10

“He won’t say.”

Summer stopped pacing to acknowledge Autumn’s return. “Where did he scurry off to?”

“I locked him in the pantry to consider the error of his ways.” Her sister huffed on her nails and buffed them on the bodice of her tangerine bridesmaid dress. “It shouldn’t take him long for his memory to be restored. I told him I’d hog-tie him to Eddie’s trunk if he didn’t start remembering soon.”

“Tums! You can’t—”

Autumn waved her hand in dismissal and plopped down on the closest chair. “Oh, stop. It’s not like I intended to leave him locked away. I gave Winnie instructions to release him in five minutes if I’m not back.”

“But we’re still no closer to finding the ring.” Summer moaned and flung herself back on the bed.

“Are you sure you brought it from the house? In all the chaos, you may have left it on your dresser at home.”

“No. I had it here, for sure.” She frowned as she thought back to when she arrived that morning. “Or I think I did. Anyway, Saul knows something. I’m positive of it. We just need to get him talking.” With a grim determination, Summer stood and began the painstaking process of removing her clothes.

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