Page 40 of Haunted Eclipse

I took a quick shower, then dressed carefully. I decided on a pair of cobalt leggings with silver snowflakes on them, a pale blue tank dress that almost reached my knees, a dark graylong sweater, and then added a beaded lapis lazuli necklace and silver hoop earrings. I brushed my hair back and slid on a headband that matched my leggings, then re-did my makeup.

As I stood back, eying myself in the mirror, for the first time in several years, I realized that I cared what people might think when they looked at me.

The snow had let up—atleast for a while—by the time we reached the Community Center, it was almost seven-fifteen. We were late, but then again, mixers like these didn’t have firm start times. We’d stopped to buy a box of brownies at Sassy’s Espresso Stand. A drive-thru owned by Sassy Longhopper, a rabbit shifter, the shop sold the best vegan brownies in town. Most rabbit shifters were vegetarians, and while I didn’t fancy a lot of vegan options, the brownies were incredible. I was convinced she used magic in baking them.

I wanted coffee, but I’d had enough adrenaline for the day, given the accident.

“So, how bad is your car?”

“Bad enough that I need to buy a new one.” I rolled my eyes. “I’ll be waiting on two insurance checks, now. At least neither situation was my fault, but I’m scared my insurance company will drop me.”

“Yeah, they have a tendency to do that,” Crystal said. “I’ll be happy to take you out tomorrow morning. What do you want?”

I shrugged. “I don’t know. I need a good SUV with traction. I want a tank, though I don’t want it to be huge.”

“Well, I read Car Reports from last month—the safest SUV on the market is a new brand. It’s the Evergreen Vega. It was rated with one of the highest safety levels ever given to an SUV.It’s pricey, but it’s worth it.” Crystal zipped up her jacket before getting out of the car. “They were right when they said that we were going to get slammed with snow.”

“Will it be safe to drive home?” I was feeling leery, given what had happened.

“Yeah, I had snow tires and chains put on a couple days ago.” Crystal picked up the bag of brownies. “Let’s go.”

I pulled my jacket tighter and shivered as a blast of cold air hit me. “I hope this is worth it.”

“Hey, we’re getting out for the night, and after the day you had, I think you need a little fun.” Crystal winked at me, then sighed. “Let’s try to forget about everything for an hour or so.”

“Sounds good to me,” I said, opening the door to the Midnight Point Community Center.

The place was hopping,even on a snowbound night. At least, hopping for how small the town was. Thirty-five hundred people meant that a crowd was anything over thirty. And there had to be at least forty people at the event. The Midnight Hour Social Club wasn’t just for singles, though. And it didn’t give off country club vibes, or I wouldn’t have entered the doors.

I looked around. I’d been back in Midnight Point for two months now, but I still hadn’t caught up with most of the people I remembered. I caught sight of several people I thought I might remember, but the fact was, those days were long past and Crystal and my aunt were the only ones I’d kept in touch with.

“Okay, you need to be my wing woman, friendship-wise. Is there anybody here I should know?” I whispered.

Crystal laughed. “A couple, but though I’ve seen several of these faces around town, and in my shop, for the most part? Idon’t know anybody. Except…” She motioned for me to follow her and headed over to a woman who was sitting at one of the tables near the wall, plate of cookies and a cup of fruit punch in front of her.

“Hey, Bealissa, how are you?”

The woman glanced up. The name Bealissa conjured up images of a fantasy princess, but this woman was wearing what looked like velour track suit, and her hair was pulled back in a long, curling blonde ponytail. She was in that indeterminate age range where she could be anywhere from thirty to fifty, and I sensed some sort of magical energy around her. When she saw Crystal, she broke out in a broad smile.

“Thank gods. I was thinking about heading out. I don’t know anybody here, and apparently I underdressed for the evening.” Her voice had an odd lilt to it, so that it sounded almost like she was singing.

“No worries,” Crystal said. “Nobody’s going to care. Do you mind if we sit down?”

Bealissa motioned to the chairs. “Be my guest.”

“Thanks,” I said, sliding into the chair closest to the wall. “I’m Maisy, by the way.”

“Maisy’s my BFF. We go back all the way to the academy,” Crystal said to Bealissa. “Maisy just moved back to town.” She then turned to me. “Bealissa runs the Pumpkin Patch, a general store on the outskirts of town. She also hosts the farmer’s market there every Saturday and Sunday, from March through December.”

“Call me Bee,” Bealissa said. “And yes, I own the Pumpkin Patch. I also run an autumn fair there, every year.”

I filed away the information. “I love the name,” I said. “Both yours, and your store’s. The Pumpkin Patch conjures up visions of old country stores where they sell fresh eggs and honey.”

“I do,” Bee said. “All the produce and pastries in my shop are sourced from the surrounding area—from the berry fields over in Whatcom County, to the beehives in Whisper Hollow, to the herbs grown by Hedda, who owns the Herbal Apothecary right here in Midnight Point. I have a few items in my store that I outsource, but I like to keep it local, to support the smaller farmers and artists.”

Crystal pointed at the refreshment table. “Maisy and I will grab something to eat and set out the brownies we brought, then we’ll be right back.”

“Are those brownies from Sassy’s Espresso Stand? Can I have one before you put them out for the vultures to feed?” Bee asked.

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