Page 1 of Haunted Eclipse

CHAPTER ONE

The streetsof Midnight Point were bustling with shoppers by the time I arrived at my office. Men and women on their way to work, and shoppers out for the best early morning deals, skirted the icy patches on the sidewalks as they hurried along on their errands.

The sky was clear, a rare sight for a January day. Never mind that it was thirty-four degrees, and a light skiff of snow covered the streets. When the sun decided to peep through the clouds, people hoisted themselves off their asses and headed out and about.

Taking a deep breath, I filled my lungs with an icy blast of clean air. The chill was piercing, but it worked better than anything but caffeine to wake me up. I’d never give up my caffeine, but cold weather made for a nice, added boost.

“Cripes, it’s busy,” I said, edging out a car for the lone parking spot near my shop. The man gave me a frown, but he refrained from any nasty shouts and passed by as I eased into the space. I muttered a curse on whoever thought parallel parking was a good idea.

As I stepped out of my car, slinging my purse over my shoulder, I tried to avoid the icy spots on the sidewalk. I waswearing a pair of high heeled boots, and though they had chunky heels and nonskid soles, they were still problematic on slippery surfaces. I cautiously picked my way across the walkway over toThe Mocha Express—the shop to the left of my own shop.

My best friend, Crystal Jagger, ran the coffee shop, and it wastheplace to go when you were downtown, if you wanted the best coffee drinks and pastries. Crystal didn’t run an upscale joint, but she sold affordable, bingeable pastries, and the shop was always busy.

Edging my way through the crowd, I reached the end of the line. Crystal caught sight of me and, leaving the crowd to her barista Karina, she motioned for me to join her in the back. I slipped through the door, into the heart of the bakery. The aroma was so good I almost melted.

“Hey, I can’t stay long, but I wanted to grab a latte and something to eat. I didn’t have time for breakfast,” I said.

She grinned. “Be right back. Stay here.”

As Crystal vanished back into the front, I sat on the bench to the side of the door, looking at the kitchen. It was filled with pans of cookies and muffins, and to one side, a line of freshly baked bread awaited its packaging.

Crystal returned, latte and bag of goodies in hand. “Here,” she said.

“Put it on my tab?” I asked. “And save me a loaf of your French bread?”

“Sure thing.” She glanced out front again. “Karina needs help. I’d better get going. But I’ll duck over to the shop on my morning break and bring you your bread and another latte, if you want.”

I gave her a quick hug, then picked up my latte and bag of whatever it was she’d decided I needed for breakfast. “Thanks! Talk to you soon.”

Within minutes, I was back out into the icy sunshine.

Married At First Bite, my new business, was snuggled between Crystal’s shop, and a shop belonging to another friend of mine.Ever After, a bridal shop, was run by Kevin Sands, a puma shifter with an eye for style, offered the finest in bridal wear. At least, that’s what Kevin claimed. Seriously though, he had a flair for matching a bride with her perfect dress, and he never pushed anything over a bride’s budget.

The sign in my window read:matchmaking, readings & paranormal investigations.

Given that I was a matchmaker, it seemed to be an auspicious omen when the space next to Ever After opened up. I decided to take the leap and hope for the best. But I also knew that, in a small town, I’d have to do more than bring couples together. While most people were looking for love, not that many went to a matchmaker. So I decided to pool some of my other talents in with finding love for others, and I figured between the matchmaking, the readings, and investigations, I should be able to make a living.

As I unlocked the door and slipped inside, I took a deep breath. The scent of fresh paint was fading. I’d finished the renovations last week, and now, the mauve walls emanated a calming sense, and sage and ivory accents and trim followed through with an elegant feel.

I’d bought ivory colored furniture to enhance the look, and everything in the shop felt welcoming and open. At first, I’d been hesitant about opening my own matchmaking service, but my aunt had reminded me that people everywhere were looking for love, and Midnight Point was no exception. By combining both my matchmaking service with the option for psychic readings, my business would probably generate enough clientele, even within a small town. I was familiar enough with Midnight Point and her ways to surmise that, even if peopleweren’t looking for love, they might well be looking for advice from an experienced witch.

I took a deep breath and hung my coat on the coatrack, then glanced in a mirror on the wall—carefully placed so it didn’t face the door, because I had no desire to invite entities in through an unguarded portal—and made sure my makeup was good. Since I had first walked into this space a month ago, it had felt welcoming, though I didn’t sense any ghosts or spirits. I cleansed it once a week with sage and lemon water.

Before I opened the door to the public, I decided to cast a circle. First, I lit a stick of incense. A delightful blend of rose and hibiscus, it was barely enough to smell, but it added to the ambience. Then, I opened my tote bag and withdrew ageborune—one of the Norse runes for good luck—and hung it on the wall. It was shaped like anX. I had carved the rune on a round of apple wood. I turned my attention to the bookshelves and ran my fingers over them. A glance at my fingers told me they were dust free.

This is it. It’s show-time.

Squaring my shoulders, I walked over to the window and flipped on the sign that said, “Welcome. We’re open.”

Then, with another look out on the sidewalks, I took my place behind my desk.

I hope I haven’t made a huge mistake by returning to Midnight Point,I thought. But then again, it wasn’t like I had much of a choice.

Two months before,two days before Thanksgiving…

“Is everything gone?” I asked, staring at the smoldering ruins of what had been my house. Now it was a charred pile ofwood, dust, and smoke. The scorched remains were crumbling, even as I watched. The beautiful house I’d shared with my late husband Dan was now a pile of ashes and charcoal. All the memories of life with him…gone. I was so shocked that I couldn’t even cry.

The fire marshal, who was standing beside me, nodded. “Most of it, I’m afraid.”

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