Page 102 of Charmed, I'm Sure
“Hold up—weren’t you one of the ones whopushedme to go out with him? Said we were adults now, and if I’d changed, why couldn’t he?”
“Oh, don’t you put this on me.You—”
“Ladies!” A tickle of magic brushed my skin as I tried to interject, but no sound came out. Maddie suffered the same fate, her mouth opening and closing like a fish as she clutched her throat and glared at Aunt Evie. “Blessed Mother, I haven’t had to do that in ages,” our aunt muttered. “Now, that’s quite enough. If you two can behave, I’ll return your ability to speak.”
Maddie met my glare with one of her own, but we both nodded. Within seconds, Aunt Evie’s magic fluttered over my skin again, and I let out an exasperated huff.
“Magnolia, obviously this isn’t ideal,” she said, rubbing her temples. “But if you believe he’ll keep our secret, then I see no reason to intervene. Should that change, however…” She trailed off, unspoken words hanging heavy in the air.
If Taylor spilled our secret, we’d have to take retroactive action with a memory spell. None of us liked doing them—unpredictable things, memory spells. Either they erased exactly what they were meant to, or they took more than intended.
Magic was finicky on its own. Add a mundane, and the results were even less certain.
“I can’t believe you’re letting this stand,” Maddie muttered, arms crossed, eyes downcast.
I understood her frustration. Truly, I did. She’d been in an on-again, off-again relationship with someone who’d meant the world to her. And the last time they’d broken up, it was because he thought she was keeping something from him. And she had been—just not what he’d assumed. So hearing that I’d spilled the family secret to someone I barely knew and was basically getting a pat on the wrist for it? Yeah, that probably stung.
“Maddie—”
“Magnolia, just stop.” With a sigh, she pushed away from the counter and turned for the door. “Let me know when dinner’s ready.”
And with that, she was gone.
Aunt Evie’s raspberry and the rustle of grocery bags redirected my attention. “Help me with these, would you?”
“Uh… sure.” Hermeownie let out a squeaky meow as I deposited her on another stool and stood, rounding the island to begin pulling items from the bags.
Silence reigned as we sorted the groceries into their places. When the last bag was shoved under the sink with the rest, Aunt Evie braced herself against the counter and blew out a breath.
“Magpie, I trust your judgment. But are you sure you can trust him with this?”
That question had rolled around and around in my brain all day, and every time, I landed on the same answer. “I am.”
With another heavy sigh, she nodded. “Well, then I hope you’re right. Now, let’s get to work on dinner, shall we? Fried chicken and biscuits sound good?”
“Sounds perfect.”
“Good. And then we’ll call yourothersister.”
Greeeat.
27
Touché, Dr. Hallows. Touché.
Taylor
“Whataboutthisone?”Magnolia asked, plopping down on what had to be one of the most uncomfortable-looking couches I’d ever seen. She stretched her arms over the backrest, a barely concealed smirk playing on her lips.
We both knew there wasn’t a chance in hell that monstrosity was coming anywhere near my house, but I sank—and I do meansank, because the cushion practically swallowed me whole—down next to her anyway. “Could work. Just needs a little—”
“More stuffing? New fabric? To be burned in a bonfire and never thought of again?”
I gasped in feigned outrage, hand flying to my chest as I met her aqua gaze. “How verydareyou. This is a masterpiece.”
“A masterpiece for a dumpster fire,” she shot back with a laugh.
“Hey, you picked it, and I’m a sucker for anything related to you. So,obviously, this is the winner.”
