Page 138 of Charmed, I'm Sure
“Loki,” I said with a laugh, flipping the phone downward just as the timer dinged, signaling the end of the round. “Oh, cool. I got thirteen out of fifteen.”
“I still don’t understand how you missed Magneto,” Maddie huffed, leaning back in her chair.
“You said ‘magnet,’ you can’t do that,” I retorted, passing the phone to Meredith before sinking onto the couch next to Taylor with a contented sigh.
He immediately wrapped an arm around my shoulders and pulled me into him, pressing a kiss to the top of my head.
“You sure you don’t need to be at your parents’ house?” I asked.
“I’m right where I want to be, sunshine. Plus, they went up to Baton Rouge with Addy to celebrate with Colin’s family.”
“If you’re sure.”
His response was another kiss—just a quick peck, nothing crazy—but it still made my toes curl.
“If you two are quite finished, I’d like to kick your ass now,” Meredith scolded, bouncing on the balls of her feet in front of the fireplace like she was about to step into a boxing ring.
“By all means, do carry on,” Taylor said in a mock English accent, waving his hand dramatically in her direction.
“Pretty sure you have a death wish, cowboy.”
I chuckled when Meredith cut him a scathing glare, but before I could shout my first clue to my sister, the doorbell chimed through the house.
Pushing up from the cushion, I glanced at Meredith and said, “Bitten by an eight-legged creepy crawly.”
“Spider-Man!”
“I’ve got the door. Y’all keep going.”
“You want me to come with?” Taylor asked as I rounded the corner of the couch.
“No, it’s okay. Should only be a minute.”
I laughed to myself as the sound of clues being shouted at my sister followed me down the hall, each one more ridiculous than the last. But my steps slowed as I took in the person standing on the other side of the screen door.
“Magnolia, how ya doin’, honey?”
Geraldine—one of the oldest gossips in town—stood there, her bright blue eyes flicking nervously over my face.
“I’m fine, Ms. Geraldine. What… what can I do for you?” I asked, pushing open the screen door and wrapping my cardigan tighter around my torso.
“I heard about your dear ol’ auntie. Awful, just awful.” She sighed, shifting the covered dish in her hands. “And, well, I got to thinkin’, what with everything y’all have been dealin’ with, and, well… Here. I made y’all some crawfish étouffée. Freezer and reheat instructions are taped to the top.”
My limbs froze as I stared down at the dish she was trying to hand me. “Why?”
She heaved a heavy breath, a sorrowful smile barely lifting the corners of her mouth.
“We take care of our own down here. I know we haven’t always been the most welcoming, and I know I’ve said some things I shouldn’t’ve. But you ladies are just as much a part of this community as anyone else. And I’m sorry if we… ifIever made you feel differently.”
“Everything okay, Mags?” Taylor’s voice carried down the hall, his footsteps growing closer as I held the old woman’s gaze.
“Yeah,” I whispered before repeating the word louder. I hesitated before taking the dish from Geraldine with a soft, “Thank you.”
It was still warm, the scent of spicy crawfish enveloping me, making my mouth water despite the fact that I was far too full.
“Hey there, Ms. Gerry,” Taylor said smoothly as he wrapped his arms around my shoulders.
“Why, Taylor Hallows, good to see you, dear.”
