Page 5 of Charmed, I'm Sure
Aunt Evie sighed, shaking her head as a small laugh slipped out. “Magpie, you’re thirty years old. You don’t need to ask me if you can party in New Orleans.”
A huge grin spread across my face, but it quickly fell when she pinned me with hermom look.
“But you need to find a safe place to stay. You know the veil is thinner on All Hallows’ Eve. I don’t need you accidentally—or intentionally—stumbling upon something wicked. You catch my drift… pick up what I’m putting down… smell what I’m cooking…”
I couldn’t help the laughter that bubbled up. “Yes, yes, I got it. Geez, stop with the cheesy metaphors.”
“Good. Now go drag your sister away from her computer before she gets square eyes.”
“Aunt Evie… you know that’s not a real thing, right? You told us that when we sat too close to the TV as kids, but come on.”
She shrugged. “Same difference. You knew what I meant. Now scoot.” She wiggled her fingers at me, waiting for her shears.
After handing them over, I pressed a kiss to her cheek and left her to her pruning, heading inside to find my sister.
Maddie hated when anyone disrupted her writing. She always claimed she couldn’t get back into the same groove, ruining the process. I, of course, called bullshit, since I interrupted her all the time, and her books were still amazeballs.
She might have grumbled some—okay, a lot—but I knew that, despite the complaints, she’d pull herself away from whatever fictional world she was building when I needed her. And tonight was one of those nights. So, after I promised to leave her alone for the rest of the weekend—and bribed her with homemade cinnamon rolls—she threw on a sweater and jeans, tossed her chestnut locks into a high pony, and slapped on a smile.
Neon signs advertising beer flickered against the blacked-out windows ofTheFirefly, the only bar in town. Its owner just so happened to be one of my favorite people… even if he barely tolerated me.
As soon as we walked through the door, Jordan Davis’sAlmost Maybeshit the speakers. A smile spread across my face as I sidled up to the bar. “Raayyyy,” I sing-songed, dragging out his name.
He rolled his eyes, wiping down the bar in front of where Maddie and I sat. “What do y’all want?”
“Hey now, Ray, no need to be sassy,” Jae said, stepping up behind us.
“Oh great, the whole gang’s here tonight. I still don’t understand why y’all insist on calling me ‘Ray.’ You know that’s not my name.”
Maddie snickered beside me, hiding her grin behind her hand.
“Your name is Trey… Ray could be a nickname for that,” Jae said, leaning against the bar with a cheesy smile.
“It’s not.” Ray’s tone was flat, his expression unchanged as he stared us down.
I shrugged, pulling out my debit card and punch card, setting them on the bar. “Ever seenPrincess and the Frog?”
The blank look on his face gave me my answer.
“Well, there’s this little firefly in the movie, and his name is Ray. So, tomato, potato. You own this bar; you’re Ray now. Can I get a large 190-Octane, please?” I flashed him my best Southern Belle smile, but he just rolled his eyes and snatched my cards off the counter.
“And y’all?” he asked, nodding toward Maddie and Jae.
“I’m DD tonight. Mags had a bad day at work,” Maddie replied.
“A large strawberry, please!” Jae chimed in, bouncing on her toes.
After Ray returned with our daiquiris, he handed me my cards, and we headed to our usual table near the dance floor. It was still early for a Friday night, which meant we had time to let the liquid courage kick in before the line dancing started. We knew the dances, but that didn’t mean it wasn’t intimidating to get up in front of everyone else and do them.
We’d been there a few hours, dancing along to songs we knew, but whenThick as Thievesby Lauren Alaina and Lainey Wilson came on, Jae squealed and jumped up. “Come on, Mags! Maddie!” she whined, grabbing our wrists and pulling us toward the dance floor, where rows of people were already lining up.
I groaned, rolling my eyes as I reluctantly followed her out past the rail that framed the floor, Maddie dragging her feet behind me. It didn’t take long for us to fall into step with the rest of the group. Every heel clicked in sync on the wooden floor, whoops of excitement filling the air as we spun and added our own flares.
I was having the time of my life—untilhewalked in.
Until sapphire eyes behind tortoiseshell glasses locked onto mine. For the third time in one day, Taylor Hallows was invading my space.
Taylor
