Page 15 of Haunt Improvement
Chapter 6
THE NEXT TWO WEEKScrept by impossibly slow.A nauseating mix of anticipation and dread conjured a partly cloudy forecast, but I managed to hold off the showers until the wee hours of the night, when I tossed and turned and dwelled over all the ways the baby shower could go horribly wrong.
During the day, decorating the nursery and baking with Asher kept my mood in check.The shopping helped, too.Zelda whisked Hermosa and I off to a sweet little children’s bookstore in Boston to stock the wittle witch’s library.We had lunch at a seaside café, and when we returned, Mac and Dylan had moved in all the baby furniture—crib, changing table, rocking chair, and bookshelves.
Asher helped us find homes for all the books, and also a few of Dylan and Drew’s vintage toys, including a creepy old rocking horse I still suspected might be haunted.I’d kept the nursery theme purposefully neutral, making sure any future batlings would feel welcome.
I’d noticed Nathan, Dylan’s half-cousin, making googly eyes at Daisy.She was a few years older than him, but her Barbie good looks twitterpated all the single guys—and some of the single gals.I had a feeling there were more batlings in her future.They wouldn’t necessarily beHernándezbatlings, but they would be family nonetheless, and welcome in our home.
Thinking of family always circled my thoughts back to Glinda.I hadn’t seen or heard from my cousin once in the two weeks since Roger had collected his basket and the invitation for Emmy.I’d skipped a weekly therapy appointment—partly out of spite, and partly out of shame—but I kept the next just so I could grill Roger about Glinda’s disappearing act.
“She’s been spending more time with her sister,” he confessed.“They’ve done a fair bit of shopping for the baby shower, and I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised.”
“She’s avoiding me,” I said, slapping the couch pillows in an aggressive effort to fluff them.It was becoming harder and harder to find a comfortable position.I reclined to the side, resting my baby bump on the pile of pillows, only for wittle witch to deliver a jab to my bladder.I groaned and rearranged the pillows on the other side to try again.
“I don’t think she’s doing it intentionally,” Roger said.
“She’s treating my internal organs like they’re beach balls,” I grumbled.
“Come again?”Roger’s nose twitched and he cocked his head.
“Sorry, I meant the baby—well, I suppose Glinda is, too.My heart is in rough shape, doc.I caved and invited her sister, like she wanted, and then she just ghosted me.”
“I see.”Roger pressed his lips together and sighed.“At the risk of breaking your cousin’s confidence, I believe she’s worried you’ll have a change of heart and uninvite Emmy before the shower.But that’s tomorrow, so I’m sure you’ll be seeing more of her very soon.”
“Or a lot less,” I added under my breath.
If the shower was a disaster, I wasn’t sure my relationship with Glinda would survive it.What was worse, I didn’t even know if Glinda would care.Especially if Emmy invited her to come back to Kansas and Evillene allowed her to return to Gran’s house.
It was what Glinda wanted, wasn’t it?She’d said as much when I last saw her.
I pushed the thought to the back of my mind as I left Roger’s office, hoping to keep the rain away until I made it home from the store with the ingredients for my afternoon of baking with Asher.There were lots of treats to prepare for the shower.And lots of covert extras for stuffing my feelings.
DeeDee’s special pregnancy diet was out the window for now.It was the only way to keep the weather tolerable.It felt like the entire town was holding their breath with me, waiting to see if I’d get a handle on the storm cauldron once the baby arrived.
Orgasmic rainbows were one thing, but the moody blues were bumming everyone out, including my nephew.
“Aren’t you happy to see me, Auntie M?”he asked as I stumbled through the kitchen door, plastic bags in hand.His worried gaze darted to the window above the sink.Rain spattered the glass, and a rumble of thunder threatened more to come.
“So happy!”I assured him, dropping the bags on the counter.I planted a kiss on top of his head and tickled his ribs, earning a squirming giggle.“I’m just nervous about the party tomorrow.”
“Because your meanie cousin is coming?”He climbed onto one of the stools at the island and kicked his feet out, dangling the untied laces of his sneakers.“Mum is nervous, too.She doesn’t like witches much—well, cept for you and Zelda, and Marge and Sassy.Not really G’lindy though, cause she’s a meanie, too.But not the meanie cousin you’re worried about...”
There was no keeping secrets with Asher around.The kid sponged up everything and squeezed it out just as soon as the opportunity arose.I let him chatter on about good witches and bad witches as I laid out the ingredients for pawpaw doodles and various other goodies, chocolate bat pastries and candied broom pretzels.
Our baking adventures always began the old-fashioned way, with mixing bowls and wooden spoons, flour-dusted aprons and sticky egg shells.But after an hour or so, Asher would beg for my magical fast-forward button.
My navel was currently an outie, thanks to wittle witch, a.k.a.bitty bat.It protruded through the taut fabric of my blouse.When my nephew’s patience gave out, he poked my belly button, and I winked the rest of our treats baked in an instant.I also winked away the mess we’d made, leaving the kitchen spotless.
“These are my favorite,” Asher said around a mouthful of chocolate pastry.“Besides the pawpaw doodles.And the peanut butter banana balls.And the maple nuts.”He rubbed the back of his hand across his face, smearing a line of chocolate from chin to nostril.I winked him clean, not wanting to leave Daisy with the chore later.She was working an extra shift at the Country Club so she could take tomorrow off to help with the shower.
I was really hoping once the baby was here, it would be easier to convince her to move in with Asher.I suspected we’d see more of Nathan then, too.Once again, the thought of family brought Glinda to mind, and the kitchen window darkened.I looked at Ash, grasping for a happy thought to bring back the sun.
