Page 36 of Seven Secret Spellcasters
“He’s not supposed to be investigating, so I’m his cover.” Mia took a sparkling water from the table, then looked around at her friends. Her family, really. She was still missing someone, but she’d figure it out.
“Here’s to the best circle a kitchen witch could ever have!” Mia held up her glass. “Thank you all for being here tonight.”
“To Mia!” the group responded, and as she sipped her water, she realized how happy she was at that moment.
Tomorrow would bring its own set of problems. But right now, right here, everything was good.
CHAPTER15
Finn was at the table the next morning. Trent had found her downstairs, starting to microwave a bowl of instant oatmeal when he took Cerby and Muffy out. He smiled at Mia when she came out of the bedroom. “I saved her from a bad day. Breakfast is important for growing bones.”
Finn shot him a dirty look. “I hope I’m not still growing.”
“You may be an adult in the eyes of the law, but you’re not twenty yet, so you’re still a kid.” Trent threw her a muffin. “Eat. You look like a scarecrow.”
Mia laughed and poured coffee. “Face it, Finn. You’re part of the family now. You get all the benefits, like being teased and worried about.”
“And an endless supply of books to read. Your library is huge.” Finn held up a paranormal mystery book. “I came up to leave the books I’d finished by the door to your apartment when I heard another door open. I thought someone was there, so I walked over and found the library. I can’t believe you didn’t mention it. And it’s so well stocked. I found a whole series of a fantasy series I haven’t read.”
“You went into the library.” Mia glanced around the table. Grans and Abigail were looking at each other, shock clearly registering.
“I’m sorry, should I have stayed out? Libraries were always my thing growing up. My mom would take off for work, and I’d go to the library and hang out all day.” She set her fork down. “I broke a rule, didn’t I? I can see it in your faces.”
“No, it’s just that we didn’t think about telling you about the library since we didn’t know how big a reader you were,” Mia said, trying to make up some excuse.
“I don’t think Christina’s ever been inside,” Abigail said, trying to support Mia’s reasoning. “Young people don’t seem to be readers anymore.”
The security alarm went off, and Mia saw Mark Baldwin’s truck entering the parking lot. “Sorry, I’ve got to go. I’ll be back soon and help out with the party prep.”
“No worries, I’ve got the guys here.” Abigail smiled at her sons. “And someone needs to go wake up Christina.”
Mia grabbed her jacket and purse. She kissed Trent, who was walking her to the door. “The library opened for Finn.”
He looked back toward the apartment. “Maybe we found your extra circle member?”
“I’m sure Grans will be finishing her lineage soon. That’s unexpected.” Mia pulled on her jacket when she reached the door.
“Not so unexpected. People find their way to Magic Springs for all kinds of reasons. Finn was drawn here. Who leaves one small Idaho town for an even smaller one in the mountains? Especially a young girl. She should have headed to the bright lights of California.” He opened the door as Mark was coming up the path. “I’ll see you later. Hi, Mark. She’s all yours.”
“Don’t say such horrible things. I’ll have her back in a couple of hours. We’ve got an appointment in Twin Falls at an outdoor adventure booking office. Hopefully, this guy didn’t make the appointment online.” Mark waved at Trent, then opened the truck door for Mia.
They were on the highway before Mark said anything else. “So your thing last night was nice. Not what I expected?”
“No chanting or calling to dark spirits to come inhabit my body?” Mia laughed. “You watch too much television.”
“You have to realize I didn’t grow up with this stuff. Sarah, she takes magic for granted, like it’s another gift, like being smart or doing math without a calculator. You seem to question what’s happening more.” He shrugged. “Not that I don’t love my wife, but sometimes, she can scare me.”
“Which is how it should be.” Mia relaxed into her seat. “We all need a little magic we keep to ourselves. I think more people have the potential for magic than we know.”
“You’ve picked up another stray, I see.” He glanced over at Mia. “Are you lonely now that Miss Adams has grown up and made a life for herself ?”
“You think I like dealing with the teenage years?” Mia glanced out the window and saw a deer watching them drive past. She was far enough off the road not to be in danger. “Finn was Abigail’s hire, but then she was living in her van. I have too many empty rooms to have an employee on the street. Besides, she’s interesting.”
“Sarah used the same word after she met the girl.” Mark slowed down as they went past the deer. Mia hadn’t thought he’d even seen her, but he had. “I hope she’s not as interesting as Miss Adams was here in Magic Springs.”
“Christina never did anything wrong. Even that arrest in Nevada was her friend’s fault,” Mia started, then realized Mark was grinning. “Stop doing that.”
“I like seeing you riled up.” Mark nodded to the notebook. “That’s what I found out after interviewing the salesman yesterday. Howard bought clothes and supplies for a two-day rafting trip. And he asked about food. He said the guide was providing the meals, but he wanted to buy enough snacks for three people. He said his friend had paid for the trip. He wanted to contribute in some way.”
