Page 37 of A Touch Enchanted

Gretchen waved to us when we entered, which was a good sign. The place was packed, so I checked out a few of the mugs Gretchen’s wife, Kylie, had for sale in their display case. Violet would’ve liked the one shaped like a cresting wave.

As we made our way up to the counter, Gretchen gave us a wide smile. “Well, if it isn’t my two favorite demons. Shouldn’t you be busy with your hostile takeover?”

Wes rolled his eyes. “So you’ve heard.”

“I hear everything. You know this.” She motioned to one of her baristas that she was taking a break. “Let’s go in back for a minute. I don’t want to talk out here.”

“Are you sure you’re okay being seen with us?” I asked.

She shrugged. “I’ve been seen with worse.”

She led us back past her small kitchen to a breakroom that had just enough room for a two-person table, a loveseat, and a minifridge with a microwave on top. The three of us barely fit in there without standing on top of each other, but it was private.

“Dell backed out,” Wes said. “Seems he believes the mayor’s version of what’s going on.”

“Dell is a moron who got hit in the head too many times during his baseball days,” Gretchen said. “I wouldn’t worry too much about him. It’s the people who have as much sway as the mayor that you need to look out for. Betsy Newcomb was already in this morning, flapping her jaw to anyone who would listen.”

I pinched the bridge of my nose. Betsy Newcomb was a pain in the ass, as was her daughter, Paige. I wouldn’t have minded dumping that whole family out by where the curse’s eel guarded the cliffs, just to see what happened. “I don’t have time for this shit.”

Gretchen gave me an assessing look. “Well done on finally landing Violet, by the way. Took your dumbass long enough.”

“You heard about that already?” It didn’t surprise me that she’d heard. Gossip traveled at breakneck speeds through this town. No one could keep secrets around here for long.

“Everyone who stopped by the credit union this morning heard. Rumor has it, the walls of the entire building were shaking.” She smirked. “So like I said. Well done.”

Wes let out a barking laugh. “No wonder you hung up on me this morning.”

Jesus Christ. Violet was going to hate that people were discussing her without her knowledge. She went out of her way to avoid being the center of gossip. Might be best if we started crashing at my house from now on.

“Anyway.” I had no interest in discussing the change in my relationship with Violet. That was between us for now. “Are you still in? Because we’re going to need backup at the next town hall meeting, or this whole plan is sunk.”

“The first time I saw the curse in action, I stood on my balcony with my wife and watched fire rain down on the forest.” Gretchen frowned, lost in a memory from weeks ago. “I wondered how long it would take my house to burn. I haven’t forgotten what’s at stake, and I’m not the only one. I’m in.”

Wes squeezed her shoulder. “That means a lot to us.”

“Why go through all this though?” she asked. “You all own half the island. If you shut down, the rest of us would have no choice but to head to the mainland for the season.”

“That’s not how we do things,” I said.

Our dad had hammered home the importance of equality and balance on the island from the time we were kids, just like his dad had done before him. If we threw our weight around, it would only breed resentment and tarnish what made this such a great place to live in the first place. Zodiac Cove was always meant to be a place of magic and love. Even when we didn’t have magic, we honored that love.

So, to us, it didn’t matter how much of the island we owned. We were one business, so we got one vote in town decisions. Our voice didn’t carry more weight than Gretchen’s or Audrey’s or even, unfortunately, Newcomb’s.

She shook her head. “The mayor will play dirty.”

“We’ll just have to deal with that as it comes,” Wes said. “Because Donovan is right. We’re not bullying anyone into this shutdown. It will be willingly, or not at all.”

“I can respect that.” Gretchen’s lips thinned. “I still think it’s dumb as shit, but I can respect it. Janessa and I are on board. You’ve obviously got Audrey. Lucas will cave.”

That covered this corner of businesses. One of the baristas tapped on the breakroom door to let Gretchen know it was picking up out front. Our cue to leave. Wes wanted to talk to a few more owners after he stopped by to check on Audrey, but I had other plans.

As I went around the back of the credit union, I stopped short at the sight that greeted me in what should’ve been the parking lot. Violet sat in the kiddie pool she’d set up on the blacktop. Surrounded by six-foot inflatable palm trees, she had her feet propped up on the edge, the sparkles in her glittery pink toenail polish catching the light of the sun. She wore sunglasses, with her face tilted toward the sky, tapping her foot to whatever song played through her AirPods.

I couldn’t help myself. I took off my shirt and pants and hopped into the pool with her. She tossed her AirPods onto the towel she kept just within reach. Water sloshed out of the sides as she climbed onto my lap and wrapped her arms around my neck.

I rubbed my hands up and down her waist. “Nice setup you’ve got out here.”

“My private paradise.” She pushed her sunglasses on top of her head and kissed me. “Did you take care of business with Wes?”

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