Page 81 of Witch Please

The old witch fixed her gaze on the water, whispering to it and sprinkling fresh herbs. First the cloudy liquid bubbled, and when it cleared, there was a house clearly depicted. From the style and landscaping, it must be out west somewhere.

“Does he know anybody in Arizona or New Mexico?” Vanessa asked.

“Arizona,” Danica said at once. “His dad lives there. I can’t remember where exactly.”

“I’ve got this.” Another tweak of the spell, and then Ethel delivered the address. “That’s in Gilbert. You think your spell made him decide to move to Arizona?”

“I can’t let him go. He belongs here. This is his home and…” Suddenly the truth hit her like a ton of bricks.

The reason why things felt right with Titus, why it was beautiful and effortless—he was the missing piece of her jigsaw puzzle. He made her laugh, no matter the situation. She couldn’t imagine that ever changing. She would never get tired of his smile, his warm eyes, or his silly sense of humor. Eventually, she wanted to wake up with him every morning and always find his arms open when she had a crappy day.

“He’s my home too. We belong together. I want to build a life with him, whatever it costs. Iknowit’s fast, but I don’t care anymore. Not about the Waterhouse curse or what Gram says. My mom says all I need to do is follow my heart and she’ll be proud of me. So…I have to get him back.” She grabbed Margie’s arm, nearly spilling the tea the other witch was about to drink. “I have to.”

“Okay,” Margie said in a soothing tone.

The attempt to calm her only agitated her more. “You don’t understand. I can’t let him sell the bakery and move to Arizona! His father is terrible!”

The front door banged open, and Leanne rushed in, breathless. “I lied to the mayor. What’s the emergency?”

Tapping a high-heeled foot, Leanne twirled her car keys, waiting for an answer. Danica locked onto that immediately. “You’re driving me to the airport.”

The redhead didn’t even blink, proving once again that she was ride or die, no questions asked. “Let’s go. Fill me in on the way.”

“Hold up, you need a few things. Give me three minutes.” Margie raced upstairs and returned with a packed bag. Vanessa grabbed Danica’s purse, a good thought since she couldn’t fly without ID. “Update us when you know something.”

“Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do,” Ethel called.

Waving, Danica dashed out the front door, knowing her cousin would be mad as hell over being cut out of this decision.I’ll take the punishment when I get back. Better to ask forgiveness than permission.Leanne’s car was sleek and fast, a little yellow Mazda Miata that she’d bought after her second divorce settlement.

“Do you even have a plane ticket?” Leanne asked as she backed out of the driveway.

“I’m on it.” Quickly she grabbed the last seat on a flight leaving in three hours.This is insane. I can’t believe I’m doing this.“Next flight to Phoenix. If we make good time, I’ll have no trouble.”

Leanne slammed her foot onto the gas pedal, accelerating past a minivan on the way out of town. “Please. ‘Good time’ is my middle name. Midway or O’Hare?”

“Midway, the seven fifty-five on Southwest.” Coincidentally, it was also the fastest flight, and since she was gaining time, it would be weirdly early when she arrived.

Probably still too late to show up at his dad’s house, but she didn’t dare wait. Besides, it wouldnotbe better to show up bright and early on Sunday morning. Either way, this would be awkward and embarrassing, best to put her groveling face on and get it over with. Anything to keep him from making a terrible, life-altering mistake with her misshapen spell buzzing about his head like a swarm of misguided bees.

She took a deep breath and summarized the situation for Leanne, who listened without judgment. If anyone knew about following her heart, it would be her. Not always with fantastic results, but so what? Better to have loved and lost and so forth.

“We’ve got the usual traffic, so we’re looking at fifty-five minutes according to the GPS. I’ll shave it if I can. Might be tight.”

Danica shrugged, unconcerned with trivial issues any longer. “I’ve sprinted through airports before. At least Midway is usually less crowded.”

“Hopefully the line at security won’t be bad.”

“Doesn’t matter if it is.” Now that she’d made the mental leap, nothing would get in her way.

Leanne shot her a warm smile, maneuvering lane to lane like a boss. “Attagirl. Come back with your man or on him.”

For some reason, that quintessentially Leanne tweak to the Spartan code made Danica laugh until she couldn’t breathe.

***

Thanks to the shuffle forward, inefficient security procedures, and a gate change, Titus and Maya barely made their flight.

Even after they belted in, it took him an hour to calm down, and in three more, they were on the ground in Phoenix. The travel industry still wasn’t what it was, as people still weren’t moving much, but people who’d gotten the vaccine early were starting to resume long-delayed vacation plans. Titus preferred to stay out of crowds, but that was more a personal preference than a necessity.

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