Page 87 of Under Daddy's Spell

“No. If you truly want the spell undone, you simply have to repeat it in reverse then bake up another batch of muffins and get him to eat one.”

“That’s all there is to it?”

“Yes, but it must be exactly in reverse. You remember what you said, don’t you?”

“I’ll never forget, but I’ll be sure to use the book. Following an 18th century recipe wasn’t easy. I had to use a jar for a chalice and cilantro instead of coriander seeds.”

“Amateurs,” Lucinda exclaimed, throwing up her hands. “Conjuring a spell is like baking a cake. It requires precise measurements and exact ingredients. Too much of one thing or not enough of the other, and the goddess forbid, substitutions, can completely change the result.”

“I never expected it to work,” Tessa said in her defense.

“As you said, it’s an 18th century recipe. Would it still be around if it didn’t?”

The madame made a good point.

“I can’t stress enough that you must repeat it exactly, including the substitutions and shortcuts you took. Am I clear?”

“Yes.” Tessa snatched up the accursed tome and shoved it into her tote. “Thank you for your help,” she added as she turned to leave.

“Hang on,” Lucinda called. “It will only take a moment to write up your bill.”

“For what? I didn’t buy anything.”

“A consultation.” With a jingle of bracelets and earrings, the woman waved her arms at her emporium, which looked like something out of a movie and smelled like a head shop. “You don’t think all of this comes with free advice, do you?”

She should have known. Nothing in life was free. Even the one-dollar collection of old books was costing her a heck of a lot more than a handful of pennies.

“How much?” she sighed as she pulled out her wallet.

“I charge $250 for the first hour, but for you, since you’re a new client, I’ll take off 20 percent.”

Which still made it $200! The hits to her credit card kept piling up.

After Madame Lucinda rang her up, she slid a business card across the counter. “Call me if you have questions. Follow-up is free. Besides, I want to know how it turns out with Jord-i-licious.”

As Tessa tucked the card in her tote next to the spell book, she commented, “That’s funny. My assistant calls him the same thing.”

“Hon, that’s what every woman in New Orleans with a pulse who doesn’t have her nose stuck in a book 24/7 calls Jordan Cooper.”

***

SHE WALKED INTO HERstore twenty minutes later on a mission. For it to be successful, she needed to concentrate and couldn’t risk interruptions. On her way to the kitchen, she turned the sign at the entry to the dining area and reading nook to closed.

She approached the two remaining customers and explained, “Please stay and finish, but the coffee bar and bakery counter will be shutting down temporarily for a maintenance issue.”

“We were just about to leave,” one of the thirty-something blondes said.

Her friend slid out of the booth while grabbing her shopping bags, one of which Tessa was relieved to see contained several books. “You’ll have whatever’s wrong fixed by morning, won’t you?” she asked. “I can’t function without a cinnamon dolce to start my day.”

“No worries. This shouldn’t take more than an hour,” Tessa assured her as she dug through her purse and pulled out two of her business cards. She used their table to write out an instant coupon for a free coffee on the back, then passed them over. “To apologize for the inconvenience and to say thank you for your business.”

“Hey, thanks,” the first blonde exclaimed. “Love your store.”

The second agreed. “Yeah, andTournez La Pageis an awesome name for a bookstore.”

Tessa heard that a lot. Jordan had said the same thing when they met. It usually made her smile, but she didn’t have time for anything except unconjuring a hex. She was behind the counter, pulling out the spice grinder, a mason jar, the small bottle of cilantro, and the one labeled coriander—now refilled with seeds.

“What else?” she muttered as she stared at everything she had gathered. “Spring water,” she suddenly exclaimed as she spun and opened the cooler. It was full. Restocked by Angie, evidently, but with Aquafina.

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