Familiarity Breeds Witchcraft (9 page)

Gemma looked over at Enid and saw her sister seemed enamored of Fox. She fought off a slight stab of jealousy. Even if she were interested in a relationship, Gemma knew Enid would never make a play for someone she liked. She looked Enid over as though she’d never before seen her and realized she and Fox would make a cute couple; Enid favored a shaved head, eccentric makeup, and big jewelry. Gemma tended to dress in what might be considered a frumpier style with more low-key clothing and jewelry choices. Frumpy and low key for a witch, at least, since she did enjoy big, pointy hats and pentacles.

Of course, Enid didn’t prefer people of the female persuasion. Gemma wasn’t sure she liked romance at all, in fact. She was too driven to settle down in such a way.

Fox laughed. “I know this may sound ridiculous,” she said after a moment, “but I had no idea Secret Hallow would be so…”

“Pretty?” Enid offered.

Gemma smiled. “Nice?”

“Magical, babe!” Fox reached out toward Gemma, but stopped herself before making contact. She clasped her hands together as though having a hard time maintaining her self-control. “Oh, broomsticks!” She rocked back on her heels and gave a rueful smile. “Uh…I guess should mention I tend to be a very touchy-feely person when I get excited.”

“Which is never, I’m sure,” Enid said, grinning Gemma’s way.

“Absolutely never.” Fox also grinned at Gemma, in a more sheepish manner. “Do you mind if I touch you? If you say no, I’ll do my best to keep my hands to myself. Just don’t be surprised if I get close a couple times before I start remembering.”

“Oh…uh.” Gemma swallowed as she felt a tingle of excitement. “Yeah, touching’s fine. I don’t mind.”

“Great!” Fox took Gemma’s hands in a light grasp as she looked around. Gemma erupted in goosebumps. “This place is so
awesome.
The school in particular. I would have loved something like this back when I was an even shorter version of myself.” She laughed again. “A proper magical education would’ve saved me so much
time
. That’s why I want to help you out so bad. I hope you aren’t too upset with me for circumventing our agreement.”

As she adapted to the force of nature that was the in-person version of Fox, Gemma found herself relaxing. She looked down at their joined hands. The touch of her friend’s skin, warm and soft, brought her to life in a way seeing the other woman in person for the first time hadn’t. She breathed deep and inhaled the heady mixture of what she assumed to be Fox’s hair product and some kind of exotic perfume.
 

“Can we talk alone for a sec, Gem?” Fox shot an apologetic look Enid’s way. “I feel weird asking. In fact, I feel strange not checking my phone every two minutes for a message from you! This is a new level of connectivity.”

“Don’t mind me.” Enid moved away. “I should probably check my own messages. The rest of the coven is still doing prep work for the spell so I want to be sure they don’t need us for anything.”

When she’d moved far enough to be out of earshot, Fox spoke again, her voice low. “I’m sorry. All this donation stuff seems to have crossed a line.” She caressed Gemma’s hand. “I never wanted to make you uncomfortable, babe. If you’d take the money straight out, I’d be happy to give you what you need. That just didn’t seem…I don’t know. Right, I guess?”

“You don’t need to apologize.” Gemma realized she could never be angry with Fox and felt bad that she may have given the impression she was mad. “Now I understand why this seems to mean so much to you. I just can’t accept so much money.”

“I understand. I do!” Fox stared into her eyes, the sparkle in her own almost blinding. “Since I’ve got so much tucked away from winning the webcomic lottery, I forget how others feel about handling large sums. I’ve been lucky and want to help out whenever I come across a worthy cause. Sometimes I forget that can be so off-putting.”

Gemma squeezed Fox’s hand. “I’ll accept the donations from your fans. Please forgive me for overreacting to your help. Guess I’m one of ‘those’ people, huh?”

Fox beamed. “You’re the best. Can we hug?”

When Gemma nodded, Fox pulled her close and squeezed her tight, the feeling intoxicating. She no longer felt weird, not like she did when most people tried to touch her. The hug relaxed away all the tension she hadn’t realized she’d been feeling.
 

The enveloping cloud of Fox’s special scent caused her to feel tense in a different way.

Goblins, but Gemma was in trouble.

ENID REJOINED THEM. Gemma jerked away from Fox, cheeks flaming. The separation between them caused her an almost-physical ache.
 

 
“Why don’t we all go back to our house? We can get you set up in one of our spare bedrooms.” Enid looked at Gemma. “All the guest beds are made, aren’t they?”

“Thanks for the offer, but I already have somewhere to stay,” said Fox. “There’s a lot of work to be done! Don’t want to wait when the energy is good!” She gave them a quick wave before running off toward Main Street.

Gemma couldn’t begin to imagine what Fox would have to do in Secret Hallow when she’d never been in the town before, but if anyone could figure that out, it would be Force of Nature Fox, who called herself feisty for a reason.

A wave of relief washed over her when Gemma realized she wouldn’t have to spend the night under the same roof as her unrequited love. There’d be no rest at all knowing the object of her heart’s desire slept only a few feet away in her own home. She pined enough when Fox
wasn’t
around to think about how she’d feel sleeping in close proximity to her.

“Sorry to spring her on you like that,” said Enid once Fox was out of earshot. “I didn’t realize you’d be so unnerved.”

Struggling to manage a smile of reassurance for her sister, Gemma discovered she didn’t feel angry at Enid. If anything, she felt somewhat relieved at having been spared the nervousness and embarrassment she would’ve felt if she’d known in advance. Not that she’d be spared the unending reminders of the awkward things she’d said and done during their meeting. “I’m fine, Sis. You don’t need to worry about me.”

“That’s good.” Enid patted her arm. “See you later, ‘kay?”

“Later.”
 

As she watched Enid walk away, her sister’s multi-layered skirts swirling around her striped stockings in the breeze, Gemma wondered how people without family handled life’s stressful moments. She knew her sister had her best interests at heart and that she’d do whatever she could to help Gemma through the worst of whatever she faced. Enid also tended to be overprotective at times. Yet, the two sisters never stayed angry at each other, and seemed to be growing closer and closer as they aged. She couldn’t imagine life without her sibling nearby and hoped nothing ever happened to change their friendship.

She headed toward Java by Candlelight with the intention of getting a cup of her favorite pumpkin-flavored brew. She loved that Adora sold pumpkin drinks whether they were in season or not. The aroma of coffee wafted toward her on the fresh breeze, drawing her onward even as her mind wandered.

Her phone buzzed against her leg as she walked. She fished the device out of her pocket and checked the screen to find a text from Fox.

A warm feeling filled her. The two of them texted all the time and not hearing from her friend every few minutes just because she’d come to town would be stranger than only talking to her in person. Gemma felt on more solid ground now. She was as much a citizen of the digital world as Secret Hallow; though the online world sometimes seemed more real to her than the physical existence of the town. The thought caused her a brief moment’s worry, but she pushed that to the back of her mind as she read the text.

FeistyFox95: You okay, babe?

Settling in at one of wrought iron tables on the sidewalk outside the coffee shop, Gemma typed her response.

RidesWithBronson: Fine here. Where are you staying?

She waved at Eddy, her cousin, who seemed to spend most of his time working. He cleared off a nearby table before heading over to help her.

FeistyFox95: Nana offered me a place to rest my weary bones. Nice old lady.

Of course,
thought Gemma. Enid must’ve talked to Nana at some point. She might’ve been able to keep a secret from her sister, but liked to talk too much not to mention her idea to someone else. She probably also needed a co-conspirator to help her get Fox to the village since they didn’t have a vehicle of their own.
 

RidesWithBronson: She’s a sweetheart. You’ll enjoy her food.

FeistyFox95: Already filled up with pie and I’ve been here less than an hour.

“The usual?” Eddy asked, appearing over her shoulder.

Gemma looked up. “You know me well enough that you don’t have to ask that question anymore. Bring on the pumpkin spice coffee!”

“Coming right up.” Eddy motioned at the chalkboard by the door. “Adora’s got a special on muffins today. Want one of those, too?”

She realized she hadn’t eaten in hours when her stomach rumbled. “Sure. Thanks.”

Her phone buzzed again as Eddy hurried off. Toggling Fox’s text message, she found a selfie of her friend and Sparkles the owl perching on Fox’s shoulder in a
I like this person as an impromptu perch
kind of way. Sparkles’ intense stare seemed quite the contrast to Fox’s beaming smile.
 

Do Foxes and owls even get along?
Gemma typed out the question without thinking. When she read back what she’d written, she could’ve kicked herself. The text seemed curt and unnecessary. What would Fox think of her?

FeistyFox95: I can’t speak for my sistren as a whole, but I rather like this owl!
Fox’s energy and humor shone through in her message.

Gemma felt a sense of relief wash over her yet again. The roller coaster nature of her emotions caused her to feel as drained as though she’d just taken a swim in the nearby ocean.
 

Eddy placed a steaming mug of coffee and a plate containing an oversized muffin on the table before her. Leaning over Gemma’s shoulder, he glanced at the photo on her phone. “Friend of yours?”
 

Gemma tried hard to keep her tone neutral. “Yeah, that’s Fox. She’s staying with Nana.” She made a mental note to stop checking her messages with other people around.

This was the kind of nosiness that made her want to hide from the entire coven.

“Lucky girl.” Eddy patted her shoulder and hurried off to help another customer.

She wondered whether he meant Fox for staying with Nana—or Gemma for knowing Fox.

Jealousy once again stabbed at her.

How dare a man use his eyeballs on my beautiful Fox?

The silliness of the thought made her laugh aloud. Lots of men probably used their eyeballs on Fox. It would have been hard not to. She was immune, though.

As a means of distracting herself from the worries she couldn’t seem to fight off, she sent Fox a pic of Bronson that she’d taken that morning.
You still have to meet this guy.
She loved the shot of her shaggy familiar who lay sleeping at the foot of her sofa, his tongue hanging out the side of his mouth, tail wrapped around the leg of her computer table.
He’ll adore you.
 

Fox again responded right away.
I can’t wait!

Setting her phone on the table, Gemma took a sip of her coffee. A soft early-evening breeze stirred her hair around her shoulders.
 

Gripping her warm mug tighter, she held the drink to her lips, savoring the rich aroma as she sipped again. A shiver traced her spine. The temperature dropped fast as the sun lowered behind the trees on the western horizon. She hadn’t realized she’d be out so long that day and hadn’t brought a wrap to cover her thin top.

The picture of Bronson stared up from her screen and she found herself wishing for his company. She liked nothing more than curling up with his shaggy fur on a cool evening like this.

Something brushed against her leg.

“Good to see you, buddy.” Gemma felt no surprise at Bronson’s spontaneous appearance just when she’d been thinking about him. He served as familiar to both her and Enid and the three of them shared a strong bond.
 

Bronson laid his massive head on her lap and stared up at her with his warm brown eyes.

Gemma reached down to move his doggy lips with her fingers. “Why so blue, Gemma?” she asked in a silly voice, pretending to be Bronson. He licked her palm.

“Well, Bronson, that’s a great question,” Gemma said. “My best friend is in town. We have enough donations to build the school through non-magical means. And I’m about to have a pumpkin spice latte. Why should I be blue?”

She moved his lips again. “Love stinks, Gemma.”

“You sure are right, Bronson.” She laughed and scratched behind his ears. “You’re amazing, buddy. You know that?” She didn’t say aloud how amazing she found Fox, too. That secret she held close to her heart.

☆★☆

Gemma awoke the next morning to find a text from Fox asking if they could meet at the Ash Academy right away. Gemma responded with as eager a yes as she could manage at such an early hour and asked if Bronson could come. She didn’t feel quite ready to handle Fox alone just yet. Bronson would be just the distraction she’d need to allow her time to regain the composure she knew she’d lose the second she saw Fox again.

FeistyFox95: Better leave him behind this time. We’ll be getting our hands dirty!

That sounded…while not promising, at least like a good sign.

Fox wanted to see her alone. They’d have their first one-on-one time together.

A tingle of anticipation pushed away her earlier fear of making a fool of herself and she jumped out of bed and rushed to her closet.

Gemma tore through her outfits in search of the perfect thing to wear for this meeting. Soon a stack of clothes teetered atop the mound of blankets in the center of her unmade bed.

Remembering Fox’s purple lipstick and hair coloring from the day before, she pulled out a filmy lavender skirt, which she layered atop a thicker one of dark grey to help protect her from the early-morning coolness. She also grabbed a long-sleeved blouse of grey and purple and pulled on a pair of purple and grey striped tights. To complete the outfit, she pulled a pair of grey cloth boots and tied her hair back with a filmy scarf.