Spells A La Carte (Mystic Cafe Series Book 3) (11 page)

I’d selected a fuchsia and white dress with my favorite black strappy heels. Rory hadn’t said anything about this being a date, but the park was always romantic, so I wanted to look nice. I checked the mirror one last time and spritzed on a little Chanel. I waved to Grandma Imelda and climbed in my car. I thought over what I would say to Rory in my mind as I drove. I was sure it wouldn’t sound as good when I said it.

I’d make it to the edge of town when my car light flickered on the dash. The next thing I knew, smoke was coming from under the hood. I eased the car over to the side of the road. Luckily I hadn’t encountered a lot of traffic. I pulled out my cell and dialed Rory’s number. He didn’t answer. What was going on with his phone?

There was no sense in me popping the hood and looking under there because I had no clue what could be wrong with the car. I assumed it was overheated, but there was nothing I could do to fix it.

I would have to walk the rest of the way to the park. It wasn’t far and the weather was pleasant. The only problem was I’d decided to wear heels. What was I thinking? I should have worn my tennis shoes. Especially since I’d been on my feet all day. Maybe Grandma Imelda could give me a cupcake with a spell to make my feet feel better.

It was either walk in the heels or walk on the sidewalk in my bare feet. If my feet started to hurt bad enough I’d probably toss the heels but at the moment I decided to keep the shoes on. 

By the time the park came into view, I was cussing my shoes. There was no way I was walking back to my car with these shoes on. I knew the grimace on my face was showing my pain.

The lights at the park twinkled in the night sky. I thought back to when I’d been supposed to meet Reagan here. I wondered what had happened to her and why there had been no sign of her since. Was she really involved with Meredith?

I spotted Rory by the gazebo. Our eyes met at the same time. He smiled broadly and looked so handsome.

A pang of hurt shot through me. Rory rushed toward me and I’d never seen that look of desperation on his face. I knew that something was seriously wrong. I rushed toward Rory, but before I reached him a man appeared. Rory stopped and looked over at the man. I recognized the man. He was the one who had been in the café and broken the tables and chairs. What was he doing here? I knew that this meant trouble.

Apprehension raced through me. The man had a sly smile on his face. He stood right beside Rory. Did they really know each other? That would explain why he’d gotten in the truck with Rory that night.

When I was in front of Rory, he leaned forward and kissed my cheek. He acted as if he wanted to hug me, but stopped himself.

I looked from Rory over to the man. “What’s going on? Why are you with him?”

The man laughed, but didn’t say anything.

“I’ve known Ron for a while now,” Rory gestured.

“Okay, but that still doesn’t explain why you’re with him. He messed up my café.”

“You also gave me bad magic,” Ron said.

I glared at him. “I am not going to argue about this with him. Rory, why did you ask me here?”  

Now I was just mad. Rory was acting strange, as if he couldn’t or wouldn’t talk in front of Ron. Rory glanced over at Ron. Was Rory trying to tell me something with his eyes? Was there something he couldn’t say in front of Ron? I was getting a bad vibe about this whole scene.

“I heard what happened with Meredith,” Rory said.

So that was why he’d asked to meet me? To talk about Meredith?

“I have a lot of questions about her, as a matter of fact.” I placed my hands on my hips.

“She’d like to meet with you,” Ron said.

I flashed him a dirty look. I had a feeling I wouldn’t like the way a meeting with Meredith would go, but I also had to find out what she was up to.

“Fine, I can meet her. Just let me know when and where.” I tried to sound tough.

Noise sounded from somewhere behind me and I swore it sounded like someone coughed. I glanced back, but didn’t see anyone. I didn’t trust this Ron guy and I was wondering now if I could even trust Rory.

“You owe me for damages to the café,” I said. “And Rory, why are you with him?”

Rory gave me that same pained look. “We have to go, Elly. I’ll call you soon.”

Rory and Ron turned and walked away.

“Wait, Rory,” I called out.

He glanced back once, but he didn’t stop. Now I was alone in the park, wondering what had just happened. I still didn’t know why Rory had asked me to meet him there. Was it just to tell me he wanted me to meet with Meredith? That didn’t really make sense. I still felt as if someone was watching me. I scanned the area, but didn’t see anyone. The presence was still there, and that wasn’t all I felt.

A warm familiar energy coursed up my legs, slid across my arms, and swirled around my head. I sensed the magic surrounding me and it was strong. Had it been on Ron or Rory? Where was it coming from? As I moved down the path, I felt the magic stronger. It seemed as if it was coming from the nearby bushes. I’d found the award and Reagan’s wallet by the bushes. Would I find something again this time? It was strange that I hadn’t sensed any magic that time, but I did now. It was undeniable. I knew I should just get out of the park, but I had to take a closer look at the bushes. I glanced around again to see if I was still alone, then I moved closer to the bushes.

Unless my eyes were playing tricks on me, I was looking at part of a shoe underneath the bushes. And I was positive that there was a foot and a leg attached. I leaned closer and pulled some of the branches back.

At first he didn’t even notice that I was watching him. He was actually looking at his smartphone. I cleared my throat and Tom looked up at me. He looked totally shocked that I’d found him. I couldn’t wait to hear his explanation for this. And he thought I was the kooky one? At least I wasn’t hiding in the bushes.

“What are you doing here?” I asked.

Tom pushed to his feet. He stuffed the phone back into my pocket.

“I guess this looks a little ridiculous, right?” he asked with a chuckle in his tone.

I folded my arms across my waist. “I’m waiting. I have to hear this.”

Tom climbed out from behind the bushes. He brushed the twigs from his shirt and pants. I was pretty sure I knew why he was doing this, but I wanted to hear him explain it. For once Tom had some explaining to do and I was enjoying it immensely.

I tapped my foot against the ground. He ran his hand through his thick hair. His movements stirred the magic around him. That strong sense of magic I’d sensed had come from Tom.

“I was checking up on you, okay? I was worried about you. I was just sending you a text message so maybe you would leave the park.” Tom stared at me.

“Why were you worried? I have known Rory for quite some time now. I think I can trust him.” I said the words, but honestly I was having my doubts now.

I hoped that would go away soon. I wouldn’t tell Tom my feelings though. He probably suspected I was having these doubts. 

Tom moved out onto the path and looked around. Was he still looking for Rory?

He turned to me. “I just don’t trust Rory.”

“Wow. That is a big statement. Why?” I stared at Tom.

“You have to ask? He has been doing odd things lately. Am I right?”

I looked away as if that would keep me from having to answer the question. But my silence was the answer. Tom knew I had my doubts. I guessed I couldn’t hide it well.

“So you can understand why I am skeptical of him?” Tom said. 

“If you are so skeptical of him then why didn’t you stop him? Why did you let them walk away? Why not question them?” I asked.

“It’s not that easy. I have to wait until I have more information. If I question them now they may just get smarter about whatever it is they’re doing.”

“I’m really offended that you would think Rory is involved in something bad.”

“I just have to go by what I see, Elly. I don’t want to make you mad.” Tom had such sincerity in his voice.

I supposed I had to believe him. 

“I think you should stay away from Rory until we figure this out.”

I couldn’t believe what he’d just said. “I can’t do that.”

Disappointment covered Tom’s face. “You also shouldn’t come to this park alone either.”

“Why? Is there something about this park that I should know about?” I asked.

“Reagan disappeared from here,” Tom said.

“Am I in danger of that same fate?”

“I just don’t know what might happen. Better safe than sorry,” Tom said.

I agreed with him on that, but I still couldn’t agree to stay away from Rory. If anything, I figured now Rory needed me more than ever. Something was wrong and I had to help him. 

It just hit me that I was in the park with Tom. This romantic space with flickering lights and flowers. The glow of the moon highlighted his handsome face. I’d thought I would have a nice evening with Rory. Now he was gone.

Tom stepped closer and my heart rate increased. I wasn’t sure he should stand so close, but I didn’t move away from him either. I couldn’t help but think Tom knew exactly what I was thinking. I had no idea how he did that.

“Are you okay?” he asked.

I pushed the hair behind my ear. “Other than my feet hurting, I’m okay.” 

He grabbed my hand and my skin tingled. “How about we have a seat for a few minutes so that your feet can rest.”

I stared for a beat and then nodded. “Okay, I guess that would be for the best. I have a long walk back to my car.” Okay, it wasn’t that far, but my feet hurt and that was impairing my judgment.

“Why do you have to walk?” Tom asked.

“Something was wrong with my car. I had to leave it back there.”

“I’ll give you a ride home. In the meantime, we’ll sit under the gazebo.”

Great. An even more romantic setting. Tom guided me over to the gazebo and we sat under the sparkling lights. It was magic. Maybe I was just exhausted from everything that had happened.

I leaned back on the bench. We sat in silence for a moment. I honestly didn’t want to talk about what had happened. I needed a little time to take my mind off everything bad. Tom’s hand was dangerously close to mine. As I looked down at our hands, something overhead came raining down on us. I looked up at the powdery substance. Where was it coming from?

That was the strangest thing I’d ever seen, and I’d seen a lot of weird stuff. Tom grabbed my hand and pulled me to my feet. He yanked me away from the area where the powder was falling. I peered up and it appeared to be coming from the top of the gazebo. Tom ran down the steps and peered up at the roof of the gazebo. I rushed down there to join him, but didn’t see anything. I had no idea where the powder was coming from. An even bigger question was why was it falling on us?

Suddenly it felt as if I had chugged a keg of beer all by myself. My head was spinning and the earth was moving under my feet.

“Do you feel weird?” I asked.

I knew my words were slurred. I wasn’t even sure if Tom had answered me. I rubbed my eyes, trying to focus, but it didn’t help. I stumbled and almost fell to the ground. I assumed it had been Tom who had grabbed my arm. Somehow I managed to focus enough to see that he was in fact holding onto my arm. He stumbled as well, so I wasn’t alone in my confusion.

“We have to get back to my car,” Tom mumbled.

“Yes, good idea,” I replied.

Getting back to his car wouldn’t be easy though. I didn’t even know where his car was and I hoped he remembered. At the moment, I couldn’t even remember why I was at the park in the first place. All I could think about was the magic and getting the spellbooks back.

The thoughts were consumed with getting the spell books back. Well, maybe that wasn’t all I was thinking. My thoughts were also focused on Tom. How had I been able to resist him for so long? His sexy face and gorgeous lips. His scent and the way his mouth curved up at the side into a little smile. The alluring stare of his dark eyes.

Tom and I somehow made it to the sidewalk. I didn’t remember anything after that.

Rory and Tom stood beside my locker. Somehow we were back in high school. Except Tom and Rory hadn’t gone to high school with me. It didn’t matter at the moment because they were staring at me.

We were alone in the hallway, just the three of us. Tom and Rory looked as if they were waiting for an answer from me. What was the question?

Loud banging came from across the hallway. I spun around and realized the noise was coming from the ladies’ room. I rushed over and pushed on the door. Meredith burst out.

She glared at me with hatred in her eyes. “How could you do that to me?”

I woke up with my heart pounding. It had been a dream. Rory and Tom weren’t there. Well, Rory wasn’t there, but apparently Tom was. When I looked over I saw Tom lying next to me in bed.

Sunlight streamed onto my face. My head hurt as if I had a hangover. I opened my eyes all the way now. Yes, that was definitely Tom in bed beside me. Every sexy part of him. He didn’t have a shirt on, but what about the bottom half?

The blanket covered his lower half. I thought about peeking underneath the cover, but decided against it. I looked down and realized all my clothes remained on my body. How had this happened? Somehow I’d ended up in bed with him. As I looked up at the ceiling, I realized this wasn’t my bedroom. Where was I? I looked around the room and saw that we were at a hotel room. This must be Tom’s room.

When I looked to my left, I spotted my cell phone on the nightstand beside me. I reached over and grabbed the phone and then eased out of bed. I slipped into the bathroom and closed the door. 

It was five in the morning. Mary Jane would probably kill me if I called and woke her now. I typed out a text message.

Are you awake? 

She immediately responded.

Barely, why are you awake?

I dialed her number and she picked up on the first ring.

“Did something happen? Is everything okay?” Panic filled her voice.

“Calm down before you hyperventilate. Nothing is wrong, I guess,” I whispered.

“The fact that you’re whispering has me a little concerned,” she said.

I leaned against the bathroom door. “It’s just that I woke up in bed with Tom.”

“Whoa. I need to sit down,” she said.

“It’s not what you think. We were at the park and something happened. It was magic. I don’t remember anything after that. I just woke up in his hotel room.”

“Okay… I suppose I believe you. Are you sure you didn’t have a party on the Posturepedic?”

“No… of course not. Don’t you think I would know that? I would know, right?”

“If y’all did it right I’d like to think you would know.”

“Anyway, I had this strange dream…”

“You’re calling me to tell me you woke up next to Tom and you want to talk about a dream? It’s a good thing you’re my best friend,” she said.

“Yeah, good thing,” I said sarcastically. “Do you remember anything about Meredith from high school?”

“Like what?” Mary Jane asked.

“Remember when I unlocked the bathroom door and she came flying out? I think someone locked her in there,” I said.

“Oh, yeah. I had forgotten about that. What about it?”

“I just thought maybe you would remember something about it that I didn’t. She looked pretty mad at the time. Like she was mad at me.”

“But that could have just been because she was panicked over being locked in there.”

“True.” I leaned my ear against the door to listen if Tom was awake. So far I heard nothing.

“I would be freaking out too. I hate small spaces,” Mary Jane said. “Maybe she thought you were the one who locked her in there.”

“Why would she think that?” I asked.

“Just because you opened the door. I don’t know. It’s just a thought.”

“I suppose it could have been possible. I’d like to know who really did lock her in there.”

“Maybe it was just the door. It could have locked on its own and she thought someone did it to her.”

“Do you remember anything else happening to her?” I asked. 

Mary Jane paused. “I suppose I remember some people making fun of her because she was weird. Oh, and she carried this old book around with her everywhere she went.”

“Yeah, I forgot about that. I wonder what that was all about.” That was when it clicked. “Maybe that was a spellbook.”

“Do you think she was doing magic back then?” Mary Jane asked. 

“I don’t know, since I had no idea about the magic in Mystic Hollow until Imelda told me about it a few months ago. But now I have to find out what that book was.”

“That doesn’t sound like it will be easy,” Mary Jane said.

“No, but none of this has been easy.”

Mary Jane yawned. “Well, we can’t do anything right now. You need to go out there and talk with Tom. We can figure it out in a few hours.”

I sighed. “Yeah. I suppose.”

“Let me know if anything else happens,” Mary Jane said and then hung up.

It wouldn’t be easy for me to go back out there. All I could think about was what had happened to us and the book Meredith had in high school. I had to find out what the book was for, but the more I thought about it the more it made sense that it would be a spellbook. Was she casting spells back in high school? I didn’t remember anything like that happening. 

I would have to ask Grandma Imelda if any teenagers had been allowed to use magic. That seemed like something they wouldn’t allow until someone was eighteen. Meredith could have been doing it secretly though. If that was the case I might never find out the truth.

I wondered if Tom would think I was crazy for thinking that something that had happened back in high school might be related to what was happening now. I had very few clues though so he couldn’t blame me for brainstorming ideas. 

When I eased out of the bathroom and over to the bed, I found that Tom was still sleeping. I tiptoed up to the bed.

“Wake up.” I pushed on his muscular body.

My hand tingled as if I’d touched static electricity when I touched the bare skin of his shoulder. I didn’t remember how we’d gotten here. I looked around the room and saw his discarded shirt on the floor. Was he still wearing pants? 

He stirred and I poked him again. “Tom, wake up.”

He opened his eyes and looked at me. His expression let me know he was just as shocked to see me as I was to see him.

He sprang up in bed and stared at me. “What happened?”

I paced across the room. “I don’t know. The last thing I remember is sitting with you under the gazebo at the park.”

He jumped out of bed. I covered my eyes with my hand. When I spread my fingers apart and took a peek I realized Tom was still wearing his pants. I uncovered my eyes and that was when I noticed that the door leading outside was slightly open. Tom saw it too. He stepped over and peeked out the door.

“Why is the door open?” I asked.

He shook his head and shut the door. “Nothing makes sense right now.”

“I remember the powder falling on our heads.”

“Someone must have put a magic spell on us.”

“How did they do that?”

“That’s something I’ll have to figure out.” Tom ran his hand through his hair. I could only imagine what my bed head looked like. He peered around the room. “Something seems off.”

“Like what?” I asked.

He stepped over to the dresser and pulled out one of the drawers. He slammed it shut. “The books are gone.”

I raced over beside him. “What books?”

“The ones we took from the café. They left them with me.”

My stomach sank. “This isn’t good. What do you think happened to them?”

Tom grabbed his T-shirt and slipped it over his head. At least now I would stop staring at his chest and chiseled abs. “I think someone put a spell on us and then came in here and got the books.”

That was exactly what I hadn’t wanted to hear. “Do you believe me now? I bet it was Meredith. She came in here and took the books. I bet she wants to add them to her collection. Plus, I remember something about her. Meredith used to carry around a book in high school. I think it might have been a spellbook. Can you find out?”

Tom ran back to the other side of the room and started to put his shoes on. “One thing at a time. Come on, let’s go.”

I looked around the room and found my shoes. That was when I remembered I’d worn the heels. I would just have to tough it out and put them back on again. I was a little overdressed for seven in the morning. 

Luckily, today was the day when the café was closed. Although I was sure that Grandma Imelda was already awake and wondering where I was.

I slipped into my shoes. “Where are we going?”

“We have to find Meredith.”

Thank you. Finally Tom was listening to me. I couldn’t wait to get her to admit what she had done. There was no way she would be able to lie her way out of this one. I wanted to know why she had all those books. What was she going to do with all of them? She wouldn’t get away with this.

We stepped out of the room and into the bright sunshine. I hoped no one saw me coming out of Tom’s room at this time of the morning.

Tom stopped and looked around the parking lot. “Where is my car?”

I scanned the parking lot but couldn’t spot his BMW. “I don’t see it. I don’t even remember driving back here. That’s dangerous.”

“The car isn’t here. We must have walked to the hotel.” Concern for what had happened to us still evident in his eyes.

I wasn’t sure how we’d even managed to do that, but at least Tom hadn’t attempted to drive his car.

“It looks like we will have to walk back to my car,” Tom said.

“Great. More walking in my heels.” I wished I had a change of clothing.

When I looked out across the parking lot, I realized that a change of clothing was the least of my problems. Rory was standing beside his truck. He was staring right at us. The fury on his face was like nothing I’d ever seen from him. My stomach sank. At that moment Tom noticed Rory too. Rory stood there for a moment, not saying a word, and then hopped in his truck. He sped away with a screech of tires.

“Wow, I guess he’s not happy,” Tom said. I detected a hint of amusement in his voice.

“This isn’t funny,” I said.

He held his hands up. “I didn’t say that it was.”

“Now what do we do?” I asked.

“We’ll have to walk to my car. Too bad Rory couldn’t have given us a ride.”

I glared at him.

“Sorry.” Tom motioned for me to follow him. “We should start walking. We need to speak with Meredith as soon as possible.”

I would have called Mary Jane to come and get us, but it wasn’t a long walk and by the time she got there we would have already made it to his car.

I watched the streets for any sign of Rory’s truck, but of course I didn’t see him. I’d be lucky if I ever saw him again. How had he know that I was at the hotel with Tom? It couldn’t have been a coincidence. Finally, we made it to Tom’s car. We climbed in and took off toward Meredith’s house.

“Do you think she’ll let us in?” I asked.

Tom watched the road ahead. “About that… maybe you should let me talk to her alone. You’re not her favorite person and she might talk more if you’re not there.”

I would have complained, but I knew that he was right. “Okay, but she had better let you in.”

I felt like I should add an ‘or else to the end of that sentence, but honestly I didn’t know what I’d do if she didn’t let Tom in. I supposed that was for him to decide.

I dialed Rory’s phone, but he didn’t answer. I hadn’t expected him to. Tom seemed a bit uncomfortable as I left a voice mail explaining what had happened. I’d told Rory that it was understandable for him to be upset and it wasn’t what it looked like. Now I just hoped that he believed me.

We pulled up in front of her house. I wouldn’t deny that I was nervous. Since I had no idea what she was up to, I didn’t know what to expect from her.

“I’ll be back soon.” Tom climbed out of the car.

“Good luck,” I called after him.

I tapped my fingers against the seat and watched as he walked up the driveway toward the front door. I couldn’t stand the anxiety. I had to know what was going on, so I opened the door and got out. As I neared the front door, Tom turned around and spotted me.

“Elly, I said wait for me. You are so hard-headed. Why won’t you listen?”

I quirked an eyebrow. “Because you need me to come with you, that’s why. And don’t give me any attitude either,” I snapped.

“It doesn’t matter anyway. She’s not there.” Tom stepped down from the front porch.

“You mean she’s not home? I kind of worried about that since I didn’t see her car.” I motioned over my shoulder.

“No, I mean she’s moved out,” he said. “And apparently she left no forwarding address.”

My mouth dropped. “You’re kidding? Are you sure?”