Chapter 6
Celeste muttered under her breath as she rifled through the dusty tomes in the family library. Her sister Fiona had sent an urgent text about protecting the strange vibrating stones they had discovered. According to the ancient texts Celeste consulted, a simple barrier spell should do the trick, but only if constructed properly.
She gathered a handful of ordinary rocks from the garden and arranged them in a circle on the large oak table. Beside the rocks, she placed a bowl of salt, a vial of dragonfly wings, and several sprigs of rosemary. After reviewing the spell one last time, Celeste took a deep breath and began the incantation, waving her hands over the assembled items. The rocks trembled slightly, but nothing more happened.
Celeste huffed in frustration. Perhaps her pronunciation was off? She tried again, overenunciating the mystical words. The rocks shuddered more violently before the spell petered out. She was getting closer.
On a hunch, Celeste returned to the kitchen and grabbed a few more ingredients—a dash of black pepper and a spoonful of olive oil. She combined these with the other items and attempted the spell again. This time, the rocks floated upward, glowing faintly, before settling back on the table, encased in a shimmery barrier.
”Yes!” Celeste cried out in relief. With the proper adjustments, the protection spell had worked. Her spell making was improving!
Celeste was just cleaning up the remnants of her spellcasting when her phone rang. She glanced at the screen and smiled when she saw it was Cal.
”Hey, you,” she answered warmly.
”Hey, yourself,” came Calvin”s smooth voice. ”I was thinking of getting some lunch at Fresh and thought you might like to join me.”
Celeste”s stomach rumbled at the mention of food. All that magical effort had left her famished. ”Funny you should say that. I”m absolutely starving! Fresh sounds perfect. I”ve been craving one of their Buddha bowls all week. Meet you there in fifteen?”
”It”s a date,” said Calvin. ”It”s warm today, so I”ll get us a table on the patio. See you soon.”
Celeste quickly tidied up the library and grabbed her purse and a light jacket. She”d had success with her spell, and now she was meeting her favorite person for her favorite lunch. Despite the ominous cloud of the celestial alignment hanging over her, the day was looking up.
* * *
Celeste strolled down Main Street,taking in the charming storefronts. Awnings shaded the large windows of the antique buildings that housed the quaint village shops. Window boxes overflowed with early blooms of pink petunias and purple pansies, their sweet fragrance mixing with the faint salty air blowing in from the nearby ocean.
As she approached Fresh Bistro, Celeste spotted Cal sitting at one of the wrought iron patio tables under the green-and-white umbrella. The patio was bathed in sunlight, warm for early spring. The tangy scent of fresh lemon and herbs wafted from the restaurant”s open windows. The quiet murmur of conversation was punctuated by the clinking of silverware. She stepped onto the smooth gray pavers, weaving between tables draped with crisp white linens.
Cal stood up with a smile as Celeste approached. Behind his glasses, his eyes crinkled at the corners.
”Thanks for suggesting lunch.” Celeste leaned in for a quick hug, breathing in his familiar scent of soap and cinnamon.
They settled into the wrought iron chairs across from each other. A server appeared with menus, the pages crackling as they browsed. Celeste sipped ice water, the condensation cool against her fingertips.
Celeste”s eyes skimmed the menu as she deliberated between the Buddha bowl and lemon chicken salad. She”d been craving the Buddha, but now that she was here, she was too hungry to decide. She peeked over the top of the menu at Cal. ”How”s your day been so far?”
Cal set down his menu. ”Pretty good. No visits from Sheriff White, so that”s a win.” He chuckled. ”How about you?”
”Well...” Celeste lowered her voice. ”Actually, things have been a bit strange. Luke came by with a warning about the celestial alignment. Apparently, it could amplify magical energy more than we thought.” She leaned across the table, fingers curling around the cool metal. ”Dorian wants my sisters and me to figure out how to keep things from getting out of hand when it happens.”
Cal”s eyebrows rose. He reached over and laid his hand comfortingly over Celeste”s. ”That sounds serious. Don”t worry. Whatever you need, I”m here to help.” His thumb gently stroked the back of her hand.
Celeste felt a rush of gratitude for his unwavering support. He always helped on their assignments, no matter how dangerous they were, and she was grateful. ”I knew I could count on you.” She gave his hand a grateful squeeze.
The waitress appeared, notepad in hand. ”Ready to order?”
Celeste sat back, retracting her hand. ”I”ll have the lemon chicken salad, please.”
Cal smiled at the waitress. ”And I”ll take the club sandwich. Thank you.”
As the waitress walked away, Cal pulled his phone out and leaned toward her. ”Speaking of helping, I looked back through the surveillance at the shop and found the video of the guy who pawned the stones. His name is Alex Summers, and I gave his info to Jake already.” He turned the phone to face her and let the video play.
Celeste leaned in, eyes fixed on the small phone screen resting on the bistro table. The antique shop”s interior came into focus, its shelves crowded with vintage clocks, silver trays, and faded books. A man approached the front counter wearing a knit cap pulled low and a nondescript black winter coat. He was average height, unremarkable.
Celeste watched the transaction unfold. The man had a bag of stones, and he dumped them on a black-velvet tray that Cal had laid out on top of the counter. Cal spent some time examining them. None of the stones did anything unusual and didn”t seem magical at all. Nothing seemed amiss as the man accepted a stack of bills in exchange.
Celeste squinted, about to sit back. Then she caught a flash of emerald green at the periphery. ”Wait! Rewind that.”
Cal tapped the screen, reversing the video a few seconds. They both spotted it—outside the shop window, a figure in a flowing emerald cloak passing briskly across the frame.
”Didn”t Fiona say to beware a woman in a green cape?” Cal asked, brow furrowed.
Celeste sat back heavily in her chair, lips pursed in thought. ”She did, but there must be more than one person in Noquitt with a green cape.” She drummed her fingers on the table. ”It seems an odd coincidence, but it could just be a random shopper.”
Cal rubbed his chin, considering. ”I suppose it”s possible. But it seems like there are too many coincidences in this case. Makes me nervous.”
”Yeah, me too.”
Celeste savored the last bite of lemon chicken salad, the citrus mingling with the rich avocado and crunchy pecans on her tongue. She dabbed her lips with the linen napkin and set it on her empty plate.
”That hit the spot. I”m stuffed,” Cal said, leaning back in his chair contentedly.
Celeste nodded in agreement. ”It was delicious. We”ll have to come back again soon.” She glanced at her watch. ”I should probably get going. Lots to do before tonight.”
Cal signaled for the check and pulled out his wallet. ”It”s on me today,” he said with a smile. Celeste started to protest, but Cal held up his hand. ”Please, it”s my treat.”
”Well, thank you. That”s very sweet of you,” Celeste said. She stood, smoothing out her flowing bohemian skirt.
After Cal paid, they stepped onto the street and strolled leisurely down the sidewalk past the other restaurants and shops.
”I hope your mom gets double pepperoni pizza tonight,” Cal said. ”That”s always the best.”
Celeste chuckled. ”You know my mom will get at least one veggie for Mateo.”
”And one with mushrooms for Morgan.”
Celeste nodded. They each had their preferences when it came to pizza. ”What do you think Mateo will bring for dessert?”
”Knowing him, probably one of his famous banana bread loaves,” Cal replied. ”But hey, maybe we”ll get lucky and he”ll bake something chocolatey instead.”
Celeste”s eyes lit up. ”Ooh, chocolate—now you”re speaking my language!” She chuckled. ”Mateo”s banana bread is amazing, but I could really go for some double chocolate brownies right about now.”
Reaching the corner, Celeste and Cal paused. ”I guess I”ll see you tonight, then,” Celeste said.
”Looking forward to it.” Cal pulled her in for a quick hug. His navy cotton shirt felt soft against Celeste”s cheek.
Tap, tap!
Celeste pulled back from Cal”s embrace and glanced up at the weathered redbrick facade of the building next to them to the second-story window, where faded gold lettering on the rippled glass read ”Cooper Investigations.”
Behind the window was Jolene, waving to them.
She smiled, waving back. Beside her, Cal also lifted his hand in an acknowledging gesture. Even from the sidewalk two stories below, Celeste could see the corners of Jolene”s eyes crinkle in a wide, cheerful grin. Her voluminous brown tresses bounced as she made herself known to them.
Celeste pictured Jake sitting at his desk just out of view, likely shaking his head in amusement at his partner’s antics. She knew their shared private investigation office had an ideal vantage point to watch the comings and goings below on Main Street.
Jolene gave them a thumbs-up and mouthed “See you tonight!” before disappearing from the window.
Celeste turned back to Cal and gave his arm an affectionate squeeze. “Thanks again for lunch. See you in a few hours.”