Chapter Sixteen
Keegan yanked the front door open, and for a half-second, my mind didn’t accept what I saw.
Or should I say, whom I saw?
My mother.
She stood there looking like she’d stepped straight off a luxury cruise liner with an oversized sunhat perched on styled blonde hair, her breezy blouse clashed magnificently with the winter chill, and a bright, cherry-red rolling suitcase stood behind her.
My mom narrowed her eyes in a slow critical gaze as her perfectly glossed lips pressed into a thin line.
“Well, are you just going to make me stand out here in the cold or let me in?”
I opened and closed my mouth as my words failed me for a breathless moment.
My mother.
Who’d left Stonewick years ago.
Who’d cut ties with my dad and any evidence that might tie her to this life.
Now she stood on the porch, acting as if she owned the place.
And then it hit me.
The images Gideon had allowed me to see included my mom returning to Stonewick. My blood froze as I toyed with who was truly standing in front of me. Was it my mom, and if it was, how did he know she’d be here?
“H-Hi, Mom,” I managed. “What are you doing here?”
Without waiting for an invitation, she waltzed right past me into the cottage. The little wheels on her suitcase bumped over the threshold with a thud.
“Lovely greeting, Maeve,” she said with a raised brow, scanning the interior. “I expected at least a warm hug or a helping hand.”
Well, it was no illusion. This was my mother.
I bit my tongue and glanced at my dad, who didn’t look particularly pleased to see his ex-wife.
“Maeve, you did it,” Nova’s voice boomed through my tiny cottage, but it came from the kitchen. “I’m so proud of you. I never expected to come here today and have Frank…”
She must have let herself in.
“We’re in here with company,” I warned.
Nova stopped talking, wandered into the living room, and almost dropped her purple crystal.
My dad promptly padded away from the center of the room toward the fireplace as if seeking refuge. Across the room, Bella froze mid-step, cheese in hand. Keegan walked to the mantel near my dad and leaned against the stone.
“Mom?” I repeated, shutting the door behind her.
Cold air nipped in the cottage, but she ignored it, removing her hat and smoothing her hair meticulously, before scanning every corner of the living room.
She clicked her tongue as she clocked Stella and Nova.
“Well, I’ll be,” she said, voice laced with surprise. “Stella, Nova…you two don’t look like you’ve aged a day.” A note of accusation, maybe. “Still dabbling in spells to keep yourselves fresh, I see.”
Stella’s eyes flashed with offended pride. It wasn’t even so much my mom’s attitude, but I think the built-up resentment of her leaving so many years ago, of abandoning them all, that made this a less than ideal welcome party.
“ Dabbling ? My dear, I—” Stella snapped her mouth shut, clearly reminding herself not to blow up in front of my mother or me. But an edge of annoyance bled into her voice. “Yes, I do look fabulous, thanks for noticing. It’s good to see you too.”
Nova, always the cooler head, gave a polite nod.
“Nice to see you again.” Nova paused. “You’ve been gone a while.”
“Oh, I have, indeed.” My mom smoothed her shirt again and glanced around, taking everything in. “Stonewick’s still as quaint as ever, I’m sure?”
Behind her, I caught Stella rolling her eyes dramatically.
Quaint , indeed.
I forced a thin smile, trying to piece together why a woman who never let me come here and always claimed to dislike Stonewick was suddenly standing in the cottage she’d made home with my dad.
Her gaze flicked from Stella and Nova to Bella, whose ears flicked uncertainly.
My mother’s eyebrows rose. “Who are you?”
Bella cleared her throat and stepped forward with a tentative grin.
“I’m Bella,” she said brightly, offering a half-wave. “I’m sort of new in town.”
“Oh, wonderful,” Mom cut her off.
Bella faltered, obviously put off by the frosty reception, and gave me a quick glance.
My mom’s gaze wandered around the room. “I’m guessing you’re all still up to your old Stonewick nonsense.”
Nova tilted her chin slightly but didn’t reply.
“Maeve, once I realized you were living at the cottage, I knew you needed me at once.”
A flash of annoyance pricked my gut.
My mom’s gaze found Keegan’s. “Oh, and you’re the boy who had a crush on my daughter.”
He gave a slight nod.
So, maybe my mom had some good insight into Stonewick and its inhabitants after all.
But I didn’t want to embarrass Keegan, so I stepped toward my mom. “Okay, let’s get you warmed up. Would you like some tea or something?”
“Tea?” She tossed her hat onto the nearest chair. “Sure, why not. It’s better than that vile cruise coffee they had on the ship. Not that I could stand another moment on those blasted ships.”
Stella, from the corner, coughed a little too loudly.
“I can’t stand the cruise life anymore.” My mom turned that sharp gaze on me. “Which is partly why I’m here. I realized mid-Caribbean that living life on a floating buffet wasn’t for me, so I hopped off at the next port, hopped on a plane, and voila. Here I am. Surprised, darling?”
I forced a laugh. “Surprised is an understatement.”
Silence stretched a beat too long as I wondered if she’d noticed my dad, still in the shape of an English bulldog by the fireplace.
A quick look at Keegan told me he was thinking the same thing.
“Anyway,” my mom said, arms extended theatrically, “the ocean got tiresome. Your stepdad has turned into a couch potato. I’m at a turning point, and I’m not sure your stepdad is on board. No pun intended.”
“Are you getting a divorce?” I asked, horrified at the thought.
My stepdad had been fine as just that, but he’d never truly stepped into the role of father. They always seemed to have a good relationship, so this development was a sudden turn.
She waved a hand at the trivial question.
“A trial separation, dear. He can lounge all he wants on deck. Hopefully, he’ll miss me and come to his senses. But me? I’d rather be anywhere but stuck on a ship for another month.” She let out a breath, glancing around the cottage. “I’m surprised this place is still standing, so that’s something. It was old when we lived here. Now, it’s just ancient.”
“And I love every stone of it,” I added.
She eyed Stella and Nova suspiciously, as though trying to recall their old secrets. Then her gaze flitted to Bella, obviously unimpressed. Bella offered a polite smile, but my mom just turned back to me.
“It’s so… cozy,” she concluded, giving a thin smile that didn’t reach her eyes. “It feels different than when your father and I lived here with you, though.”
Cozy was right.
She always craved flashy things, big city lights, or apparently big cruise ships. But she was here now, and I couldn’t quite parse why.
“Would you like to sit?” I asked, forcing myself into hostess mode. “We, uh, sort of had a busy morning.” As if on cue, my father gave a soft snort from near the hearth, but my mother didn’t so much as glance at him. Probably assumed he was a random bulldog, which was perfect.
“Sure,” she said, sinking onto the couch like she owned it. She ran a manicured nail along the armrest. “So this is what you’ve been up to since I left?” Her tone wavered between curiosity and disapproval. “You leave your husband and play pretend in this tourist town.”
I studied her, unsure if she truly believed what she was saying. But I learned about her…
She was a witch, but I didn’t know if being a witch was something like, once a witch, always a witch , or what…
“My husband slept with anything that walked as long as it wasn’t his wife, so I think I had a good reason to find a peaceful town away from it all.”
Her brows lifted. “Peaceful?”
“Yes, the tea shop has provided a great escape.”
My mother hummed, unimpressed. “If that’s what you want to call it.”
“Let me fix you some tea,” I told my mom again.
She nodded and scanned the room as I went to the kitchen.
Keegan sidled up behind me, voice low. “You all right?”
I nearly jumped. “Yes, just… tense.”
He rested his hand on my shoulder, and a wave of something familiar charged through me.
My gaze flicked up to his. “Crush, huh?”
His eyes stayed on me, and he smiled. “I don’t remember.”
“I bet you don’t,” I teased.
Keegan laughed and shook his head. “Your mom just arrived on your doorstep, and that’s what you gathered?”
“I like hearing all relevant facts.” I smiled and walked back into the living room while my dad lazily trotted over, investigating my mom’s suitcase, gave it a sniff, and hopped onto a cushion near the hearth.
Carrying her teacup, I resumed hostess duties and listened with half an ear, struggling to wrap my head around her abrupt reappearance.
Mom droned on about how the ocean was claustrophobic and how she loathed the stench of stale shoreline.
Meanwhile, Stella tapped a foot, trying not to roll her eyes again. Nova politely nodded, though the dryness in her eyes suggested she might prefer casting a spell to end this all.
I finally exhaled and interrupted, biting back a laugh at the train wreck.
“Mom,” I said, faking calm, “why exactly are you here? Did you come to see me, or…?” I gestured awkwardly. “I’m just…well, it’s a surprise.”
She set her teacup down. “I told you. I left the cruise. I needed someplace on land, at least temporarily, before I go back to my big, empty house. Stonewick might be dull, but it’s not afloat at sea.” Her gaze flicked over me, assessing. “And you’re my daughter. I thought… maybe we could reconnect. You’ve been through a lot.” Her tone wavered between sincerity and exasperation, like she was half regretful, half disdainful of the place.
My chest tightened.
Reconnect.
My mom had never been focused on me as a person, so this was a surprise to say the least. We’d had our tender moments, and despite her saltiness at the moment, she’d often shown great compassion toward me.
“I see. Well, I guess you can stay here for a bit, but I…” We’re in the middle of breaking a curse and opening the Academy. But sure! Why not? “…things are complicated right now.”
Keegan cleared his throat. “Very complicated.”
Mom’s eyes flicked to him, studying his broad shoulders, and she winked at him before turning her attention back to me.
“Anyway, darling, maybe, I can set you straight.”
Stella stifled a snicker behind her mug.
“Set Maeve straight, indeed,” Stella muttered, crossing her ankles. “She understands more about Stonewick’s heart than you ever could.”
A swirl of sadness churned in my gut. My mom had no idea how close I was to genuinely opening the Academy, or how much heartbreak had forced me to this path.
But I bit my tongue, not wanting to spark an argument. This would be a brief visit and nothing more.
“She’s been invaluable to our town,” Nova said, studying my mom. “But I don’t know how much of our history you care to remember.”
Good question.
My mother’s lips twitched with an unreadable expression.
“So you’re the big savior of Stonewick, then, darling? That’s… interesting. I guess greatness does run in the family.” She let out a small huff of a laugh, not quite warm.
Stella plastered a bright smile and lifted her brows. “Well, that’s a very sweet observation for you to notice about your family, but since we have Wards to fix, curses to break, and all that, how about we let you…er, rest from your cruise?” Stella gestured to the front door.
“We’d love to host you at my hotel,” Keegan said, nodding.
“Oh, that sounds much better than trying to have you relax here,” I offered with a smile. “My cottage has been like Grand Central Station since the latest developments.”
Relief spread through my mom, and I realized she’d started having second thoughts about staying at the cottage the moment she stepped inside.
“You’ll have to fill me in,” my mom said. “But first, I think I will take you up on your offer, kind soul.” She looked at Keegan and nodded.
“He’ll get you checked into the hotel, and we can catch up about everything we need to go over once you’re rested.” I stood and hugged my mom as she nodded in agreement.
“Sounds divine, dear.”
And as I watched my mom leave with Keegan, I vowed to get to the Academy one way or another.