Chapter Twenty-Five #2
‘What the hell was that?’ Blair asked, looking around.
Another loud cracking sound came. Blair looked at Luke, who was still obliviously eating his pasta.
Not frantically eating like he’d done with the palak paneer, but steadily eating like there wasn’t torrential rain and loud lightning outside.
Blair’s phone in her pocket vibrated. She opened it under the table so Luke wouldn’t see.
bianca: I cast a spell on him when the rain started. He won’t notice anything happening outside the bakery. We need to keep him focused.
Blair exhaled. Another spell on Luke. This one better not backfire.
A third cracking sound was so loud and so close that Blair was sure it had hit the bakery.
Or actually, it sounded like it hit her café next door.
Blair jumped to her feet and looked out the window.
Crap. Her sign had been hit. Her beautiful hand-painted Harvest Moon Café sign was a pile of woodchips on the sidewalk.
‘That was her,’ Belinda whispered next to Blair. Blair turned to see both Belinda and Bianca were with her at the window. Another crash sounded from the direction of the café.
‘She’s going to destroy my café,’ Blair said, voice shaking.
‘We can cast a shield spell from inside it,’ Bianca said.
Blair nodded, then called out to Luke. ‘I had a bottle of wine I wanted to serve with dinner. It’s in the café. We’ll be right back.’
Luke raised one brow. ‘Um, it takes three of you to get a bottle of wine?’
‘I’m getting glasses,’ Bianca said.
‘And I’ll hold the corkscrew,’ Belinda added. All three sisters went out the door before Luke could say anything else.
The wind was gusting, and it took all Blair’s strength to stay upright as they walked the four steps to the door of the café.
Blair opened it with her key. The moment she was inside, Blair saw a front window was also broken, and the box of supplies for the first day of the festival was upturned.
Several syrup bottles were shattered, and plastic cups, napkins and other supplies were strewn everywhere.
‘I’ll clean this later,’ Blair yelled. ‘We need to cover up the window before she does more damage!’ Blair ran and got duct tape and, together, the three of them taped cardboard over the broken window.
They then held hands in the front of the café facing outward, chanting a shielding spell.
It was a difficult spell, and the shield it created usually wasn’t strong, but with three of them casting together, there was a chance it would be enough to keep Hecate from destroying the entire café.
Casting in a circle would have been even better, but they didn’t have time.
‘That better work.’ Blair opened the door so they could go back to the bakery. They’d been in the café longer than expected – hopefully Hecate didn’t choose that time to go inside Luke.
‘We’ve angered her,’ Bianca yelled through the wind. ‘I have no doubt she’ll possess him so she can scream at us.’
‘Oh no!’ Belinda said as they reached the bakery door. Blair looked inside, shocked.
Luke was there, still seemingly oblivious to the storm outside. But the problem was that he was sitting next to someone who had her own plate of ravioli – a dark-haired woman who looked to be in her fifties wearing a white chef’s jacket.
That was Calista Caldwell. Luke’s mother. Blair squeezed her lips together. Calista was eating ravioli, smiling at her son.
‘We can’t let her eat that!’ Belinda said. None of the sisters opened the bakery door.
‘It’s fine,’ Bianca said. ‘Luke is a descendant of Hecate on his father’s side. His mother can eat as much spinach as she wants, Hecate isn’t going to possess her.’
‘Okay, but what’s she going to say when she sees her son get possessed by the vengeful spirit who’s making this storm?’ Blair hissed. ‘Or when three strange women try to convince the spirit that Moonbeam Hollow is a wholesome, accepting place where everyone loves each other?’ This was a disaster.
‘We need to stop this little dinner party,’ Belinda said. ‘Now.’
Blair agreed wholeheartedly. She pushed the door open.
‘Blair!’ Luke looked up at her, excited. ‘My mom got back from the city early! Mom, you remember Blair. These are her sisters Belinda and Bianca. Bianca’s the one who made the pasta. Mom said it’s amazing. And she trained at Cordon Bleu Paris, so she knows food!’
Calista smiled warmly at Blair. Which made Blair wonder . . . had Luke told his mother about their fling? Was this even a fling anymore?
Blair didn’t know what to say, so she went with Canadian manners. ‘Hi, Ms. Caldwell. It’s great to see you again! The bakery is so beautiful. I can’t wait to try your baking. Luke’s been telling me how great your croissants are!’
‘Please, I’m Calista. It’s wonderful to see you again, Blair. You three have grown so much! It’s so nice to be back in Moonbeam Hollow.’
‘I only wish the weather was nicer for your first few days here,’ Blair said. She had no idea how to get Calista and Luke to stop eating.
Bianca side-eyed Blair and her small talk.
‘Um, there’s a bit of an issue at the café,’ Belinda said. ‘You two know restaurants and . . . construction, maybe you can come take a look?’ Belinda was clearly thinking on her feet, but Blair wasn’t sure this strategy would work.
But Calista Caldwell stood, still holding her fork.
At that moment, the large window at the front of the bakery shattered, causing a huge gust of wind to blow inside. The sisters threw their arms over their heads to protect themselves against the glass, but the chilly wind kissed their skin.
‘Enough!’ a voice screeched. It was Calista Caldwell, her eyes turned bright green. ‘I told you to leave this place! I will destroy the harvest festival, along with everyone there tomorrow. Leave now, or you will face the same fate as those who destroyed me and all I love!’