The Witch’s Hidden Garden (Witches of Befana Bay #4)

Chapter 1

“You’re not wearing that on your big date, are you?” Lily exclaimed as she stood in the doorway of Tangled Up in a Spell, the fiber shop that Prim Easton managed.

Prim glanced down at her flowy peasant shirt and leggings and frowned. “I was planning on it. Why? Did I spill coffee on my shirt or something?”

“No, you look like a tween,” Lily said with a scoff as she eyed her up and down. “It’s a date, Sis. Tart it up a little. Or were you planning on being a spinster for the rest of your life?”

“Stop,” Prim said, annoyed at her sister as she restocked a couple of skeins of yarn into the cubby reserved for a local dyer. “You know this isn’t a real date. Dante was just being nice.”

“He bid a thousand dollars on you, Prim. That’s not ‘being nice.’ That’s he wants you money.”

Prim rolled her eyes. Her sister was delusional.

A week ago there’d been a fundraiser at the newly opened Gothic Books for the in-house library, and their well-meaning but diabolical grandmother, Bethany Befana, had offered Prim up for a bachelorette-style auction.

When no one had bid on her, Dante had stepped up and saved her from complete humiliation by bidding a thousand dollars.

It wasn’t romance; it was pity with a tax write-off. “Don’t you have somewhere to be?”

“Nope.” Lily grinned.

“Well, you’re gonna have to leave soon. It’s almost closing time, and Dante will be here any minute,” Prim said.

“At least tell me you’re changing your shoes.” Lily wrinkled her nose at Prim’s sensible black sneakers that kept her feet from aching after being on them all day.

“You’re a pain in my butt. Yes, I brought a change of shoes. My cute black sandals with the flowers attached to the straps.”

“Oh, good,” Lily said with a sigh of relief as she pressed her hand to her heart. “I was really worried about you for a second there.”

“Lily—” Prim started but was cut off when the bell over the door chimed.

She turned around, expecting to see Dante walk into the shop, but was startled when she spotted McKenna Moss sweeping into the store with two assistants trailing her.

The movie producer she’d finally met in person just three days ago was wearing a smart white suit and looked like walking perfection with her sleek blond hair and flawless skin.

She was tall and thin and made Prim feel like a frumpy hobbit in comparison.

“McKenna, hi,” Prim said, trying to fight off panic.

“Did we have a meeting this evening? I thought the walk-through of the shop was next Monday.”

“No, we didn’t,” Mckenna said with a wave of her hand. “I had a cancellation in my schedule and figured I’d get a jumpstart on the prep for our shooting schedule.”

McKenna Moss worked for Spellbound Entertainment, a studio that was based in Los Angeles.

But they’d been filming a lot of movies in Befana Bay over the past few years, and their current project, The Hidden Garden, was being filmed at Tangled Up in a Spell and the gardens Prim had been cultivating in the courtyard behind the store since she’d started managing the place.

“Oh. Okay,” Prim said, glancing at the clock and wondering how long this was going to take. Dante was due to pick her up at any minute.

“Great.” McKenna snapped her fingers, and both of her assistants scurried forward. “Jane, take photos of every angle of the shop. Bette, make me a sketch with the measurements.”

Both women instantly got to work.

McKenna turned to Prim. “Let’s go over the schedule. You said the store is closed on Mondays, right?”

“Yes. And we don’t open until noon on Sundays. Evenings are free as well.”

The bell above the door chimed, and Dante walked in, looking as handsome as ever in his Henley shirt and jeans.

Prim was certain the man could walk in wearing a toga and she’d still swoon.

How could she not when he had thick dark curls and emerald green eyes that she’d get lost in if she let herself?

One of the assistants let out an audible gasp while Lily chuckled.

Prim cast her sister an irritated glance and hurried over to Dante. “Sorry. I’m going to be tied up just a little bit longer. Do you mind waiting?”

“Of course he doesn’t,” Lily said as she hurried over and slipped her arm through his. “Right, Dante?”

He raised one eyebrow at her and then shook his head. “Apparently not.”

Lily patted his hand. “Always the gentleman.”

Dante smirked and then told Prim, “Take your time. The Salt Circle will be open when you’re done.”

Prim felt a twinge of disappointment, though she couldn’t say why. The Salt Circle was the pub just down the street that looked over the water. The food was good, but even though there was a water view, it wasn’t exactly romantic. So much for making Dante fall in love with her over candlelight.

McKenna cleared her throat. “I’m not interrupting anything, am I?”

“No,” Dante said before Prim could get any words out. “Take your time.”

The Hollywood producer eyed Dante and then walked over to him, flashing a charming smile. She placed a hand on his forearm as she smiled up at him. “Now who might you be?”

“McKenna, this is Dante Silva. He’s one of the owners of Gothic Book and the assistant manager at The Enchanted Outdoors. Dante, this is McKenna Moss. She’s a producer for Spellbound Entertainment and has booked the shop as one of the filming locations for her upcoming movie.”

“It’s very nice to meet you, Dante,” McKenna said, squeezing his arm. “I had no idea when I chose Befana Bay as our filming location that it was blessed with such a handsome man. Is it something in the water? Or are you just a Hollywood hopeful?”

Prim narrowed her eyes at the producer, very much not appreciating her flirting.

Dante chuckled softly. “Definitely not interested in acting. I’m more of an outdoorsman.”

McKenna’s eyes lit with mischief. “Is that right? Do you give kayak lessons? I’d love to learn as long as I could hire a personal guide.”

Dante glanced at Prim, looking a little taken aback, but when his gaze settled on McKenna again, he said, “Sure. I suppose I could do that.”

A spark of magic flared in Prim’s chest, and before she knew it, the heel of McKenna’s right Louboutin gave out and the woman stumbled, nearly falling backward. But she was saved when Dante’s arms wrapped around her.

“Oh,” McKenna said, staring up into his eyes and clutching him as if he’d just rescued her from a life-and-death situation.

“Are you okay?” he asked, concern flashing in his eyes.

Horrified, Prim took a step back, putting as much distance between her and the filmmaker as possible.

It was happening again. Her hands started to shake as she willed herself to do anything but focus on Dante and McKenna.

There was no doubt that it was her magic that had broken the woman’s heel. Magic she hadn’t meant to wield.

“Dante,” Lily said in an overly sweet voice that only Prim would know was lined with tension. “Can I talk to you for a second? I need some advice about what to get Braxton for his birthday.”

“Birthday?” he asked, looking confused. “That’s not until January.”

Considering it was mid-July, Prim understood his bewilderment.

“I know!” Lily said with a laugh. “But this is a specific event that requires advanced planning. I need some input.”

He nodded. “Sure.”

Prim watched as the pair slipped out of the store, knowing that her sister had just stepped in to save her from herself. When she turned her attention back to McKenna, the woman was still staring out the window at Dante. Prim cleared her throat. “Do you want to see the garden now?”

“Huh?” McKenna said as she blinked at her. Then she looked down at her broken shoe and muttered a curse before picking up the heel and shoving it in her purse. She was careful to balance on the ball of her foot as she moved forward. “Yes. Lead the way.”

Willing herself to keep the scowl off her face, Prim waved for McKenna and her two assistants to follow her.

Pride swept over her as she pushed the back door open and walked into the hidden garden she’d been cultivating for the past five years.

It had been an overgrown mess when she’d started managing the store that was owned by one of her grandmother’s cousins, Beatrice Befana.

Beatrice was a world-renowned fashion designer who didn’t have the time to devote to the fiber store she’d inherited from her mother a decade ago.

She’d put the shop into Prim’s hands, paid her well, and made it clear that if Prim ever wanted to buy the shop, to let her know.

And that was the only reason she was letting McKenna Moss and her crew into her hidden garden. Beatrice paid Prim a yearly bonus that was a percentage of the annual income of the fiber shop. With what she’d make off the studio fees, she could finally make the shop and her garden officially hers.

“This is lovelier than I remembered, Prim,” McKenna said with a gasp.

She stood in the center and turned slowly in a circle, taking in the vibrant summer flowers.

Prim had a row of giant hydrangeas against the brick wall that got plenty of afternoon shade.

They had blooms in periwinkle blue, bright pink, and deep red.

In the center there were a variety of summer flowers with her tall sunflowers right in the middle, surrounded by zinnias and cone flowers.

There was a calla lily garden, a dahlia garden, an herb garden, and any number of other bright flowers intermixed in various flower beds.

“Thank you,” Prim said, watching as a couple of butterflies hovered over her prized lavender bush.

“We’ll need to clear about a third of it out to make room for the film equipment,” McKenna said. Then she waved at Prim’s herb garden. “That section there. It’s not blooming anyway.”

Prim blinked at her. “What?”

“That section will need to be removed before we can start filming next week,” she said, nodding to one of her assistants. “Write that down.”

“Next week?” Prim echoed, confused. They weren’t supposed to start filming until the beginning of August.

“Yes. Since I’m already here, I moved up the schedule. That’s not a problem, is it?”

Prim was getting really tired of that question.

McKenna’s tone clearly implied that there had better not be an issue with the timeline.

Because what McKenna wanted, clearly McKenna got.

Prim supposed there was a first time for everything.

“You can move up the timeline, but you can’t destroy my herb garden.

It’s sacred. If you want me to clear the area to the left, I’ll do that.

It’ll take a bit of time since I’ll need to dig up the plants and repot them for the time being. If that acceptable?”

McKenna stared at Prim for a long moment, then she said, “Sure. On one condition.”

A ball of unease coiled in Prim’s gut. She could just feel that she wasn’t going to like the request. “What condition is that?”

“Set me up on a date with Dante, and I’ll make this area work without you having to replant anything.” The producer gave Prim a cat-that-ate-the canary grin.

Prim was rendered speechless as she processed the woman’s request. Her magic twinged in her chest, and Prim was afraid she’d hex McKenna with a nose wart if she didn’t get herself together.

Taking a few quick steps, she planted herself right in the middle of her herb garden and felt the magic dissipate, making her sigh in relief.

“What are you doing, guarding your plants?” McKenna mocked.

Prim ignored her question. Instead, she said, “I’ll give Dante your number, but that’s as far as I’m willing to go.”

McKenna narrowed her eyes, and Prim was certain that the woman was going to rain down hellfire on her, but surprisingly, she threw her head back and laughed.

When she got hold of herself, she said, “I like you, Prim Easton. Give the man my number. I’ll take care of the rest.” Then she turned on her unbroken heel and headed back into the store.

Just before she crossed the threshold, she glanced back and said, “The crew will be here right at closing on Sunday evening to get ready for filming Monday morning. See you then, Prim.”

“See you then,” Prim said and watched as the two assistants scurried after her.

Prim took a few minutes to let her garden calm her.

Then she kneeled down and plucked a bit of lemon balm.

She held it in her palm and said, “For serenity. May the properties of this offering settle my nerves, keep me steady, and help me control my magic so that no matter what happens, Dante won’t be cursed with schlong pox. This is my will, so mote it be.”

The lemon balm went up in a small flash of fire. The ashes fell instantly into her palm, warm but not hot to the touch. She smiled to herself, feeling more centered than she had in days as she sprinkled the ashes over a patch of wildflowers.

Then she walked into the back, changed her shoes, and went out to meet her date.