Page 106 of Clearly Charmed

‘I’m confused, mad and a little ashamed.’

‘Oh, honey,’ she said with a sad hitch in her voice. ‘I didn’t tell you this story so you’d feel bad. All I needed you to know is that your family, the women in your line, they’ve endured many horrors, but they’ve always stood together to face whatever hideous lies were thrown at them. I believe you and Lia and Aster can do the same, no matter what that journalist writes.’

She set her chin. ‘I don’t normally do this, but I think you should hold on to the journal for a while.’ She pushed it in my direction. ‘Read it over again. Gather strength from knowing Ambrosia and Sylvia stood firm, even in the face of all the accusations against them. I can’t tell you what to do, but there are many people in this town who love and admire you and your sisters. It may be uncomfortable for a while, but time passes and people have short memories.’ Her hand slid over the top of mine and squeezed. ‘I hope you’ll trust in the fact that you belong here. That you and Lia and Aster make this town a better place.’

Her phone buzzed with a text. ‘I have to go. There’s someone at the desk who needs help.’ She gave me a sad smile. ‘No matter what happens, both your grandmother and I will always be here for you.’

She disappeared down the stairs, and I tucked the journal against my chest. I was glad I knew the truth about Sylvia and Ambrosia. How brave they’d been at the most difficult moment of their lives. The question was, did I have that same strength to fight for what my sisters and I had built here?

Chapter Thirty-Five

Shaky Ground

Every time my inbox dinged with a new email, I scanned the subject line to see if it was a digital copy of Bryce’s article. He’d been gone four long weeks. I’d tried to keep busy. Loaded up the clinic’s schedule with extra hours, but he still inhabited every corner of my mind.

He’d sent two brief messages since leaving Harvest Moon. One that let me know he’d arrived in California safely. The second was a few cryptic lines that said he was thinking about me and had to work on some things before we could talk more. Every time I read it, which was too many times over the past month, my mind ran wild with all the things that had gone unsaid between us. How that might influence what he wrote in the article.

A steaming flat white slid onto the counter in front of me.

‘With the first hint of frost, it’s actually beginning to feel like November,’ Elena said, pushing an almond croissant beside the white porcelain mug.

‘You have to stop with the pastries.’

‘“Drown your sorrows in wine and good sweets” has always been my motto,’ she said. ‘Or, you know, a good roll in the sheets with a hot mysterious man.’

‘Really? I’ve known you for years, and I’ve never heard you say that. In fact, when was the last time you went on a date? Was it that loser from Boulder who kept insisting you needed to invest in Bitcoin?’

‘Hey!’ She pointed a finger at me. ‘We’re talking about your disastrous love life, not mine.’

The day after Bryce left, I showed her his text. Elena insisted he’d be back. Swore that a guy who stared at me like I was a rare pink sunset was not someone who’d simply walk away. I loved her optimism, but I was sure of two things. Bryce was never coming back and the article was absolutely going to blow apart my world.

‘Did you hear about Mo?’ she asked casually.

I tried to not let my eyes roll back in my head. ‘What has she done now?’

‘She’s leaving. Her son-in-law is in some kind of financial trouble, and that’s why she’s been so stressed about her business. She sold the tavern to help. She’s going to live near her daughter and their family in Santa Fe.’

I pressed a hand to my forehead. That explained her desperate need to fill the tavern with tourists. A part of me wondered why she hadn’t been honest when I’d confronted her, but if anyone understood keeping secrets, and complicated family situations, it was me.

‘Sold it to who?’

‘Ask her.’

Like the little phantom she was, Aster slid onto the stool beside me. This week her hair was a shade of silvery blue. It’d been three different colors over the last month. She hadn’t wanted to talk any more about what Clo and Belladonna had revealed, but her constant trips to the salon spoke volumes.

Elena already had a latte and a chocolate croissant ready for her. ‘Tell your sister who bought the tavern.’

‘Dalton agreed to take it over.’

‘Isn’t he busy with the pizza parlor?’ I said.

‘His lease is up at the end of this month,’ she said with a mouth full of pastry.

‘It doesn’t make sense.’ I pushed a napkin toward her. ‘The tavern doesn’t have a pizza oven.’

She took a quick sip of her drink. A cute white foam mustache covered the cupid’s bow on her upper lip. ‘He’s gutting the tavern. Says the place has bad vibes. Needs a total facelift. He’s putting in a massive new oven, updated furnishings and décor.’ She gave me a big smile. ‘He even promised a regular flower order for all the dining tables.’

‘That’s good news.’