Page 34 of Clearly Charmed

‘Were you two close?’

Like he needed a distraction, he pulled a book about Gothic architecture from one of the shelves. ‘He lived with my mom and me for five years before he passed. The guy could be gruff at times, but he also taught me how to play gin rummy. Change a tire. Made sure I always pulled out a chair, held a door, for a lady.’

‘Sounds like a good man.’

He took a thick gulp, nodded as if he couldn’t conjure any more words about the person who had clearly made a difference in his life.

‘Like I told you, my dad was never around. He died alone in Las Vegas when I was ten. My grandpa moved into our small bungalow in Toluca Lake a few months later. He’d had a heart attack, and my mom didn’t want him living on his own anymore. It was weird at first, because it was always just the two of us, but I think my mom liked having another person to care for. She’s a nurse and likes feeling needed.’

I followed behind him as he pulled more books off the shelves.

‘What about you? Are you close with your mother? Is she in town too?’

‘No. She’s never stayed around long,’ I said, trying not to sound bitter. ‘My grandparents raised us, because my mother was always too busy trying to find herself in some other part of the country.’ I didn’t like the way his eyes clouded with sympathy. ‘We were fine. My grandfather passed a long time ago and Clo, she’s always been a rock for us.’

‘From the few moments I spent with her, she seems…’ He pressed his lips together as if choosing his next words carefully. ‘Resolute.’

A small bubble of a laugh left my lips. ‘Interesting word choice. Accurate but interesting.’

‘Told you I like words. Certain phrases. My grandpa, his name was Emmett, he said you shouldn’t open your mouth unless what you had to say had meaning. I think about that a lot when I work on a story. Consider every word I put on the page to ensure it has the most impact.’

A book with a red spine and gold foil letters at the end of the aisle caught my eye. I plucked it off the shelf and said, ‘That must make writing a chore. Constantly stopping and thinking about every single word.’

‘Not for me. It’s a creative challenge. To search through the data bank in my brain and pluck out the exact right word.’

‘Again, sounds daunting.’

The corner of his full lips edged up into a smile. ‘I may also cheat a little.’

‘What do you mean by cheat?’

He stepped in close, the scent of peppermint gum on his breath. ‘WordHippo,’ he said like it was the sexiest thing in the world.

Once again I couldn’t control my laughter. ‘No! Like the thesaurus site online?’

‘Yep.’ He gave me a wide grin that made my stomach flip. Dammit. There was that covert charm of his again.

We stood toe to toe for a few more seconds, his eyes lingering on the way my hair was twisted back from my face. His hand moved as if he wanted to touch me, but he shrank back when Ruthie appeared a few feet away.

‘Dandelion.’ Ms Ruthie crossed her arms over her chest, her eyes narrowing like she’d caught us in a compromising position – which this was not. ‘The books and journals are sitting on a table in the study room.’

‘Thank you. We’ll head that way right now,’ I said as she continued to give us a withering look.

When we reached the stairs leading to the second floor, Bryce let out a small laugh. ‘Dani is short for Dandelion?’

I shot him a dark look. ‘Not a word.’

He chuckled under his breath as Ruthie tracked our movement up the steps. ‘Why do I feel like we’ve been busted like teenagers caught kissing in the bathroom?’

‘That’s just Ruthie’s way,’ I said, ignoring the way my brain wanted to replay, once again, that kiss we’d shared in the clinic.

Yeah, I really need to get out more.

When we reached the top of the stairs, he let out a sharp breath. ‘Holy shit. This place is amazing!’

Looking at this non-descript building from the outside, you would never imagine that a space like this existed. The roof was vaulted at least thirty feet high. Rough-hewn beams made of dark wood sat in a cross-hatched pattern against the ceiling. Three six-foot mahogany tables were placed around the room with small Tiffany-style glass lamps settled on each end. A large stained-glass window depicting what looked like a tree of knowledge, books dangling at the end of the branches, took up one entire wall. On one of the tables sat the books I’d requested.

Bryce shifted around me, but I stayed planted in my spot, unable to take another step forward. This felt too much like standing at the edge of a cliff with my toes pointed over the edge. For years I’d ignored the rumors and whispers about my family. Pretended that the magical tales this town sold to gullible visitors was just part of the tourism shtick. It’d been safer to make those choices, because it protected me and Lia and Aster. But even though I’d agreed to do this, asked Ruthie to pull archives excluding material about my ancestors, I worried this was all heading into dangerous territory.