Page 58 of Clearly Charmed

Clo stayed frozen in place. A low buzz filled the air, and Aster pulled her phone out of her pocket. For a moment there was hope in her eyes, like she expected it to be Lia apologizing, saying she was coming back inside, but her shoulders slumped. ‘Dalton’s almost here. We’re supposed to go to a movie, but I think I should stay so we can talk this out more.’

‘No. Go have fun with your friend. Dani and I can clean up the rest,’ Clo insisted.

She hesitated and I said, ‘Ast, go on. We’ve got this.’

She stepped back from the counter, her jaw going hard. ‘One day this family is going to treat me like a full-grown damn adult, but I guess today is not that day.’

Just like Lia, she grabbed her coat and took off down the stairs, the door slamming loudly behind her.

Clo’s stare remained on the dark lake, and I moved to stand beside her.

‘Do you agree with Lia? Are we in trouble?’

She waited a minute before speaking. ‘It’s moments like this that I miss your grandfather. He always had a special bond with her.’

‘Clo,’ I pressed. ‘Is this as bad as I think?’

‘I don’t know. Lia was right. He certainly charmed us tonight.’

‘Why help him then? Tell him to go back to the archives?’

‘Because I’ve already asked Ruthie to limit the materials he sees this time.’

Her clipped voice warned she still wasn’t happy about me keeping our first trip to the library a secret.

‘Even if that happens, he’ll still keep digging,’ I insisted.

‘Yes, because he has a lot at stake too.’

‘How do you know that?’

‘I looked up more than just his journalistic accolades.’

She went quiet again. Tugged her cardigan tighter around her shoulders. ‘You must feel worried and conflicted too.’

Panic crawled through my bones. Had she figured out that I’d crossed the line with Bryce? Or maybe she knew about the journal. Had Ruthie given me away? I should have told her, but the truth stayed jammed in my throat.

‘It’s all right, sweetheart. Aster told me about Bryce’s color.’

That panic stayed coiled within me for an entirely different reason now.

‘She and I had a long talk about it.’ A sad sigh left her lips. ‘I made Aster understand that what she does, sees, can come at a price. Telling you what she did about Max, well, she was still trying to figure out her gift back then. It was a hard lesson for her to learn.’

‘Just wish my complicated life wasn’t part of that lesson.’

Her attention went back to the lake. ‘The idea of soulmates can be tricky. Did you know your grandpa Beau was not the first man who caught my eye?’

‘He wasn’t?’

‘No. There was a boy I knew in high school. Felix Cornell. He was the class clown. Always creating mischief. Hiding the teachers’ answer keys for tests. Switching the classical symphony music with Elvis Presley during the daily announcements. He was my first kiss. My first real date.’

‘What happened to him?’

‘All while we were dating, people whispered behind our backs. Told him that I was descended from dangerous witches. That if he ever tried to break up with me, I’d curse him. Shrink his balls until they were smaller than grapes.’

‘What?’ I let out a roar of a laugh. ‘That’s awful.’

I quickly sobered when sadness crept across the lines in her face. ‘People can be cruel when they want. Magic was a way they thought they could bully me, which you also know too well.’