Page 59 of Clearly Charmed

My thoughts flashed to the bubbling gravy. The way the flowers wilted when our conversations grew heated. Even the weird flicker of the chandelier. I shook my head. All this talk of magic was making me see things that weren’t there.

‘The curse thing may have come in handy in Max’s case,’ I said, trying to make things light.

She patted my hand. ‘Even I know you’re too tender-hearted for that.’

‘Yeah, that may be the problem.’

She arched a white brow. ‘That needs some explanation.’

The connection I felt with Bryce was on the tip of my tongue, but instead I said, ‘Lia spoke the truth tonight. I do shield her and Aster from a lot. When it comes to my own feelings, though, I tend to swallow everything down. Put on a brave face. Guess I have Belladonna to thank for that.’

She let out a resigned murmur.

‘Did the rumors scare Felix off?’ I said.

‘No. He was too good for that. We were together until graduation. His family did not have money for college so he joined the navy. Got stationed in Hawaii and never came back.’

‘That must have made you sad.’

‘It did for a while, but the longer he was gone, the less it hurt. With time, I realized we would have never worked. We wanted different things.’

I took an uncomfortable gulp because her words were too much like the excuses Max had used when he’d left me. ‘What other things did he want?’

‘He had an adventurous spirit. Wanted to travel the world. I was happy here. Never saw my life anywhere else but in Harvest Moon.’

‘And Grandpa Beau?’

A wide smile spread across her lips. ‘We met while I was taking a pottery class at the community college. He was awful at it, but he kept trying.’ She sighed. ‘It was what drew me to him. He’d lope into the class, all long legs and skinny arms. Set his bum down on a stool in front of a wheel, slap out a chunk of clay and set his hands right to it. At first he could make a decently round vessel, but then it was like he got too much into his head and the entire thing would collapse.’

Her words reminded me of how much Grandpa Beau and I were alike. How we overthought every little scenario until things spun out of control.

I swallowed down the ache in my throat before asking, ‘Had you known him before at school?’

‘I’d heard his name here and there but never met him. There was a tradition in his family that the boys attend boarding school on the East Coast starting when they were ten. He didn’t come back to live in Harvest Moon until he was eighteen.’ She shook her head. ‘He was a gorgeous man but such a clumsy oaf. One day he asked to carry my books, but once he had them in his hands he tripped over his own feet, and they went flying. Never seen a man go that shade of red before. Not even when he saw me naked for the first time.’

‘Clo!’ I yelped. ‘Now I’m going to need to bleach that thought right out of my brain.’

She giggled. Clasped my hands. ‘Sweetheart, I know you’ve had a complicated life. That you had to grow up much too fast, but you can’t be afraid of love. Not like…’ She pressed her lips together.

‘Belladonna?’ I finished.

‘Your mother has always been her own person. From the time she was young, she was independent. Like Lia, she’d wander off into the woods. Make bouquets out of wildflowers that would make Aster proud.’ She bumped her hip against mine. ‘She loved animals too back then.’ A brittle huff left her lips. ‘But she was never interested in outward signs of affection. Never wanted anyone to touch her.’

The pain of regret in her eyes was palpable. I couldn’t imagine accepting that you could never have a child, and then, when one finally arrived, they weren’t interested in being close to you. I hoped that Lia, Aster and I had given her what she’d missed all those years with Belladonna.

‘As your mother grew older, she began to see men as a means to an end. The first time she left Harvest Moon it was on the back of a motorcycle with some guy she’d met near the pharmacy. She was barely eighteen. A few months later, she landed in Denver, living with another man. In every situation, she’d worked things to her advantage. Once she got what she needed, she’d escape. Find someone new.’ She held my hands tighter. ‘You’re different, my sweet Dandelion. Kindness radiates out of you. You love with your entire heart. Have such a gentle way with people. It’s why you’re such a good veterinarian. Why animals seek you out for comfort and care. A being like you is meant to be loved. To share your life with someone who will cherish every single part of who you are.’

‘But that can’t be Bryce, no matter what Aster says.’

‘When you have enough life experience, you tend to see situations a lot clearer. Sense people’s intentions. Aster may say Bryce’s color matches yours, but I can’t say if that’s true or not. Only you can decide if he is your soulmate, but that also comes with complications.’ Her eyes twinkled. ‘My instincts say you’re already beginning to understand that fact.’

I couldn’t deny that from the moment I met Bryce on the trail, a part of me sensed a connection with him. That tether only grew stronger when he kissed me later that night. And when he touched me in the truck yesterday, eased that ache, it was like all the atoms in my body sparked to life. But tonight, we were back to doing that same cagey dance. Not trusting one another. Not letting our guards down. And that was the issue. We both had clear missions, which were diametrically opposed.

‘Nothing can happen between us. He’s here to write something so sensational that he can revive his career, and I’m pretty sure that sensational thing he needs is going to be us.’ I couldn’t help but deflate at my admission. ‘Once he’s gotten what he needs, he’ll head back to Los Angeles and not give Harvest Moon another thought.’

‘Perhaps,’ she said. ‘But people can surprise us too.’

She gave me a hopeful smile before heading into the kitchen. I waited a minute, taking another look at the inverted reflection of the moon on the lake. When we were kids, I’d often find Lia sitting in the dark on the night of a full moon. How she was mesmerized by the way the light glinted off the water. It was a reminder of how this house, this land, was a part of her. How she’d fight for it with her entire soul.