I know that some people have the ability to see things before they occur through dreams. I’m one of them. And now it would appear that Lanie has that ability too.
Acknowledgments
Thank you, readers, for the incredible outpouring of support for this series. It means everything to me that you’ve embraced Alyssa, her friends, and the entire fictional town of Knox Harbor.
A heartfelt thanks to my forever friend Jill O., for allowing me to use your name for a questionable character. You’re a good sport and I love you forever!
To Jackie F., you rolled in like a hurricane of fun, and I’ll never let you leave me. You’ve been my rock these past few years and I know you will be for many more to come. Love you, mean it.
To Kristin P., thank you for providing a safe space to share my thoughts and feelings. You’ll never know how comforting it is to know that I’m not alone.
A huge thank-you to Kai for all your help these past few months—I couldn’t do this without you.
To all my English teachers who fostered my love for reading and writing, you may not realize the profound impact you’ve had on me (even if it didn’t always seem that way).
Thank you to my father; I’m so glad to have the relationship I do with you.
A huge thank-you to my Berkley team—Esi, Genni, and everyone else who had a hand in making this book a reality. And to my incredible agent, Carrie, who made this all possible: you’re all stuck with me if I have a choice in the matter!
And lastly, to my family—#14, Z, A, and G—my world doesn’t spin without you.
Keep reading for an excerpt from Melissa Holtz’s
An Enchanting Case of Spirits
Available now fromBerkley
Five of Cups
Another spoonful willdull the painful truth.
My youth is gone.
A carton of ice cream is gripped between my legs like my life depends on it not slipping from my clutches. A cool autumn breeze flits through the open window next to my whitewashed sleigh bed, and I shiver as it races up my exposed arms.
I consider closing said window but refrain, too comfy to move from under the heavy down comforter and matching gray sheets I’m currently curled beneath.
My lips wrap around a tarnished silver spoon—a wedding present from my mother—and a chill settles over me. Whether from the draft or cold dessert, I’m not sure, and I couldn’t care less either way.
Less than nine hours remain of my fortieth birthday, and I’m alone, eating my ice cream as though it’s my last supper.
My eyes are fixed on the harvest-yellow walls, a color I adored once upon a time but now resent because I’m no longer the carefree wife and mother who chose that cheerful shade.
Birthdays come and go, and the next may not be promised, but it’s just a day. Tomorrow, all the calls and messages will stop. I’ll be one year closer to my own death, with nothing but wrinkles and cellulite to keep me company.
Dramatic much?
My phone chimes from the nightstand and I ignore it. It’s been going off all day with messages commemorating a day I’d rather skip from family and friends who know this yet refuse to oblige me.
Almost immediately the phone rings, and I know that either I answer or risk a wellness check from the police, courtesy of my well-meaning friends. There’s no doubt it’s Lanie or Nina on the other end of this call. Both of my best friends are dogs with a bone, and neither will stop until I shut off the phone or scream down the line that I’m alive.
Sighing, I grab the black smartphone and push accept.
“I’m breathing. You can stop calling,” I drone, sounding pathetic even to my own ears.
“Well, that’s a relief.” Lanie’s dry tone just barely hides the irritation she works so hard to conceal. “I thought you’d managed to drown yourself in Chocolate Salted Fudge Truffle or that nasty riesling you adore.” I hear Lanie’s deep breath before she continues. “Alyssa, you can’t hide from your birthday.”
“But I’m going to give it my best try,” I say, eyeing the now-empty ice cream container with contempt, sending a thanks up to the gods that she didn’t attempt a video chat. If Lanie Anderson saw my current condition, she’d stage a full-on intervention.
