“Fried okra, maybe? For the moment, though, Lily, please do me a favor and put some extra protection on the store?”
I nodded. The protection spell I cast each morning was probably the reason Tristan had hesitated to enter Aunt Cora’s Closet. A determined foe would be able to find a way through, including by force, but the spell would slow a person down and, at the very least, give a witch like me a few extra seconds to act.
“And stay away from that hotel and this Dupree character,” Sailor said, his tone sterner.
“Right back at you, big guy,” I responded.
Sailor raised an eyebrow. “So that’s how it’s going to be, eh?”
“‘What’s sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander.’”
He smiled. “I’m good with gander sauce. Besides, I’m heading over the bridge, in the opposite direction.”
“Good. See you tonight?”
“Actually, probably not. I’ll be working late.”
“Oh... okay.”
He looked into my eyes, cupped the back of my head in his hand, and kissed me. His voice dropped to a whisper. “I’ll call you.”
I nodded and saw him out the front door.
When I turned back, Maya was fanning herself. “I tell you what,” she said in a blatant imitation of my Texas twang. “If that mandoeshave a twin brother, I call dibs.”
Chapter 3
The problem with Tristan Dupree showing up and issuing vague threats was that I was a very busy witch these days, and didn’t have a lot of time to look for whatever it was he wanted. In addition to my planning fund-raising teas and my own wedding, not to mention finding the perfect vintage wedding gown, San Francisco was facing a frustratingly nonspecific existential menace that involved the cupcake lady named Renee Baker.
Hard to believe someone who peddled ornately frosted little “fairy cakes,” as Renee called them, could pose a danger of any kind, much less supernatural. But that was how my life had unfolded ever since that day years ago in Hong Kong, when I met a parrot named Barnabas in a bar. I had been at a crossroads in my life, and Barnabas advised me to head to the City by the Bay—but warned me to “mark the fog.”
And he was right—the moment I arrived in San Francisco, it felt like home, though the fog did seem toinspire a good deal of supernatural mayhem. And now, despite my determination to avoid getting involved in such things, I was smack-dab in the center of local witchy politics.
Which meant it was high time for a visit to the wax museum.
First, though, I wanted to see if I could find whatever it was Tristan was certain I possessed. That entire episode involving my reunion with my father in Germany remained just barely beyond my mind’s reach, like the cloudy aftermath of a bad dream. I had occasional flashes of memory, disconnected images in my mind, but that was all. I had never been able to make any sense of them, and a big part of me didn’t want to. I was afraid.
Still, maybe I had accidentally purloined the man’s heirloom jewelry or some such. If so, I would find it and give it back; then Tristan would go away, and everyone would be happy. As simple as that.
Yeah, right.As they said in my hometown of Jarod, Texas, just because a chicken has wings don’t mean it can fly.
“Still, it’s worth a shot,” I muttered while sorting through a bag of clothing acquired from a woman whose elderly grandmother had passed. It was a gold mine: designer women’s dresses from the early 1960s that she had sold to me for pennies on the dollar, just to get them out of her closets.
“Did you say something?” Maya asked as she finished ringing up a customer’s purchases. It had been a busy day; the Union Street Spring Celebration and Easter Parade was coming up, and we’d been swamped all afternoon with customers searching for just therightoutfit. San Franciscans did like their celebrations.
“Um... no, sorry. I was just talking to myself.”Lordy, Lily.Losing track of the conversation was badenough, but a witch who talked to herself ran the risk of accidentally casting a spell and causing havoc.
“No worries. Hey, Bronwyn just forwarded me another text from your grandmother’s coven. They decided to head to the Monterey Bay Aquarium to see the sea otters, so they won’t be here tonight after all.”
“Oh, that’s too bad.” The truth was, I felt of two minds. While I was anxious to see Graciela after so many years, I would be happier if I could get Tristan out of my hair before the coven arrived.
“Speaking of the grandmas...” I dialed Calypso Cafaro’s number.
After exchanging pleasantries, she asked, “What do you hear from Graciela?”
“Not a lot, actually. They keep driving through dead zones. They’re in Monterey now, visiting the aquarium. I’m sure they’ll arrive soon. Sorry it’s been so delayed. I hope it’s not driving you crazy, not knowing when to expect them.”
She laughed. “It’s no problem at all. I’m here, tending my gardens. I’ve got cots lined up from back when I had foster kids, and several mattresses and air beds on the floor. They’ll have to share, but we’ll make do. They’re welcome anytime.”
