Marsha smiled softly. “I didn’t realize you already knew your history, but the moment you showed up in town as a teenager. Wearing all that black. I was certain you’d realize your potential sooner rather than later. The funny thing is that no one in the coven has asked about you. Typically, if a witch stays longer than a year, the coven gets an alert, and they come to me for the specifics. Right now, it’s like you’re shielded. Mia, did you put that spell on her?”
Christina and Marsha turned to stare at Mia. She lifted up both hands in surrender. “It wasn’t me, I swear. I wonder if it was Grans.”
“Honestly, now that I’m up close with you,” Marsha said, gazing at Christina, “the spell feels older. Like it was put on when you were a child. Speaking of children,” Marsha started but saw Mia shaking her head, her eyes wide.
“Yes?” Christina asked.
“Oh, I was wondering how you liked the cookie. It doesn’t have as much sugar as it normally has. I hope it’s sweet enough.” Marsha’s words stumbled out.
Mia needed to talk to her friend soon to let her know she was expecting. Maybe all first-time moms were this clueless to what was going on inside their bodies, but Mia thought Christina would realize it sooner or later.
If someone like Marsha didn’t blurt it out first.
CHAPTER11
As they drove home, Mia kept thinking of ways to tell Christina. Mia was now certain of her friend’s pregnancy because so many others had noticed it as well.
Christina pulled the car over into a slow-moving vehicle turn out and shut it off. “Okay, tell me what you don’t want me to know. You keep watching me like I’m going to explode or something. Did someone predict my fortune and I’m going to die before my wedding? What? I need to know so I can deal with my future. Good or bad.”
“It’s good, but Christina, I could be wrong. It’s just that other people are seeing it too, so I think you should know, so you can do something about it if you want.” Mia took a breath. “You’re pregnant. With twins.”
“What are you talking about? I’m totally regular and I’m on the pill.” She pulled out her calendar from her purse. “I track my cycles just in case and my last onewas …” She flipped through the calendar app. “It looks like I didn’t write it down. Probably all the excitement from the engagement and the move.”
She fiddled with her calendar, then counted out the weeks aloud. “Eight weeks? How can I have missed it for eight weeks? Wait, why did you say twins?”
Mia didn’t look up. “Finn can hear them arguing and laughing.”
“That’s why she’s staring at me? She can hear the babies? But if they’re that young, they don’t have mouths or voices, or—crap, it’s a witch thing, isn’t it. The twins are probably witches too. Of course they are; their daddy is a witch, just as, apparently, I am. How is it that you knew, Finn knew, even the coffee lady knew, but I didn’t? Marsha can’t backtrack a line to save her life.”
“I don’t know why you didn’t know, but now that you do, does it feel right? We’re dealing in a time of false information, so maybe I’m wrong. Maybe everyone’s wrong,” Mia said, focusing on the hope she didn’t feel for the idea.
Christina’s hand dropped to her stomach. “I’m pregnant? With twins? I can’t believe this is happening so soon. I mean, we’ve talked about a family. Levi wants a son to buy one of those little motorcycles. Just thinking about my baby on one of those makes me freak out. Wow. Pregnant. Me? I’m going to be a mom.”
“I could be wrong,” Mia repeated, but then she saw the glow on Christina’s face.
“No, it’s true. I can hear them now. Girls. Twin girls with an attitude. What are we going to do? I guess I’d better get a test and a doctor’s appointment. And tellLevi.” She laughed. “I’m not sure he’s ready to be a dad, but he’d better buck up. There’s no way I’m going through this without him. I’d have to move back in with Mom and Dad and they would ruin the kids. Private schools, trips to Paris to shop, a housekeeper and cook? Maybe I’m not going to tell Levi.”
Mia laughed. “You’d be back by the weekend. Your mom drives you crazy.”
“Yeah, but these girls might send me to the loony bin sooner.” She rubbed her stomach protectively. “I’m just kidding, girls.”
“So you’re okay with this entire thing? I feel like I keep asking people that question. ‘Hey, your world just exploded, but are you okay? It’s been a week.’”
Christina started the car and pulled into traffic. “Let’s go back to the academy, with a quick stop at Majors Grocery for a test. Levi needs shampoo anyway. What did we learn from the coffee lady, besides the fact that she makes great cookies?”
Mia and Christina talked about the witch entrance announcement. Mia slapped herself on the forehead. “I forgot to ask her about when Suzanne Parker came to town. I wonder if she’d know about her living here and being part of this coven. I bet she does. Now I have to go back and ask more questions.”
“You need a book. A notebook where you can write down this stuff,” Christina offered an idea.
“I have one, but it means I have to look at it when I’m talking to people. I’ll call Marsha tonight. I wonder if Grans started dinner yet. Does dinner happen if we’re not there to remind people or actually cook ourselves?”
“Oh, I’m certain Abigail has dinner going. She’s been pushing food on me all week.” Christina sighed and hit the steering wheel with the heel of her hand. “My soon-to-be mother-in-law knows, doesn’t she?”
“That I don’t know, but if she’s pushing food? Probably. Your mom would be taking food out of your hand, so you’d fit into a designer wedding dress,” Mia pointed out.
“Twins. I’ll be huge walking down the aisle if we wait. We need to move up this wedding, especially the one in Magic Springs. I don’t want to look like a white whale in satin and lace.”
When they got to the academy, Mia got out of the car and saw Buddy land in the tree.
