Page 24 of Hexed & Hazy

He sits back in the wooden chair, staring up at the ceiling. “Victoria Welsh.”

I blink. “Oh?”

It’s true that I’m not Seth’s type, but I didn’t think Victoria was his type either. Victoria Welsh is… perfect, at least from the outside looking in. Wealthy. Athletic—I suppose they have that in common, but they play different sports. She’s a figure skater.

Then again, what do I know? She was always too popular to pay me much mind.

Seth, though, and even Laurel—they got along with that crowd much better. Apparently, well-liked enough for Victoria Welsh to date him.

He nods. “Over the summer. We went on three dates, and she ghosted me.”

“Quite a change of pace. Don’t you prefer to do the ghosting?”

“Ha ha.”

I jot the name onto the list. “She’s a witch. There is a chance someone who isn’t a witch could have enlisted a witch for the hex, but we should focus on witches first. Process of elimination, and all that.”

“So, you only want to know the witches I’ve dated?”

I smile subtly. That would make it easier, easier on him and on us, but I’ve never enjoyed taking the simple route. “No. Name them all. We’ll have to move on to the others if none of the witches confess.”

“Well…”

We spend his entire lunch there, writing the names of everyone he’s dated over the last year. Ten people. Most of the time, he’s never had a second date with the people on the list, or so he’s told me.

With two pointed exceptions.

Still, it’s good to keep them in mind.

I put stars next to the three witches on the list: Victoria Welsh, David Archer, and Scarlet Moreau.

“At least they’re all local.” I flip the notebook closed. “We won’t have to do too much traveling.”

The gods know that would eat away at my already precious time.

“What next?” he asks. “We’re going to track down every witch I’ve dated and question them?”

I nod slowly. “That’s the plan, yes. The easiest way to remove a hex is by the one who cast it. Even if these witches didn’t do it, perhaps they know who did.”

He squints. “Why do I feel like you’re trying to torture me?”

That’s an interesting idea, and perhaps it would be the best way to remove the hex—force him to face each of his exes, and hopefully he’ll learn the lesson. But I’ve never been that cruel. That’s why we’re starting with just three names.

“Don’t be silly. What reason would I have to do that?” I stand up, holding my notebook close to my chest. “You and I both have work to attend to, so we will have to get started later. Tomorrow?”

“Tomorrow.”

It’s too soon. I’m not ready to face it—to see each person Seth has dated, everyone he was looking at while I was forcing myself to look away from him. But Seth needs this. He needs to remove the hex and perhaps secure some kind of closure with Victoria Welsh. So… that’s what we’ll do.

Though it would shock some to hear me admit it, there’s only so much I can learn from studying the topic. Hexes: more lighthearted than a curse, but far trickier, and closely akin to chaos magic and trickster deities. Often cause varying degrees of bad luck. Sometimes general bad luck, other times concentrated on one area of life. They can grow in strength as long as the witch continues feeding energy to the spell.

But there’s still more for me to learn, even if the grimoire and online searches don’t have the answers I’m looking for.

I enter Aphrodite’s Cove and wipe my snowy boots against the vibrant welcome mat, shaking my head so my hood falls from my face. My wet bangs cling to my forehead, in desperate need of restyling.

The person I’m looking for is at the front counter: Aspen. For once, I’m not here to save her. If all goes according to plan, she’s the one who can help me.

Her eyes widen as I approach. “What are you doing here? I thought you would be hard at work.”