Page 3 of Flirty Fall Fling

Josie nervously laughs. “Sure.”

The three of us rush up the stairs, and I open doors for them.

“Choose any empty room you’d like.”

There isn’t a bad view in the house, and each room has a small balcony. As they decide, I walk to the end of the hallway toward the room that’s always been mine. Flora set it up for me back when I was a teenager, the same year she recognized my gifts and started preparing me to take over one day.

I move inside the cozy space. The antique king-sized four-poster bed is the showpiece of the room. Everything is still in its place, overly tidy and untouched from the last time I visited. After a few minutes, I go downstairs and grab several boxes from the back of the U-Haul.

As I’m carrying one up the steps, a soft voice calls from behind me, “Yoo-hoo! Blaire. Honey, is that you?”

My aunt’s best friend, Doris Jean, is wearing a quilted vest and waltzes through the gate with a casserole dish in both hands. Foil is crimped tight over the top. She lives a block over, in another historic home in town, and has fed me home-cooked Southern food more times than I can count. She took care of Charlie for me until I moved in.

“Doris Jean!” I set the boxes down on the step and rush toward her.

She climbs the stairs and sets the dish on the porch railing, then pulls me into a hug.

“How are you?” I ask, meeting her pale green eyes.

Doris squeezes me tight. “I’m making it, honey. I just miss her a lot. A personality like Flora’s is hard to replace.”

“I know. I miss her too,” I admit.

My aunt was the only one in my life who ever truly accepted my eccentric side and cherished my gift.

Doris picks up the dish and hands it to me. It’s warm, and it smells delicious. “I made chicken and mushrooms with wild rice. You can freeze it if it’s too much for you girls. Thought you might need some sustenance.”

“Aw, you didn’t have to do this. But thank you so much. We haven’t even discussed dinner yet.”

“Now you don’t have to.” She looks me up and down, then pats my cheek. “I knew you’d come back, Blaire. You know, Flora always said this was your destiny.”

“You really think I can do this?” I ask in a hushed tone.

“It’s in your genes, honey. Of course you can.” She squeezes my hand. “Half the town’s already asking when you’ll open Charmed Cauldron back up. I’ve been saying this before the equinox.”

“Monday,” I confirm. “That’s the official day.”

Every person who walks in will decide whether I can fill the shoes of the witch they lost.

Doris looks up at the roofline and drops her voice. “I hate to be the one to remind you, but you’ll be hearing from the committee about this old place any day now. During the spring, they sent Flora a list of things to do for the home. They gave her a deadline of January.” She pats my hand. “Your aunt kept saying she’d get to repairing that roof and some of the electrical.”

I sigh. “Do you know how much?”

“I think it was around fifty thousand dollars for everything.”

My aunt left me the house, her business, and all the debt that came with it. She had some money in her savings, but not enough to cover that.

“I might have to take out a loan.”

“Maybe not. See how the season goes first.” Doris Jean smiles.

Josie and Winter laugh about something, and their voices drift from upstairs. The window is open.

“I love seeing the three of you girls filling this place with happiness again. Flora always said it was too big for one woman and a cat.” Her eyes water, and she blinks the tears away. “Well, I’ll let you get to it. If you need anything, you know where I am.”

“Yes, ma’am. I’ll return this dish when we’re finished.” I lift the food and smile. “Thank you again.”

“Anytime.” She heads down the sidewalk before I can say anything else. “Don’t be a stranger!”