1
“Aunt Yvette! Aunt Yvette!” Poppy cried, waving a book in the air. Her big blue eyes were full of excitement as she bounced on her toes. “Read this one!”
Yvette Townsend-Burton turned from a customer she’d just finished helping at Hollow Books and glanced down at her niece, grinning at the seven-year-old. It was Thursday afternoon and time for the children’s book read-a-long. “It is your turn to pick,” she said as she plucked the book from Poppy’s hands. She’d expected a tried-and-true classic, like The Velveteen Rabbit or Winnie the Pooh . Poppy usually went for the ones that were based on her personal stuffed animal collection. But this book was one that Yvette didn’t recognize. She frowned as she read the title out loud. “ The Witch of Redwood Grove by Maeve Woods. Huh. Why don’t I recognize this one?”
Poppy ran over to the reading area and sat in the front with her cousins.
Yvette flipped to the back to read the author’s bio. It was short and to the point.
Maeve Woods has a soft spot for magic and was inspired to write this book by her niece. This is her first book. The publication date was five years earlier. Yvette couldn’t believe the book had been on the shelf for five years and she hadn’t ever noticed it. That was very unlike her. Especially a children’s book as they did read-alongs every week. She was about to ask Brinn, her assistant, about it, but the other woman was busy helping someone else find the travel section.
It didn’t matter anyway. At least she got to read a new-to-her book that afternoon.
“Yvette!” Abby, one of her sisters, called. “Let’s get this show on the road so we can get the kids out of here before dinnertime.”
“Sure.” Yvette smirked at her younger sister. While no one wanted to deal with hungry kids, Yvette knew Abby was equally as concerned about getting sisters’ night started. After the reading, the dads were taking the kids while Yvette, Abby, Noel, Faith, and Hope went out for a little sister time. It wasn’t often that the five of them got to spend uninterrupted quality time together, so Yvette couldn’t blame Abby for her excitement.
“Okay, who wants to help me read The Witch of Redwood Grove ?” Yvette asked.
Poppy jumped up and ran to Yvette’s side before any of the other kids could even raise their hands.
Yvette stifled a chuckle. “Okay, I suppose it’s your turn anyway.”
Her niece nodded vigorously. “Toby read last week, and the week before it was Lynette.”
“Sure, she remembers that,” Noel muttered. “But she never remembers to put the cap on the toothpaste.”
Poppy stuck her tongue out at her mother and then opened the book. With Yvette’s help, she proceeded to read about a witch who lived in the woods and was hired to cast an abundance spell.
When it came time to read the spell aloud, Yvette took over, using a dramatic voice that made the kids giggle. “ Goddess of the redwoods, bring peace and harmony and abundance to the people of Redwood Grove .”
As Poppy read on, it soon became clear that the spell had backfired due to the witch’s impure heart. Instead of abundance, everyone in town had something to struggle with. It turned out that in order for the spell to be reversed, the witch had to let go of her bitterness and learn to love again. That love came in the form of a sweet, abandoned puppy who needed a home. In the end, the witch named her puppy Love Bug and the people in the town began to flourish.
“Love Bug!” Toby called. “I want a puppy named Love Bug!”
Yvette looked at her son and gave him a patient smile.
“Yeah, we should get a golden retriever,” Skye chimed in.
Stifling a groan, Yvette caught her husband Jacob’s eye and gave him a half shrug. He’d have to handle this one.
“We’ll talk about it later,” Jacob said, wrapping an arm around both Skye and Toby.
Yvette’s two kids chattered excitedly about a puppy, and she decided then and there if they wanted a dog it was fine with her. But only if Jacob was willing to train the thing. There just weren’t enough hours in the day for Yvette to run the bookstore and train a puppy.
Jacob steered the kids toward Yvette and then whispered something to both of them. They immediately dislodged from their dad and gave her a group hug. He winked and then leaned in and kissed her on the cheek. “Have fun tonight.”
“You, too,” she said and watched with a heart full of love as they made their way out of the store.
“Need help closing up?” Abby asked as the rest of the kids and dads filed out of the store.
“Sure.” Yvette directed her sister to clean up the refreshment area while she closed out the register.
“I’ll vacuum,” Noel said, already heading for the back room to get the appliance.
Faith and Hope both helped straighten up the kid’s area while Yvette ran the sales report for the day. Once she had it in hand, she stared down at the numbers and blinked. Had she done the report correctly? The number was lower than their worst day ever. She decided to run it again.
The number was the same.
Had she been dreaming when she saw all the other kids in the shop for the read-along? They hadn’t all been her family, had they? No, definitely not.
She quickly counted the cash in the register and closed out the credit card terminal. While the day’s haul was incredibly disappointing, she just chalked it up to one bad day. They happened, right?
Though usually not on a read-along day when the store was packed. And definitely not in the spring when Keating Hollow had a ton of tourists and all the residents were out and about enjoying the lovely warm weather.
“Are you about ready, Yvette?” Abby called from her place by the front door. She had her long blond hair pulled up into a bun and was chomping on a leftover pumpkin scone from Incantation Café. Noel was sitting in one of the overstuffed velvet chairs, riffling through a regional travel magazine. One glimpse told Yvette it was the one that had Noel’s inn advertised on the back cover. Hope and Faith were in their own world, chatting about the spa where they both worked.
“Yep.” Yvette dropped the day’s minuscule haul into the safe and locked the register. A one-off day was nothing to worry about. “Let’s get this party started.”
“Excellent.” Abby held the front door open for her sisters. “The golf cart is ready to go.”
Abby hadn’t been kidding. The twinkling lights that covered the golf cart were lit, and there was already music blaring from the aftermarket speakers.
“I hope there are margaritas in that cooler,” Yvette said, eyeing the back of the golf cart.
“You bet.” Abby grinned. “Get in.”
Abby took the wheel with Yvette in the front seat, while the other three sisters sat behind them. “Get the Party Started” by P!nk blared from the speakers as Abby put the pedal to the metal and steered them toward Keating Hollow’s magical river.
The five of them sang at the top of their lungs, burning off steam as the cool spring air whipped through their hair. Yvette hadn’t felt that free in a long time. With the pressures of motherhood and running a small business, it was often hard to find time just for herself. The sister time Abby had organized for the night was exactly what she needed.
The moon was full, shimmering off the river that ran through the town. With the redwoods lining the other side, it made Yvette feel as if they’d just wandered into the woods, even though they were just a few minutes from Main Street.
Abby came to a stop, turned the music down, and asked, “Who needs a drink?”
“Me!” all of the other four sisters said at once.
Yvette chuckled and got up to help Abby pour the margaritas from the gallon thermos that was tucked into the cooler. Once they all had a drink in their hand, they walked over to the large fallen tree that had been used as a bench for many years.
“Where’s Wanda?” Hope asked. “A golf cart race would be just the thing to cap off the night.”
Abby laughed. “Yeah, I thought about that, but tonight… I don’t know. I thought it would be nice if it was just the five of us, you know? We never spend time together when it isn’t with the husbands and kids.”
“I think this is perfect,” Noel said as she rose from the trunk and moved to lie in the grass so she could look up at the stars.
Faith downed her drink and then followed Noel’s lead. “Agreed. I love Wanda, but this feels soul restoring.”
Yvette and Abby shared a glance. It was exactly why they hadn’t invited Wanda or Hanna or any of their other friends in town. Life had proven to be very busy for all of them. and for once, they just wanted an opportunity to slow down a bit.
“Look!” Noel pointed to the sky. “It’s a shooting star.”
Yvette glanced up and let out a surprised gasp. Shooting stars started to fill the sky, one after another.
“Quick! Make a wish!” Abby cried as she took her spot on the grass next to Faith.
Yvette gestured for Hope to join her, and soon all five sisters were lined up, staring at the unexpected phenomenon in the sky.
It wasn’t long before Abby reached for Yvette’s hand and Yvette reached for Hope’s. Yvette knew without asking that Abby also had Faith’s hand and Faith had Noel’s. There was a magical spark that lit up inside of Yvette when all five sisters connected. It made her feel both peaceful and powerful. There was nothing more potent than family.
“Everyone think of their wish,” Abby whispered.
Yvette concentrated on the shooting stars in the sky, felt the magic pulsing from her sisters around her, and imagined her and Jacob enjoying some quiet time together. Possibly a drive in the mountains or an overnight trip in a quaint nearby town where the two of them could spend some time reconnecting away from the pressures of parenthood and work.
A sense of calm washed over her, and she got a flash of her and Jacob in her SUV, following the river deep into the mountains. The sun was casting dappled light on the two-lane road, and everything about the scene looked peaceful and serene. She smiled to herself at the premonition and hoped the trip would be soon.
“So mote it be,” Abby said.
Yvette and her three other sisters echoed Abby’s words. “So mote it be.”
“Okay.” Abby sat up and started refilling everyone’s margarita glasses.
When everyone had a fresh drink except for Abby, Yvette asked, “Where’s yours?”
Abby shook her head. “Someone has to drive you drunks home. Since I’m already in the driver’s seat, I guess it’s me.” She gave them all a wicked grin and asked, “Who’s in for a round of Truth or Dare?”
Yvette groaned. “The last time we played that, I ended up running naked through the woods.”
Abby slapped her hands together with glee. “I know. And I’ll never forget when the neighbor’s nephew wolf-whistled and offered his hand in marriage. Too bad you didn’t accept. You could have been Yvette Boner, and instead of running a bookstore, you would’ve been the heir to the Barely There Underwear empire.”
Hope sputtered on her margarita. “You can’t be serious.”
“Maaaannn,” Abby said. “I hate that you missed out on our shenanigans when we were younger. Our mother deserves extra prison time for depriving you of that day.”
Yvette snorted sardonically. Their mother had up and left town when her four daughters with Lincoln Townsend were still young. It turned out she’d had an affair and was pregnant with Hope. Because of a potions addiction, she’d given Hope up for adoption, and the four Townsend sisters hadn’t even known Hope existed until eight years ago when she was twenty years old. Now Gabrielle Townsend was serving a prison sentence for using a forbidden curse that had endangered Abby and her family. All of the Townsend sisters had filed restraining orders for the day when she was eventually paroled.
“I’m sure there are plenty of other awful reasons why she should stay locked up,” Hope muttered.
“No doubt,” Noel chimed in.
There was silence among the sisters until Yvette said, “Enough Mom talk. Abby, truth or dare?”
Abby narrowed her eyes and said, “Dare.”
Yvette gave her an evil grin and said, “I dare you to run naked into the river.”
“Is that the best you can do?” Abby rolled her eyes and started to strip. Once she was skyclad, she bolted for the river.
Yvette, who already had her phone ready, snapped a picture of her sister’s lily-white backside and quickly texted it to Clay, Abby’s husband, with the caption Your wife is out of control.
Isn’t she always? He texted back almost immediately.
The sisters cackled, their laughter echoing off the river.
“What’s so funny?” Abby called from where she was bobbing in the water.
Yvette waved her phone at her. “You’re a porn star now.”
They were still laughing when Abby returned, quickly got dressed, and said, “Your turn, Yvette.”
Yvette swallowed hard and awaited her punishment.
Two hours later, with an empty thermos of margaritas and aches in their sides from laughing too hard, Abby drove her sisters home.
Yvette stumbled up the stairs to her house on the side of the mountain and waved as Abby honked and then darted out of her driveway.
“Looks like someone had fun,” Jacob said from the doorway.
Yvette turned around to see her handsome, dark-haired husband smiling at her with that sexy half grin she loved so much. She took a step forward, stumbled, and found herself in his arms, right where she wanted to be. “Not as much fun as we’re about to have.”
He chuckled softly. “Is that right? Just how drunk are you?”
“Drunk enough to charm the pants off you, not drunk enough not to know what I’m doing,” she said and then hiccuped.
“Sure, ‘Vette,” he said softly as he shook his head, clearly amused. “If you make it to the bedroom, I’ll let you do more than charm the pants off me.”
“You bet you will.” She pushed past him, stumbled again, and then used the wall to right herself.
“Never mind. You’ll wake the kids if you keep that up.” Jacob scooped her up in his arms, kicked the door shut, and carried her to the bedroom.
The last thing she remembered before passing out was her head hitting the pillow as he laid her gently on the bed.