Page 31 of Love’s a Witch (The Scottish Charms #1)

While I’d been here the other night for my cèilidh, I hadn’t spent any time in the actual pub itself.

Now, I nodded in approval. Large arched front windows looked out onto the colorful shops of the street, letting the outside in, and giving clientele the opportunity to people-watch.

A fire burned merrily on one wall, and a variety of seating options, from low-slung leather chairs and couches to tables for eating, gave patrons a choice of seating.

It was sleek, both modern and quaint, and gave a cozy welcoming vibe.

And the magickal elements were just right—nothing too in your face, and yet the artwork all featured dragons or mythological creatures and framed runes and spells, and a tartan witch’s hat was tucked on top of a fake stuffed coo head that hung on the wall.

“He’s cute,” I said, giving Raven a meaningful look.

“Isn’t he? And he’s just the sweetest too. He’s really been a good friend to me.”

Lyra and I exchanged a look over Raven.

“I don’t remember him from school.”

“Och, he moved here after you left. You just missed him. Nice family too.” Raven slid a glance at where Liam leaned on the bar, chatting with Knox, and then tucked her hair behind her ear. She’d unraveled her braids from earlier, but still wore the same pretty velvet dress. “So. Knox?”

“Ugh.” I took another sip of my drink and settled in, truly unsure of what to say.

It felt like a million contradictory thoughts whirled in my head, and I wasn’t sure which one to land on.

Frankly, I wasn’t sure I could even trust my feelings.

I’d kind of felt like Alice down the rabbit hole ever since I’d arrived in Briarhaven, and what I likely needed was a few days by myself to just process all that was happening.

Unfortunately, it didn’t seem like I’d get a quiet moment anytime soon.

“Is that a good ‘ugh’ or a bad ‘ugh’?” Raven asked, sipping a frothy concoction in a tall-stemmed glass.

“I don’t know. He’s sexy as sin, kisses like the devil, and wants to throw me out of town. What the hell am I supposed to do about that?”

“Shag him,” Lyra and Raven said together. They both laughed and clinked their glasses.

“I can’t just…” I waved a hand in the air. “He’s, like, the town’s golden boy. I highly doubt he’s been running around having one-night stands. It’s too small of a town. We all would have heard about it.”

“No, you’re right. He gets tons of attention, but I rarely hear about him dating. I mean, he does, occasionally, but he doesn’t have a bad reputation for it or anything. He’s not a guy I’d warn you away from,” Raven said, pursing her lips as she thought about it.

“See? And I’m a love-’em-and-leave-’em type of girl. We don’t really have a choice. We always end up having to move.”

Lyra nodded her head sadly in agreement. “It can be fun, but also tiring, because you always have to leave. Goodbye gets a little old after a while, I guess. I try to be good about picking my men now. Ones that I will enjoy but not become too attached to. Even then, it’s not easy.”

“No, I can’t imagine it is.” Raven tapped a finger on the bar, considering our plight. “But if you break the curse, then you can stay here… and have a future with Knox.”

“A future…” A lump formed in my throat. I’d never really been in the position of truly being able to consider a future with anyone before. It made me feel all sorts of things. The saddest of which was hope.

I’d long ago learned to bury that particular emotion.

“Oh my goddess,” Lyra gasped, and I looked to see her staring at a third man who had joined Knox and Liam. If possible, he was even more handsome than Knox and Liam combined, and I was surprised the women in the room didn’t pass out from their collective good looks. Or, frankly, the men either.

“Is that Rab?” I asked, leaning over Raven to gape at Lyra.

Rabbie Barclay had been Lyra’s first love at age sixteen, and things had ended on a very sour note when we’d left.

She’d only spoken of it once, and I’d only seen her cry over him once, as well.

After, it was like she zipped up whatever feelings she’d held for him, tucked them away in the bottom of her mind, and had never mentioned his name again.

His eyes locked on hers, and I held my breath. The two most singularly beautiful people in the room, locked in an unspoken argument.

Finally, he gave Lyra a small nod.

It wasn’t a friendly one.

Lyra seemed to understand whatever he was conveying, and she shifted, giving him her shoulder.

It looked like their past was going to stay buried.

“Do you want to—”

“Nope. So, back to Knox?” Lyra said, her smile too bright, and not reaching her eyes.

“There’s no ‘me and Knox.’?”

“Yet you were snogging him in the closet at Mystic Munchies today.”

“What?!” Raven exclaimed, her face lighting up with interest. “Tell me more. In great detail, please.”

“I don’t know what to say.” I rushed out in one breath.

“My brain short-circuits around him. All rational and reasonable decision-making abilities fly out the window, and suddenly I find we’re attached at the lips.

And then I don’t want to stop, and if my magick weren’t misfiring left and right, I probably wouldn’t stop.

And what does that mean? I have no clue.

Like, I can’t possibly consider a future with this man.

I can’t live in a castle. I’m not fancy.

It’s just not… No. This is not a viable or smart option for me. ”

“And yet.” Lyra patted my back, trying to soothe me. “You lose your mind when he’s around, and he clearly does with you. He told his mum he wants you to be his partner.”

“He said what?” Raven screeched, and the men all glanced at us.

“Shut up.” I grabbed Raven’s arm and bowed my head, surprised to find a giggle bubbling up in my throat.

I couldn’t even remember the last time I’d giggled about something, let alone about a man.

This was… well, it was fun. It was fun to sit and have a drink with a girlfriend and giggle about our relationships.

Here, in Briarhaven, I could be myself. I had a history here, people who knew me, and we didn’t have to constantly cover our tracks or try to explain away weird occurrences that our blood curse made happen. This felt… safe. And right.

Oh my goddess, did I want to actually stay in Briarhaven?

Mum would have a fit.

The thought alone cheered me a bit.

“Sloane, that’s serious. Knox does not have long-term relationships. If he told his mum that, he must really like you.”

“Oh, please, he barely knows me. I’ve been home all of five minutes, and I’m just the shiny new toy in town.”

“I don’t think so, Sloane. I think he’s serious,” Lyra said, stirring her drink, which had come served in a copper mug.

“Well, it doesn’t really matter if he’s serious or not. If we can’t break the curse, we’ll have to move on.”

“Unless we can get the coven on board to do whatever magick they did to keep your mum here as long as they could,” Raven pointed out. “I’m told it was exhausting, but they did it because she was part of the coven.”

“Are you saying that even if we can’t fix this curse, maybe the coven will be powerful enough to help us stay in one spot?” Lyra speared to the heart of the matter.

And for once, I felt optimistic.

“Aye, assuming Mandy will sign off on it. She’ll be a hard one to convince.”

“And you need the president of the Charms to be the one to have the last say?” An idea bloomed—not a comfortable one, and I’d need to discuss it with Broca.

“That’s the nature of the coven. Head boss has final say and all that.”

“Duly noted.” Raising a finger to signal Liam that I was ready for another, I leaned back in my chair. Despite my determination to ignore Knox, I couldn’t help but glance at him as he gestured animatedly to Rab.

I wanted to lick that man up like an icy scoop of pistachio gelato on a hot summer’s day. Forcing those particular thoughts from my head, I refocused on the conversation.

Bloody hell, but it looked like I was going to give this a go. I was going to actually try to help us stay in Briarhaven.

“But why did they stop helping Mum, then?” Lyra asked, drawing my attention back.

“She chose to leave the coven. Once she’d given up on it, they didn’t feel the need to keep doing the magick to help her, so the curse forced her to leave.”

Lyra and I wore equal expressions of shock.

“Wait. That’s what happened?” Lyra held a hand to her heart. “She always told us it was because of our dad. That once he’d left, she didn’t want to stay in this stupid town anyway. That’s why she took us and left.”

“What?” Raven blew out a breath, her face a picture of shock. “Um, so your dad didn’t disappear. He lives up in the hills outside town.”

“He what ?” My heart twisted, like it was a punching bag taking too many hits, and I picked up my drink, finishing it in two gulps.

“He’s… here?” Lyra blinked at me, her face wrecked.

“Aye, though largely a hermit. Your mum had a falling-out with the coven. I remember because my mum was raging about it. After all they’d done for her and all that.

Came home just up in arms over it. Your mum seemed pretty ungrateful, got into it with everyone, threw a huge fit, and the coven revoked their protection.

Everyone was pretty fed up with her behavior at that point, but none of them thought she’d take you three with her.

It’s why the town hasn’t full-on tried to boot you out.

Most of them remember what you all dealt with growing up.

” Raven’s eyes were sad. “And your dad, well, he just went to the hills. I think he needed the peace, to be honest.”

“I can’t… even. I just can’t wrap my head around this.” Lyra’s eyes filled.

“That arsehole. No-good bastard of a man,” Mum shrieked.

“What’s going on?” I asked as I came downstairs and noticed that Mum had once again smashed some plates.

“What’s going on? What’s going on is your father is gone. Just left us all. I knew he wouldn’t last. Men never stay,” she growled.

“Mum, what? What do you mean he’s gone? On a holiday?” I asked, although, for some reason, I knew it wasn’t just a holiday.

“No, Sloane. He’s gone and never coming back. Not that I’d have him back.”

“She always said Dad was the devil.” I put my arm around Lyra’s shoulders as she dabbed at her eyes with a napkin. Glancing up, I caught Rab giving her a worried look. “But maybe we’re old enough to make that judgment call for ourselves now.”

“We have to tell Nova.” Lyra nodded, her movements jerky.

“I’m so sorry. I truly thought you knew,” Raven said, her face wreathed in sympathy.

“It’s not your fault. It’s not the first of her lies we’ve gotten caught in. I’d rather know than not know. At the very least, maybe we can make a plan to approach him on our terms.”

“Och, Dad .” Lyra shredded the napkin. “Do you think he’ll even want to see us?”

“If he doesn’t, the man’s a bloody eejit.” Raven waved a hand at Liam. “I believe we need another round, ladies.”

“Och, aye. That we most certainly do.”