Page 33 of Magical Melee

“A seer,” she said simply. “And I see that Stonewick needs you now, perhaps more than ever. There’s a balance here, one that’s been disrupted.” Nova placed a reassuring hand on my shoulder. “You don’t have to know everything right away. The path will reveal itself, bit by bit. Trust yourself, trust the connection you feel. You’re not alone—there are others here who can guide you, myself included.”

I took a deep breath, feeling the night air fill my lungs and ground me.

For the first time, I felt a strange sense of purpose, like I was part of something bigger, something beyond myself. A vine swirled around Nova’s ankle before wilting into the ground, and she caught my gaze.

“We tend to ignore most of the living world, but life comes in all forms.”

“Even the plants.” It took until my mid-forties, but damn. I finally felt like someone got me. This place understood me.

“Our world communicates with us in many ways, but some of us are too busy to listen.” She curled her fingers around a glistening orange flower. “And others don’t want to hear what they’re being told.”

The mysteries of Stonewick, the secrets of my family—all of it was beginning to make a strange kind of sense.

Or I was just so desperately lost that I was grasping at anything and everything.

The truth was that I never had a great marriage to Alex, but I had an incredible family. Celeste made my world spin, and now she was at college.

As it should be.

But I certainly didn’t prepare for the flood of emotions that the move would bring.

I felt lost and like a drifting spirit.

Until I let myself play a little pretend and believe in the magic surrounding me.

I almost didn’t care that this was a mirage of magic. If anything, I could see myself here, working with Stella in her teashop or arranging crystals to sell to tourists with Nova.

Maybe I was delirious from being dehydrated earlier.

Who knew?

I certainly didn’t, but I wanted more of what this town offered.

Real or pretend.

Nova stepped back, her gaze steady. “Go back to your friend, Maeve. Rest. And tomorrow will be a new day.”

“I’m meeting Keegan for coffee tomorrow,” I offered.

Nova smiled wider. “He’ll know about tonight’s meeting.”

“You’re going to tell him? Didn’t he get after you about revealing Skye’s pregnancy?”

She eyed me with a twinkle in her gaze. “Keegan might stalk around here scaring some, but I’m not one of them. I won’t be telling him, but I’m sure someone else will.”

I glanced around, seeing absolutely nobody. “Like who?”

“You’d be surprised.”

I chuckled, thinking back to my childhood friend. “Is Keegan always that broody and…”

“Moody?”

I laughed and nodded. “I was going to say mysterious, but yeah.”

“Pretty much.” She glanced at Frank. “Go back to your hotel and get a wonderful sleep. You deserve it.”

I nodded, feeling the weight of her words settle comfortably.