Page 63 of Magical Mischief

We hung up, and I glanced over at my friends.

Stella wiped a tear of laughter from her eye. “I’ll never get over the image of your ex-husband growling at a couch.”

“Oops.” I smiled wider.

Keegan laughed.

My father stirred and barked a rumbling roar, reminding me he was still our next big problem.

Right. The fiasco continues,I thought, half-laughing at the mental whiplash. Gideon might lurk in shadows, my dad might remain supersized, but at least we’d dealt with the barking ex-husband meltdown. A small victory in a comedic war.

Nova closed her notebook with a snap, looking between us. “All right, team. Dad is next on the fix-it list. Let’s see if we can figure out exactly how many lumps of salt we need… or if we can hunt for a simpler method.”

Keegan groaned with mock despair.

Twobble huffed. “No one respects the lumps, I see.”

“I do,” Bella quipped. “At least when they’re sugar lumps, not salt lumps.”

Stella clapped her hands. “Focus, everyone. Let’s rescue your dad from the life of a gargantuan dog.” Then she eyed me slyly. “Unless we want to keep him for comedic intimidation against Gideon?”

That mental image…my dad bounding down the street, flattening shadows left and right—nearly made me giggle. But I shook my head. “He’d be unstoppable, sure. But let’s not get carried away. I’d rather see my dad at normal bulldog size, thanks.”

“And we want the orchard to survive,” Nova pointed out drily.

“Precisely,” I agreed.

We filed outside, scroll in hand, stepping around my dad’s giant paw. He stirred, blinking at us with that same big-brown-eyed curiosity, as if to say,Did you fix the barking man fiasco?Ireached up to pat his muzzle. “Don’t worry, Dad. We’re working on you next. I promise it’ll be less complicated than my illusion's meltdown with Alex.”

He snorted, a warm gust blowing my hair askew. Over my shoulder, I heard Twobble rummaging around in the hamper for the lumps of salt again, Stella humming a comedic tune about illusions, and Bella stretching her arms, preparing synergy one more time. Keegan set up the circle, while Nova re-inked the necessary lines.

I stared up at my dad’s enormous face, feeling a swirl of both exasperation and fierce love. Sure, the spell had jumped states and turned my ex-husband into a drooling canine, but at least we saved him—and we’d do the same for my dad’s predicament. Stonewick might not be the peaceful refuge I’d pictured post-divorce, but it had given me friends, a magical synergy, and funny fiascos that were ironically healing.

I inhaled the crisp air, letting the laughter of moments before echo in my mind. Despite the meltdown, despite Gideon’s looming magic, everything felt a little brighter. My father was alive. Celeste was safe, albeit traumatized by a barking dad. Alex might be humiliated, but he’d get over it. And we, with lumps of salt and incantations, were about to attempt another fix.

Nova beckoned me to the circle, a wry smile tugging her lips. “Ready for round two?”

I exhaled, bracing myself. “Ready.”

Together, we’d turn chaos into progress. And if the spells backfired again, we had good company, a sense of humor, and a backyard big enough to hold my dad for the foreseeable future.

With that thought, I raised my wand, focusing on the synergy lines scrawled in the snow, a tiny grin playing at mymouth. The day was still young, and Stonewick always had a knack for surprising me. But if I’d learned anything from the fiasco with Alex’s barking meltdown, it was that magic might be unpredictable. Yet with friends and a bit of resilience, we’d handle whatever came next.

“Well, that didnotgo as planned.” Twobble grimaced, scratching his head.

“Round two, here we come,” I said, laughing, feeling lighter than I had in weeks.

Chapter Fifteen

“Mind if I join you?” a quiet voice asked.

I looked up to see Stella leaning on the doorframe. She held a steaming mug.

“Of course, I don’t mind,” I scooted over.

She sank gracefully and offered me the mug. “It’s apple-cinnamon tea. I promise no spells included.”

I took a tentative sip. The sweet warmth coated my throat and drove away a bit of the chill.