Page 4 of Rise of the Witch (Witches of Keating Hollow #17)

Melissa had just stepped out of the shower and was dripping wet when her phone rang in the other room.

She wrapped a towel around herself, padded into the bedroom, and was surprised to see Briggs’s name flashing across the screen.

“Miss me already?” she asked in as sultry a tone as she could muster.

“My truck broke down. I’ve already called the tow truck, but is there any way you can come get us and give us a ride to the studio?”

“Oof. That sucks. What happened?” She walked over to the chair where she’d left her overnight bag and pulled out her jeans and T-shirt.

There was a slight pause before he said, “I don’t know. Just lost power. Now we’re stranded. Do you have time to pick us up? If not, I can call King. It’s just that you’re closer and we’re already late.”

“Of course I can. Give me two minutes to put some clothes on.”

When he didn’t respond to the fact that she was still naked, she knew he was in no mood for flirting. After a few beats he said, “Thanks, Melissa.”

“No problem. Text me with your location and I’ll get there as soon as possible.

” She ended the call, and while she was yanking her jeans on, her phone pinged with a text.

It first had the nearest cross street and then Briggs had added, hurry before my magic flares out of control and Kassie ends up roadkill.

Melissa let out a bark of laughter. But then she recalled how angry he was the night before and how he’d only calmed because of her touch, and she wondered how much truth was in that text. She rushed to finish getting dressed and then ran out of the house.

Ten minutes later, she pulled to a stop behind his truck. The tow truck was there, and Billy from Hollow Towing was already hooking the truck up to winch it onto the flatbed. “Hey, cowboy. Need a ride?” she called out the window at Briggs.

He walked over with his shoulders hunched and stress lines etched around his eyes.

“You look like you’ve aged five years in the last half hour,” she said softly. “What happened?”

“I think I short-circuited my truck,” he said.

“How?” She stared at the truck as if it held any answers.

“My magic flared out of control.” He gritted his teeth as he glared in Kassie’s direction.

The singer was standing next to the tow truck, holding her phone out as she documented the morning, explaining to all of her followers that she was going to be late to her first day of recording the new album because her ride broke down.

She pouted for the camera and then rattled off an address ID where her followers could send money to ‘buy her a coffee.’ She promised them a personal shout out once she got the notification.

“That’s it for now. Can you believe we have to walk the rest of the way into town? But anything for my devoted fans. It’s all for you.” She gave an exaggerated wink and then logged off.

“Walk into town?” Melissa repeated.

Briggs shook his head. “Welcome to the world of LA influencers.”

“Was she like this when you were with her back in LA?” Melissa asked out of morbid curiosity. She just couldn’t imagine Briggs being interested in a woman like that.

“No. At least not like that. She posted a lot on social media, but that’s to be expected from someone trying to break out in the music industry. But the lying and over-the-top antics? That’s definitely new.”

“It’s not a lie, Briggs,” Kassie snapped. “We broke down, and I’m just sharing it with my fans. So what if I stretched the truth a little? No one wants to hear that your fiancée is picking us up and we’ll be at work in ten minutes. They want drama. Why else do you think they follow me?”

“For the music?” he muttered under his breath.

“I heard that!” she called and then took a selfie with Billy, the tow truck guy.

He groaned. “I need to go talk to Billy for a minute. I’ll be right back and then we can get going.” Briggs took a few steps but then stopped and turned back to her. “I’m not making you late for anything, am I?”

Melissa shook her head. “No. I have work to do, but no appointments this morning. It’s all paperwork. Don’t worry, I wasn’t exactly getting the fastest start this morning anyway.”

He grinned, knowing exactly why she’d lounged around in bed. Then he nodded and went to talk to the tow truck driver.

The front passenger door opened and Kassie climbed in. She leaned back against the seat and closed her eyes as she let out a heavy sigh.

“Rough morning?” Melissa asked.

“Rough week. This is just the cherry on top of the crap pile.” The woman, who looked like she was ready to step right into a music video, turned to look at Melissa and then at Briggs, who was still talking to Billy. “A word of warning. Watch out for that one. He has anger management issues.”

So far, the only time Melissa had seen Briggs acting any way other than relaxed or cheerful was when Kassie was around.

And she had to say, she understood why he was so upset.

The woman had walked into his life without warning and completely disrupted it with her demands.

If Briggs’s magic really had flared out of control and killed his truck, she had no doubt that the woman sitting next to her had provoked him. “I can take care of myself.”

“Famous last words.” She went back to staring into her phone and then started tapping on the screen.

Billy climbed into his tow truck and started to haul the truck away while Briggs returned to Melissa’s SUV.

He spotted Kassie in the front passenger seat and Melissa could see the irritation roll through him.

But he didn’t say a word as he climbed into the back and said, “Thanks for waiting. I appreciate it.”

Melissa glanced in the rearview mirror, smiled, and said, “Ready?”

Kassie let out a giant sigh and said, “Of course he is. We’re late .”

“Oh, is that right?” Melissa asked with a chuckle as she met Briggs’s eyes in the mirror. “I would have never guessed.”

Briggs smiled at her, and the tension seemed to melt off him.

“Ugh. Stop flirting. You’re making me nauseous,” Kassie said.

“You think that’s flirting?” Melissa asked. “Dating in LA must be like living in another world.” She eased her SUV back onto the road and sped down the highway.

“It’s a lot better than this boring town. Imagine needing to call someone to pick you up instead of just ordering a ride-share. Talk about living in the Dark Ages,” she said and then turned to stare out the window.

Melissa didn’t say anything. Part of the reason she loved Keating Hollow was because there was always someone to call.

Someone who would help out at a moment’s notice.

They didn’t need ride-shares. And no one she knew lived the majority of their lives online.

There was a reason there was a housing shortage in Keating Hollow.

People rarely moved away, and it had become a haven for magical creatives who’d gotten tired of the hamster wheel of Hollywood.

But she had a hard time imagining Kassie ever appreciating the magic of Keating Hollow. At least that meant she’d disappear once she was done recording her album, and hopefully Briggs wouldn’t have to deal with her again.

“Good thing I was here considering your credit card is maxed out. I don’t know of any ride-shares that work for free,” Melissa said flippantly.

Briggs let out a chortle before belatedly trying to cover it with a cough.

To Melissa’s surprise, Kassie didn’t deliver any sort of biting comeback. She just glared at her and then went back to staring out the window.

A few minutes later, Melissa pulled up in front of the recording studio. As Briggs and Kassie exited the vehicle, she called out, “Have a good day, kids!”

Kassie stomped inside while Briggs lingered for a moment at her open window.

“Need a ride home?” she asked.

“That would be great. But if it’s too much trouble, I can ask King. I’m sure he wouldn’t mind,” Briggs said.

“I’ll be around. Just text me. I still need to pick up my stuff from your house anyway. I hurried out of there so fast that all I managed to grab was my pocketbook and laptop.”

“You’re the best.” Briggs leaned down and gave her a kiss on the cheek. “Thanks… for everything.”

“Anytime,” she said before she could think it through and then felt her face heat as she blushed furiously.

He chuckled softly. “I’ll remember that.”

Melissa watched as the man swaggered into the studio, and she knew she was doomed.

The intoxicating scent of nutmeg and cinnamon made Melissa’s mouth water as she walked into Incantation Café.

It was a clear, crisp, January day in Keating Hollow and she just didn’t want to spend it cooped up in the office in her house.

Instead, she decided to plant herself near a window at the enchanted café while overloading herself with caffeine.

“Good morning,” Hanna Pelsh-Silver said as she paused at Melissa’s table. She eyed the laptop that was already open. “Work day?”

“Yep, but I just wanted to enjoy this nice day a little. You don’t mind if I take up a table, do you? I’m gonna need the largest latte you have.”

Hanna chuckled. “Of course not. Did you want pumpkin loaf to go with it? A fresh batch just came out of the oven.”

As much as Melissa wanted to say yes, she shook her head. Hanna knew how much she loved it, but after the waffles that morning, there was barely going to be room for the latte. “Maybe later. I think the latte is good for now.”

“You got it.” Hanna hurried off while Melissa went to work answering emails and setting up visits to the accounts she serviced up and down the coast. She was a wine rep for various cottage wineries from all over Northern California.

She loved her job and took pride in making sure that there was always a healthy demand for the wineries she repped.

Two lattes and two hours later, the bell above the door rang and a shadow fell over Melissa’s table. “Are these seats taken?”

Melissa glanced up to see Sadie and Imogen Thane standing over her. She grinned at them. “They are now.”