“I could even eat anchovies at this point.” Seth sighed and bravely took a bite. And then another—in three seconds flat, the pizza slice was gone.
I grabbed a piece off the plate before he ate it all. It was tuna.
“What’s this?”
I looked up to see Joe Stark glowering at our pizza. When he noticed me looking at him, he flashed a dazzling smile.
“It’s a new pizza Alex is trying out,” I said, and pulled the plate closer to protect it.
“Of course. It’s always something new with him, isn’t it?” Stark nodded to us and strode in the direction of the kitchen.
Seth and I looked at each other and shrugged. Alex claimed Stark was a harsh taskmaster, but Joe was always charming to the customers. We were happily finishing off the pizza and complaining because it was too small when the burgers arrived, followed swiftly by Alex.
“Hey how did you like . . . ?” He looked at the plate. He glanced around for evidence we had hidden the pizza somewhere.
“The pizza was good, but really small,” Seth said.
Alex sighed dramatically. “I’m glad you liked it, burger boy.”
“Did you see Stark in the kitchen?” I asked, licking my fingers.
“Yeah, he was all worked up about an unapproved item in his dining room,” said Alex. He flicked his hand to dismiss it. “I’ll deal with it.”
I watched Alex to see if he was concerned. He seemed more worried about whether we liked his pizza.
“Hey, I had the strangest conversation today with Cecile Stark,” I said to Alex.
“When has anyone ever had a normal conversation with Cecile Stark?” he said.
“She is a bit odd, even for Crystal Haven.” I glanced around to be sure Joe Stark wasn’t lurking in our vicinity.
“She came over while I was at Tish’s house, wanting to know where Tish was and when she might be back, but I wasn’t supposed to mention it to Tish. It was strange.”
Seth had finished his burger and was eying mine in a dangerous fashion. I slid my plate out of his reach.
“I’ve learned not to take anything she says seriously. She lives in some other dimension even further removed from wherever the rest of this town resides.”
“Be careful, Alex. That’s the boss’s wife you’re talking about.”
“Whatev,” said Alex. Then he and Seth did a complicated fist-bump handshake.
“Have you heard anything about séances that Sara was doing before she died?” I asked when they were done grinning at each other.
“Séances?” Seth perked up at this bit of news. He loved any talk of spirits or ghosts. Even though he had been visiting Crystal Haven his entire life, he had never actually seen any “good stuff,” as he liked to call it.
“I did hear about that. I think one of them got pretty wild. Diana told me . . .”
A server rushed up to the table. “Mr. Ferguson, there’s an emergency. There was a small fire. Then Hunter got behind on the orders and they’re freaking back there.”
Alex jumped up.
“I’ll call you later,” he said over his shoulder as he went to rescue his kitchen staff. And appease his boss.
9
Alex’s comment about Diana made me feel guilty. I’d been back for almost a month and had not yet stopped by Diana’s place. I’d called her as soon as I knew I would be returning to Crystal Haven, but we hadn’t seen each other in person. She’d been in and out of town all month, helping her brother, Dylan, get ready for the round of regional outdoor art fairs. But she’d been home for at least a week now, and the longer I delayed, the more awkward it became—she and Alex were my best friends. It wasn’t that I didn’t want to see her as much as I didn’t want her to see me. She always knew things I didn’t want her to know. She was unfailingly optimistic in the face of any setback and, frankly, I’d been enjoying my wallowing.
Seth loved Diana’s store and had no interest in going back home so we walked the two blocks to Moonward Magick. The storm from yesterday was a distant memory, the sky a clear cloudless blue, the streets packed with shoppers and spiritual seekers.
Moonward Magick is not the only Wiccan store in town, but it is the biggest and the best known. Diana is a very savvy Internet marketer. Between that and the fact that she plays to everyone’s fantasy of what a witch supply store should be, she does a brisk business.