Lorna nodded. “Agreed.”
They set the supplies on the counter. Lorna began unpacking and putting them into their places. Heather grabbed a bottle of window cleaner and wiped down the front of the candy display.
Noticing the ring on her forefinger, Lorna held up her hand and said, “I found this last night upstairs. I wanted to make sure it wasn’t yours.”
Heather leaned over the counter to look at it and shook her head. “Not mine. It’s pretty, though. Might have belonged to a past tenant. I say finders-keepers. It suits you.”
“That’s good because I think it’s stuck on my finger.” Lorna gave it a small tug to emphasize her meaning.
“You know, that’s strange. I found a ring after I got home last night. I was taking receipt boxes from the top of my office closet so I wouldn’t forget to get my paperwork over to the accountant this week, and the ring fell on my head.” Heather searched the pockets of her flannel shirt before digging into her jeans. She pulled out a delicate white-gold band with a small, dark stone. It had hooked onto the tip of her finger. “I planned on dropping by the jewelers to get it cleaned.”
“That is a random coincidence.” Lorna came around to look at the ring. “It looks pretty clean to me.”
Heather held it up and hummed. “So it does. I would have sworn it was dirtier.” She pushed it fully onto her forefinger and lifted her hand for inspection. “Cool. Now we’re both trendy.”
“Practically teenagers,” Lorna said.
Heather shook her head. “Ugh, you couldn’t pay me to be a teenager again—all those hormones and angst. I miss the energy, but it’s like they say, youth is wasted on the young. If I could find my past self, I’d tell her maybe fewer paranormal novels and more math. You’re not starting a coven, but you’ll save a ton of money not hiring an accountant.”
“A coven?” Lorna chuckled. “Did you and Vivien try to recruit help for your spells?”
“Why? Are you looking for a new hobby?” Heather teased.
“Maybe. Got a spell to take five pounds of fried crab Rangoon off my hiney?”
“The ones from across the street?” Heather moaned. “Those things are evil, aren’t they?”
“I can’t stop eating them,” Lorna admitted.
“You look great. I wouldn’t worry about those five pounds.” Heather lifted her forefinger studying the ring. “I wish I could remember where I got this. Maybe my ex bought it for me? I’ll have to ask him the next time I talk to him.”
“Do the two of you get along?” Lorna asked.
“We didn’t part ways because we didn’t love each other.” Heather took a deep breath. “I’d rather not talk about my divorce.”
“Hey, I’ve been meaning to ask. Is what they say about your grandma true? All I know is what I’ve read on the plaque.” Lorna had wanted to ask Heather about Julia but had never known the right time to broach the subject. “Did she really do what it says?”
“My grandma was a bit of a free spirit. She was a well-known medium and would host séances. What she could and couldn’t do is up for debate. I already told you how much my mom hated it, but I was convinced witchcraft and magic flowed in my veins. I always felt different from the other girls. I wore black and cast my mystical spells. I wanted Bobby Turner to take me on a date, and when he asked me to the school dance like two months after I cast a love spell, naturally that meant I had superpowers. He dumped me the next day for Karen Smithers but that’s beside the point.”
“Clearly that’s proof of magic.” Lorna chuckled.
“Right?” Heather drawled wryly. “Anyway, if the family magic works is up for debate.”
“So did Julia use those trick tables with uneven legs and secret levers for her séances?”
Heather studied the ring on her finger. It looked as if she would say more, but she hummed softly to herself and waved her hand in dismissal. “Trust me. You don’t want to hear the crazy hocus-pocus of my family tree without a stiff drink in your hand.”
Lorna started to answer that she did, in fact, want to hear about it when it occurred to her that she might have inadvertently insulted Julia by implying she was a fraud. Before she could apologize, movement caught her attention. A white cat ran across the front of the theater.
She pointed after it. “We have a visitor.”
Heather turned and gave a small laugh. The cat made a beeline for the office. “That’s Ace. Someone must have let him inside. He’s a harmless scamp who usually lives at the bookstore but occasionally he comes around for a visit.”
Heather didn’t appear concerned.
“There you are. Why aren’t you picking up your phone?” William came from the direction of the side door leading to the alleyway. She’d only ever saw him in t-shirts, jeans, and work boots, so the button-down shirt instantly drew her attention. His brown hair appeared clean-cut while his shorter beard added a bit of rebellion to the look. He was the unfair combination of brooding and sexy, and he caught her eye every time she saw him.
Those meetings had undoubtedly been more memorable for Lorna than they were for him.
He wasn’t anything like her late husband. Glenn had been charming and loud. When he walked into a room, he demanded notice and kept it. Maybe that’s why she was fascinated by William. He did most of his talking with his green eyes and didn’t seem to care about being the center of attention.
Lorna had thought she was past certain stages of her life. Being single was one of them. It felt strange to admit she was attracted to someone. But then to act on it? How did she even do that? She’d been horrible at flirting when she was twenty and pretty and fit into a size six. She’d never really dated. Glenn had pursued her.
Lorna wasn’t body conscious. She’d outgrown that insecurity. It had been years since she’d been a size six, but when it came to dating society continually told her that men wanted younger, newer, prettier.
“Hey, Lorna, good to see you again,” William said when she merely stared at him.
“Hey.” She nodded, telling herself to smile, then reminding herself not to smile for too long.
“Did you let Ace in?” Heather asked her brother.
“He wanted to visit you,” William answered with a small smirk. “He misses you.”
“You’re so helpful.” Heather sighed, even as Lorna got the impression that she didn’t mind her brother teasing her. “Why were you trying to call me?”
“I missed you, too,” William said.
“Oh, no, what? Money or Mom?” Heather asked.
“It’s never money.” William chuckled.
“I know, but a girl can dream.” Heather rubbed her temples. “What did she do?”
“Fired the gardener you hired for her. She thinks he was peeping in her windows.” William lifted his hands as if he was done with the situation.
“I didn’t hire a gardener for her.” Heather looked more exasperated than worried. “I hired a lawn service to come by and mow. They’re the same crew that does all my rental properties. They’re solid.”
Lorna busied herself while they spoke, staying on the sidelines of the conversation.