I just kept picturing the look on Andre’s face… Andre, the man who had stormed into my life and turned it upside down before storming back out again. Except, he’d returned most recently, and his return had plopped my life right back into ‘topsy-turvy’ territory again. But the expression on Andre’s face that night, the moment Marty had popped the question—it had been… blank. Shocked, yes, but something more still, yet I couldn’t put my finger on what that something more had been.

  Not that it really mattered because Andre and I were nothing to each other—really little more than acquaintances. He’d been throwing around the idea of training Finn in Magician magic but that idea had crumbled the moment Andre had to return to Portland. And ever since Thanksgiving dinner, when I’d agreed to become Marty’s wife, I hadn’t seen nor heard from Andre. I wasn’t even sure if he was still in Haven Hollow or if he’d already returned to Portland. Furthermore, I doubted I’d ever see him again—he appeared to be the quintessential bachelor—a man who’d never been married and didn’t settle down in any one spot for more than a blink. Yes, there had been something electric between us, but whatever that thing was, it didn’t matter now.

  Okay, enough about Andre.

  I took a deep breath, and tried to stop my stomach from jittering as I focused on the main issue littering my tormented thoughts at the moment—why was I feeling so unsettled about this engagement? When I was working up a new potion recipe, it really helped me to take notes, to list everything out inside my head—things like what I wanted the potion to do, what ingredients I’d need, what I intended to focus on in order to imbue it with Gypsy magic. Things like that.

  So, being the methodical person I was, I thought I should make a list in this case, as well. At least a list in my head. Maybe that would help me sort out these troubling feelings so I could get to the root of what was bothering me.

  Here went nothing…

  Pro: Marty was kind and thoughtful.

  Con: he could be a little scatterbrained.

  Pro: he got along great with Finn and the two really cared about each other.

  Con: he could be a little childish at times. In fact, sometimes it felt like I had two kids, not one.

  Pro: we got along great, and I couldn’t remember a time we’d actually argued, anything more than a minor tiff or disagreement, anyway. We were best friends.

  Con: he felt like my best friend, and our relationship didn’t really feel… romantic or sensual. And the sex? Hmm, I didn’t really want to think about the sex.

  Con: sometimes he did things without thinking.

  Con…

  I just wasn’t in love with him.

  The last one stood out in my mind like someone had written it across my thoughts in glowing neon ink. I buried my head in my hands with a groan.

  I did love Marty; I did. He was my best friend, next to Wanda. But love him romantically, passionately, intensely with the sort of sexual desire that was supposed to exist in a romantic relationship? That was a different thing entirely.

  But physical passion fades, I reminded myself. And when it does, wouldn’t you rather be left with a great friend? Someone you could build a life with? Someone who has similar goals?

  Yes, yes, and yes.

  Not to mention the fact that when it came to relationships and love, I didn’t exactly have a good track record. In fact, with the exception of Marty and Roy, I’d dated a string of losers. Cheaters, liars, users.

  And Marty wasn’t any of those things. He was sincere and kind and funny.

  Then stop worrying about it, I told myself resolutely. Break your track record and let yourself be happy for once. You know you can be happy with Marty…

  An image of Andre sitting at my dinner table that night dropped into my head like a bomb and I had to chase the memory away. Angrily.

  Will you stop thinking about him! I yelled at myself at the exact moment the bell over the door rang softly, and I jerked my head up. Plastering my most welcoming customer service smile on, I pushed my turbulent thoughts to the back of my head and focused on my customer.

  The woman wasn’t anyone I’d seen before. Haven Hollow certainly wasn’t a large town, but it was big enough that I didn’t know everyone, not to mention the fact that it was also a pretty big tourist destination. Especially this time of year.

  “Hello and welcome to Poppy’s Potions!” I called out and offered my visitor a friendly wave. “I’m Poppy, so just let me know if you need help with anything.”

  She smiled, and I was struck by how pretty she was. Loose curls hung over the shoulders of her scarlet coat, so pale a blond that they were actually platinum. Her eyes were a bright, lively green that you didn’t usually see without the help of colored contact lenses. Above those round and big eyes were narrowly defined eyebrows with a perfect arch. Her face was heart-shaped and with her alabaster skin, button nose, and pink lips, she looked like one of those expensive, porcelain dolls. Snow from outside dusted her coat and hair, glittering in the overhead lights of the shop.

  She looked at me and her smile broadened, making her look like a little girl, almost. If I’d had to guess her age, I would have put her in her early twenties. “Merry Christmas Eve.”

  “Merry Christmas Eve to you too!”

  The woman turned then, almost spinning as she took in the entire store, the skirt of her long coat flaring out around her green dress and matching green tights that ended in high black, leather boots with a clunky heel.

  “What a sweet shop!” She hurried over to the nearest shelf, examining the colored fairy lights and fake snow, tilting her head to see the way the potion bottles reflected the light. She seemed to delight in the display and turned to smile at me, her grin complete with dimples. “It’s like one of those old-fashioned stores you see in the movies.”

  “Thanks.” I couldn’t help but smile in response, the tight knot of distress that was wedged up behind my ribs easing a little bit in the face of her honest excitement. “I’m so glad you like it.”

  “I just love this time of year,” the young woman almost sang as she turned to face me then and walked right up to the counter, glancing at all the baskets of odds and ends as she shuffled through them, seemingly more delighted with each new bobble. “I’m Noelle, by the way.”

  “It’s nice to meet you, Noelle. I’m Poppy… like I said.”

  Noelle laughed, and the sound chimed like little silver bells. “Wonderful!” Then she put the miniature snow globe she’d been holding back on the counter and turned to face me with those bright green, curious eyes. “I was hoping you might be able to help me with something, Poppy.”

  “Of course.” I smoothed the front of my festive llama Christmas sweater down and headed towards the counter. “Were you looking for something specific?”

  Noelle skipped forward, the movement looking almost like a dance as she put her gloved hands on the counter, looking eager. “I am…” Then she breathed in deeply and frowned which seemed to be an odd expression on her. “It’s a bit of a long shot, but you wouldn’t happen to have any Holiday Cheer potions in stock, would you?”

  My heart sank a little. I hated to disappoint a customer, especially on Christmas Eve. “I don’t say this often,” I started, a little perplexed, “But I’ve actually never heard of that potion before.”

  I had to admit, I was a little curious. I had a pretty extensive knowledge of potions, having been trained in the art of brewing potions from the time I was a little girl. Not to mention the huge amount of recipes I’d inherited from my family. It wasn’t often I came across one I’d never even heard of but whenever I did, I was eager to find out whatever I could about it.

  “Ah, I was afraid of that.” Noelle’s shoulders sagged a little, disappointment tugging the corners of her mouth down even further.

  “Can you tell me about it?”

  She nodded. “It was something my grandmother used to make, and ever since she moved on to the great beyond,” she paused and looked upward, winking at my ceiling as if her grandmother were hovering there (and who knew? Maybe she was), “I’ve been trying to find someone who knows the recipe.”

  “What’s Holiday Cheer potion meant to do?” I started, with a little laugh. “I mean, beyond the obvious.”

  Noelle laughed that bell-like sound again. “Well, it’s meant to help make holiday wishes come true.”

  I hated to disappoint her, and not just because I was losing out on a sale. Memories were important, especially when they were all we had left of a loved one. I would’ve delighted in being able to give Noelle that little bit of nostalgia for her grandmother.

  “I’m sorry,” I said, and meant it. “I wouldn’t even know what to put in it.”

  Noelle tapped one holly red nail against her lips, thinking hard enough for a little wrinkle to form between her eyebrows. “You know,” she started slowly. “I have my grandmother’s recipe.”

  “Oh,” I started as she nodded and the frown dropped right off her face, to be replaced with another hopeful and happy smile. This Noelle had to be the cheeriest person I’d ever met.

  “The problem is—I just don’t have any talent for brewing potions.” Then her smile broadened as she did another tinkling laugh. “Maybe we can make a deal.”

  “A deal?”

  She nodded and her curls bounced with her renewed enthusiasm. “How about I give you the recipe, and in exchange, you make a bottle for me?” She glanced around the store again. “And I don’t mind at all if you decide to bottle it up and sell it. Everyone can do with some holiday cheer!”

  “Truer words have never been spoken,” I answered on a laugh, thinking I should be first in line with the crappy attitude I’d been hosting lately.

  But at the thought of a new potion recipe, excitement fizzled through me like champagne bubbles. Potion makers tended to horde our recipes. They were passed down through the generations like family heirlooms, so the chance of learning a new one was something I couldn’t pass up, not to mention I was beyond happy to be able to help Noelle.

  “Then you’ll help me?” Noelle asked.

  “Sure, I’d love to.”

  Noelle clapped her hands in excitement. “Wonderful!” Then she tugged a notebook and a pen decorated to look like a snowman out of her purse, and started scribbling what I imagined was the recipe which surprised me because I figured she’d have to leave and come back with it, but apparently not so.

  I stepped closer to the counter as I listened to her name off the ingredients as she wrote them down.

  “One half part Bayberry, one eighth part Clove, one eighth part Cinnamon,” she sang out. “One eighth part Pine and one eighth part Peppermint.”

  “As far as the potion making goes, does Holiday Cheer require a certain moon phase or a specific day of the week on which to brew it?” I asked.

  She looked up from her notebook at me. “Nope!”

  As I came closer, a sweet scent reached my nose. I wasn’t sure what perfume Noelle was wearing, but it reminded me of the scent of baking shortbread or maybe sugar cookies.

  “The only thing it requires is that it be decanted in the days leading up to Christmas,” Noelle continued and as she smiled at me, I was struck by how easy the recipe was—and all the ingredients I actually had on hand—in the store! “And what better day to brew it than Christmas Eve, when the magic of Christmas is at its peak!” she finished.

  I nodded, because I could feel the holiday magic all around us.

  Noelle finished writing, then tore the paper from her notebook and handed it to me with a flourish and a huge grin as I glanced over the steps and the ingredients once more, just to make sure it was as simple as it appeared to be.

  “Great!” I said as I glanced up at her again. “It should only take about twenty minutes or so.”

  “Perfect.”

  “Do you want to poke into some of the other stores on Main Street while I work on it?” Then I cocked my head to the side as I thought better of the suggestion. “I’m not sure they’ll all still be open…”

  Noelle loosened her green scarf a little. “Is it alright if I wait here?”

  “Of course.”

  “I’ll have fun looking through all your shelves.”

  I laughed. “Unfortunately, they’re mostly bare at the moment but the potion won’t take long.” As to the potion itself, I was excited about it. Something to help holiday wishes come true? Yes, please. If it worked, I’d have to think about stocking it for next year.

  It only took me a few seconds to collect and arrange all the ingredients from the storage room in the back. After I placed them into a small basket and carried them to the front counter, I couldn’t help my smile as Noelle hummed ‘It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas’ and I hummed along with her.

  My fingers glanced over the bottles of my carrier oils, and I decided on almond, figuring the sweet scent would complement the warm notes of the cinnamon and clove. And then I started.

  I lost myself in the brewing, my hands moving almost on instinct as I checked the directions and rechecked the measurements, being careful with each ingredient to make sure I got the ratios perfect, all the while keeping in mind the feeling and the magic of the holiday season. When creating potions, intention was the foremost ingredient. It was the thought that empowered the magic.

  Once everything was combined, I grabbed a couple of pretty green bottles and funneled the potion inside them. Why was I making two? I figured I’d give the recipe a try as well, just in case I wanted to start offering Holiday Cheer as part of my Christmas line next year. And if I got bitten by the holiday bug? All the better—if anyone could have used a little de-Grinching—it was me.

  It actually took less time to brew the potion than I thought it would, and when I glanced up to let Noelle know as much, I felt my smile falter because she was gone. I blinked in confusion, the potion bottles still in my hands as I wondered where in the world she could have disappeared to. I’d never heard the bell over the door chime so it wasn’t as though she’d walked out of the store and yet… the store was empty, save myself. There wasn’t a single shred of red wool or a silver curl to be seen or a lilting, little laugh to be heard.

  Maybe she’d gotten a phone call and had to leave and I was just so deep into my potion making, that I hadn’t heard the bell over the door as she walked out? That had to be the case because it was the only thing that made any sense. Of course, when it came to Haven Hollow and incidences of the weird, things that didn’t make sense seemed to be a regular occurrence. For all I knew, I might have just been visited by a ghost.

  But she hadn’t looked like a ghost and I would know—I’d seen and dealt with plenty of them.

  Disappointed, I moved over to the counter to set the bottles down, when something caught my eye. There was a candy cane lying on the dark wood of the counter. Still wrapped in cellophane, with the paper tag from Sweeter Haunts, the Halloween themed candy store just up the street. The candy cane was pretty, with perfect red and white stripes, and a delicate ribbon of green swirling through it. I could practically taste that fresh burst of peppermint just looking at it.

  Noelle must have left it before she’d walked out. Hmm…

  I shrugged, feeling a little sad that I hadn’t been able to give her the potion she’d come for, but I figured she’d return just as soon as her phone call, or whatever had called her away, ended. I slipped one of the bottles beneath the counter with the candy cane, hoping she’d be back soon because I was closing up in another twenty minutes or so.

  Putting my own bottle of Holiday Cheer into my coat pocket, I walked to the front of the store, flipped the sign on the door to ‘closed’, before glancing up and down the street to see if there was any sign of her. But nope, nothing but an empty and snowy street greeted me. As I watched, the lamps along Main Street lit up, making the snow reflect the light like millions of prisms.

  After waiting another twenty minutes, there was still no sign of Noelle so I breathed out a sigh, locked the front door, and then turned off all the lights in the shop as I headed to the back parking lot and my Jeep.

  I was excited to get home to Finn and the full night of baking and holiday movies ahead of us.

  Chapter Two

  The pie came out of the oven with a wash of apple and cinnamon scented air, and I couldn’t keep the smile off my face.

  Maybe the lattice crust on top was a little darker than I would have liked, but it was still a beautiful pie made with Granny Smith apples from my own backyard. And who didn’t like homemade apple pie? In short: no one.

  I carried it over to the cooling rack with careful hands and slid it next to the pecan pie that was already sitting there. When I was sure the apple pie was steady, and not about to slip off the kitchen counter, I stripped off my oven mitts and turned to check on Finn.

  “How’s it going over there?”

  “Um.” Finn frowned, trying to peel a strip of tape off his fingers without balling it up. The wrapping paper was pinned under his elbow—clearly, he was trying to keep it from rolling back up as he got himself sorted. “I mean, nothing’s on fire, so I guess: pretty good.”

  I laughed and moved to hold the paper in place until Finn was ready to fold the edges up around the box he was wrapping.

  He flashed me a smile. “Thanks, Mom.”

  The big day was tomorrow, and we still had plenty to do.

  “Okay,” I said when Finn had the paper successfully sealed and the ribbon tied off. “What’s next?”

  Finn thought about it for a second, glancing through the bags on the chair next to him. “I still need to wrap Astrid’s present.”

  “Okay.” I nodded, pretending I didn’t notice the way Finn’s ears flushed at the mention of Wanda’s very pretty red-haired cousin. “Do you think you can handle wrapping her present? I’m going to put the sweet potato casserole together, so I don’t have to do it tomorrow.”

  Finn seemed relieved that I hadn’t said anything about his obvious crush on Astrid and nodded. Then he tried to tug something out of the bag next to him, angling his body so I couldn’t see what it was.