I got over believing in romance and dreams a long time ago. All I care about now are cold, hard facts.

  CHAPTER 4

  BRITT

  “You need to think about how you appear in public.” My voice is exaggeratedly deep and nasally as I mimic Aiden’s words.

  His annoying, superior words. Then I exhale a Jerk as I take a pile of shirts out of my suitcase and sort them into my new dresser.

  Edward sits straight as a judge, all long ears and droopy jowls, on the couch in the living room watching me. True to her word, my mother had the loft above her Star Parlor cleaned and de-pested and even somewhat furnished in less than twenty-four hours.

  “She must’ve really wanted us to come back, Ed.” I take a fistful of hangers and carry them to the small closet beside the queen-sized bed.

  A line of windows is above it, and I open them to allow a cool breeze to circulate.

  “Britt Bailey! Is that you?” The familiar voice makes me scream, which makes Edward bark, and I run across the room to grab my best friend Cass around the neck in a hug.

  “I’m home!” I cry as we jump up and down. “And I'm never leaving again!”

  “Well, thank God for that.” Piper bustles in behind her, her auburn hair tied back in a ponytail. In her arms are two giant boxes.

  Cass releases me to run back into the hall and retrieve two more big boxes, which she carries into my small kitchen.

  “What in the world are you carrying?” I watch as Piper opens the first box.

  “Your mom said you needed plates and spoons and kitchen items and bathroom items.” She takes out a stack of plates and carries them to the cabinet. “We just grabbed all the things nobody was using to get you started. Mom’s got more shit in her ‘end of the world’ cellar. She’ll never miss these.”

  Piper’s mom is a doomsday prepper, which drives Piper nuts.

  “You’re the best.” My heart is so full, and I’m so happy to be back with my people. “And if the world is ending, I’ll be sure to pack them all up and head straight for your mom’s cellar.”

  “We’ll have a party,” Piper deadpans.

  “I brought wine glasses!” Cass shoves her long, dark hair behind her shoulders as she opens her box and pulls out newspaper and bubble wrap before emerging with three large crystal stems.

  “Just put them on the table, and I’ll pour us all a glass of wine.”

  “I can’t believe you’re here.” Piper unpacks a smaller box of flatware then pulls out a frying pan. “I thought you were never coming back to Eureka.”

  If one more person says that… “I’m learning you should never say never out loud in front of anyone.” My sarcasm is thick.

  Cass puts her arm around my shoulders protectively. “Clearly Britt learned everything she needed to know in six months, and she brought it all home for our benefit.”

  I give her arm a squeeze. “Actually, Mom called and said y’all are having a crime wave, and I had to get back here and help out before Eureka went to hell in a hand basket.”

  Cass puckers her lips, nodding. “We’re basically St. Louis, but without all the good music and barbecue.”

  “I wouldn’t go as far as St. Louis.” Piper holds her glass to the light before extending it to me for a pour. “Based on the numbers, we’re more in the Mobile, Alabama, range.”

  I unscrew the cap on a bottle of Barefoot Pinot Grigio and divide the bottle into thirds among us. “How’s the newspaper racket, Jinx?”

  “It’s going great, and I’m barely staying afloat.” She frowns before taking a large sip of white wine. “Leave it to me to pick a dying medium and fall in love with it.”

  Cass carries her glass to the couch to sit beside Edward. “You know, Jinx, at some point, all this ‘born under a bad sign’ talk becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. You should start a meditation practice, say affirmations.” She leans forward talking in her doggy-voice to Edward. “Don’t you agree, Jacob?”

  “Don’t start with all your newfound mystical guidance.” Jinx follows her into the living room and sits on the other side of my dog. “I’ve been practicing positive thinking for years. And don’t confuse the Notorious D.O.G. He’s not a Jacob.”

  “He’s definitely not an Edward. Edward was a vampire.”

  “Stop confusing my dog. He’s named after Shania Twain not Twilight, and why didn’t you tell me you were doing tarot readings with my mom, Cass?” I level my eyes on her.

  “No negative talk!” She holds up her finger. “Your mom says I’m very good at tarot. I’m an empath.”

  She lifts her chin with so much exaggerated pride, I can’t help but shoot it down. “My mom would tell Aiden Stone he was an empath if it would get her free help.”

  “Rude!” Cass pushes my arm, but I sip more wine, giggling at the thought of my mother calling Aiden Stone an empath.

  “Speaking of Aiden Stone!” Jinx hops onto her knees, almost spilling her drink. “I got a hot tip you almost hit him with your truck this morning. Give me all the details.”

  “Oh, God!” Exhaling a groan, I sit on the floor, leaning my back against the sofa. “You are not going to write it up in the paper. I’m completely humiliated, and on my first day back in town. I wasn’t even supposed to see him until tomorrow!”

  “Traffic accidents are catnip for news readers.” Jinx’s eyebrow arches. “My octogenarian subscribers will have my hide if I don’t give them all the scoop. Now spill.”

  “There’s nothing to spill. The brakes went out while I was driving into town.”

  Cass’s eyes widen. “Like the minute you entered town? That could have significant spiritual connotations.”

  “I don’t know when it happened. All I know is I went to slow down, and nothing happened. It’s a good thing I’d been coasting for a while already.”

  “The grandparents will blame it on your obsession with Shania Twain. You were probably blasting that fake country music and not watching the road.”

  “I was watching the road all the way until I hit the light pole. It’s just a good thing Edward and I were wearing our seatbelts.”

  “Where’s your truck now?” Cass sips her wine.

  “Bud towed it to his garage. I’m not sure I can drive it.”

  “It’s a good thing you can walk to work.” Jinx crosses her legs on the sofa, scrubbing her fingers along Edward’s neck. “I’ll try to downplay the reckless endangerment angle since you’re the newest member of law enforcement.”

  “Jinx! I will murder you if you print that.”

  “The Eureka crime wave intensifies with the newest arrival at the courthouse.” She waves her hands as if printing in the air, and I hit her with a pillow, which makes her laugh. “Don’t make me spill my wine! I’m just teasing. I’ll pass the buck to Greenville. Big city mechanics think they know everything, but they can’t even check the brakes during a routine service inspection. When was your last service?”

  Chewing my lip, I look down. “I’ve been really busy.”

  Jinx shakes her head and drinks more wine. “You’re just writing the story for me.”

  “Blah blah blah, Jinx won’t throw you under the bus.” Cass hops onto her knees on the couch, shaking my shoulder. “I want to hear about Greenville! Did you meet any hot guys? Did you hook up with anybody? You were so quiet the whole time you were gone.”

  “Sadly, the answer is no. And no. I was quiet because nothing happened, and then when it did, I was completely humiliated.”

  “What does that mean?” Her brow lowers.

  I proceed to tell them the story of the Greenville Ladies Club and how that all went down. I’m pretty sure I’m not exaggerating what I said or the response I received, and as I talk, Cass’s brown eyes grow even wider while Piper’s blue ones narrow.

  “What a bunch of pampered—” Piper starts.

  “I can tell you what happened,” Cass interrupts. “You were being your adorable Cancer self in a room full of Capricorns and Libras!”

  “I don’t even know what that means.” I take a bigger gulp of wine, trying to drown the residual humiliation of that luncheon.

  “You’re in the right place now. I happen to know Aiden Stone is a Taurus, and you know Taurus and Cancer are fire in the bedroom.”

  My stomach flips, and I hold up both hands. “No—don’t even start with all that. I’m in astrology recovery.”

  Some people get addicted to substances. I got to where I wouldn’t make friends with certain people. I started questioning every relationship… I wouldn’t even leave the house if my horoscope made a bad prediction. It was a sickness, and I had to stop cold turkey.

  “That’s because you’re just a cute little crab hiding in that shell and trying to clip anyone who reaches out to you.” She makes little snipping-claw motions with her fingers like she’s about to pinch me, and I shove her with my foot.

  “I lived my life that way too long.” I study my empty wine glass. “I’m turning over a new leaf—just the facts, ma’am. No astrology. No magic. No tarot cards predicting the future.”

  “Your mom says we don’t predict the future. We give advice based on intuition and asking the right questions.”

  Piper hops off the couch, bending down to hug Cass, then scrubbing the top of my head. “Time to put a comma in this. I’ve got to get home before Mamma has Ryan stockpiling tuna.”

  It’s our classic sign-off. Our visits never end with a period. We simply insert a comma until next time.

  “Ryan’s probably grown a foot since I saw him last.” I put my arm around Jinx’s shoulder. Her seven-year-old son is the cutest thing. Cass and I were in the room when he was born. “Thanks for coming over and bringing me all this stuff!”

  “Do you need groceries?” Cass opens my refrigerator, which holds a block of cheese, a dozen eggs, and a bottle of wine.

  “I’ll be okay until tomorrow.” I pat her on the back.

  We all group-hug at the door, and Piper slides my long bangs off my cheeks. “I’m so glad you’re back, BB. I know you wanted to make a big splash in the big city, but I bet you can make an even bigger splash in this small pond. We won’t let you drown.”

  My eyes heat at her words, and I tuck my head, pulling them closer for another hug. “I’m not sure what I was looking for when I left, but I’ve got my people right here.”

  “I’ll swing by Bud’s and make sure he doesn’t try to screw you on those repairs.” Cass lifts her chin.

  “Would Bud try to screw me?”

  Her nose wrinkles, and she starts to laugh. “I doubt it. I just like to mess with him. He’s so old, he still can’t believe a girl knows anything about mechanics.” She puts her hand on her chest dramatically, exclaiming, “A girl!”

  Another group squeeze, and they head out, waving and calling back to Edward with all their variations of his name.

  I close the door, feeling both full and quiet at the same time. Dropping onto the couch, I scrub Edward’s head, which he lowers onto my lap.

  “I’ve got the best friends,” I muse, tracing my fingers along the many lines in his hound-dog head. “You’re going with me to work tomorrow, so you’d better be ready.”

  He’s not worried about our first day on the job. It’s his nature to sniff out clues and find bad guys.

  I, on the other hand, have a little more to do proving myself in this town where I’m the daughter of a tarot-reader and an escape artist and the granddaughter of a magician. While I love my family’s unconventional lifestyle, I want to be taken seriously for my real-world skills.

  My mind drifts to the last time I said those words out loud to anyone. I was standing on the back porch at my mom’s house, buzzy from a few glasses of champagne, the excitement of striking out on my own, and Aiden Stone standing over me in the silvery moonlight.

  Aiden Stone, the star of all my teenage fantasies, was actually talking to me. It was a first.

  I’d been swooning over him since I was a teenager, and he’d pick up his younger brother Adam from school. He was all broad shoulders and stormy blue eyes, then he left to do a tour with the Marines and came back even hotter than when he left.

  His face had acquired an edge, a sharpening around the jaw, which now has a brush of whiskers that made me shiver wondering how it would feel against my soft skin.

  Was it only six months ago we’d stood together, chatting in the moonlight? I’d been captivated by the fullness of his lips, the light in his eyes, the fresh cedar scent hanging around him. He was so big and strong and solid and sexy.

  “When I left Eureka, headed to San Diego, I thought I might never come back.” He lifted the drink, and my eyes traced the flex of his muscles—so hot. “But when my four years were up, Ma asked me to come home. Alex was on active duty, and Adam was off flying planes. Dad was gone…”

  He looked down, and I swooned a little closer. I’d had just enough champagne to give me courage, and the low vibration of his voice resonated in my insides, heating every part of my body.

  “Now you have Owen, and you’re the sheriff. Looks like it all worked out for you.” I smiled, lifting my chin and imagining him lowering his lips to mine.

  “I wouldn’t say that, but Owen makes up for it.” His blue eyes moved from the trees to me, drifting from my parted lips to my eyes and along the edges of my hair like a hot caress. “Adam said you’re going to be a forensic photographer. That can be a pretty rough field.”

  “I don’t mind.” I exhaled a laugh. “I’ve always liked working on puzzles and finding clues. When I was little, I collected rocks that had unusual markings, and I took pictures of animal tracks back there in the woods. I liked to pretend I was Veronica Mars or Brenda Johnson.”

  “The Closer?” He chuckled.

  Heat bloomed from my stomach to my chest, and I did my best not to fidget or blink too fast. “I thought if I got a serious job, people would take me seriously and not think of me as… you know.” I shrugged. “One of the town clowns.”

  “I would never call you a clown.” We were so close to touching, and he was looking at me for the first time with something like interest. I almost forgot to breathe. “You’re a smart girl. I bet you’ll do well.”

  “You do?” I focused on blinking slowly, meeting his intense blue gaze, slipping my tongue out to wet my bottom lip.

  His lips parted, and his eyes flickered to my mouth. In my mind I chanted, Kiss me, kiss me, kiss me, and if there was any inherited magic at all in my entire body from any member of my family, it was about to happen.

  His eyes met mine once more, and he seemed to be on the verge of saying something life-changing, something that might make me stay in Eureka…

  Until Adam burst through the back door breaking the spell.

  “Hey, bro, here you are. Time to hit the road. Everybody’s heading out.” Adam stepped forward, pulling me into a hug and away from his devastatingly sexy brother. “I’m going to miss you, Birgitte!”

  I pushed him with my elbow. “Nobody calls me that.”

  “Ow!” Adam cried. It’s possible I pushed him a little too hard out of frustration. “Sorry, Britt.”

  “I wondered where you were hiding!” Piper was right behind him and Cass was on her heels.

  Our special moment was officially smothered in an avalanche of my friends wishing me luck and telling me goodbye. I’d left the next day with a longing in my chest, wondering what might have happened if we’d have gotten two more minutes…

  I never expected to be back so soon. Or that I’d nearly run him down with my truck. Or that he’d be my boss—or that he’d glare at me with such annoyance as he lifted my heavy suitcase, his body still as muscular and tempting as ever.

  All I can do now is be true to my words by being seriously good at my job. I said I would distinguish myself from my family, and whether it’s in Greenville or Eureka, I’ll show him I can.

  CHAPTER 5

  AIDEN

  “Well, I’d better get going.” I pack all my dad’s tools in the red metal box and replace it in the garage.

  Sunday lunch at my mother’s turned into trimming limbs off a Bradford pear tree in her garden, fixing a gutter that had come loose from the side of her house, and changing the filter on her HVAC.

  “You never did tell me what was on your mind when you got here.” Mom crosses her arms, leaning against the door to the garage as I wash my hands. “I can always tell when something’s on my boys’ minds.”

  “Is that so?” I pick up a towel to dry my hands, thinking about Owen’s questions about Jesus and magic.

  “Call it a mother’s intuition.”

  “I see where Adam gets it from.” Hanging the towel on a hook, I walk over to where she’s standing and signal to Owen on the tire swing. “Time to go.”

  “You know, you could enlist your brothers’ help with some of these chores.”

  It’s true. Between her house and mine, I feel like I never stop repairing shit, but today I had my own reasons for doing it all myself.

  Adam had hung around for a little while before saying the waves were perfect today, and took off to go surfing. I’d practically escorted him to his car. If Owen had started his twenty questions about Jesus, my youngest brother would have been all too happy to engage, challenging me on my “lack of faith”—his words—and wanting to know how I explain love or the wind or a million other things I don’t care about explaining.

  Alex, on the other hand, is possibly the one person in our family who works more than I do. He also brings in some major cash running my late maternal grandfather’s distillery Alex renamed Stone Cold.

  When Alex left the Marines, he thought it was time to expand the generations-old business—a relic that had actually put my mother’s family at odds with my dad’s all the way back to Prohibition. Ma’s side were the bootleggers; Dad’s was law enforcement.