The Professor Woos The Witch

The sour feeling returned.

Pandora arrived at the address the seller had given her. It was an older home on the outskirts of town and not in great shape. Well, the woman had said she’d just inherited the home and wanted it sold as quickly as possible.

This wasn’t an area Pandora knew well, but she could sell anything. The key was under the welcome mat like the seller had told her. Pandora went inside to look around and wait for the seller to arrive.

The house was empty and a damp, musty smell hung in the air. It would need work—and a good airing out—to make it saleable, but nothing like the Pilcher Manor. A full paint job inside and new carpet would go a long way here. The kitchen was outdated, but few sellers in this kind of situation wanted to shell out the cash for a remodel. Maybe she could list it as a fixer-upper.

She turned, studying the space. Or maybe she could make the seller a cash offer, get it for a really good as-is price, and then she and Cole could rehab it and flip it.

Hmm. That would be interesting. Nocturne Falls had been around a long time before the Ellinghams had taken over, and the houses that remained from those early days were at best considered vintage.

She and Cole could definitely make a business of it. In fact, she might be able to talk to the Ellinghams about buying up a bunch of them for a reduced price. She made a mental note to talk to Stanhill about getting an appointment with Hugh. Although, if it was a financial deal, that would mean meeting with Sebastian Ellingham, too.

Her lip curled at the thought. Sebastian was a notorious grump who kept an iron fist on the Ellingham finances. If it benefitted the town and meant increased business, though, he’d have no reason not to agree to the deal.

Didn’t mean he couldn’t find one, just that one wouldn’t be obvious.

She also needed to talk to Hugh about getting Cole in to interview at Harmswood. She still thought Kaley ought to be going there too. Especially now that she and Cole were staying in Nocturne Falls.

Her to-do list got longer with every passing minute.

Back to the work at hand. Almost twelve fifteen and the seller hadn’t shown up yet. She wasn’t happy about being late to her lunch with Cole, but he’d been really understanding about it. He was pretty awesome like that. Still, another couple minutes and she’d text him again. She pulled out her tape measure and note pad and went to work measuring the bedrooms.

While she was finishing up the master, she heard the front door open and close. “In the bedroom,” she called out.

She walked into the hall to meet the woman she’d spoke to on the phone.

And straight into Lila.

Her heart jolted, and the bitter taste of foreboding coated her tongue. Every nerve in her body went on alert. “What are you doing here?” But she already knew, didn’t she? She’d been set up.

Lila’s smile was as pleasant as a crocodile’s. “Meeting you.”

“No, I’m meeting Hildie Martin.” The woman on the phone had had a very distinct Southern accent and sounded about seventy years old.

Lila put her hand to her chest and grinned. Then a new voice came out of her mouth. “I am Hildie Martin.”

The voice was an exact match. Pandora’s belly went colder still. No one knew where she was. “How did you get a key to this house?”

Lila laughed. “The human men in this town are very gullible. All it took was a little story to the local locksmith and a pinch of magic. Anyway, it was the easiest thing.”

Pandora’s dread turned to anger. Lila needed to be put in her place. Nocturne Falls was Pandora’s town, and the people in it were good people. They didn’t deserve to be conned by this side show. “What do you want?”

Lila shrugged one shoulder. “Just to talk.”

Pandora dropped her tape measure and note pad into her purse without taking her eyes off Lila. “So talk.”

Lila’s purse buzzed—her phone no doubt—but she ignored it. “Cole and I are going to be getting back together. I thought you should hear it from me first. I’ll let Kaley know you won’t be around anymore. Don’t worry, I won’t make you look bad. I appreciate that you’ve been so kind to her.”

“What the hell are you talking about?”

Lila sighed. “Come on, Pandora. This can’t really come as a surprise to you. I can’t help that he’s never fallen out of love with me.”

“You’re out of your mind, you know that? He’s not in love with you. He’s in love with me.”

Lila’s eyes took on a dangerous glint. “Maybe this will help you understand.” She reached into her purse, pulled out a compact and opened it.

How makeup was going to help, Pandora had no idea.

Then Pandora saw that what was in the compact wasn’t makeup, but sooty, gray ashes.

Her witch instincts kicked in as Lila puckered up and blew the ashes out of the compact. The tangled threads of her magic reached out to Pandora.

She threw her hands up and cast a spell to freeze Lila in place. It worked. The bits of ash stilled in the air like gray snow. Lila’s face was suspended in a mask of anger and superiority.

“Not so full of it now, are you?” But Pandora was at a loss for how this was going to come to a good end. She could already feel the strain of holding the spell. She hadn’t successfully cast a spell this large in…well, forever. And she didn’t have Cole here to strengthen her magic. Her fingers began to tingle with fatigue. If she was going to grab her phone and try to call for help, she’d better do it now.