Even as my heart pounded in excitement, I calmly named a fee, double what I would normally charge. My intuition said she’d go for it, but I held my breath wondering how she would react to the price.
Violet O’Connell never even blinked. “You’re hired,” she said.
Willow giggled as Tank grabbed the ribbon away from her and romped across the sales floor. “I like your cat, Violet!” Willow said, coming to stand by me.
Tank suddenly jumped to the top of the table. With a sort of feline mutter, he walked over to head-butt Violet.
“Yes, Tank. I agree,” Violet said to the cat.
“Sorry,” I said. “What do you agree with?”
Violet’s blue eyes shifted from the cat’s to mine. “We would like to invite Willow to the birthday party as well.”
Surely she didn’t mean we—as in herself and the cat? “We would?” I asked, out loud.
“Sure.” Violet ran her hand over the cat’s head. “It would be a great way for Willow to meet some of the other kids in town.”
Willow’s eyes lit up. “I wanna go to the Sugarplum Fairy party!”
“That’s very kind of you,” I said, ready to politely decline, and Tank reached over and gently patted at the top of Willow’s head. The cat shifted his gaze to me as if to say, What’s your problem, honey?
I studied my daughter who now stood between Violet and I. Willow was currently making kissy noises to the huge cat and he was leaning against her and purring like a freight train. I wondered if the cat was Violet’s familiar…but after watching them interact, I had my answer.
I hid my discomfort behind a professional smile. Just because a woman had a psychic bond with an animal didn’t mean she was slinging hexes and curses, I reminded myself. First off, the plants in the shop would never have been able to withstand the negativity. The fact that everything around us was lush, vibrant and healthy, reinforced that if Violet and her familiar were working magick, it was the positive and life affirming variety.
“Please, Mama. Can I go?” Willow interrupted my reverie.
There was no way to decline without sounding ungracious. So, I gave in. “Yes you may.” I’d be at the party anyway, I thought. WhereI could keep a watchful eye on things, and no one would even know.
“Hooray!” Willow did a little dance.
Tank walked across the table and nudged my hand, wanting to be petted.
“Thank you, Mr. Tank,” I said rubbing his gray ears.
“Meow,” Tank cried.
I couldn’t help but chuckle. “Thank you for the invitation as well, Violet,” I said, meeting her eyes. “This will be lovely opportunity for Willow to make some friends.”
***
Willow and I stopped at her favorite fast-food place, and once again I was asked where I was from. I tried to take it in stride, but I was sorely tempted to reply with something sassy as opposed to a polite response, but I held my tongue.
After Willow ate, we moved to the indoor play area. I sat on a bench where I could keep an eye on her and brainstormed. I took notes as fast as I could while Willow ran around and climbed all over everything.
I already knew the name of the local party rental vendor, as Duncan and Autumn were renting tents for their reception from them. One quick phone call confirmed I could indeed order helium balloons in whatever color I would need.
As to a location for the Sugarplum Fairy birthday party, I immediately thought of Charming Cakepops. I checked to see that Willow was still happily playing, and then on a hunch, I contacted Candice to inquire about renting out the space for a few hours on Sunday.
My instincts were right on target. Candice was delighted to reserve the bakery, as she and Violet were friends. Candice assured me there would be no problem at all with providing the cupcakes and cakepops needed for the Sugarplum Fairy party. I promised to call her the next day to discuss the details of the desserts and ended our call. I tucked my notebook away and rounded up my daughter for the trip home.
By the time we returned to our cottage, Willow was happy to cuddle on the sofa and watch an animated movie. I sat at the drop-leaf table in the kitchen and got to work on my laptop. In a few hours I had a list of vendors and craft stores to visit, and had ordered ballet-themed party plates and wintery types of decorations. I ended up paying extra to have everything overnighted from my favorite online wholesaler, but it would be well worth it.
With hands trembling from nerves, I shut down the laptop. I sincerely hoped that, in my efforts to dazzle the residents of William’s Ford with my event coordinator skills, I hadn’t over-extended myself. I had five days to pull off a child’s elegant birthday party, and in four days, I had the bridesmaids dress selection to oversee.
I blew out a long breath. When my stomach growled, I checked the clock on the kitchen stove and saw it was 5:00. I frowned, wondering what I could put together for dinner with the supplies I had on hand. My plans to go grocery shopping had been demolished by the impromptu birthday party planning.
A knock on the front door had me rising. I opened it and discovered my cousin Julian standing on the front porch, wearing a fancy winter jacket and dress slacks and holding a large pizza box.
“I had a feeling you might need a hand with supper tonight,” he said. “Do you like pizza?”
My smile was automatic. “Cousin, you and I are going to be very good friends.” I stood back so he could enter, and Willow saw him and let out a cheer.
He carried the box to the kitchen. “I know where everything is,” he
