Tucker gathered his wife and mother-in-law and escorted both towards the door. Clementine thanked me with a weak hug, and I promised to see her soon.
Aunt Nora paused in the middle of the foyer. She couldn’t face us, but she did manage one last remark in defeat. “I know it may be hard to believe me, but I’m sorry.”
With my hand over my heart, I sent a silent apology to my mother. Maybe her generous love would help me forgive her sister in time, even if I could never forget.
Epilogue
After the dust settled from dealing with Aunt Nora, Nana gained enough strength to chastise me for being rash enough to bind myself to Dash. Despite Lucky and her best efforts, neither could break the bond. My grandmother, with the help of Mimsy and Ada, managed to lessen the effects of it but warned the shifter and me that we needed to find a more permanent solution. However, Nana enjoyed forcing me to drink her gray sludge each morning with a little too much glee.
The town rallied after a week of recovering from the aftereffects. In true Southern fashion, we celebrated with good food, good drinks, and good company.
Fenwen followed me around the park during the new potluck, not allowing me to do anything for myself. My new roommate insisted she needed to wait on me to pay me back for cleaning out one of the extra rooms and letting her move in.
The sprite handed me a full glass of sweet tea and exchanged it for my empty one. “Here you go.”
“Thanks, Fenny,” I said in appreciation, hiding my exasperation with a smile. “But don’t forget to talk to your other friends.”
“You’ll come get me if you need something?” she asked with worry.
I waved at David who waited with a little impatience for the sprite. “Only when my needs are greater than yours.”
She frowned, trying to figure out my meaning. After I nudged her a little more, she left in reluctance, but I watched her blossom with so many embracing her. The whole town knew about her brave stand against Nick, and more than the fae accepted her as part of the community.
Everyone mingled together, eating and enjoying each other’s company. The afternoon sun bathed us in its orange glow, but my satisfaction for having the heart of our town back to the way it should be warmed me from the inside.
Lily and Ben approached me hand in hand. “Aw, you two are positively glowing together. I can’t wait to celebrate your engagement.”
Even though Nick returned their pieces of souls back to both of them, Ben decided life was too short to wait. He’d asked Lily to marry him for real using a ring he’d purchased months ago but kept hidden away.
“You’ll have to come into Sweet Tooths to try out some cake,” Alison Kate exclaimed. “It’ll be fun experimenting to find the perfect flavor for your wedding.”
Lavender joined us but remained quieter than usual. She blamed herself for involving us with Nick, and only time would help her accept our reassurances that she wasn’t to blame.
Mason excused himself from a deep discussion with Big Willie and came over with his half-eaten plate of food. I swiped his square of cornbread off the top and stuffed the tasty goodness in my mouth.
“Thief,” he accused.
I grinned, letting golden crumbs fall out of my mouth. “So, lock me up, Detective. It’ll be totally worth it.”
Mason reached out and straightened my pendant around my neck until it hung in the right place. He winked at me, and my cheeks heated with pleasure. I loved wearing the symbol of our relationship for all to see. Despite his support for Dash and me allowing Lucky to bind us together, I still worried how that decision might end up affecting the detective’s and my relationship.
Dash had taken advantage of the weakened bond thanks to Nana’s help and returned to the mountains to take care of pack business. We both heeded my grandmother’s warning that we’d need to find a solution quick to avoid any bigger consequences.
“Excuse me.” Sassy hovered close by, interrupting my thoughts. No one had been so pleased to return to normal than the tiny fairy.
“Hey, Sass. It’s good to see you flying again,” I said with genuine approval.
She blushed. “I guess it’s hard to appreciate what you’ve got until it’s taken from you.” Her wings fluttered. “I know you told me you would let me know after the weekend, but I can’t wait. I was wondering if you and your brother have made a decision about my proposal?”
I smiled at her. “With Mr. Steve’s help, I was going to surprise you at the cafe tomorrow, but I think it might be better to give you the news right now. The space is yours for your very own pie shop. You’ll have to get it up to code for the kitchen space, and your boss wants to sign a contract with you to continue providing the pies for the cafe. But those small details can be hammered out later.”
She squealed and flew right at me, throwing her arms around my neck. “Thank you so much.”
“Thank yourself, you did all the work,” I complimented her.
The rest of my friends offered their congratulations before she flitted off to tell the rest of the residents her good news.
Before the festivities finished, I managed to talk and eat with almost everyone. Dirt stained the bottom of my feet, but I didn’t care as I danced my heart out to every song Jordy and the Jack-O'-Lanterns played. I even convinced Henry to stop his grousing and swing me around a couple of times. My grumpy assistant was more fragile than he let on, and I was glad I’d hired Bug to help out with my business to give him some time off.
Mason claimed me for a slow dance and endured the occasional stomp
