“She’s going to get magic,” Mom said as if she could read my thoughts. “Someday, we’ll figure out what’s going on with all of our magic too. You will go back to being a powerful witch, and your daughter will become one too. I know it’s not what you want to hear, but you’d better accept it. You’ll be so much happier if you embrace who you are instead of wishing you were someone else.”
She was probably right, but I wasn’t ready to admit it. I just kept hoping that whatever had happened to our magic would hold.
I looked down and Meri and noticed something. “He’s getting bigger,” I said.
“Way to change the subject,” Mom said before putting Laney over her shoulder to burp her.
“Maybe it’s not really a subject change,” I said. “If the spell I did to grant his wish is wearing off…”
“Let’s not talk about that,” Mom said quickly.
At first, I didn’t understand why she would be so upset, but it dawned on me that we had a lot of standing spells. Many of them were anti-aging spells and the reason that so much of our Coven was still alive. If that magic began to wear off, then I would have to do something about it. I would do it with a happy heart too because I wasn’t just going to let my Aunties die.
Our conversation ended there, though. My phone rang, and I answered quickly when I saw it was Reggie. I hadn’t talked to her for a couple of days, and I missed her terribly. It was still early in the morning, and I figured she was trying to get a call in before she opened the shop.
“Long time no talk,” I said cheerfully when I picked up.
“Kinsley, I hate to do this, but you’ve got to come down to the shop,” she said.
“Oh, okay. Do you think it’s going to be busy today?”
It hadn’t been busy at any of the businesses around the square since the tornado. People were rebuilding as quickly as possible, but it hadn’t even been two weeks yet. It was slow enough that Reggie ran the shop by herself, and most of our business came from local witches.
The demand for supplies had only increased since the dip in magic. Witches were having to work harder and be more precise with their rituals in order to achieve any results. It meant that the shop was making a killing, and I could afford to pay Reggie a premium to keep things open throughout the chaos surrounding the store.
“It’s not that,” she said. “Someone broke into the store. We’ve been robbed.”
“Oh, no,” I said.
“I wasn’t going to call you about it, but Jeremy says that since you’re the owner, you need to come down here. I’m so sorry,” she said. “I tried to handle things myself.”
“Thank you for that,” I said, “but you don’t have to handle this yourself, Reggie. I’ll be there as soon as I can.”
“What is it?” Mom said as soon as I hung up.
“The store was burglarized,” I said. “I have to go down there. Reggie tried to handle things, but Jeremy says I have to come in. I feel so bad that she didn’t think she should call me.”
“Well, you did just have a baby, Kinsley,” Mom said. “I can understand why she didn’t want to call you.”
“I have to go,” I said. “Did you bring breakfast?” I hadn’t noticed the smell of fresh-baked biscuits and fried chicken until just then. Mom knew I loved a fried chicken breakfast biscuit.
“I did,” she said.
“And of course, I have to go,” I looked at Laney and felt my heart sink.
I was not ready to leave her yet. Not even with my mother. The thought of walking out the front door without her sent a wave of panic through me. Mom must have seen it written on my face.
“We’ll come with you,” she said. “We’ll bring the biscuits and chicken. I’m sure Reggie could use a meal, and whatever deputies are there will appreciate it.”
“Really, Mom?”
“I recognize that look,” she said. “It’s hard to leave them with someone else for the first time, and you’re nowhere near ready. It’s too soon anyway.”
“Thank you, Mom,” I said.
“But you get to change her diaper while I get breakfast packed up.”
Mom handed me Laney, and I changed her diaper at the changing table. I also put her in a fresh outfit and combed her wisps of curly blonde hair. By the time I had done that, Mom had the food packed up into a basket she found in the kitchen.
“I’m driving,” Mom said.
“That’s good because I’m not cleared to drive yet,” I said.
“Oh, honey,” Mom said. “I keep forgetting that you’re having to go through so much more than I did. We had enough healing magic that I was back to my old self the same day I had you.”
“That has not been my experience,” I said as I walked slowly out to her car.
Meri had managed to heal me enough at the hospital that I wasn’t in any pain once I came home, but I was still getting exhausted easily. I hadn’t had anything to eat yet that day, and the walk out to the car felt like a marathon.
I could have used a strong cup of coffee too and cursed myself for lingering in the shower for so long. When I finally made it to the car, Mom grabbed a sandwich from the basket and shoved it into my hands. She pulled a bottle of Coke out next and put it in the cupholder between us.
“I don’t care if you eat in the car,” she said.
“Thank you,” I said after she’d walked around and gotten behind the wheel. The car was self-driving, but she liked to be there just in case.
Since she didn’t have to drive, Mom ate a sandwich too. We shared the
