A young boy suddenly came exploding out of the woods on his bike. For one second, I was happy to see a kid without a screen two inches from his face. But the next, I noticed the expression of horror on his face and the way he was peddling like the hounds of hell were on his heels.
Some instinct sent me out of my chair and stepping away from my table, with a few short strides I was out of the shop and onto the sidewalk.
Out of the woods behind the boy came a group of three other boys. One of them ran forward and threw a rock. “We told you not to come through our turf!” the little jerk yelled.
Oh, no. Not on my watch. I opened my hands and focused on the group of bullies, who were all shouting insults now with shit-eating grins on their faces. An uncomfortable prickling came, and my mouth curled with anger.
“Billy Thompson!” A woman with shopping bags on her arms rounded the corner of the coffee shop and came to stop right beside me, her voice booming through the whole outdoor mall.
The boy who threw the rock flinched and hunched his shoulders. His eyes went wide, and the next rock in his hand tumbled from his fingertips. The boy on the bike looked between the angry woman and the kid, slowed, then skidded to a stop to turn and watch.
“Hey, Mom,” the bully said as his friends melted into the background.
His mom marched forward. “What have I told you about being mean to your little brother? Did I just see you throw a rock at him?”
I grinned and watched her grab the boy by the ear. He was in for it now.
She berated him as she dragged him away from the coffee shop, and I felt my muscles relax. I hoped the boy wasn’t a bully because his mom was, but then I pushed the thought aside. That’s not how karma worked. It wouldn’t try to teach a kid a lesson by tossing him to the wolves. No, I was sure the mom would have consequences and a firm conversation, but the ear would be the worst of it. I had never been a fan of physical consequences with my own son, but then, my son had never bullied other kids.
He wasn’t an angel either. But no one was.
I sighed. It was getting late. And if I started thinking of my son, I’d start thinking about his dad, who was probably still a toad somewhere in my neighborhood. And if I started thinking about toad-man, I’d start thinking about the scary note someone left on my doorstep. It was a nice day, there was no way I was going to obsess about all of that right now, even though my heart was already starting to speed in my chest.
With a sigh and a couple deep breaths, I drained my coffee, relishing the last delicious mouthful. It was time to head home.
As I tossed the cup into the garbage can on the sidewalk, my bladder squeezed, reminding me I was over forty and had been drinking coffee for hours. As much as I wanted to pretend birthing my son hadn’t done major damage to my insides, I’d never again be that woman who could rock a concert all night and not use the porta-potties every couple of hours. Oh, to be young again!
And then I remembered all the dumb things I’d done when I was younger and grinned. Nah, I’d keep my weak bladder and bad back if it meant I could keep my lessons too. Those were hard-earned, and I wasn’t about to give them up so easily.
Even so, this meant I needed a pee break. Pronto. I sighed and weaved through the outdoor mall, heading for the cleanest bathroom. It was a little further from my house, but well worth having a toilet seat cover, paper towels, and a clean toilet.
After using the facilities, I headed down a side street toward my neighborhood. Not only was sitting downtown a great practice for my Karma, the walk to and from had helped me feel like I got a bit of exercise in, especially given how hilly the roads were. As I huffed up the street, going through a stretch lined by woods rather than houses—another perk of small-town living—the afternoon seemed to get oddly dark. I picked up the pace, huffing as I headed up the hill.
The forecast hadn’t called for rain, or I wouldn’t have come today or at least I would’ve brought an umbrella. I eyed the sky with concern. It felt kind of strange to watch the dark clouds rolling in so quickly. Had the weather always changed this fast in Mystic Hollow when I was younger? I wasn’t sure but I thought it had. Still, it made me feel unsettled when the clouds moved over the sun and darkness washed over me. What was more, the storm clouds made the temperature drop so dang fast that goosebumps erupted across my flesh.
I was going to have to ask the ladies about whether these strange storms were normal due to being so close to the ocean, or supernatural. Now that I knew about witches, shifters, and sirens, this storm felt like it belonged in the “weird stuff” category.
When I was about a hundred feet from the end of the wooded part of my walk, a growl made me whirl around. At first, I could see nothing to explain the unsettling
