“I saw her that night.” He decided now wasn’t the time to tell her he’d seen Millicent another time. “And last night. And this morning, we…ah. We put a binding spell on her.”
“You what?” Susan’s voice rang in the open space of the parlor.
He met her gaze, and tried to figure out the most sane way to say this. “Some of the women in town, and Erielle’s grandmother Angeline, they…know how to read spells. Perform spells. Rituals. Whatever you want to call them. And we--they, I, Erielle—did that this morning.” He was leaving out so much—the secret room, the paintings. Otherwise they’d be here all night. “And Erielle did the reading of the spell, and…when she did, she looked like Mom. She had the same…power as Mom.”
Susan slumped back in her chair. “No kidding?”
“I don’t know how to deal with that, what to think about it,” Sam said.
“Is it…something you think she wants to do again? I mean, do you think this is something she might pursue? Might do again?”
“I don’t know. I was so freaked out, and I was worried about Mom, and so I just took that as a sign I needed to get out. Put some space between us.”
“So let me get this straight.” She held out her hand to tick on her fingers. “You’ve fallen in love with her.” She looked up at him for confirmation.
“Yes,” he admitted with a sigh.
She ticked another finger. “You don’t know if you like her witchcraft.”
“I—don’t know. It caused problems for Mom and Dad.”
“Dad is a pastor,” Susan pointed out.
“You seem to have wrapped your mind around all this a lot faster than I have,” Sam said, a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.
Susan lifted a shoulder. “I’m just going with the information I have here. So you ran away to Baton Rouge.” She ticked a third finger.
“I told her I needed some space. You have to realize, this all took place really fast, like the past few days, learning about Mom, seeing her, then seeing Erielle in the same state almost right away.”
“All right, I’ll give you that. But have you told Erielle you’re in love with her?”
“Of course I haven’t.” He’d barely admitted it to himself.
“Why not?”
“I don’t even know if she plans to stay, Sis. Surely this town won’t be enough for her for long. She already misses cooking. She’s going to want to go at some point.”
“And you? You don’t live in Phantom Bayou. Why can’t she go to New Orleans with you?”
“She might not want to do that either.”
She rolled her eyes so hard she fell back against the couch again. “You know how you can work that out? Con. Ver. Sa. Tion. You know, the things grown-ups do? Talk to each other. Not hide behind responsibilities? Not run out of town at the first chance? I’ll stay here with Mom and Dad for a few days. You go back to the bayou and talk to Erielle.” Susan pushed to her feet. “And you might start with telling her that you love her.”
But Sam couldn’t get away for a few days, and when he finally made it back to the bayou, Erielle was already gone.
Thirty-Three
Erielle steppedout onto Sixth Avenue, the rhythm of New York pounding through her. Horns blared, heels clicked against concrete, and the low thrum of bass drifted from a passing cab. She reached over and squeezed Daisy’s hand, steadying both of them against the rush.
“Thank you for coming with me to meet with Rhys.”
She hadn’t seen Rhys in years, not since before her first restaurant. He’d never opened one of his own, but he had a knack for spotting promise in people who would, and he’d made his fortune investing in the right dreams. Including hers.
She’d resisted asking for help when she’d lost everything. Stubborn pride had kept her silent while she tried to claw her way back. But Phantom Bayou had taught her something she hadn’t expected—that leaning on people wasn’t weakness, it was connection. And when she finally reached out, Rhys hadn’t hesitated. He’d not only invested money on her behalf, but now he was offering her even more, as long as she put it to work.
So while her pride had taken a hit asking for help, at least she knew some of the money was hers.
Daisy was a little thunderstruck by the big city, cringed in on herself when people passed too close, like she was afraid of being swept away from Erielle. But once they were at the edge of the sidewalk, she straightened and took it all in, the glass and steel buildings, the endless stream of people.
