Spells and Scones Read Free Page B

as if she could bring the tardy author into the Fox and Hound by sheer willpower.
    â€œ
Dr.
Dana. Right. Well, first off, she gives crappy advice.” His voice was loud.
    A curly-haired woman with dark eyes was browsing a rack of new releases nearby. When she heard him, the side of her mouth turned up, and she gave an indulgent shake of her head. Moments later she had come over to join him.
    He put his arm around her and continued his diatribe. “Really horrible advice. I did what she suggested, since she’s such an
expert
and all, and you know what?”
    â€œWhat?” Declan asked. His eyes shone with curiosity. Who says men don’t like gossip?
    â€œMy Sophie here almost left me.” He gave the woman a squeeze.
    My boyfriend blinked. “Really? Geez, what did Dr. Dana say to you?”
    I glanced at Margie, who didn’t seem to be tuned in to our conversation. However, the dark-haired woman sitting next to Margie had twisted in her seat to watch us. Her eyes slowly narrowed. In anger at the stout gentleman sharing his story with us? She looked down at the book she held in her hand, and her lip curled.
    No. She doesn’t like Dr. Dana, either.
    A bad feeling settled across my shoulders, sifted down through my chest, and took up residence in my solar plexus.
    The man’s face had grown ruddier by the second. “Lots of things,” he said. “Mostly about keeping tabs on everything my darlin’ Sophie did. But the worst thing was she told me to make my fiancée quit her job.”
    The woman next to him—presumably darlin’ Sophie—rolled her eyes. “Can you believe it? In this day and age?Not to mention we have our own business. It’s not like I could quit that, even if I wanted to.”
    My aunt’s eyes widened, openly curious. “But why on earth would Dr. Dana say that?”
    â€œShe said for the first year of marriage the wife should stay home.” He snapped his suspenders for emphasis.
    I felt my jaw slacken. “You’ve
got
to be kidding me.”
    Sophie laughed. “He got his mind right. We’ve been married for six months now.”
    He shook his head. “I checked into her background after what happened. Her psychology license in the state of Georgia is expired, but it hardly matters since she doesn’t practice privately anymore. Just gets on that radio show of hers and tells people she’s never met what they should do to fix their lives. Heck, the woman wrote a book about child rearing, and she doesn’t even have any children.”
    â€œBut how can—,” I began, but the murmur of voices rose. The front door had opened, and all eyes turned toward the woman who entered.

Chapter 2
    A tall, slender woman about my age entered the Fox and Hound. Her shiny brown hair brushed the shoulders of a button-down oxford shirt tucked into black jeans. She kept her hand on the door as her eyes searched the crowd. When they lit upon Croft, she lifted her other hand to get his attention.
    Something like joy crossed his usually gruff face, then drained away as he hurried over to her. I held up my finger to Declan and sidled close enough to hear their exchange.
    â€œWhat’s wrong?” Croft asked in a stage whisper. “Is your sister still coming?”
    So this must be Phoebe, the sister/assistant.
    â€œShe’s right outside,” the woman responded in a soothing tone. “I’m just checking to make sure everything is ready for her. She doesn’t like waiting.” Her eyes flicked to the podium. “Is there bottled water? Did you crack the seal as I asked?”
    â€œOf course,” Croft said, impatient. “Everything has been ready for an hour now. People are starting to get restless. If she doesn’t get in here, they’re going to start walking out.”
    Phoebe’s smooth demeanor cracked. “I’m sorry, Mr. Barrow. We’ve been behind schedule all