The Witching on the Wall: A Cozy Mystery (The Witchy Women of Coven Grove Book 1) Read Free

‘assistance’ was one of her many chores at the tour office, usually after hours and unpaid as a ‘favor’ to Poppy that she never failed to ask for.
    Bailey stood, prepared to leave now that she was armed with some aspirin and a better humor. As she did though, Avery spoke again. “Oh, and just as an aside, that reporter, Trevor something-or-another?”
    “ Sullivan,” Bailey provided.
    “ Uh huh, that one,” Avery said, smiling. “He came in early this morning when he got into town, picked up a few books about the Caves on his way through the town. Seemed pretty nice. Very handsome.” He winked. “No ring, as far as I could tell.”
    Bailey wrinkled her nose. “Trevor Sullivan has been on TV since I was little,” she said. “He’s got to be almost twice my age, Ave.”
    “ I’m just saying you may get to spend a little time with him and that you should be open minded. He was very charming. You could do worse. Especially around here.” There was a note of genuine dissatisfaction in his voice.
    Avery was cute as a button, in Bailey’s opinion. And he was smart, and well-read; he loved the library the way Bailey loved the Caves. Bailey only helped out here because her father ran the place and desperately needed her help doing it. He had just turned seventy, and refused to retire. One day Avery would run the library himself, Bailey didn’t doubt.
    He also loved Coven Grove too much to move away, even though his own romantic prospects in this little town were slim at the best of times; non-existent more generally. Still, he insisted he wasn’t lonely. “Long as I got you, Bee,” Avery had said before, “I’m happy to live vicariously through you—so you need to find a man, and fast!”
    “ How about,” Bailey said carefully, “I let you know how it goes, and you can read into it whatever you like, hon?”
    “ It’ll do,” Avery said wistfully. “You better get going, then. Poppy’s probably having an apoplexy by now.”
    She grabbed her jacket and pulled it on. “Poppy was having an apoplexy when she called me,” she said. “Actually, I think she just lives in a constant state of apoplexy.”
    “ True that,” Avery muttered as he started running a finger down the labels on the spines of Bailey’s neatly organized stack. He pushed his spectacles up with one finger, brow already creasing with concentration on the task.
    Bailey rounded the desk, exchanged hugs, and then rushed toward the door.
    She stopped halfway there, and made the rest of the trip walking slowly backward. “Oh, also, tell Dad about the ATC folks being here early. He wanted to put together a piece for the paper about the visit.”
    “ Will do,” Avery assured her, not looking up. He might have sounded distracted, but Avery never forgot anything. If there was one person in his town more organized and reliable than Bailey, it was Avery.
    In her rush to leave, Bailey nearly plowed right into her elderly father. She stopped just shy, startled. “Oh! Hey, Dad!”
    “ Where you headed, Red?” Ryan Robinson asked, as he accepted Bailey’s hug.
    She pulled back, and grimaced. “The tour office. Avery took my stacks, but the ATC people got here early. Now Poppy’s about to lose her mind.”
    “ Oh,” her father said archly, “well it must be Wednesday, then. Or Thursday. Or any day of the week. Wasn’t she gone to someplace tropical and far away?”
    “ St. Maarten,” Bailey confirmed. “She came back last week. If she’d listened to me then, the rescheduling wouldn’t have mattered, but… you know how she is.”
    “ Mm,” he grunted. “Well, that’s good to know. You’ll see if you can get me in to see Martha and Trevor?”
    Not that he needed the help. Trevor had been one of her father’s proteges when he was still working full time for the paper, but had outgrown his shorts, according to Ryan, and skyrocketed to anchor status on the local news station on the strength of his looks and presence.
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