Essence of the Witch Read online

  “It looks exactly like what I’d picture you living in,” Gideon said. “Almost like a fairy or woodland cottage. I bet you feel really peaceful here.”

  Unexpected tears stung her eyes, but she quickly blinked them back. How could he still be so attuned to her after all this time? “Yeah, I do. This place settles and restores me. It’s really something.”

  “It’s something special, Miranda.”

  She wanted to tell him that he was something special, but she bit back the impulse. That kind of talk was totally out of bounds. If she started blurting her feelings out everywhere, that was only going to end up with her heart crushed just like last time. She pasted on a smile and said, “And you haven’t even seen the inside yet.”

  “Knowing you, it’s magical.” He winked and then hopped out of the vehicle.

  Miranda rushed to follow him and took him by the hand to lead him to the front door. Just because she couldn’t say how she felt, that didn’t mean she couldn’t show him. She never had been good at holding back her emotions. Besides, he’d started it with the handholding earlier. To her relief, he wrapped his fingers around hers and held on, letting her tug him up the walk.

  Once she got the door open, she flipped a switch near the door, causing the outside of the house, including the porch and about a dozen trees, to light up with hundreds of clear twinkle lights.

  “Whoa,” he said, scanning the property. “Looks like someone is ready for the holiday.”

  She nodded. “You have no idea. I’ve developed a love of all things Christmas. Wait until you see the rest.” Miranda flicked another switch, lighting up the inside and the ten-foot Christmas tree that occupied her entire dining room. Since it was just her, she usually ate at the bar in her kitchen.

  Immediately upon entering her house, he walked straight toward her tree, touched her favorite glass ornament, and then turned to her with awe in his voice. “You kept it all this time.”

  “Of course I did.” It was the ornament he’d gotten for her during the last Christmas they’d spent together. The entire tree was decorated with nothing but lights and handblown ornaments. After Gideon gave her that first glass ornament, she’d made a point of only buying them from artists. It was something they’d talked about doing when they were together and then she’d followed through, adding a few more each year.

  Gideon walked over to her and cupped her cheek. His gaze bored into hers for a few beats before he said, “You’re amazing.”

  Miranda’s heart felt as if it was going to burst from pure emotion. She couldn’t stop herself from leaning in, needing more from him. But before she could brush her lips over his, he pulled back and cleared his throat.

  “So. We should get dinner before your tow truck guy calls,” he said, unable to look her in the eye.

  “Right.” Disappointed, but knowing he’d done the right thing, she retreated to her kitchen and pulled the two containers out of her fridge. In no time, she had the lasagna and seafood risotto reheating in her oven.

  Chapter Six

  Gideon poured them both a glass of wine and then followed Miranda into her cozy living room. The heels of her boots clattered on the worn wooden floors, and her lacy black skirt hugged her curves in all the right places. He wouldn’t have guessed it to be possible, but she was even more beautiful now than she had been back in college. It wasn’t her looks so much as her confidence. She just moved like a woman who was comfortable within her own skin, and damn if that didn’t turn him on.

  Miranda sat at the far end of a purple velvet couch that was placed in front of a large picture window. Gideon imagined that during the day it must’ve felt like she was living among the trees, which was likely why the place was so good for rejuvenating her. His own home in Malibu had a view of the ocean, but it wasn’t like this. Sure, it was gorgeous, but it didn’t have the connection to the earth that this place had. He knew deep down in his soul that Keating Hollow was Miranda Moon’s place. Even if she hadn’t fully committed yet, this town was destined to be her forever home.

  He took a sip of the wine and decided it was time to get to know who Miranda was now and stop crushing on the woman he knew fifteen years ago. “What brought you to Keating Hollow?”

  “A book signing.” She smiled and her eyes sparkled when she continued. “Yvette Townsend opened up a bookstore completely devoted to paranormal, and when she was still struggling to put the store on the map, she invited a bunch of us to come do a signing. Usually those types of events are fairly low-key, but she went all out on the promotion and the next thing she knew, it was the most popular book signing event this side of the Mississippi. Ever since that first time traveling to Keating Hollow, I knew I wanted to move here. It just calls to me, you know?”

  “I can see that.” He loved the way her expression was so serene, as if every part of her all the way down to her soul was content.

  “What about you? You never did tell me what brought you to Keating Hollow. It’s not exactly a hub of industry,” she said.

  She was smiling when she said the words, but it didn’t stop Gideon from wincing internally. He knew she was teasing him, but the innocent jab hit him harder than he’d expected. He hadn’t always been all about big business. There was a time in his life when he’d have wanted to live in Keating Hollow just as much as Miranda clearly did. “After all that mess with Silas Ansell went down in the press, one of the travel journalists did a spotlight on Keating Hollow. I happened to see it in a magazine while waiting at the healer’s office. And the next thing I knew, I was making a reservation at the Keating Hollow Inn.”

  “Just like that?” she asked. “This wasn’t planned?”

  “Just like that,” he confirmed, already understanding that the universe had a hand in getting him to Keating Hollow. He didn’t know why or what it would mean for the future, but he knew there was a reason he was back here with Miranda Moon. That didn’t mean they were destined to get back together. He didn’t see how that would work with him in LA and her settled in the redwoods, but something had brought them together and eventually he’d be shown why. “My father wasn’t too happy about my sudden departure, but like I told you before, I don’t vacation, so he wasn’t really in a position to stop me. It’s been years since I’ve taken any real time off.”

  Her eyes clouded over with something he couldn’t quite read, but when she blinked, they were clear again. “It’s good you’re taking some time for yourself. What do you plan to do while you’re here? It’s not exactly great weather for hiking, but that’s what most people do when they visit the redwoods.”

  It was on the tip of his tongue to say he was going to spend as much time with her as possible. But he swallowed the impulse. He couldn’t say something like that and then walk away from her again. “Relax. Sleep. Do some Christmas shopping.” He shrugged. “Maybe I’ll even paint a little if there’s studio space around here somewhere.”

  Miranda sat up straight and eyed him with curiosity. “You still paint?”

  She’d asked the question as if she couldn’t believe that he’d kept up his art even after rejecting a career path as an artist.

  “Sure. It takes less space than sculpting, though I do have a sculpting studio at home.” What he didn’t say was that he hadn’t stepped foot into his studio in over five years. He wasn’t even sure why he told her about his space. Maybe just to put words to the fact that his art was still important to him even if he hadn’t made time to create.

  “That’s great, Gideon. I’m glad you’re still feeding that part of yourself.” She smiled brightly at him, making him feel like a fraud.

  Gideon cleared his throat and changed the subject. “Tell me about your writing career. How’s it going?”

  Miranda launched into a monologue of everything she’d written to date, with the exception of the one book he’d actually read. Witching for You. He knew she’d written it about them. He also knew his father had tried to stop its publication, but behind the scenes, Gideon had threate
ned to quit and walk away forever if his dad didn’t leave it alone. It was one thing to derail his life for his father. It was entirely another to mess with Miranda’s.

  When she finally came up for air, she gave him a sheepish grin. “Sorry. I just get so passionate about my writing and the business. I guess I got a little carried away.”

  “No need to apologize. I enjoyed hearing about your career. I’m glad you’re doing well and living the life you always wanted.” He reached for her hand again. “It’s… inspiring.”

  Her features softened, and she gazed at him with a tenderness he hadn’t seen in forever. It made his heart speed up and his arms ache to hold her. “Gideon, I—”

  The timer started to beep, indicating that their dinners were ready to be taken out of the oven.

  “Saved by the bell!” she said and jumped up to retreat to the kitchen.

  With the spell that had been weaving between them broken, they sat at her kitchen bar, making chit chat about the town and eating until her phone buzzed indicating that the tow truck had finally made it to her car.

  True to his promise, Gideon drove her to meet the tow truck driver, where she handed over the keys, signed some paperwork, and instructed him to take it to the dealership in Eureka. It wasn’t long before Gideon pulled up in front of her house again.

  “I’ve decided to stay through Christmas,” Gideon blurted.

  “What?” Miranda turned to him, her forehead wrinkled in confusion. “Aren’t you going to spend the holiday with your dad?”

  Gideon shook his head, not sure what impulse had made him blurt out his hastily decided plan. “Dad is headed to some tropical beach with wife number four, and my sister is spending the holidays with her in-laws. She invited me of course, but I’d rather recharge here.”

  “I guess I don’t blame you,” she said, eyeing him with something that looked an awful lot like mischief. “It’s a great place to spend Christmas. There’s even a Christmas ball that I’m in charge of planning. If you’re interested…” Her voice trailed off as she waited for him to respond.

  “Are you asking me on a date, Miranda Moon?” he asked, unable to keep the stupid grin off his face.

  “Not exactly,” she said with a nervous chuckle. “But if that’s part of the deal, who am I to say no?”

  He laughed. “Part of what deal?”

  “I need some help getting it all together. The type of help that involves muscle and probably some creativity. Are you game?”

  There was no hesitation on his part. She’d just offered him a chance to spend an open-ended amount of time with her. No way was he going to turn that down. “Absolutely. Just tell me where and when, and I’ll be there.”

  “Perfect.” She leaned over and pressed a kiss to his cheek. “You’re a lifesaver. How about you give me your number and I’ll call you with the details?”

  “You got it.” He handed her his phone and let her add herself as a contact. A moment later, he heard her phone buzz, and he knew she’d texted herself so she’d have his information, too.

  “Thanks again, Gideon. It was really nice to catch up,” she said, already pushing her door open.

  Gideon jumped out and ran over to her side, holding the door as she climbed down to the ground.

  “Thanks,” she said with a chuckle. “But you didn’t need to do that. I’m perfectly capable of getting in and out of your vehicle.”

  “I know you are,” he said, placing his hand on the small of her back and guiding her to her front door. “But then I wouldn’t have had an excuse to do this.” He slipped his hands around her waist and pulled her in close until their lips were almost touching. “I’ve missed you, Miranda. More than you know.” And then he pulled her all the way to him and kissed her the way he’d been dreaming about ever since he’d walked out of her life all those years ago.

  Chapter Seven

  “Your hands are magic,” Hope told Esme, the manicurist massaging her hands and forearms.

  “You need a full massage,” Esme said, digging a thumb into Hope’s palm. “That tension you’re obviously carrying around in your neck and shoulders is making me wince.”

  “Do you ever get a turn on the massage table?” Miranda asked from her spot next to Hope. The two of them, along with Shannon and Hanna, were at A Touch of Magic for their manicures and pedicures before they headed out to dinner.

  “Rarely,” Hope admitted, closing her eyes as Esme pinched the pressure point between her thumb and forefinger.

  “She needs it now more than ever,” Hanna said, inspecting her freshly painted red nails. “I don’t know how she does it with all that family drama. I’d be ready to scream by now.”

  “Family drama?” Shannon asked. “What the heck happened? I thought the Townsends never had family drama.”

  The Townsends were practically the heartbeat of Keating Hollow. Lin Townsend owned the town brewery while his daughters owned the inn, the spa, and the bookstore. Hope, who wasn’t Lin Townsend’s daughter, worked at the spa with her half-sister Faith. Miranda, who’d heard the stories, chuckled, “I wouldn’t say never any drama. A half-sister did show up out of the blue this year.”

  Hope laughed, and some of her pent-up tension seemed to roll off her shoulders. “That’s true. Only I had no idea I was related to any of them. As usual, this drama revolves around Gia.” She turned to Miranda to clarify. “That’s the name our mother uses, otherwise known as Gabrielle Townsend. Anyway, now that the holidays are here, she’s desperately trying to get us to commit to a family gathering. But Noel and Faith aren’t talking to her at all, and Abby and Yvette, while they are wary, want to try. I’m mostly with Noel and Faith on this one, but Lin is pushing us to give her a chance.”

  “Really?” Shannon asked. “I can’t imagine him having any goodwill toward his ex-wife, considering she abandoned everyone to live the life of a potions addict.”

  Hanna stood and moved to one of the massage chairs while she waited for her pedicure. “Lin just wants everyone to heal. He doesn’t think that’s going to happen as long as his girls are shutting Gia out. But I don’t know. Gia is a mess, and if it were me I wouldn’t want to spend a strained holiday with her either.”

  Miranda chewed on her bottom lip. She didn’t have any family left. Her parents had been older when she was born and had passed on almost a decade ago, leaving her with a modest but not insignificant inheritance. It was all she had left of them, and she’d have gladly given it all back if she had a chance to see them again. Especially her mother. She couldn’t imagine being estranged from her for even one day. Of course, her parents hadn’t abandoned her or been potion addicts either. She couldn’t say she blamed any of the Townsend sisters for not wanting that in their lives.

  “Sorry, Miranda,” Hope said, leaning back into her chair. “I’m sure you don’t want to listen to my holiday woes. Let’s talk about something more exciting. Like your movie! You must be so excited.”

  Miranda glanced at the pretty woman. Her honey-blond hair was piled on her head in a messy bun, and her big green eyes were wide with interest. “Yeah. I guess I am, though I still haven’t been able to get through to my agent, so I only know what Shannon told me.”

  The other three women all swiveled their heads to look at Shannon. The redhead laughed. “Okay. Hit me. What do you want to know?”

  “Who’s starring in it besides Silas?” Hanna asked.

  “Do we get to go to the premier?” Hope gave her a cheeky grin.

  Hanna and Hope fired off a few more questions about where the movie would be filmed and if Shannon would be on set.

  “Let’s see,” Shannon said, tilting her head to the side and eyeing them coyly. “I’m not allowed to say who else is in the film until they announce it. If you guys want to go to the premier, I’m sure Silas can work his magic and get extra tickets. Although, I bet Miranda gets a stash of her own. No, I won’t be on set. And I don’t know if they’ve decided where to film it yet. Canada has been a popular location
lately. So have New Orleans and Atlanta. I guess we’ll find out.” Shannon turned her attention to Miranda. “Anything you’re dying to know?”

  Miranda started to shake her head but then asked, “When does it start filming? Is there a tentative date yet?”

  “Early January.”

  “Whoa. That’s fast,” Hanna gasped out.

  “Yep,” Shannon confirmed. “It was supposed to be this summer, but I just got word they moved it up. No idea why. Probably scheduling issues.”

  Miranda nodded. It was fast. And considering she had consultation rights for the script, she was starting to get uneasy about the lack of communication from her former agent. She was supposed to have the option to read the script and give input.

  “Have you talked to your agent yet?” Shannon asked as if she could read Miranda’s mind.

  Miranda shook her head. “Nope. I called again today, but her assistant just keeps saying she’s ‘in a meeting.’”

  Shannon frowned. “That’s not good.”

  “Tell me about it.”

  Esme moved on from massaging Hope to working on Miranda’s hands. She dug in and then let out a grunt before saying, “Dang, girl. You’re just as tense as Hope.”

  “I’m a writer. I just finished a book yesterday,” Miranda said with a contented sigh. “You’re really good at this.”

  “That’s good to hear.” Esme winked at her and continued to ease the stress from her hands.

  “I want to hear about that new hottie in town,” Hanna called. “What’s his name? Gideon something?”

  Shannon chuckled. “Gideon Alexander. He’s a bigwig for Ace Media.”

  “Oh?” Hanna asked. “Is he involved in the movie, too?”

  “Nope,” Miranda said at the same time Shannon said, “Sort of.”

  Miranda gave Shannon a look that told her to shut it.

  “Oops.” Shannon clamped a hand over her mouth. “Sorry.”

  “Um, what’s this about?” Hope asked, leaning forward in her chair with her mouth open. “Is there something going on with you and the hottie movie exec?”