Free Careful What You Witch For by Amanda M. Lee Page A

crying, and Bay always liked to pretend she was strong, even when she wasn’t. Do you know who she cried to?”
    Dad pursed his lips. “Chief Terry.”
    “He’s the one who sat and listened to Bay cry,” I said. “He listened to all of us, but Bay needed him more for some reason. He listened, and he hugged her, and he helped fix up a tree house so we had a place to hide and plot against Gracie.”
    “We should have been there,” Dad said.
    “Yes,” I said. “You wouldn’t have been able to fix the Gracie problem, though. Do you know who fixed it?”
    “I have a feeling you’re about to tell me that Aunt Tillie fixed it.”
    “She did,” I said. “She started … messing … with Gracie. Every time Gracie tortured Bay, something bad happened to Gracie. When she stuck gum in Bay’s hair, half of her hair fell out. When she told all the boys that Bay was a hermaphrodite, she grew a mustache.”
    Dad snickered, even though the moment was serious.
    “And it wasn’t just any mustache. It was like a full man’s mustache. Every time Gracie said something nasty to Bay, it grew. She’d wax it, and shave it, but it just kept growing – even in the middle of the day. Finally, she put two-and-two together and realized that it was karma paying her back and she finally stop terrorizing Bay.”
    “Tillie has always been … difficult,” Dad said. “I have never once doubted that she loves you all, though. You should know, I didn’t leave because of you. I left because I loved you, and I loved your mother, but we just couldn’t all live together anymore. I thought I was making it easier for everyone, and I think Teddy and Jack felt the same way. The only ones we were making it easier on were ourselves. By the time we all realized that … it was too late.”
    I lifted my eyes – finally – and met his tortured gaze. “It’s never too late. Everything in life takes work, though. You have to put in the work.”
    Dad nodded. “I hope I’m up for the task.”
    “Me, too.”
    Dad walked me back to my bedroom, both of us pulling up short when we reached the top of the staircase and found Marcus leaning against the wall in the hallway.
    “What’s going on?”
    He pointed to the room. “Look.”
    I wasn’t sure I wanted to, but I was feeling brave this evening for some reason. When I pushed open the door, the sight that greeted me was … adorable. Thistle was spread eagle on the bed, her arm raised over her head as she snored heavily. The spot next to her – Marcus’ spot – wasn’t empty. Aunt Tillie, curled on her side, was noisily slumbering next to Thistle.
    “She must be exhausted,” I said, smiling.
    “Where am I supposed to sleep?”
    Dad smirked, never taking his eyes off Thistle and Aunt Tillie. “Crawl in there with them.”
    “That’s like the worst threesome ever,” Marcus complained.
    “There’s room on the other side of Thistle,” I said. “They won’t wake up until morning. I think you’ll be safe.”
    Marcus sighed, resigned. “It’s a good thing I love her. If I didn’t, this is where I would draw the line.” He glanced at me. “If you ever tell anyone about this, I’ll never forgive you.”
    “Your secret is safe with me.” Hey, it turned out I wasn’t such a bad liar after all – and I even took a few photographs with my cellphone as proof.

Nine
    “Good morning.”
    Sam’s face was happy when he rolled over and faced me the next morning. Despite the events of the previous evening, I felt as if a weight had been lifted from my shoulders. I felt … good. “Good morning.”
    Sam wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled me closer, brushing a light kiss against my forehead as he let consciousness wash over him. After a few moments, he bolted upright. “Holy crap!”
    “It’s okay,” I soothed.
    “What happened to the ghost?”
    “Aunt Tillie sent it away.”
    “For good?”
    I shrugged. “I don’t know. I don’t think so.”
    “I … everything is so