Free Inconvenient Murder: An Inept Witches Mystery by Auburn Seal, Amanda A. Allen

clothes.”
    “Or you could just get new clothes ‘cause your stupid rich.”
    “True,” Ingrid said. “I’ve already got the sheriff hooked, but once you’re done with thinking about mourning dickhead, you’re going to have to hook someone new yourself. That means that I get the rest of the chocolates.”
    Emily took another chocolate and then shoved the box at Ingrid. “So let’s unearth our college and career brains and maybe solve this crime. If we do, we need to go somewhere tropical. And I want stress shoes and a stress swim suit.”
    “Okay,” Ingrid said. “I’ll need a new one, too. A one-piece. Since I’ll probably be fatter by then. Unless I decide to stress workout instead. What do you think? A punching bag over there?”
    Em looked at Ingrid, at the corner she was pointing too, and then said, “You realize you’ve never stress worked-out. Ever. Possibly you’ve never sweated before except when your air-conditioning failed.”
    “That’s not true,” Ingrid replied. “I sweated that one time I went to the beach and it was hot and I went outside anyway.”
    “That didn’t happen,” Emily declared.
    Ingrid thought for a long moment before saying, “It’s possible that I just considered walking outside but decided it was too hot.”
    “That happened,” Emily said. She didn’t need to be there or wonder to be sure. She was absolutely certain that Ingrid had never, once, gone for a walk when it was hot enough outside to sweat unless she was walking to a shoe store or feet from ocean waves.
    Ingrid kicked Emily’s chair as she swallowed the last of her tacos.
    “You have to make me a promise,” Ingrid said. This time there was no joke in her voice.
    “Okay,” Emily said. She didn’t need to hear it.
    “You will practice magic. You will get a handle on it enough that you have your freaking signature de-frizzing hair spell or whatever, and you will do it every damn day.”
    Emily took a long breath before she said, “Okay.”

7
     
    Friday Night
     
    Once Ingrid left, Emily decided she would try to work some magic, if for no other reason than to get these witches off her back. She looked around the disaster that was their store. She realized that learning to clean with magic would be a very practical use of her time. But this room was a big mess. Maybe she should try something up in her apartment.
    She took the elevator up to her third floor apartment and stood in the middle of her living room, trying to decide what magic she wanted to make. The pass-through fireplace was just begging to be lit. The dining room was on one side and the living room on the other. The stone surround stretched from floor to ceiling. It was Emily’s favorite feature of her new apartment. Maybe of her whole new life.
    That’s perfect. As soon as enough time had passed after Owen’s death, which would probably be in about six hours, Emily would need to be able to entertain a hot guy. And her living room was set up for entertaining.
    She poured herself a glass of wine and sat on the couch. Her mind tried to stay focused on lifting a log with her magic and setting it inside the fireplace. She dropped it six times before she finally just picked it up and threw the log into the fireplace. A sharp pain in her finger drew her attention. Six splinters. Are you kidding me?
    “Damn it all to hell. Magic is not easier. Or faster for that matter.”
    She could imagine Ingrid scolding her, “You don’t get splinters doing magic, Em.”
    “Shut up, Ingrid.” Even though Ingrid wasn’t there, it still felt nice to yell at someone. “Magic sucks.”
    Then she decided it was time to light a fire. Ingrid always made that look so easy. Emily looked around the room, and her gaze came to rest on the fire extinguisher. She grabbed it and set it near the hearth. Just in case.
    She concentrated. Stared at the wood. Looked intensely at the kindling and thought about hot things. Nothing.
    Ugh. She started pacing in circles