Free Dewitched (Witchless In Seattle Mysteries Book 3) by Dakota Cassidy

I’d lost my powers. She never really listened anyway unless it had to do with her. If I kept that in mind, if I could just accept her as is, this visit could turn out okay.
    She stopped pecking at the laptop and gazed at me. “I was relieved when you said you’d lost the ability to talk to spirits. I never liked you talking to the dead.”
    “I distinctly remember you telling me it was creepy.” Yes, that’s right, folks, my own mother, a witch herself, thought I was creepy because I had the ability to speak to the afterlife.
    She took a delicate sip of her whiskey, her pinky finger extended. “It was, and still is.”
    Gritting my teeth, I nodded. “You’re probably right, but Win’s the reason I have all this.”
    “Do tell her it’s a pleasure to meet her and give her my condolences, would you, Dove?” Win requested.
    “Win says he’s pleased to meet you and he’s sorry about Bart.”
    Mom’s perfectly plucked eyebrow rose. “Are you talking to him right now?”
    Tracing the pattern of the wood tabletop with my finger, I nodded. “I am. It’s why I have the Bluetooth. So everyone won’t think I’m talking to myself.”
    “Well, tell him to go away!” she snapped. “We have personal business to discuss!”
    “Mom? Did you just hear what I said?”
    “Yes, dear. You said you have a ghost.”
    “A ghost who gave me all this ! The house, more money than I know what to do with in two lifetimes, a stress-free financial future, a car, his friendship , Mom. I’m not booting my ghost out because you think he’s creepy. Win knows everything there is to know about me. We have no secrets.” Well, not on my part, anyway.
    “See Stephania stand up for her creepy ghost. I’m all aglow here on Plane Limbo,” Win teased.
    And then everything I’d just said obviously sank into Dita’s brain. She stirred in her chair. “Wait, are you telling me that this ghost gave this house to you?”
    Ah. Now I had Dita’s attention. Not that it should matter. In a couple of days, she was going to be rich, if what she said about Bart and his life insurance policy held true. Not to mention, he had a villa in Greece. People who had villas in Greece had many bank accounts, and probably lots of olives in those bank accounts.
    I smiled, leaning my head on my hand. “He did. It didn’t always look like this. That’s why we had a housewarming party. But if not for him, Bel and I would be out on the street. I had nothing when I was booted out of Paris by Baba Yaga—”
    “You have money?” she asked, now sitting up straight, effectively cutting off all talk of me and my tale of woe.
    “I do. Plenty of it.”
    “Why would a ghost leave you his money? Was he once a lover?”
    I think my cheeks turned twelve shades of crimson as I looked at my mother. “No, Mom. It’s a long story, but it has to do with a murder and a woman named—”
    “Well, how much money?” Mom closed the laptop, her interest clearly piqued.
    Whoa, slow the roll now. Why did she care? I could see if she was between marriages, but she surely had boatloads of cash. “Why does it matter?”
    “Because I might be in a—”
    “Dita?” a voice full of wonder said from behind us.
    “Make room for daddy,” Win muttered.
    * * * *
    “Hugh?” my mother whispered, her lower lip trembling, a perfection of lip gloss and fragile glass. “Is that you?”
    So he really was Hugh Granite? My jaw unhinged.
    Hugh smiled that perfect smile and strolled toward her, his hands outstretched in a welcoming gesture. “You’re as beautiful as always, Flower.”
    And he called her Flower .
    “Is that really you?” Dita asked in her own tone of wonder, taking his hands and letting him pull her to her feet.
    If this were a movie, things would be all slow motion and heart-tugging music would be playing right now and I’d be dripping the salt of my tears on my popcorn. I actually had to blink to believe I was really seeing this reunion.
    Wowwowwow, were they