Free A Witching Well of Magic: A Cozy Mystery (Witchy Women of Coven Grove Book 2) by Constance Barker

alright?” He asked when she pulled away from their hug.
    “ I just worry about you,” she said. “That’s all. You’ve got to keep busy, you know? Keep moving.” She didn’t say that she couldn’t bear to lose him as well. It would make the inevitable possibility too real, too soon. She knew he wouldn’t live forever; she just didn’t like to think about it.
    “ I know, Red,” Ryan said. He studied her for a moment longer before he pulled her in again and hugged her. “I know. Don’t feel bad for me. I love you more than anything, just like your Mama would want; I’ll always look out for you, always put you first. Okay?”
    “ Okay, Dad,” Bailey muttered.
    “ Promise me,” he said.
    She nodded. “I promise.” But, it was broken the moment she said it. It was because of her he’d quit the paper. Because of her secrets, and because of the people that wanted them, even though they didn’t even know what it was they wanted.
    Well, her and the Coven would put an end to that.
    In the mean time, Ryan wanted to put on a movie, so Bailey let him, but she didn’t stay up for it. She had to go to bed eventually, and she had a mess to clean up already.
    But when she went upstairs, dreading the process of vacuuming and wiping up ash from all of the room where the wind had gusted into the bowl, she was pleasantly surprised—and a little bit bewildered—to find that there was none. Not a single bit of ash from the bowl had ended up anywhere inside the room.
     

Chapter 9
    After the tours the next day, Bailey left before Aiden could arrest her attention again. He did catch her on the way out, but it was brief when she apologized, and explained that she had some work to catch up on at the library. Still, he seemed like he had something he wanted to say.
    “ It can wait,” he told her. “Don’t let me take up all of your time. I’ll see you tomorrow, though?”
    There were tours scheduled, and Aiden still hadn’t managed to even take a full tour with Bailey, so of course she would be there tomorrow as well, before the Tour Office was closed for a day. “Same time, same place,” she told him.
    “ Then I shall speak with you then,” he said, smiling. “Have a wonderful evening, Bailey.” Always with that wink of his. It was infuriating that he was so handsome. Why couldn't he have been some old geezer with a bird beak for a nose and a comb over. Bailey shuddered. Well maybe it was better to have Aiden and his good looks than the other option she thought.
    She pried herself away from the curiosity of wanting to know what he wanted to talk about. The list of things she needed to speak with the Coven ladies about was getting long.
    Rita was there when she arrived at the Bakery, but was on her way out. She looked upset about something. Or, then again, maybe that was just how she always looked. She gave Bailey an appraising look as she left, however, and it left Bailey wondering if, this time, she really was upset—and somehow, at Bailey.
    “ Everything alright?” Bailey asked the women when she was alone with them. The evening crowd hadn’t quite started to trickle in yet, but they would soon.
    Francis, Aria, and Chloe had some silent conversation between them, spoken with looks, eyebrows, and shoulders. They decided, apparently, that whatever was going on didn’t concern Bailey. It was frustrating, but that was how it went sometimes.
    Under other circumstances, Bailey would have pressed them a little more for something. As it was, she was happy just to skip past the usual riddles and cryptic comments and go straight to what was on her own mind.
    “ Can we talk?” She asked. “Upstairs, I mean.” She gave it the sort of grave, pointed undertone that she hoped they took to mean it had to do with Coven business.
    “ Aria,” Francis said, “you’ll mind the counter?”
    Aria looked like she might complain, but didn’t. Instead she leaned sullenly on the counter behind the register. “We’ll be