Black Candle Women by Diane Marie Brown

Author:Diane Marie Brown
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Graydon House Books
Published: 2022-12-15T18:44:21+00:00

24

Victoria

The Monday morning after Willow left, Madelyn greeted Victoria with coffee stirred with sugar, cream, and a sprinkle of nutmeg. She asked her mother what she was doing at the reception desk.

“Well, I’m filling in for Willow. You know, until she...is allowed back.”

Victoria chuckled, incredulous. Madelyn was in over her head. While she’d peeked into Willow’s bedroom first thing to make sure her sister hadn’t crept back in overnight, the room empty, the bed made just like it had been the day before, she thought perhaps that her sister might have shown up for work, worried about her paycheck. Why else had Victoria smelled coffee?

Madelyn didn’t move, waiting for Victoria to take her drink. “Well, if you’re not going to drink this, then I certainly will. Looking at the schedule, we got a long day ahead.”

Victoria reached for the cup, picked up the folder from the edge of her desk, and went into her office. She didn’t want to drink the coffee, but its rich aroma begged her to take a sip. Like every other thing her mother whipped up, it was delicious. She’d been on edge, the women in the house surely feeling it. Her belly ached when she thought back to the previous night’s events—finding the spell on Nickie’s phone, telling Willow to leave. She hadn’t even grappled with Nickie’s question about the curse. Willow must have said something about it. At least it was done. The truth was out, and if Nickie wanted to know more, she could come to her. In a way, her sister had done her a favor, telling the story that Victoria herself had been too hesitant to share with her daughter.

The mug of coffee would soon cool if she didn’t drink. It wouldn’t hurt to accept a kindness extended her way, even if there was a motive behind it. Her mother, no doubt, would soon be asking for another extension to her stay.

The only change she’d ever imagined to her practice in terms of personnel was Nickie joining her, a grown-up version of her daughter pushing Victoria to renovate the house, expanding the reception space and adding a second office. What she saw in front of her, Madelyn at the desk, she could never have imagined. But she’d have to accept it for now. Before her first client arrived, she popped back out to the reception area where Madelyn was sorting paperclips by color into a divided container. “We’ll try this out. But you have to be on your best behavior. No talking back. No sass.”

“I know how to work in an office, Ms. Montrose. You see that? I didn’t even call you Victoria. Or should I call you Doctor?”

“Victoria is fine.” She told Madelyn if she was going to help out, she needed her to be on time every morning at seven thirty sharp, looking neat and smelling like soap—no perfume. They’d see how it went this first week, or however long it took until Willow came crawling back, once she’d grown tired of whatever shit January was giving her.

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