Sprites and Scuttlebutt: Magical Mystery Book Club Book 6 by Elizabeth Pantley

Author:Elizabeth Pantley [Pantley, Elizabeth]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Better Beginnings, Inc
Published: 2024-02-15T00:00:00+00:00

Belladonna and Zinnia returned and placed trays with our drinks and pastries on a table. We complimented their fountain again and added generous praise for the job they’d done on their landscaping and the beauty of their home.

“I’m wondering about something,” said Atticus casually. “We heard that you had a disagreement with the advisor. Can you tell us what that was about?”

“It was about our fountain,” said Belladonna.

“Yeah,” Zinnia rolled her eyes. “That was so frustrating. The bureaucracy should keep their noses out of our personal business. It’s ridiculous that they can tell you what you can and can’t do with your very own property. If you’re not harming anyone, why should they care?”

“Here, here,” said Moonbeam. “Political bullies are the worst.”

“I agree! Cypress is head of the design committee,” said Belladonna, frowning. “Oh, I should say he was the head of the committee. May he rest in peace.”

Her grimace told us that those words were civil, but not heartfelt.

“Cypress led the vote against our request. They said no. We couldn’t put a fountain in our yard.”

Mollie and Valeria came out the door and returned to the gazebo. Valeria poured a cup of juice and took the remaining chair, while Mollie sat on the edge of the fountain.

I glanced over at Mollie, and she shrugged her shoulders and lifted her hands. “Looks like their sleeping potion is nothin’ fancy. It’s chamomile tea, honey, and peppermint. My mam used that same combination for her own sleeplessness. We didn’t see anything out of the ordinary in there.”

We’d paused our conversation awkwardly while Mollie spoke to us, and Belladonna’s brow wrinkled in confusion as she glanced over to where we all looked.

“I thought I saw a hummingbird!” said Zell, bridging the awkward silence and covering for our distraction.

“Yes! A hummingbird!” said Valeria, nodding enthusiastically.

“Possibly,” said Belladonna. “They do enjoy our flowers.”

Mollie spun around and dipped her ghostly feet into the water, though she didn’t get a bit wet.

I picked up the conversation where we’d left off. “You were telling us that the advisor said you couldn’t put the fountain in your yard.”

“But you obviously have a fountain,” said Forrest.

Zell leaned forward in her chair. “Did you wait ‘til he kicked the bucket, and then you built it?”

“What? No! Are you crazy?” said Belladonna in shock.

Zinnia shook her head. “The fountain took months to design and install, and the advisor just died! No, no! We appealed the decision, and his high-and-mighty committee finally agreed. They said as long as it spewed rainbow-colored water and chimed musically that we could install it.”

“Were there other problems or was that your only conflict with Cypress?” asked Moonbeam.

“You can’t really call that a conflict, can you?” Zinnia seemed annoyed. “If you are hinting that we are somehow involved in the advisor’s death you are mistaken. We followed all the procedures, and our request was approved in due process.”

“It was not a conflict!” said Belladonna. “And we had no other dealings with him.”

“No, that doesn’t sound like a conflict at all,” agreed Atticus.

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