Read A Hidden Witch (A Modern Witch Series: Book 2) for Free Online Page B

see?
    Marcus was still in arrogant-king-to-peasant
mode. “Are you saying my testing is wrong, little girl?”
    Ginia laid her hands on the table in full
Warrior Girl form. “Maybe Elorie is an extra-special kind of witch
we’ve never seen before.”
    “Maybe your nine-year-old imagination is
overriding your logic.”
    “Maybe your imagination got drowned in a moat
and eaten by crocodiles.”
    Steam was going to come out of her daughter’s
head any minute, and Nell wasn’t in any mood to stop her. Hell, she
was a hairsbreadth away from stepping up and holding her cloak.
Pompous old witch.
    “Enough.” Elorie started to speak, eyes
anguished. Then the screen went blank. Ginia dove under the desk to
troubleshoot. When she didn’t surface quickly, Nell went down to
help. Ten minutes later, she called Moira’s landline.
    No one had any idea what had happened, but
Moira’s computer was entirely cooked.

Chapter 4
    Elorie sat down at the kitchen table, rubbing
her tired hands. After a full day of jewelry making, she
appreciated both the break and the sublime smells emanating from
the stovetop—the unmistakable scent of basil, melting butter, and
something else she couldn’t identify.
    “That smells incredible, sweetie.”
    Her husband turned around and grinned, his “I
Cook for Sex” apron splattered in unidentified green stuff. Aaron
was an amazing cook, but not a neat one. “Pesto meatballs and
risotto. It’ll be just another couple of minutes.”
    Pesto explained the green goo on the apron.
“Whatever you’re trying to soften me up for, it’s working.”
    “You’re just a lucky bystander. I’m making pesto
omelets for breakfast tomorrow, so I blended a fresh batch this
afternoon. I figured I could use some of it to liven up our
dinner.”
    “Gran’s totally jealous of your basil patch.
Even with magic, she can’t match it.”
    Aaron grinned. “We non-witches have our
skills.”
    And he was a constant, solid reminder of that.
Elorie got up from the table and laid her head against his back.
“I’ll miss your cooking while I’m gone. I wish you could come with
me.”
    He turned around and popped a meatball in her
mouth. “So do I, but the guests get grumpy when there’s no one here
to feed them.”
    While technically they were co-owners of the Sea
Trance Bed & Breakfast Inn, Elorie knew she could slip away for
a week and hardly cause a ripple in the smooth functioning of the
inn.
    Aaron, unfortunately, was fairly indispensible,
especially since their most experienced staff person was currently
out on maternity leave. They’d managed to sneak away the night
before to celebrate their anniversary, but a whole week was
unthinkable.
    He carried two plates to the table and Elorie
followed, drooling. As they sat down, he reached for one of her
hands and started gently massaging. “Are you all ready for the
show?”
    Elorie nodded as she spooned in risotto. She’d
been feverishly preparing inventory for the San Francisco Art Fair
for over two months, ever since her totally unexpected selection as
an emerging artist. Her mentor insisted she would need at least ten
thousand dollars of wares to sell, double that if her sea glass was
popular.
    It was mind-boggling to imagine selling that
much in a weekend, but Elorie believed in her art. She had almost
four hundred pieces ready to take with her to California, and her
exhausted hands were evidence of just how hard she had worked.
    “I need to go back out tonight and pack up for
the plane, but everything is ready to go.”
    Aaron smiled and switched to rubbing her other
hand. “I’ll come out and help you with that. Your booth setup
should arrive in California tomorrow, and Nell’s going to pick you
up at the airport.”
    Elorie tried to find the energy to protest. “She
doesn’t need to do that. I can catch a cab.”
    “And when was the last time we let a guest take
a cab?”
    He had a point. “It will be nice to see everyone
again. I made sea-glass