I woke up early the next morning, wanting to make sure I saw Joel before I left for work. One coffee and dinner wouldn’t fix everything, but this was Joel. And despite it all, I had truly loved him at one point in my life. So I didn’t want us to end on yet another bad note. Chances were I was never going to see him again, so I might as well let this go for real.

As I walked into the kitchen, I stopped short in the doorway. Joel was in there already, making breakfast. Or, more accurately, he was conducting some kind of magical orchestra of dishes and ingredients that were currently stirring, scrambling, and baking themselves all around the room.

“Morning!” he called cheerfully from the corner where he was sitting on a stool he’d pulled over from the breakfast bar. He sipped a coffee, the only thing he was actually using his hands to do.

“Um, morning,” I said, dodging a floating spatula as I made my way to the coffeemaker. “What’s-”

“Eggs and pancakes sound good to you?”

“Joel, you don’t-”

“I know,” he said, flicking his wrist at a basket of something fragrant cooling on the counter. “This is me saying thanks for letting me stay here.”

“It’s fine,” I said, pouring a cup and taking a sip.

He’d always made coffee the exact same way, and I’d never been able to replicate it, no matter what I tried. Even years after the breakup, I’d attempt to get that exact right flavor, not wanting to admit it was probably magic. But as I drank my coffee now, I was once again sent back in time for a nanosecond as the taste hit my tongue.

“I’ll be out of your hair in a little while,” Joel said.

The floating spatula flipped a pancake on the griddle surface while the eggs scrambled merrily on their own in the frying pan. It was harmless, but the sight of so much obvious magic in my house made me a little queasy. This was what he’d chosen over me. And while I could be mad about it, how could I possibly compare to a life where this was the norm?

A muffin floating in the air in front of me interrupted the downward spiral of my self-esteem. Joel was grinning as he steered it toward me. “Apple cinnamon,” he said with a grin. “Your favorite.”

It still was, and I didn’t want to give him the satisfaction of admitting it. But it smelled like heaven and I was going to cave, eventually. So I took the offering for what it was. “Thanks.”

Joel turned to steer the eggs off of the stove. Then, with a flick of his hand, three plates were steadily filled with food. “I’ll cover Gretel’s,” he told me, turning to pick up another plate.

“So you’re going to do that part like us mere mortals?” I asked.

“I’m mortal,” Joel replied, his tone a little darker as he turned the second plate over to cover Gretel’s food.

Weird. But not my problem. I was going to take the peace offering, enjoy it, and then move on to what was sure to be a spectacularly stressful day at work.

He handed me a plate, then took his own to the breakfast counter, sitting down in a different stool near where I was currently leaning. We ate in silence for a moment and I tried not to be too happy about how good this breakfast was. I’d been planning a bowl of cereal, but instead, I had apple cinnamon muffins somehow grilled to crispy perfection, along with my eggs and pancakes.

I had to do it though. Otherwise, I’d end up feeling bad forever. So after a few bites, I turned to Joel. “Listen,” I said. “I’m sorry for last night.”

He waved me off, mouth full of food. “S’okay.”

There was more to say, I was sure of it. But I didn’t know exactly what it was, so I left it at that and went back to eating.

By the time I got out of the shower twenty minutes after finishing breakfast, Joel was packed up and waiting in the kitchen to say goodbye. He looked like your storybook magician, with a long trench coat, cloth bag, and newsboy cap. He went in for a hug and I let him, squeezing back as he gripped me tightly.

“Thank you,” he said. “It really was nice to see you.”

The polite thing to say would be “it’s nice to see you too,” but the past eighteen hours had been far more complicated than that. So I let go and nodded. “You too,” I said, hoping it didn’t sound as grudging as it felt.

Joel picked up his bag and walked out, leaving me alone in the spotless kitchen.

***

I got to the hotel a little while later and tried unsuccessfully to put Joel out of my mind. Despite my previous prediction, it was actually a very slow morning. The hours dragged on while I was at work and the insurance conference was going without a hitch. Which I should have been grateful for. And I was, really. But my mind was still spinning a little from the past day or so.

Joel had come back. And I’d let him.

But he hadn’t tried to get me to come back to him. I tapped my pen absently on my desk as I considered that possibility. He hadn’t flirted, hadn’t asked me to leave the life I’d made. He hadn’t even tried to make a move on me. That part of our life was completely over. It wasn’t like I was offended by it, but it was a strange feeling. Like a door that I’d deliberately closed years ago had opened back up and there was another, weird door behind it.

“Daria, have you gotten your lunch break yet?”

Angie’s voice broke me out of my thoughts. “No,” I said. “Should I go now?”

“Yeah. The insurance thing is going to be wrapping up and then they have a social planned in the bar. So we’ll have to set that up after you get back.”

Another thing that was fully planned for, meaning there would be nothing to distract me from my thoughts. I got up and picked up my purse. “I’ll be back,” I said.

“One other thing,” Angie said as I was about to walk out of my makeshift conference room office nook. “The bride? Cherise? Has she been by here?”

“Not since I’ve been working,” I replied. “Why?”

Angie was frowning. “It’s strange,” she said. “I thought I saw her walk past my office a little while ago.”

“I haven’t seen her all day. But we’ve only spoken on the phone, so maybe I didn’t recognize her.”

“This is a weird one,” Angie said with a shiver. “I’ll be happy when the wedding is over.”

“Maybe it was someone who just looked like her,” I said, though I was uneasy about it now too.

I walked out, leaving Angie standing thoughtfully by my desk.

***

Salem was busy today, not that that was anything unusual. It was a beautiful day, just chilly enough to remind you that summer isn’t quite here yet. I walked down the block, thinking about how just yesterday I’d been dodging tourists in a ridiculous chase. Without realizing it, I’d begun retracing the same path. I decided to go with it, enjoying the ambiance of the cobblestones of Derby Street and passing by the old folks relaxing by the fountains.

About ten minutes later, I was outside of Arise Coffee. Unlike yesterday, it was much quieter as I stepped in the front door. But I immediately spotted a shock of blue hair at the register as Ezra nodded at me in recognition.

“Oh, it’s you!” he said, eyes glittering with mischief. “Your usual?”

“Not today,” I said with a grin. “Just a small coffee. I’m paying for it myself this time.”

Ezra laughed softly, shaking his head as he punched my order into the cash register. “Listen,” he said. “I appreciate a good power move. I don’t know what he did, but that was one of the most sacrilegious, satisfying coffee orders I’ve ever made.”

“Just an ex-boyfriend,” I said as I handed Ezra my debit card. “He’s not a bad guy, but I had to prove a point.”

“Judging by his face when he paid, I’d say you proved it.”

Ezra handed back my card and I stepped to the side to let the next person order. I gazed out the window as I waited. There were fat, puffy clouds over the building across the street, which was built in that old urban way with no alleys between the businesses. They looked whimsical at first glance, but looking at the signs, the building housed a dentist’s office, an insurance company, and an accountant’s office.

I’d lived in and around Salem for most of my life. And even though I wanted nothing to do with the real magic parts of it, I could easily ignore them and just live my life. It was a nice place to live, full of history and beauty. I loved it, even when the chaos of Halloween made it hard to leave my house for a few weeks each year.

“Small coffee, zero spite!”

I walked back over to the counter, where Ezra was holding my drink, a broad smile crinkling his eyes. “Thank you,” I said. “I’ll see you soon.”

“Alone, or…”

“Yeah, he left town again. So we won’t be covering half of your shop’s sales goals any longer.”

“We’ll make do,” Ezra said, then hurried over to help another customer.

***

The insurance mixer was as wild as you would expect a pre-dinner social event to get. One man, clearly reveling in the freedom of a business trip, ended up dancing on one of the sturdier tables for a few minutes until security could get over to him. But they needed minimal assistance from me on the matter, so I spent a relatively slow afternoon confirming details on all the upcoming events.

Cherise’s wedding was only a few days away. But unless there were any new surprises, it was all set. Angie’s story was still ringing in my head, so that probably explained the moment about an hour into my afternoon, when I looked up from my desk with a jolt, sure that someone was standing in the conference room doorway. Of course it had been empty, but I’d been unsettled by it nonetheless. There was so much about that woman that I wanted nothing to do with.

About ten minutes before I was going to go home, my phone rang. “Events coordination, this is Daria,” I answered pleasantly.

“Dar, honey, it’s Reg.”

Oh fuck. I closed my eyes and kept my anxious sigh far away from the phone receiver. “Hi Reg,” I said. “What’s going on?”

“Strangest thing,” Reg said, seemingly not all that concerned. “My freezers went out today. Every single one of them at the same time.”

“Oh, no!” I exclaimed, my heart sinking. “How bad is it?”

“With the help of a regular who is skilled in these things, the food is staying cold,” Reg said. “But I may have to store some of my wedding catering over at the hotel if you have the freezer space.”

We didn’t, but I’d make it happen. Because I both loved Reg and needed this wedding to stop haunting me. “Whatever you need, Reg,” I said, jotting a note on my notepad. “Let me know and we’ll get it for you.”

“You’re a good kid, Miss Dar,” Reg said.

He was the only person in town that could get away with talking to me like this. Well, not the only one. But one of very few. All the others were old ladies living with my aunt. So rather than roll my eyes, I just smiled. “Anything for you,” I said. “And to get this wedding going smoothly.”

“It’s quite an unlucky event, isn’t it?”

Even through the phone, I could hear the knowing smile. “Has Cherise called you yet?” I asked.

“Not yet,” Reg said. “But she will. This afternoon if Ma is correct, which she usually is.”

Oh my God, it was time to go home.

After a few meandering goodbyes, I hung up. I quickly sent off an email about the freezers to Stephen, the general manager of the Landmark, then gathered up my belongings.

For the first time in days, nobody stopped me with a last-minute task or question before I left the hotel. Angie’s office was dark. I knew she was meeting this afternoon and I slipped out right on time before she got back. The insurance party was still going strong, so I avoided the bar and went straight for the main exit.

Fifteen minutes later, I was pulling into my parking space outside of our duplex building. The other parking space was vacant, much like the other side of our building. A rarity, but I’d take it for now. It wouldn’t stay vacant for long, not with the rental market in Salem as hot as it was. I walked up the stairs to our front door, opened it, and went inside. My mind was on the garden as I hung my coat on a hook just outside our front door, considering what needed to be done today and what could wait.

But then I opened the door and saw that the apartment had been completely trashed. Horror bubbled up inside of me as I stood in the doorway, taking in the carnage. The living room, which this door opened directly into, was completely tossed around. My throw pillows were torn and stomped on, scattered among the tipped furniture. And looking further in, I could see the kitchen, which had been sparkling when I left, had been destroyed.

Hands trembling, I slammed the door shut and hurried out of the building, abandoning my coat on the wall. As soon as I was back outside in the weakening sunlight, I took my phone out of my pocket with shaking hands to call Gretel.

---

Continue to Chapter 6