Charmed & Deadly (18 page)

Sweet, Texas
3 a.m.
Optimistic, slightly drunk witches: 1

n
ow,
that
was a party. I wasn’t kidding about the whole town being invited. Billy’s friend Joseph owns the liquor store and he brought five kegs. Everyone contributed food, bottles of wine, and whiskey. There were bowls of punch for the kids and some great music.

Ms. Johnnie had her new boyfriend, Hawk, who is only 50 (but we aren’t going to dwell on that), bring his jukebox up. It was loaded with all kinds of music, even some of Zane’s tunes.

Caleb picked Margie and Billy up in Dallas and flew them to Sweet. They had no idea we were throwing a party for them. He told them there was a town meeting and everyone wanted to kick me out of Sweet, so they needed their votes. Of course they came with him. They are both as loyal as it gets.

We didn’t want to do crepe paper streamers, so we took all of the white twinkle lights we use at Christmas and put them on every plant in the Civic Center. Kira had ordered tons of flowers and we had tiny votives in little colored glass holders on all the tables. It created a very warm and romantic atmosphere.

Old Mr. Coleman waited at the door to let us know when the couple arrived.

When they walked in we all yelled, “Congratulations!” Margie busted out in happy tears, and I saw Billy wipe a few off his face, too. Those two are so in love. They danced all night long, never straying far from each other.

Sam and I were able to dance to a few slow numbers. Wrapped in his arms, tight against his chest and swaying to the music, is just about the best feeling there is. But midway through the party he was called away to the hospital. That’s what happens when you hook up with a doctor. He’s still there, which is one of the reasons I’m up writing at three in the morning.

The knock on the door earlier had been from FedEx. They had a package from Azir. I opened it when I got home after the party.

With Azir it could be a check for a million dollars, or the title to a fleet of Bentleys. He’s insanely generous.

We’d left on a good note in Fiji. I’d gone with him to the airport, but before we boarded our different jets, we had a quick chat in the car.

“Azir. Are you okay?” I was checking my purse to make sure I had all my papers. I’d packed in a hurry and was worried I’d left my passport behind.

“What do you mean?” Azir asked.

I sighed. “About all of this crap. If it hadn’t been for me, you wouldn’t have been kidnapped and driven half mad.”

He smiled. “We are good, my friend.” He reached over and squeezed my hand.

“Cool.”

And that’s how we left it.

When I opened the package, my breath caught for just a moment. Inside a bubble-wrapped package was a small, glass clown fish.

The note read:

“Thank you for being my friend.—A.”

The simple gift was so precious that it brought tears to my eyes. Of course, I seem to be overly sentimental about everything these days.

My mind keeps churning through everything that has happened the last few weeks.

Garnout’s disappearance was the toughest thing for me. Every time I think about him I get teary-eyed. I’m so grateful he’s home. Last night I couldn’t resist doing a mental check on him.

“Hello, witch.” Garnout said without looking up. He sat at the counter of his shop perusing a large book. “Spying on me?”

What could I say? “Yes. Is everything okay?”

He shook his head, but smiled. “I am well. Are you continuing your training? It is of the utmost importance. You will have a grave responsibility soon, and you must be up to the task.”

“What kind of responsibility?” Much like Darcy, Garnout always talked in riddles when it came to the future.

“There is an imbalance now, and when that happens, evil moves fast. You are stronger than you know, and you must train over the next few weeks and discover how to combine your powers. And you must always be aware.
Always.”

This was the third time in three days I had the same lecture. I didn’t roll my eyes, but I wanted to. To be honest, I hadn’t done a lot of training, but I would. I knew what Calinda could do if she showed up, and the wizard was right—I had to be ready for anything.

He waved a hand at me. “Away with you and stop wasting your powers spying on me.” The words were said in a harsh manner, but he smiled.

“Whatever. Geez, I only wanted to make sure you were okay.”
And that the wicked sorceress hadn’t kidnapped you…again
. Of course I didn’t say that part. I said good-bye and tried to relax.

In addition to wondering where Calinda will pop up next, I also have stupid Jason’s words rolling around in my head.

“The one closest will destroy you.”
The words had been spoken when he knew he was about to die. He probably wanted to mess with my brain. At least, I keep telling myself that.

The one closest to me is Sam, and if he has a secret that is going to destroy me, I don’t want to know. Really. Well, I don’t want to know today. Things are so good for us right now; our relationship is stronger than ever.

I love him so much, and I’m not ready to let that go. I refuse to let Jason’s words make even one day I have with Sam an unhappy one. I’m moving forward with my life, and with the man I love.

Candace (Candy) Havens
is a veteran entertainment journalist. In addition to her columns seen in newspapers throughout the country, she is the entertainment critic for 96.3 KSCS. She is the author of
Charmed & Dangerous
,
Charmed & Ready
, and the nonfiction biography
Joss Whedon: The Genius Behind Buffy
, as well as several published essays. You can visit her at www.candacehavens.com or for the real crazy stuff at http://candyhavens.livejournal.com.