The Magic Of Halloween Night

Chapter 16

Friday

“I found the perfect one,” Paisley yelled as she ran across the pumpkin farm with Cass. Gracie, Tom, and I were on their heels.

“That is a pretty perfect pumpkin,” I agreed. “It will look really good on that table near the front window.”

Paisley grinned. “I want to get some for the front porch too. And one for my room.”

“We can get as many as you want, sweetpea.” I knew I was totally overcompensating for the fact that I had ended up being late to Paisley’s play last night even though I’d sworn I wouldn’t be, but Tom and Gracie had gotten there early and had sat right in the front. When I’d explained to Paisley what had happened, she said she understood.

“I’m going to head over to the barn to pick out some fruit for a pie and some gourds for the table,” Gracie said.

“I’ll come with you,” Tom offered.

Paisley smiled up at Cass. “Do you want to help me find a big one for my room?”

“Absolutely.”

I couldn’t help but smile as Cass and Paisley took off across the dirt field, hand in hand. He really would make a wonderful father. To Paisley and to any children we might decide to have. I’d struggled daily with my fears ever since we’d decided to take our relationship to the next level. Had my decision been rash? Had I sealed both our deaths? And if something happened to the two of us, what would become of Paisley?

“Ugh!” I said aloud as I headed in the direction Cass and Paisley had gone off in. I knew that trying to find an answer to a question that really had no answer — at least no answer that could be foretold — was going to make me crazy. The only way to know if Cass and I had activated the curse was to wait and see what happened in the months and years to come.

I did love him. So much. I wanted to have a life with him. I wanted Cass, Paisley, and me to be a real family. Denying my heart’s desire to save Cass’s life was one thing, but denying us the happiness we might have had when I didn’t really know how the whole thing worked seemed sort of pointless.

“Hey, Callie.”

I smiled as Naomi walked toward me with the most gorgeous man I’d ever seen by her side. “Hey, Naomi.”

“This is River. He’s a friend of Hancock’s.”

I knew Hancock was Naomi’s neighbor and part-time lover. “I’m happy to meet you,” I said. “Are you in Naval Intelligence as well?”

“Actually, I am,” he answered.

I didn’t know exactly what it was that Hancock did for the Navy, but I did know that he seemed to pop in and out without warning, and for some reason, Naomi was fine with that.

“Will you be in town long?” I asked.

“A few weeks.”

“Is Paisley here with you?” Naomi asked.

“Yeah. She and Cass are looking for the perfect pumpkin for her room.”

“River has a little sister about Paisley’s age,” she informed me. “She’s going to be staying with River and me out at my place for a week. I wanted to ask Paisley about maybe coming by and spending some time with her. I’m afraid she’ll be bored since there aren’t really any kids living near me.”

“I’m sure Paisley would be happy to do that.” Naomi and River? “They headed up the hill. I was just heading in that direction.”

The three of us continued up the hill. When we arrived at the top, Cass greeted River. Apparently, the two men knew each other, which confirmed in my mind that River had visited Foxtail Lake in the past. The men both pitched in to help Paisley with her search for the perfect pumpkin while Naomi and I held back.

“She looks happy,” Naomi said.

I nodded. “She’s doing a lot better now that I’ve made the decision to take over as her guardian should Ethel be unable to continue in the role.”

“And Cass?” she asked.

“Cass?”

“Will he be helping you in this new role?” She looked in his direction. “He does seem to be a natural.”

“He really is good with her,” I agreed. “It’s just that…”

“It’s just that people you have loved died, and you’ve been convinced that the reason they died was because of a curse that you can neither prove nor disprove the authenticity of.”

“Exactly.”

She took my hand in hers. “I think I can help you with that.”

“You can?”

She smiled. “I know a witch, and she knows a spell. You and Cass and the crazy situation you’ve found yourselves in have been on my mind a lot, so I talked to her about you and your situation.”

“And?” I asked.

“And the right words, spoken with the right intent under a blue moon on Halloween night, should do the trick.”

I raised a brow. “Do the trick?”

“The curse was cast with words that were all mixed up with emotion and intent. Similar words said with an equal amount of emotion and intent, said under the Halloween moon, should be enough to undo whatever was done in the first place. If you’re interested, I can get you the right words to say. The emotion and intent will be up to you.”

Oh, I was tempted. So very, very tempted. “What do you mean by emotion and intent?”

“The witch who cast the spell did so out of rage. Her strong emotion, combined with the intention to do harm to the one who hurt her, was the base. When combined with the right words, and I suspect a full moon or another astrological event, the curse was born, which put future events into motion. If you want to undo what was done, then you must bring your own emotion and intent to the table. Nature has provided the blue moon, and I will provide the words.”

“And it’s as easy as that?” I asked, still skeptical.

“Only if you believe. I mean, really believe. If you don’t believe with your whole heart, if your intent is less than pure or your emotions held in check, it won’t work. But yes, if you are pure in heart and are open to the magic of love and possibilities, then it will work.”

I thought about Cass. I thought about the life we could have. I thought about the strong belief that had ruled my life since I was old enough to believe in curses. I wanted so badly to believe Naomi. To trust what she was telling me. I wanted to commit fully to Cass. I wanted to marry him, adopt Paisley, and maybe have a couple children of my own. I wanted the happily ever after with all my heart. Naomi asked if I could bring a pure intent and strong emotion to the table. I knew I could. The question in my mind was whether or not I would be able to leave my fear at the door.