it.” She shrugged. “Now that I’m older, I know I didn’t miss out on anything. I like not having to worry about locking my door, and as much as I complain about it, I feel safe that everyone is watching out for everyone else.” Jaclyn crunched another piece of ice. “Maddie’s probably watching us right now through her binoculars. She has a night-vision pair.” Jaclyn shot her the finger just in case.
“I should get going,” Morgan said as she stood. “Thanks to you and the bourbon, I feel really relaxed now.” She extended a hand and helped Jaclyn to her feet.
“Should you have another anxiety attack, I’ll keep this bottle beneath the counter at the store.”
“I just might,” Morgan said with a smile. “At least tonight, I may sleep with the lights off for a change.”
Jaclyn looked toward the cabin and grinned. “You’re gonna blind the raccoons.”
~~~
“Son of a bitch, it’s working,” Ida exclaimed excitedly as she stomped into Clarice’s kitchen. “They were just sitting together on the pier. Clarice, brew up some more of that potion.”
Betsy rubbed her hands together, then looked alarmed. “Do you think we’re making it too strong? I did see Morgan beating a tree with a hose pipe.”
Clarice looked over her shoulder as she filled a teapot at the sink. “I’m gonna have to make her some of my calming blend.”
This gave Ida pause. “Could we have picked the wrong one? I don’t want to saddle Jaclyn with a maniac. Why would anyone beat a tree?”
“The leaves are never wrong,” Clarice said as she set the water to boil. “They told me that the one was coming, and Morgan showed up the next day.”
“Should we put this much faith in tea leaves? It could be coincidence,” Ida said.
“Not tea leaves, oak, they blow in a pattern, and I read them.” Betsy and Ida stared at Clarice blankly. “Oh, come on. How the hell does anyone make sense of tea leaves? You swallow half of ’em.”
Clarice pulled a joint from her special box and lit it up. “The leaves are talking plenty right now.”
“Clarice, you’re acquainted with fall, aren’t you?” Ida put a hand on her hip. “I’ve got a shitload of leaves on my patio, and they ain’t sayin’ anything to me.”
Clarice waved the joint she held pinched between two fingers. “Your negativity is jamming me up.”
“Please.” Betsy leaned wearily against the table. “This is supposed to be fun and to help Jaclyn. Can’t we keep our focus on that?”
Ida huffed but wasn’t too put off to take the joint from Clarice’s hand. She inhaled deeply and exhaled a lungful of smoke. “All right, tell me what the leaves say.”
Clarice leveled her gaze on Betsy. “They say not to meddle. Things between Morgan and Jaclyn have to unfold as they will.”
Betsy looked like a rabbit caught in a snare. “I haven’t. I’ve barely talked to Jaclyn, and I was only going to bring Morgan a pie.”
“But you talk to Maddie all the time, and she jumps in with both feet.” Ida took another long drag from the joint and passed it back to Clarice. “Have you told her anything about this?”
“No, but I still don’t understand why she can’t be a part of our group. She is Jaclyn’s sister after all, and I know she loves her the most.”
“Maddie can’t keep a secret to save her life,” Clarice said.
“And I don’t want her telling everyone that I smoke weed.” Ida patted her hip. “I have bursitis, you know.”
Betsy didn’t look convinced.
“It’s the power of three,” Clarice explained. “Any more would throw off the…juju.”
Ida nodded as though this reasoning made all the sense in the world to her.
CHAPTER 8
M organ stood on her porch the next morning looking at Clarice’s artwork. There was a beach scene painted on the mailbox, chunks of cement lined the road painted with angry faces and the words keep out beneath each one. Morgan never had a flair for art, and apparently, Clarice didn’t,
“I should get going,” Morgan said as she stood. “Thanks to you and the bourbon, I feel really relaxed now.” She extended a hand and helped Jaclyn to her feet.
“Should you have another anxiety attack, I’ll keep this bottle beneath the counter at the store.”
“I just might,” Morgan said with a smile. “At least tonight, I may sleep with the lights off for a change.”
Jaclyn looked toward the cabin and grinned. “You’re gonna blind the raccoons.”
~~~
“Son of a bitch, it’s working,” Ida exclaimed excitedly as she stomped into Clarice’s kitchen. “They were just sitting together on the pier. Clarice, brew up some more of that potion.”
Betsy rubbed her hands together, then looked alarmed. “Do you think we’re making it too strong? I did see Morgan beating a tree with a hose pipe.”
Clarice looked over her shoulder as she filled a teapot at the sink. “I’m gonna have to make her some of my calming blend.”
This gave Ida pause. “Could we have picked the wrong one? I don’t want to saddle Jaclyn with a maniac. Why would anyone beat a tree?”
“The leaves are never wrong,” Clarice said as she set the water to boil. “They told me that the one was coming, and Morgan showed up the next day.”
“Should we put this much faith in tea leaves? It could be coincidence,” Ida said.
“Not tea leaves, oak, they blow in a pattern, and I read them.” Betsy and Ida stared at Clarice blankly. “Oh, come on. How the hell does anyone make sense of tea leaves? You swallow half of ’em.”
Clarice pulled a joint from her special box and lit it up. “The leaves are talking plenty right now.”
“Clarice, you’re acquainted with fall, aren’t you?” Ida put a hand on her hip. “I’ve got a shitload of leaves on my patio, and they ain’t sayin’ anything to me.”
Clarice waved the joint she held pinched between two fingers. “Your negativity is jamming me up.”
“Please.” Betsy leaned wearily against the table. “This is supposed to be fun and to help Jaclyn. Can’t we keep our focus on that?”
Ida huffed but wasn’t too put off to take the joint from Clarice’s hand. She inhaled deeply and exhaled a lungful of smoke. “All right, tell me what the leaves say.”
Clarice leveled her gaze on Betsy. “They say not to meddle. Things between Morgan and Jaclyn have to unfold as they will.”
Betsy looked like a rabbit caught in a snare. “I haven’t. I’ve barely talked to Jaclyn, and I was only going to bring Morgan a pie.”
“But you talk to Maddie all the time, and she jumps in with both feet.” Ida took another long drag from the joint and passed it back to Clarice. “Have you told her anything about this?”
“No, but I still don’t understand why she can’t be a part of our group. She is Jaclyn’s sister after all, and I know she loves her the most.”
“Maddie can’t keep a secret to save her life,” Clarice said.
“And I don’t want her telling everyone that I smoke weed.” Ida patted her hip. “I have bursitis, you know.”
Betsy didn’t look convinced.
“It’s the power of three,” Clarice explained. “Any more would throw off the…juju.”
Ida nodded as though this reasoning made all the sense in the world to her.
CHAPTER 8
M organ stood on her porch the next morning looking at Clarice’s artwork. There was a beach scene painted on the mailbox, chunks of cement lined the road painted with angry faces and the words keep out beneath each one. Morgan never had a flair for art, and apparently, Clarice didn’t,
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