Wicked by Any Other Name by Linda Wisdom

by wearing period costumes as in the mid-eighteen hundreds.” Marva directed her arrow-like gaze straight at Stasi and Blair, bringing both witches back to what was going on.
    â€œWe always wear costumes during October, Marva,” Blair piped up. “It’s just with my shop offering retro merchandise from all time periods, I like to cover all the decades instead of just the Gold Rush period.”
    Marva smiled thinly. “Which you can do all the other months of the year, can’t you, dear?” Problem summarily dismissed, she turned to the rest of the group. “Now, we’d also like some volunteers to help us with the refreshments for the dance.”
    â€œWhy is so much of this coming up this late?” Blair muttered. “We’re usually discussing this ad nauseam in August.”
    â€œMarva had her gallbladder surgery then,” Stasi whispered. “She refused to hand over her duties to anyone else while she recovered and insisted this could be done in the one meeting.”
    â€œThey want a costume? Fine, I’ll give them just what they want,” Blair muttered. “I’ll wear those pajamas with the trap door in the back and borrow Fluff and Puff.”
    Stasi covered her mouth in an unsuccessful attempt to hold back her giggle. The magickal bunny slippers hadn’t been too welcome in Moonstone Lake since the day they’d slipped into Floyd’s precious Escalade and left bunny droppings everywhere.
    A silver-haired woman seated in front of them, whom they knew to be a good friend of Agnes,’ turned around to direct a frown at them. Blair mouthed sorry! while Stasi offered an apologetic smile.
    â€œPoppy and I are only too happy to help out with refreshments.” Reed Palmer stood up. More than one woman smiled at his tall figure. He was nattily attired in dark slacks, a white shirt with faint green stripes, and a dark green v-necked sweater, and his dark auburn hair gleamed under the lights. He may have appeared to be every woman’s dream, but there were a couple of witches who didn’t see him that way. “We can make up all sorts of holiday themed treats for the dance.”
    Marva beamed her thanks and went on to other matters.
    Fully aware that Reed’s gaze had turned to her before he sat down, Stasi kept her eyes straight ahead. Almost from the moment of his arrival in the small town, the bakery owner had let it be known to Stasi he was more than a little interested and had tried more than once to get her to go out with him. She never liked hurting anyone’s feelings, but she was ready to flat out tell him to leave her the hell alone.
    She didn’t know why she disliked the man. There was nothing she could point to, there was just something about him that bothered her. She knew Blair would have no problem letting him know she wasn’t interested, but Stasi was always afraid of hurting someone’s feelings. She hadn’t dated in some time, mostly because no man had attracted her interest.
    But that didn’t stop Reed from heading straight for Stasi at the snack table after the meeting.
    â€œMust be nice to have a persistent admirer,” Blair murmured with a wicked grin as she made a quick turn of her own in the direction of Jake Harrison.
    â€œSome friend you are.” Stasi’s dour mutter quickly turned into a smile as she spun around when her name was called. She grabbed her coffee cup with both hands to keep the hot liquid from sloshing over her hands.
    â€œIt’s good to see you, Stasi.” Reed’s smile tended to trip the ladies’ hearts, but Stasi was happy to be immune to the man’s charm. “You look lovely tonight.”
    I’m wearing a sweater that’s more than ten years old, my jeans are ripped in the knees, and I have on hiking boots that should have been tossed in the trash years ago. Not to mention I’m wearing a ponytail that makes me look like I’m