Hex on the Beach (The Magic & Mixology Mystery Series Book 1) Read Online Free PDF Page B

“Jesse is not a small guy.”
    “A bit.” Mimsey sounded distracted. “Trinket, are you finished? We can’t hang around all day. Someone will wander in for a drink soon enough. We should be off.”
    Trinket gave a nod.
    Mimsey straightened. “Well, then. Lily?”
    I opened my mouth, then I shut it. Then I opened it again. I closed it again as Chunk crawled out from one of Mimsey’s pockets. I’d completely forgotten about the guinea pig, what with bottles flying around, fire shooting up the walls, and my friend being knocked unconscious by a pencil.
    Mimsey stroked her pet’s fur absently. “We need an answer. I don’t know the next time we’ll be able to come back.”
    “I can’t get there on my own?” I asked.
    “Yes or no, are you coming with us?” Trinket asked, her voice flat. “There is no other way.”
    “But—” I hugged my body as I backed up against the counter.
    My mind raced. The scariest thought of all? I was considering going with them. I shivered, wondering what I’d done wrong for Karma to come after me. I’d lost my job, encountered two crazies, and gone off my own rocker—all in one day. I didn’t believe in things like witches and wizards. And even if I did, there was no way I was one of them.
    As much as I liked to believe I was an important, successful twenty-something, I still knew there wasn’t anything particularly special about me. I worked hard, did my job, and I got promoted. It wasn’t magic. Magic didn’t exist.
    So why were my instincts telling me these two women weren’t lying? Why am I listening to them when I don’t know them from the homeless guy down the street? I could blame it on the flying bottles trick, the snapping of their fingers and muttering of strange phrases. I could blame it on the eraser-dealie-bob or the whole necklace warming to the touch. Heck, I could blame the strange happenings of the PowerPoint on them. At least then something would make sense.
    “Hey!” I raised my eyes from where I’d been staring at the floor. “Did you two ruin my presentation this morning?”
    Mimsey shook her head at the same time Trinket nodded .
    “It was you.” I pointed an accusatory finger at them. “Why would you do that?”
    “We thought you’d come back with us if you had nothing to live for here.” Mimsey cringed. “We wanted to make your decision easier.”
    I shook my head. “I worked all my life for that presentation. You’ve ruined my whole life.”
    “I’m sorry about the side effects—” Mimsey started.
    “Lily.” Trinket stepped forward and rested her hand on my shoulder. “Mimsey is a nice woman. She sugarcoats things.”
    Mimsey nodded.
    “I’m not nice.” Trinket’s fingers dug into my shoulder like talons. “So listen up and listen closely. I don’t repeat myself.”
    Trinket’s gaze held mine so firmly that I found myself nodding.
    “You have the potential for so much more.” Trinket’s grip tightened as if it were difficult for her to administer such a compliment. “In the scheme of things, your presentation should be but a mere blip on your radar. It shouldn’t be the pinnacle of your success. Your life is sad if that is what you live for.”
    My jaw hung open. “That’s… that’s mean.”
    “ Trinket! ” Mimsey stepped forward, shaking her head. “What she’s trying to say is that you’re talented, dear. You were born for so much more than a job in marketing.”
    “That is exactly what I said,” Trinket said, her tone annoyed.
    “Well, not exactly .” Mimsey tilted her head while disagreeing with her sister. “Your words were a bit harsher.”
    “My words weren’t harsh, were they?” Trinket turned to me, her eyes burning furiously.
    I cleared my throat. “Just a tiny bit.”
    “Well, I don’t understand what’s harsh about me getting a fire under your petunia. You have potential to do great things, Lily Locke. You have the potential to save lives. To change reality for many people.” Trinket