The Lure of White Oak Lake Read Online Free PDF Page B

the city is all I need to convince me that I’m a country girl at heart.” She handed the chicken salad to Morgan when she opened the fridge and walked over to the windows facing the backyard. “You’re gonna need to seal your deck again soon. My sister and brother-in-law own the hardware store. Maddie will probably give you a good deal on sealant, and Austin will put it on for you if you keep him fed. He works for snacks.”
    “My brother used to eat everything he could get his hands on like he was starving to death. I could get him to do almost anything with the right bait.” Morgan pointed to a photo pinned to the fridge with a magnet. “That’s him and his wife, Tonya.”
    “You don’t look anything alike,” Jaclyn said as she looked at it.
    “Dad used to say Brad was a carbon copy of my mom. She had the reddish hair and green eyes.” Morgan’s eyes widened as a black cat strolled into her kitchen, plopped down, and started bathing itself.
    “Aw, is it yours?” Jaclyn asked as she knelt to pet it.
    “I’ve never seen it before. I must’ve left the front door open.”
    “I bet it belongs to Clarice across the street, she has a few.” Jaclyn picked the cat up and scratched it under its chin. 
    Morgan smiled as she stroked the silky black fur. “He reminds me of a cat I had when I was a kid.”
    “You should get one or two, they’ll help with unwanted guests. Clarice’s cats are probably the reason your place hasn’t been overrun by rodents.” The cat began to purr loudly as Jaclyn scratched along its jaw. “Now that they’re disturbing the brush outside, things will look for a new home if you get my drift.”
    “I haven’t had a pet in ages because I was never home long enough to care for one. I don’t plan to be here long, either, so it probably wouldn’t be a good idea to get one now.”
    “Put out some food, and Clarice’s cats will come by and chase off the mice. That way, you don’t have to make a commitment,” Jaclyn said as the cat began to squirm and she walked over to the door. The cat leapt out of her arms and landed on the porch with a solid thump. “I need to get back home. This is my first day off in weeks, and I have a mountain of dirty laundry to do.” She smiled. “If you need more tea or anything else, just send Austin down to get it.”
    “It was very nice meeting you.” Morgan put out her hand. “Thank you for the tea and the hospitality.”
    “My pleasure,” Jaclyn said as she shook it.
    Morgan watched Jaclyn walk down the steps and kiss Austin on the cheek as she went. Betsy and Ida had returned and paid Jaclyn close attention, then looked back at Morgan with a smile. Morgan didn’t know them all that well, but she thought they looked as though they were up to something.

    ~~~

    “What’s she like?”
    Ida frowned at Clarice, who sat at her kitchen table mixing piles of herbs that she’d ground nearly to powder. “Had you come over today, you would’ve met her yourself.”
    “I think they like each other. Jaclyn seemed a little nervous,” Betsy said with a wide smile. “I took that as a good sign.”
    Clarice pushed her glasses higher on her nose with her middle finger. “I told you I saw it in the leaves, this is the one for Jaclyn.”
    Ida rolled her eyes.
    “What could it hurt to believe?” Betsy asked as she fiddled with a strand of her freshly dyed dark hair. “We drink a little tea, make a little wish. If it doesn’t work like Clarice says it will, then we’ll have just shared a cup of tea.”
    “Because it’s a little stupid,” Ida said with a hand on her hip.
    “The magic won’t work if you don’t believe, Ida,” Clarice said in her sing-song voice. “You have to believe in the potion and the magic.”
    Clarice lit a joint and took a healthy drag from it. She held it up to Ida. “You’ll believe in magic after you smoke this.”
    Ida took a seat and the joint. She inhaled deeply and blew out the smoke. “I have a feeling