“Of course, you do. That’s why I said reclaim it. Now is the time to acknowledge what happened and what you went through so you can completely let it go.” She produced the wine bottle she’d apparently been holding behind her back. “Hope and I are your witnesses.”
“Exactly.” Hope stepped up to form a small three-person circle and held out a box wrapped in silver paper. “These are for you and your interview tomorrow.”
“What? You didn’t have to get me anything.” Grace stared at the box and felt her heart swell. Who needed a no-good husband when she had friends like Hope and Joy?
“We didn’t have to, but we wanted to. It’s just a little something for your interview tomorrow.” Hope took the bottle of wine from Grace and placed it and the box in the middle of their circle. “Now, repeat after me.”
Grace snorted. “We’re doing a ritual without candles?”
“I have candles,” Joy said, flicking her wrist and pointing at the shoulder bag she’d left on the ground. Three large white pillar candles slipped out of the canvas and floated through the air until they stopped right in the middle of their small circle. With another flick of her wrist, the candles came to life, their flames flickering in the wind.
“Well, you two did come prepared,” Grace said.
“Of course we did.” Hope raised her hands toward the sky and again said, “Repeat after me.”
Smiling, Grace joined her friends and raised her hands toward the night sky.
Hope nodded to Grace and said, “I, Grace Valentine, am a new woman.”
Without hesitation, Grace repeated the words.
“Tonight, I shed any remaining ties to that bastard Bill Munch and invite love, opportunity, and adventure into my life.”
“Love?” Grace narrowed her eyes at Hope. “I don’t think so. Been there. Done that. Got the divorce to prove it.”
“Yes, love,” Hope insisted, staring Grace in the eye. “This is about moving forward and not letting that jackass affect your future, whatever that may be.”
“I’m not dating again,” Grace said, lowering her arms. She was deadly serious as she added, “I’m done with men.”
“Fine.” Hope smiled serenely at her. “Perhaps a sexy woman will pop up and buy you a drink then.”
Joy laughed, and the sound was ethereal in the wind.
“You think you’re being funny, but at this point, if she were fun and attractive, then why not?” Grace grinned, though she didn’t really mean it. She’d never been attracted to women, but she often thought her life would’ve been easier if she had been.
“Why not indeed?” Hope asked, grinning at her. “Did I tell you about the blind date I had last week?”
“What?” Joy dropped her arms and rounded on her. “You were holding out on us.”
“Not intentionally.” Hope chuckled. “It just slipped my mind. Imagine me, sitting at Claire’s nursing a margarita, when Chris walks in, orders me another, and places her hand on my knee.”
“Her hand?” Grace asked.
“Yes. Her.” Hope nodded. “Macey, the caterer I’ve been recommending to my clients lately, set us up. She just assumed I was a lesbian because I’m over forty and have never been married.” She rolled her eyes. “But let me tell you… if I did play for the other team, I’d probably still be in bed with Chris. Not only is she smart, she’s hot as hell. I mean, talk about the full package. So, Grace, if you do decide to give it a go, I’ll set you up.”
“Nah. I’m good, but we should set her up with my neighbor Kristen. Her ex blew out of town a couple of months ago, and she deserves some fun.”
“We’ll do that. Now, back to this ritual.” Hope raised her hands again and nodded for Grace and Joy to join her. “Repeat the words, Grace. Tonight, I shed any remaining ties to that bastard Bill Munch and invite love, opportunity, and adventure into my life.”
Grace considered arguing again but knew she’d never win that fight. Hope and Joy just wanted the best for her, and she knew that. After sucking in a deep breath, she echoed Hope’s words, putting some of her magic behind them as they faded into the night.
The candles burned brighter, and the flames shot up into the air just before they disappeared, leaving the three witches bathed only in moonlight.
“Well?” Hope asked. “Did it work?”
Grace straightened her shoulders and shifted her gaze to the sky. A lightness filtered through her as if an invisible weight had been lifted off her, and a small smile played at her lips before she grinned at her friends. “You know, I think it did. I feel… weightless and free in a way I haven’t in years.”
“Perfect.” Joy kneeled down and grabbed the box. “Here. Open it.”
“You guys really didn’t need to get me anything,” she said as she lifted the lid off the box. “Hanging out with you, performing rituals and—” She let out a gasp as she stared down at the gorgeous blue high heels with the stunning gold accents. Grace ran a light finger over one of the shoes and chuckled when a ripple of magic sparked over her skin. “They’re spelled?”
Joy nodded, looking pleased with herself. “It’s just a little self-confidence spell. Wear these tomorrow for your interview. The spell can’t hurt, and at the very least you’ll be the most fashionable real estate agent Kevin Landers has ever laid eyes on.”
“These are too much,” Grace said, unable to tear her eyes away from the shoes she’d been drooling over since she’d spotted them in Miss Kelly’s shop window three months ago.
“Nope. Not too much,” Joy insisted.
“She’s right,” Hope added. “And don’t even think about refusing them. We won’t take no for an answer.”
Grace glanced at her two friends, one tall and willowy, the other shorter and full of fire. Grinning, she shook her head. “No way I’m refusing them. These babies were meant to adorn my feet.” After quickly shucking her ballet flats, she shoved her feet into the most comfortable heels she’d ever encountered and then flung her arms around her two friends. “I love you both, you know that?”
They both hugged her back. Joy kissed her on the cheek while Hope whispered in her ear, “Of course we do. Now, you walk into that office tomorrow and make Kevin believe he can’t go another day without hiring you.”
“Count on it,” Grace said, squeezing her eyes shut and praying she landed the job at Landers Realty. “If not… well, I might as well embroider my name on an apron, because the only other place hiring is the local diner.”
Hope cackled. “You can’t be a waitress. You’d dump a milkshake on the first person who ordered one.”
Joy laughed too and shook her head. “Or she’d take a bite out of the sundae before serving it. You know how she can’t resist chocolate fudge.”
“Okay, enough,” Grace ordered, but she couldn’t help laughing. They were right. She’d be a terrible waitress. But there was one thing she’d been doing for twenty years, and that was selling houses while her soon-to-be ex-husband took all the credit. There was nothing she wanted more than to be hired at the competing firm so she could outsell his cheating ass. She’d already gotten her license, now she just needed contacts. And since all of hers technically belonged to her ex’s real estate office, they were off limits. “I’m obviously not going to be a waitress. I just need to convince Kevin Landers to hire me.”