Of course she could. Though she had a hard time seeing Troy as her love-interest. She needed more commitment and stability than he could offer. Didn’t she?
Joy shook her head. This wasn’t the time to be contemplating her life choices. They needed to find Harlow.
When Grace finally sighed and took a long sip of the red wine Gigi had handed her, Joy leaned forward and asked, “Are you going to teach us the finding spell we’re going use on Harlow, or were you hoping we’d all fall so hopelessly in love with the Emsworth estate that we’d all pool our money and form a commune?”
“Very funny.” Grace rolled her eyes. Then she raised her eyebrows and asked, “Do you think that’s an option? I’m down for a shared real estate investment.”
“Good try, Gracie,” Hope said, chuckling. “But unless we figure out how to conjure money, I think we’re SOL.”
“It’s a nice dream.” Grace took another long swig of wine. “Fine. We’ll leave the daydreaming for another time. Let’s get down to business.”
Joy shifted anxiously. Normally, she loved the meetings with her coven on the bluff. But they very rarely did spells that were so important, and they were never a matter of life and death. Usually they did intention spells or glamour spells or blessings. Not finding spells, which normally were rife with ethical issues. It wasn’t that she felt any sort of remorse for searching out Harlow’s abductor, but the spell was new and powerful, and it was making her uneasy not knowing what might come of it.
“Joy, do you have the picture?” Grace asked.
Joy nodded and reached into her tote bag for the framed photo Carly had given her.
“Perfect.” Grace whipped out a velvet cloth that had a pentagram embroidered on it and placed the cloth in the middle of the circle. Then she placed the photo in the very center of the pentagram. “That should do. Are we ready?”
Gigi and Hope nodded.
“Wait.” Joy frowned at them, her body rigid with agitation. “We don’t even know what we’re doing.”
Hope had an easy smile as she shrugged. “I trust Grace.”
Rolling her eyes, Joy said, “Obviously, I trust her, too. But I just feel unprepared. Don’t you think we should be prepared for something this big? I just think we need to go into this spell with intention and precision.”
“Good point,” Gigi said quietly as she squeezed Joy’s hand. “Maybe we can run through it first?”
“Uh, sure.” Grace said, her eyebrows furrowed. Her enthusiasm had vanished, and she gave Joy a strange look as she added, “Sorry about that. I was just going to lead the spell and got carried away, I guess.”
Everyone was silent, and the energy between them was awkward and strange. It wasn’t something Joy was used to. Normally the group just clicked. These women were her sisters and the people she trusted most in the world. Dammit. Stress had gotten the better of her.
“No, you didn’t,” Joy said, trying to fight the bone-deep weariness that she knew was making her testy. “I’m just not firing on all cylinders and am being difficult. Sorry.”
Grace’s expression immediately changed to one of understanding. “It’s all right, honey. Don’t worry about it another second. Here.” She handed Joy the spell she’d handwritten on a piece of paper. “Since the spell is centered on you, I think you’re probably the one who needs to internalize it.”
Joy scanned the spell and let out a gasp. “I’m going to be the vessel for finding Harlow?”
“Sure. You’re the one who sees visions of her,” Grace said, giving her a bright smile. “The spell is for a seer, so I figured that’s you.”
“I’m not a seer,” Joy said quietly. But was she? She’d had two visions in less than twenty-four hours.
“You are now, sweetie,” Grace said. “Now get comfy with the spell, because I’m feeling extra witchy today.”
“Extra witchy? What the hell does that mean?” Hope asked with a laugh. “You’re not planning on making a potion with eye of newt and the toenails of your enemy, are you?”
“No toenails. There’s no way I’m going near Bill’s feet again,” she said, referring to her ex-husband.
“Is he really your enemy?” Hope asked, her face alight with humor. “I would’ve thought that would be Shondra Barns, the backstabbing receptionist who slept with him.”
Grace seemed to contemplate her question for a moment and then shrugged. “Either way. I’m not touching her toenails either. There’s no telling what kind of fungus she’s walking around with.”
Joy couldn’t help it. She let out a bark of laughter. “You two are ridiculous.”
They both grinned. Hope raised her palm to Grace, and as they high-fived, she said, “Mission accomplished.”
Gigi shook her head and chuckled. “One of these days I’m going to know all of these stories and be right in the thick of things.”
“We know. That’s why we coerced you into our circle of doom,” Grace said and filled her empty glass with wine.
Gigi grinned, raised her glass in toast, and said, “To the circle of doom.”
Joy, Hope, and Grace cheerfully joined in her toast, and once they drained their glasses, Joy glanced at her friends and was once again overwhelmed by how lucky she was to have their support. “Okay,” Joy said. “Grace? Are you ready to lead this spell?”
“I’m ready if you are,” Grace said, all traces of the earlier tension gone.
“Ready.” Joy passed the handwritten spell back to Grace and stood. “I assume this spell requires us to be upright?”
Grace nodded and gestured for the other two women to get to their feet. The moment they were standing, Grace raised her arms high in the air, waited for magic to appear at her fingertips, and then swung her arms down quickly as she said, “Let the night bathe us in moonlight.”
The candles went out instantly, and the silver moonlight illuminated the picture lying in the middle of the circle.
Grace grinned, clearly pleased that the spell had started out strong. But her smile quickly vanished, and Grace held her hands out to the side, nodding for them to do the same. They each grabbed hands, forming a circle. “From earth and sky and fire and sea, we call the goddess of the moon. Hear our call and help us find the one we seek.”
The candles flared to life again, illuminating the small circle.
“Joy, move into the middle of the circle and hold Harlow’s picture in your hands,” Grace commanded.
Magic strummed through Joy, filling her up and making her feel as if anything was possible. She released her sisters’ hands and stepped forward into the pentagram, and without even realizing she’d reached for the picture, she found the photo of Harlow in her hands. Her coven members closed ranks around her, clasping hands again, and the magic filling the air was so vibrant, Joy felt almost as if she were floating.
“Goddess of the moon, shine your light, bless Joy with the sight,” Grace called.
The other two joined in as they chanted the intention.
Joy held the photo up to the moon and just like that, images of a large white Victorian home bathed in a swath of sunlight filled her mind. The front lawn was immaculate and had a long pathway framed by colorful mums and pansies. There was a row of cherry trees lining the property on one side while the other was bordered by forest land. Joy tried to glance around, looking for an address or street sign, but she had no luck. The house was set back from the road and there was a long dirt driveway.