A Southern Charms Cozy Potluck Box Set Page 21

  “Get away from me, you crazy bird.” Ashton stumbled backward, and I feared the vial would break.

  “Biddy, no,” I cried out.

  As he fell, the crow circled and caught the glass mid-air in her talons.

  “No,” screamed Ashton. Tipper’s stalwart friend flew back out the window and into the night.

  Closing my eyes, I chuckled. “So much for your plan.”

  “It may not be elegant, but I’ll kill you myself,” grunted Ashton. With a groan, he launched his body on top of me, his hands circling my neck.

  I didn't know what hurt worse, the pain of his fingers squeezing off my last breaths or the agony of the curse working through my veins.

  Either way, the truth had come to light. I could finally stop fighting and give in to peace. Life flickered out of me like the flame of a spent candle.

  Another crash interrupted Ashton, and my dim brain wondered if Biddy had sprouted legs. Multiple limbs surrounded us.

  “By warden command, you are under arrest. Hands up,” Mason barked.

  The pressure tightened on my throat until Ashton’s body got yanked off of me.

  “The man said to take your hands off the lady,” a familiar voice growled.

  Darkness swirled around the edges of my vision. I rolled onto my side to capture one last glimpse of the dragon I had slain.

  “You think you've won,” Ashton choked out. He produced a pill from his pocket and popped it in his mouth. “You think you had the last word. But like I told my father as I watched him take his last gasping breaths through his blue lips, I'm the one who gets to win.”

  Pink foam bubbled at the edge of Ashton’s mouth as he collapsed onto the floor in a shaking mass.

  Shouting erupted around me. Strong arms scooped me up from the floor, and two male voices tried to keep me going with reassurances.

  “It's over, Charli.”

  “We've got you.”

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  In a small Southern town, people rallied around each other to celebrate the good times and console one another in the bad. Support often showed up in the form of food. Based on the number of casseroles and dishes we received, and thanks to Nana’s extra freezer and a couple of specialized freezing spells, we wouldn't have to cook for at least a month.

  I placed a plate of gifted brownies on the coffee table in Tipper’s parlor. It had taken me a few days to recover from the end of my great-uncle’s death curse and the night of Ashton’s confession. In the end, the right person had gotten punished, whether through the curse or his own choices. I didn’t know why, but I still felt sorry for the man who got so lost that taking a life, even his own, was the only option in his eyes.

  When Mason explained how he had arrived just in time at the house that night, he told me that he had found Ashton's fingerprints on Tipper’s flask using the phoenix feather. Because of how isolated Honeysuckle was, it had taken a little time to get confirmation from Charleston, but when he received it combined with Tucker’s trip to the station after I sent him, he knew where to find me. And for a short time, he and Dash worked under a truce to get me.

  I hadn't seen the wolf shifter in days. That didn't mean he didn't check in on me. But he always seemed to show up at the house when I was taking a nap or not there. I didn't know if he was still angry with me for my reaction the night he got taken in or whether he was afraid of the cursed girl.

  Even though Doozy was gone, I still felt its mark on me. The sympathetic looks and polite congratulations barely covered the slight fear in some of the town’s eyes. Only my close friends and family stood by me with unconditional love and support. And maybe that's why Dash’s absence hurt a little more. I wasn’t ready to forgive him yet for leaving, but maybe after some time, we could start from the beginning again.

  Jed Farnsworth cleared his throat. “I know y'all been waiting for this moment. I'm gonna let my new partner in the firm take over from here.” Ben sat down in the seat next to the older gentleman.

  It turned out that when they pulled the crumpled papers out of my hand, they had almost tossed them away like trash. It took Matt’s keen eye to notice that the script of the little community play on one side hid the will on the back of each page. While I had been recovering, my brother had taken the will to the advocate’s office.

  Matt sat next to me on the uncomfortable sofa, holding my hand. He squeezed it three times for good measure as we both drew in a breath to steady us. We'd been summoned to the house along with Clementine and Aunt Nora, who sat in separate chairs across from me. Our aunt did her best not to look in our direction. With Ashton's demise and clear guilt, she’d lost a valuable ally and someone she’d admired maybe a little too much.

  Much to my chagrin and Nana’s disappointment, there had been no way to prevent Aunt Nora from taking Tipper’s place on the town council. Her bitter face puckered even more now that whatever plans she'd made with Ashton were ruined. No doubt she'd take her wrath out on the rest of the town, but for now, she remained civil with Southern politeness. We’d wait at least until after the will was executed, and then I would need to check my back for her knives from here on out.

  “Let's get this over with,” she demanded.

  Ben regarded her with professional indifference and nodded. He held up the papers of Tipper’s will and read off of the pages. A lot of the terms I didn't understand, but I perked up when it got to the section of bequeathing.

  “To my great-niece, Clementine, I leave some jewelry and shiny trinkets for her. Pretty bobbles for a pretty thing.”

  My cousin straightened in the chair next to her mother. Her satisfied smile and the lift of her nose gave her the air of something beautiful covering up something hollow.

  Ben continued reading. “To my niece, Leonora. We've never seen eye to eye, and I think we can both admit that there was no love lost between us. Since I am not allowed to bar you from the town council, I shall leave you with a tool that has helped me to see the truth and aid me in making good decisions.”

  “What did that old fool leave me?” my aunt asked with too much greed in her voice.

  Ben scanned the text. “His collection of flasks, which, if I'm reading correctly, is numbered over twenty.”

  “Minus one,” clarified Matt, referring to the one that the phoenix feather had melted.

  “Flasks? He left me flasks?” Aunt Nora screeched. “What else? There has to be more.”

  “Nothing else, Mrs. Irwin,” Ben confirmed.

  My aunt’s top lip curled up in disgust. “Jed, is this true?”

  The older advocate pulled his glasses down to the end of his nose and checked over Ben's shoulder. “Yes, I'm afraid that's it.”

  “I don't believe you,” she huffed. “There must be something else.”

  Ben pointed at the paper. “There is, but I don't think you’ll like it.”

  Aunt Nora clicked her tongue. “I knew it. What else does it say?”

  Ben continued reading. “If the wretched, ungrateful woman complains one iota, she gets nothing. Not even my good wishes for the rest of her endeavors. Good riddance to bad rubbish.”

  Aunt Nora bolted out of her chair, startling her daughter. “Come, Clementine. I refuse to sit here and listen to whatever these two receive from that old bat. We should have locked him up ages ago in a mental institution. Or hexed him seven ways to Sunday.”

  Matt held onto me to keep me from attacking her. I held my aunt in my hot gaze, trying to remember that she was my mother’s sister. “Aunt Nora, may I remind you of the information Ashton shared with me and that I convinced Big Willie to consider but not to enact upon. Perhaps you should count your freedom to walk around this earth as your true inheritance.”

  “Lies,” she spit at me. “Whatever he said, not a lick of it was true.” She snapped her fingers. “Clementine. Come.”

  My cousin gathered her purse and followed her mother out of the house with a haughty huff. Both of their noses stuck so high in the air that I had a
hard time believing they could see where they were going.

  My brother leaned forward and took a brownie, biting into it with glee. “I love that Tipper’s still got it, even when he's not here. You did good, too, Birdy.” He ruffled my hair, and I batted his hand away.

  Jed dabbed at the sweat beaded on his brow with a handkerchief. “I didn't think she'd like that. But Tipper’s wishes are set in stone, and we're just carrying out them out. Go on, Ben. Read them the rest.”

  My friend beamed at my brother and I. “Hang onto your hats,” he warned before continuing. “My niece, Raylene Walker Goodwin, was the light of my life. She was the sunshine to everyone in Honeysuckle Hollow. To her son and my grand-nephew Matthew Duane as well as her daughter and my grand-niece Charlotte Vivian, she was their sun, moon, and stars. All that I have left in this world, I give to them.”

  Matt dropped the brownie in his hand and stopped chewing mid-bite. “No way. All of what?”

  Ben pointed at the paper and kept reading. “The deed to the land goes to my great-nephew. Matthew, take care of it and preserve it for future generations.”

  Jed pushed his glasses up his nose. “That'll give you some financial security, son. Its worth is far more then you could think of. He's also made some stipulations. You get the land and a tidy sum of money to help you care for it. But not the house.”

  “You get the land and his other property,” clarified Ben.

  “What other property?” Matt asked.

  “Well,” started Jed. “Your great-uncle owned almost half of Main Street.”

  “Which half?” I asked.

  “The side with your mother's old store and the bakery. Not every storefront is full. There are a few vacancies because Tipper didn't really pay them that much attention. He was a decent landlord, fixing things as soon as they needed fixin’. And his rent was more than fair.”

  “That's right,” I said. “That's the side of the street that your office is on, isn't it?”

  “Our office,” corrected Jed. He placed his hand on Ben's shoulder. “And someday not too far off, it'll be Ben’s if he wants it. I'm getting a little older, and I'd much rather spend my time fishing than dealing with legal matters. I'll help him transition, and then I'll leave him to it.”

  “Congratulations, Ben. That was an unexpected surprise.” I beamed at my friend.

  “With everything you've been going through, it didn't seem that important.” Ben shrugged. “But prepare yourselves because we’re not quite finished.”

  “What else is there to discuss? Isn't that it?” I asked.

  “Your brother owns Tipper’s properties, yes,” said Ben. “But your great-uncle made one important stipulation. That the house and a small portion of the land around it go to you, Charli.”

  The room spun, and I gripped Matt’s knee for balance. “The house? All of it?” My eyes roamed over the room, the ceiling, the wooden floors, and all that the walls contained. “That crazy old, sweet man,” I uttered, covering my gaping mouth with the back of my hand.

  Jed chuckled at my reaction. “It comes with everything in it. And Tipper wanted this last part read out loud.”

  I leaned forward to listen to my beloved great-uncle’s final words to me.

  “My dear girl, I hope when you hear this that I've lived a long life roaming the world in the company of many women while you have found happiness in your life’s pursuits. So, maybe you don't need what I am leaving you. But if you have not found your roots, perhaps this small gift will give you a place to call your own. An anchor and safe mooring while you live your life.

  “And when you're ready, sell off any and all of my things to establish a little nest egg for yourself. May you search for and find many things in your life, and may you find your courage to overcome your fears and go after everything that you want. Take care of Biddy for me, and live your life like I've lived mine, for yourself and not for others.”

  We sat in silence as the quiet ticked by, marked by the grandfather clock that was now mine. I didn't know if I should cry in mourning, laugh in relief, or wonder in awe. Even from the beyond, Uncle Tipper would continue influencing my life. In the end, I couldn’t blame him for the curse. And, as he always had in life, he left me with more questions than answers.

  When we gathered our wits about us, Ben handed me the keys to the house. “I’m not sure I've ever seen his house locked except for when it was under warden protection,” I said. “And even then, it was never completely empty.”

  “Well, it's yours now. Lock it. Don't lock it. It's your choice.” Ben pulled me in for a quick hug.

  I shivered under the enormous responsibility with such a big gift. Suddenly, the place seemed colder and more hollow than ever now that it no longer housed the spirit of a man who lived larger than life and gave more of himself than he took from others. The two advocates excused themselves and left.

  Matt stayed behind, the two of us staring at each other in disbelief. “Does it bother you that this is where things almost ended with Ashton?”

  “I don't know yet. We might need to sage the place a few times first. And maybe hire the Fairy Dust & Cleaning services.”

  “It definitely needs some help.” Matt gawked around the place.

  “And I fear that Tipper had become a bit of a hoarder in his later years. Cleaning this place up will be a mighty task,” I admitted.

  “But now it's your task, homeowner. Birdy, I'm glad the house went to you.” He put his arm around my shoulder.

  “Why?”

  “Because I like Mom and Dad's old house. It's perfect for me and TJ.”

  “But what about when you have kids?” I asked.

  “I don't know,” he mused. “I think you and I grew up there just fine.”

  His observation eased a bit of my burgeoning guilt. “But if you ever want this place or need more space, you let me know, okay?”

  As if sensing I needed a hint of normalcy, Matt grabbed me by the neck and gave me a noogie. I pushed him off and smacked him playfully. “Deal,” he said. “I gotta go. You comin’ with me?”

  I shook my head. “I think I want to walk around Tipper’s place for a bit.”

  “You mean, your place.” Matt winked at me.

  “It's gonna take a while for that to sink in. And I don't think I'll be moving in anytime soon.” The thought of leaving Nana alone in her house worried me.

  “Take your time. It’ll be here when you’re ready.”

  After Matt left, I walked slowly through every room of the house, my eyes lighting on every single possession. No doubt some of it was worthless, but more of it had great value either in monetary or sentimental reasons. Perhaps both.

  When I'd circled the entire bottom floor, I paused at the staircase. I just didn't have it in me to mentally catalog the upstairs rooms as well. I needed time to let things process anyway.

  Stepping outside, I debated on whether to lock the door.

  “So did she get the house?” a voice startled me.

  I turned around to find Beau waiting in the shadows on the porch.

  “No,” I admitted. “I did.”

  “Good. I'm glad it went to you.” The old vampire’s voice brightened, but he still carried sadness in his eyes. No doubt he still missed his greatest friend.

  A thought took root inside me, and the bigger it grew, the more I agreed with it. “Beau, would you do me a huge favor?”

  “Sure. Anything for you, Miss Charli.”

  “Well, it may take me a while to get used to this being my place. I'm not quite ready to move in. For now, would you mind living here and helping me organize Tipper’s stuff?”

  At the suggestion, pink tears rimmed the vampire’s eyes. “Are you sure? I thought I was going to be homeless.”

  I didn't have to think hard about it. “It's a huge house for just one person. I don't see why you can't stay here for a while.”

  In his excitement, Beau poofed into a bat and back again at least two times. He wrapped his arms
around me and hugged me tightly. “Now I know why you were his favorite.”

  I patted his back. “I think you mean my mother.”

  “No, Tipper was clear how much you meant to him. He told me once that he was the reason why you were in Honeysuckle in the first place, and that he had placed you with your mother and father.”

  That new and vital information bowled me over. “What are you talking about?”

  Beau released me with a timid look on his face and covered his mouth. “Oh, I wasn't supposed to tell you that.”

  “That he had something to do with my adoption? I think you should tell me everything you know.”

  He wrinkled his nose at me. “But that's just it. That's all he ever said. I think I'll go inside and start organizing my room.” He flashed a fanged grin and zipped around me, leaving me to my surprise on the porch.

  I'd known very little about my adoption other than that I had been very wanted and that I was family from the second my parents had laid eyes on me. They'd known next to nothing about where I'd come from or who my biological parents were.

  Most of the time, I didn't give a thought about my life before I was adopted. My family was my family, not by blood but by the choices of our hearts. But now, in very Tipper fashion, he’d left me with more truth to track down. Another mystery to solve.

  Right on cue, Biddy called out to me from the sky. She landed on the porch rail, cawing and flapping her wings. My great-uncle’s last words to me didn't mean that the crow was mine to keep. She was her own, and she could come and go as she pleased. But I would make sure to check on her and give her anything she needed whenever she wanted.

  “You okay, old girl? You need anything?” I asked.

  Biddy cocked her head from side to side, her yellow eyes regarding me. She chirped and squawked, hopping along the rail. As if satisfied with her inspection of me, the crow spread her wings and flitted to my shoulder. She balanced on her own, not needing to sink her talons into my skin this time.

  I walked down the stairs of the house and onto the path toward the road. Biddy rode on me until we reached the edge of the property.