Spooky Business (The Spectral Files #3) - S.E. Harmon Page 0,47

unwarranted. I started the car and headed for my mother’s store.

“I’ll be fine,” I repeated to no one in particular.

Here’s to the power of positive thinking.

Chapter 12

A half hour later, I parallel parked on a side street near Collins Avenue. The store was a couple of blocks away, which made me glad I wore comfortable loafers. It had started to drizzle, a hot sprinkling of rain that made things more humid and did absolutely nothing to cool me off. I didn’t bother with an umbrella, preferring to walk briskly and then shake off like a dog once I got inside. Maybe that was the last vestiges of the kid in me, fighting not to become an adult prepared for any circumstance.

My mother’s wellness store was in a vast converted warehouse in the art district of town. Most of the colorful buildings showcased an art deco style in one form or another, from porthole windows to terrazzo floors. Located near the Delano, she got a lot of traffic from the pedestrian-only promenade nearby.

She’d rented the space in the two-story building for the past twenty years. The owner was an old friend of hers, some guy named Arlo that she’d demonstrated with in their youth. I knew better than to mention anything that even sounded like the word Arlo because she was always ready to pull out those old, yellowing scrapbooks and go on for an hour or five.

Arlo had inherited the building from his father years ago and used the biggest room for his metalwork and the rest he rented to his fellow artsy brethren for practically nothing. My mother’s shop was on the bottom floor, and she used a room upstairs for her art class. Most of her students were brimming with eagerness and creativity, which almost made up for an egregious lack of talent.

My mother was waiting patiently in the doorway as I approached, clad in a billowy white peasant blouse and a flowing yellow skirt. Combined with her gold sandals and a bright yellow scarf holding up her hair in a youthful ponytail, she looked like the human equivalent of sunshine.

She didn’t look remotely surprised to see me. She hugged me before I could even get out a word, her usual scent of lemongrass teasing my nose. “Ugh, you’re wet,” she exclaimed. Despite her words, she didn’t let me go, and I let her squeeze the stuffing out of me. “Where’s Danny?”

“Work,” I said. “Where I should probably be.”

“Well, I’m glad you’re not. Your father has a booth at the organic farmers’ market today, and I’m going stir-crazy.”

“What’s he sell—” I shook my head. “You know what? Never mind. It’s probably better if I don’t know the details. Should I even bother asking how you knew I was coming?”

She gave me a final squeeze before she let go. “I felt your spirit in the air.”

Of course she did. I leaned down obediently as she cleansed my aura. After my ghostly activity earlier, I couldn’t judge her too much. My whole family should just get together and do some sort of act—like the Von Trapps, but weird.

“Dakota sent me the list. I also have a few stones in mind that could help.” She plucked a few more things away from my head as I shifted from one foot to the other. “Follow me.”

I trailed behind her as she walked over to the wall with the glass cases. She pulled a key out of her skirt pocket and stuck it in one of the display locks. When it opened, she pulled out a black velvet bag and promptly began rooting around inside.

She pulled out a tear-drop shaped stone the color of honey and dropped it in my palm. “This is one of my strongest stones. Tawny agate.”

“What does it do?”

“It can ward off spirits and different types of magic. It will be the perfect stone for protection. I couldn’t find any tiger’s eye, which would be perfect, but this will do for now.” She went back into the bag again. “Dakota thinks we should pair it with some beryl.”

“What is beryl for?”

“Magical protection mostly.” Her expression brightened. “Oh, and it can also help you find fairies.”

“Fairies?” I scoffed. “Really, Mother.”

“My fault. Let’s stick to the real stuff like ghosts, right?”

My mouth quirked at her dry tone as she put another stone in my hand. It was deep green and oval-shaped. “Point taken. What kind of stone is this?”

“Jade. It’s one of the most powerful stones against psychic and magical attacks.