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