- the great Realm Ides of March Duel kicked off in about three hours.
She pulled up YouTube again. "Listen to this."
It took four notes for the video to have her husband's complete attention. And she felt the same thing in his mind as her own.
Captivation.
From two people who rarely gave violins a second glance.
"That's her?" Daniel squinted at the screen, trying to make out the performer's face.
Nell switched to a tab that showed Cassidy Farrell in high-pixel glory. Wild brown curls, green eyes, and a face that demanded you look.
Daniel's summary was more succinct. He whistled at the screen, long and low.
Yup. By any objective standards, their Irish witch was hot. Which kept threatening to give Nell a case of the giggles. "Moira thinks destiny has delivered her for Marcus."
Her husband nearly choked on stolen hoagie. "What?"
"She's seeing Irish stars and wedding bells." Or something like that. "Figures we've fetched the perfect witch to live with our grumpy bachelor happily ever after."
She'd expected amusement. Instead, Daniel just stared at the screen, contemplating. "Huh. That could be interesting."
Interesting? Nell gaped, hoagie and dragons forgotten. "Are you nuts? Marcus would make any woman crazy in ten seconds flat." Even her daughters wanted to brain him with a two-by-four most days.
"He's changing." Her husband's eyes tracked one more time to the woman on the computer.
No way. "He's still a sexist curmudgeon." Even if he loved one little girl beyond measure and made pumpkin eggnog for another.
"Yup. He is." Now the amusement hit Daniel's mind. "Wanna take a vacation? I hear Nova Scotia's beautiful this time of year."
She pulled his head in for a kiss - he was irresistible, even when he was being an idiot. "We have plenty of spies in place to let us know when the explosion's coming." Nell glanced at Cass's face. "Somebody should warn her." Woman to woman. It was only fair.
"I don't think so." Daniel flashed a grin and clicked play on the YouTube video. For several moments, he listened to the magic floating out of her computer speakers. "I'm pretty sure somebody should warn him."
Nell listened to Cassidy Farrell's genius weaving a spell over the impersonal interwebs. And wondered if her husband just might be right.
Sophie walked through the door of the inn, witch on a mission. And laughed at herself as she shed her wet boots by the door.
She wasn't here as a witch - she was here as a mama. Magic might be the topic, but it wasn't the reason. Long into the night, Rosie's songs had held Adam enthralled. Called him into a place of contentment and ease that Sophie so often wished for her son - and so rarely saw.
And then he'd gone home and slept ten hours straight.
A woman could change the world on ten hours of sleep. Or at the very least, try to solve a mystery tinged with magic and grace. It had been such a gift watching Adam happy.
Outer gear finally shed, she headed back toward the kitchen. If Cass was in residence, the smells coming from Aaron's oven had to have her drooling. Sophie sniffed appreciatively as she walked down the hall. Orange and sweet egg and a hint of something a little more spicy.
She heard Cass before she saw her. The traces of a lilt, so strange to hear from someone else. For most of the people in Fisher's Cove, Moira was Ireland.
"Good morning." Aaron smiled in welcome and then turned back to his pots. "I have scones coming out in just a minute, and some Thai curry if you're staying for lunch."
She was now. The single thing she missed most about Colorado was the hole-in-the-wall Thai place down the street. "I didn't know you could make curry."
"Twice in one week now. There's a new Asian market in Halifax." He picked up a spoon and sniffed. "I got some things to try, and Cass here likes Thai food."
Ah, that explained it. Most visitors to Fisher's Cove were looking for slightly more local fare. Which was a crying shame, because Aaron was an apron-clad genius. Sophie smiled at their visitor. "In that case, I'm especially glad you came to visit, and I hope you're staying a couple of months."
Cass chuckled, clearly already at home in Aaron's kitchen. "Last night was pretty good incentive. You were one of the last to leave, I think - you and the babe with big brown eyes."
Well, that got to her topic of the morning pretty quickly. "Yes, Adam's my son."
"He's gorgeous." Cass