of the first things I had done the day after I found Ellison with his head between his girlfriend’s legs was to take my name off our credit cards and apply for my own. At least that had been successful—my lawyer had argued in court that, since a lot of what Ellison had charged had ended up going to his mistress, he should bear the brunt of paying them back. I had effectively stuck him with fifty grand worth of debt and walked away with a clean credit report. While it hadn’t made up for losing the magazine or the house, it provided some solace.
After shopping, I decided to take the groceries home before doing anything else.
My parents had recently upgraded the kitchen. It had dark espresso cabinets and white quartz counters, and a double wall oven. The ceiling was white, and the walls were a pale blue. The entire room felt crisp and clean. The window over the sink overlooked the backyard, and from there, I could see Mystic Wood State Park, just beyond the back fence. The yard spread out to the left and right, and was a good half-acre wide. The grass was currently covered with about an inch of snow.
I had long finished my mocha, so I made myself a sandwich for brunch and wandered out to the back porch. A wide screen door leading to the backyard was in the center of the enclosed porch, and to my right, a bistro table and four chairs sat protected from the elements. While the snow and rain could get through the screens, they deflected a lot of the moisture.
The temperature had to be only in the upper thirties, so I decided that eating my breakfast out there wasn’t an option, but I took a moment to look over the yard. I had repeatedly snuck into the park, sometimes with Ari and sometimes alone, but almost always against my parents’ wishes. There was so much magic residing in that forest that I could barely breathe at times—it was intoxicating. I hadn’t been there since my teen years, though. The desire to run off and tromp through the snow hit me, but I had things to do still, so I whispered, “I’ll be there as soon as I can.” The forest seemed to hear me and the wind gusted, shaking the trees.
I headed inside, giving the yard itself one last look. The roses were overgrown, and some of the trees needed trimming. Winter was a good time to take care of pruning, so I made a note to call a lawn care service because I had no clue what to do. I wasn’t a green witch, that was for sure. My magic took other forms.
I looked around the kitchen and sighed. If I didn’t call Conjure Ink, somebody else might get the job. And I needed to work until I could brush up on my magic. I had dreams of following in my mother’s footsteps and setting out my shingle. My mother had hired out as a card reader, ghost buster, and spellcaster. And I knew that if I could level up my skills, I could take over her clientele, if they hadn’t already moved on to someone else. But in the meantime, I needed to find work so that I could keep my savings account intact.
I pulled out the piece of paper that Ari had given me and sat down at the table, punching in the number. Three rings later, someone picked up.
“Gelphart,” came the brusque answer.
I blinked, unsure of how to respond.
“Hello? Who is this?” He sounded rushed and irritated.
“Right, I’m sorry. I’m January Jaxson and I’m calling about the job with Conjure Ink. Ari Wheeler told me about it. Is it still available?”
There was a pause before he cleared his throat and in a more calmer tone, said, “Yes, actually, it is. When can you come in for an interview?”
I hadn’t expected such a quick response. “Today, if you like.”
“Fine. 1280 Martin Street, three o’clock. Bring your resume. I’ll see you then, January.” And…click.
I stared at my phone. If I didn’t need the job, I’d think twice. But then again, I knew a lot of publishing professionals and most of them were just as brusque. Tad Gelphart might run an odd-sounding paranormal investigations site, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t pressed for time.
What the hell, I thought. It can’t hurt to check it out. A glance at the clock told me I had enough time to