Southern Magic (Sweet Tea Witch Mysteries Book 1) Read online

  “Hey there,” came a gruff, husky voice.

  I dropped the golden key in my pocket and glanced up. Axel leaned on the side of his Mustang. “Hey, yourself.”

  His dark hair was pulled back, and his blue eyes sparkled as the sun began to set. “Haven’t seen you in a while.”

  I slowly walked over. “I’ve been busy. Running a shop. You’ve got my number.” I fished my phone from my purse. I’d replaced it after Todd smashed the old one. “New phone but same number.”

  He nodded. “I’ve been on a case that took me out of town.”

  “Oh? I hope you solved it.” A strand of honey-crimson hair fell into my eyes. I brushed it away. Axel’s gaze never left mine.

  He nodded. “I did… I thought you might like to go for a ride.”

  I grazed a hand over the glossy car. “In this? Is it a full moon tonight? Too bad it’s not a convertible.”

  Axel’s gaze sharpened. “No. It’s not tonight. Not for another week.”

  I quirked a brow. “You know an awful lot about moon cycles.”

  “I have to.”

  “What?”

  He shook his head. “Never mind. So what do you say? Want to go for a ride?”

  I hugged my purse to me as I watched him. We’d built up trust, shared secrets. My heart pounded as his gaze met mine, and a tornado of chickens fluttered in my stomach.

  “Okay,” I murmured. “But it doesn’t mean anything.”

  He crossed to me and opened my door. “Nope. Not a thing.”

  “Just have me back before Betty unloads a wad of buckshot into your rear end.”

  Axel laughed. “Promise.”

  TWENTY-FOUR

  Epilogue

  “Dinner’s ready,” Betty yelled from downstairs.

  I eyed Mattie on the window seat. “You ready for some chow?”

  The cat made a chewing face. “It’s Thursday. Chicken-and-dressing day. You bet yer underpants I am.”

  We went downstairs. Cordelia and Amelia were already at the table. Betty was dishing up the plates.

  I impulsively reached out and hugged Betty.

  “What’s that for?” she said.

  I shrugged. “It’s for everything.”

  It was. My life had completely changed in the past few weeks, and in a great way. My grandmother deserved a thousand hugs for everything she’d done for me.

  When the four of us were settled, Betty started scrolling through the list of eligible bachelors for Amelia, who rolled her eyes just about every other second while Cordelia checked the mail.

  “We got a postcard from our moms,” she said, lifting a square of paper.

  Amelia took the opportunity to disengage from a man who claimed to be the world record holder with his ability to create structures from paper clips.

  Wow. Talk about boring.

  Amelia’s eyes flared. “Oh? What does it say?”

  As Cordelia read, she choked on her dressing. I slapped her back until the food dislodged from her throat.

  “That bad, huh?” Amelia said.

  Cordelia’s eyes were full of tears—probably from the choking episode—and said, “It’s horrible. They’re coming home.”

  I quirked a brow. “Who?”

  “Our moms,” Cordelia said.

  “Oh good. I get to meet my aunts.”

  Amelia shook her head. “Oh no, this is not good. Not good at all.”

  “Why not?”

  Cordelia passed the postcard to Amelia. “Last time they were here, they set half the town on fire.”

  “Oh no,” I said. “Was anyone hurt?”

  Amelia shook her head. “No. Thank goodness. No one was hurt. Oh no. It looks like they’re bringing something with them.”

  “What?” I said.

  Amelia raked her fingers down her face. “Some sort of magical creature they found in Peru.”

  Betty laughed. “They might raise the town right off its foundation.”

  “Sounds like fun,” I said.

  Cordelia shook her head. “No. It’s not fun. They come in. They cause mayhem. They’re generally incredibly disruptive. That’s why we bought them the world cruise in the first place.”

  Amelia nodded. “They cause serious problems. And of course, they’re going to want to meet you.”

  Cordelia nodded. “Just wait. They’re going to try to get you to help them with all the bad stuff they do.”

  I pushed a green bean around my plate. “So what you’re saying is—”

  Betty snorted. “Your aunts are going to make you their partner in crime.”

  I lifted my glass of sweet tea in the air. “Well, if it’s between causing havoc in Magnolia Cove or meeting up with Rufus outside it, I’ll take havoc any day.”

  Cordelia raised her glass. “I’ll raise my glass to that. To the sweet tea witches!”

  Amelia laughed. “Sweet tea witches, I love that.”

  Betty laughed. “Y’all may be the first sweet tea witches I ever met.”

  “But hopefully not the last,” I said, laughing.

  The front door blew open. Magic curled in the air, sending sprays and wisps winding around the furniture.

  Amelia rose, knocking back her chair.

  Two figures stood in the frame. Both had long red hair, though one was completely straight and the other hung in loose, floating waves.

  The women wore fur coats, heavy gold jewelry and enough makeup for a tribe of children to play in.

  “Mom,” Amelia said, her eyes shining with fear.

  “Oh no,” Cordelia said.

  One of the women cackled and threw up her hands. Lightning flashed outside, sending a crack splintering the air behind them. “We’re home!”

  So I could see.

  * * *

  <<<<>>>>

  THANK Y’ALL!

  Thank you so much for reading SOUTHERN MAGIC. If you enjoyed it, please consider leaving a review. Reviews help other readers decide whether they’d like to take a chance on a book. If you think they should take a chance on this one, let them know!

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  CLICK HERE to leave a review.

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  And I love to hear from you! Please feel free to drop me a line anytime. You can email me [email protected].

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  And Pepper’s adventures continue in Southern Spells, the next book in the Sweet Tea Witch Mysteries Series.

  Click HERE to order.

  Also by Amy Boyles

  SWEET TEA WICH MYSTERIES

  SOUTHERN MAGIC

  SOUTHERN SPELLS

  * * *

  BLESS YOUR WITCH SERIES

  SCARED WITCHLESS

  KISS MY WITCH

  QUEEN WITCH

  QUIT YOUR WITCHIN'

  FOR WITCH'S SAKE

  DON'T GIVE A WITCH

  WITCH MY GRITS

  FRIED GREEN WITCH

  SOUTHERN WITCHING

  * * *

  SOUTHERN SINGLE MOM PARANORMAL MYSTERIES

  The Witch’s Handbook to Hunting Vampires

  The Witch’s Handbook to Catching Werewolves

  The Witch’s Handbook to Trapping Demons

  About the Author

  Amy Boyles grew up reading Judy Blume and Christopher Pike. Somehow, the combination of coming of age books and teenage murder mysteries made her want to be a writer. After graduating college at DePauw University, she spent some time living in Chicago, Louisville, and New York before settling back in the South. Now, she spends her time chasing two toddlers while trying to stir up trouble in Silver Springs, Alabama, the fictional town where Dylan Apel and her sisters are trying to master witchcraft, tame their crazy relatives, and juggle their love lives. She loves to hear from readers! You can email her at [email protected].

  Connect with me online!

  amyboylesauthor.com

  [email protected]

  Book 1)