Witching For Hope: Premonition Pointe, Book 2 Read online

  Witching For Hope

  Premonition Pointe, Book 2

  Deanna Chase

  Copyright © 2020 by Deanna Chase

  Editing: Angie Ramey

  Cover image: © Ravven

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in, or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the publisher of this book.

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locals, business establishments, or persons, living or dead, are entirely coincidental.

  Bayou Moon Press, LLC

  www.deannachase.com

  Printed in the United States of America

  Contents

  About This Book

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Deanna’s Book List

  About the Author

  About This Book

  Hope Anderson loves her life. She has a great business that’s thriving, the best friends a girl could ever have, and a coven she can count on. Oh, and she’s been single for over fifteen years and likes it that way… until the love of her life, Lucas King, walks back into town and throws everything she thought she knew about herself into chaos.

  If that wasn’t enough, now her mother is in town to warn her about a curse that happens to all the Anderson women when they turn forty-six, and she isn’t talking about hot flashes or mood swings. But maybe the curse isn’t so bad, because now there’s someone distributing dangerous drugs in their quaint town and Hope’s going need that curse to bring down the drug dealers and save everything she loves about Premonition Pointe. The question is, will Lucas prove he deserves to be traveling that line with her, or will she walk away the same way she did fifteen years ago?

  Chapter One

  “I’m going to need more wine,” Hope Anderson said after draining her glass. The early autumn breeze off the California coast blew her dark curls into her eyes, temporarily obscuring her view of her two coven mates, who were grinning at her on the other side of the campfire they’d summoned. It was their monthly gathering on the cliff overlooking the Pacific Ocean where they drank wine, laughed, and cast intention spells meant to help them with whatever life had handed them at the moment.

  Unfortunately, they’d already told her they wouldn’t help her spell her ex back to Boston, and for that, she was still a little bitter. “If you aren’t going to help me with Lucas, how about we do something about this?” She waved a hand, indicating her appearance. “I don’t think I could handle it if I found another wrinkle tomorrow morning.”

  “Sure. Let’s do it.” Joy was the first to stand, holding out her hands to her two friends. “You lead it,” she told Hope.

  Hope clasped hands with both of them and started to chant. “Goddess of the sea, hear my wish. Smooth my edges, cast me in gentler light, wash away ten years of time with the shimmer of the moon.”

  A sparkle of magic cracked through the air, lighting up the night and disappearing just as quickly.

  Silence filled the air, just as it always did after they summoned a spell. But after a moment, both of her friends started to giggle.

  “Oh, no. What happened?” Hope asked, praying she hadn’t turned herself into some sort of Facetuned freak.

  Grace Valentine snickered as she refilled Hope’s wine glass. “If you could see yourself right now, you’d be cackling your ass off, too. Wouldn’t she, Joy?”

  Joy Lansing grinned and tied her long blond hair up into a makeshift bun. “She’d probably be in hysterics. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a spell backfire like that before.”

  Hope glanced down at herself and frowned. Her jeans hadn’t ripped at the crotch, nor had her flowy blouse turned into a see-through mesh crop top. “What are you two talking about? The spell didn’t work at all. I asked to look ten years younger and yet, here I am in what I’m sure Lex would call ‘mom jeans’ and a blouse that, while pretty, was purchased to hide those extra pounds I’ve been carrying around for the last decade.”

  “It’s not your clothes.” Grace pulled a small compact mirror from her purse and handed it over. Ever since she’d started dating a man a decade younger than her, she’d started wearing more makeup and more stylish clothes that showed off her curvy frame. Hope had always thought her friend was pretty, but lately, she was looking like a knockout.

  Hope paused for a moment before holding the mirror up. But when she did, she let out a gasp as one hand flew up to her hair that had suddenly transformed to the exact same haircut she’d had roughly ten years ago. A haircut and color that had left her horrified and unwilling to leave the house for a whole week before she’d been able to get it fixed. Her previously long, dark curly locks were now cut in an uneven angled bob and were highlighted with blond streaks. “Holy witch balls!” Hope jumped up and started to pace. “This was not what I meant when I said I wanted to look ten years younger.”

  “I still can’t believe you never actually got your money back for that tragic cut,” Joy said, shaking her head sadly. “You should’ve gotten a refund and trauma pay.”

  Hope sat back down and covered her head with both hands. “As if it wasn’t bad enough that I’ve gotten myself roped into working with Lucas, now I have to do it looking like a tragic model from the cosmetology school.” Lucas King, Hope thought and nearly sighed. He’d walked back into her life a few weeks ago, and ever since, she’d been completely off her game. There was no doubt in her mind that the reason the spell had gone bad was because Lucas had returned to Premonition Pointe and completely effed up her mojo just by being there.

  “We can fix it,” Grace said, moving to sit next to her friend. “We can cast a reverse spell. If that doesn’t work, we’ll get Lance over at Liminal Space to work his magic.”

  Hope stared at her gorgeous friend’s wavy auburn hair and scowled. “Easy for you to say considering you look like you just stepped out of a shampoo commercial.”

  Grace just shook her head and chuckled. “This isn’t the end of the world. It’s not like you gave yourself a bad case of acne or accidentally hexed someone with genital warts like I did when my magic was out of control. This is just a haircut. Come on, stand up. Let’s see what we can do.”

  “Why not?” Hope said, getting to her feet. “It’s not like it can get worse, right?”

  “You probably just jinxed yourself,” Joy said, pulling three pillar candles out of her bag of tricks.

  “Nah. I trust you two.” Hope stood and held her hands out to the side as her two coven sisters did the same.

  Maybe while we’re at it we should spell Paul with an erection so that I can finally get laid.

  “What?” Hope stared at Joy. She could’ve sworn her tall, willo
wy friend had just said she wanted to spell her husband, except her lips hadn’t moved.

  “Huh?” Joy asked, her eyebrows pinching together. “I didn’t say anything.”

  “I thought you just said you wanted to spell Paul so that you… um, could get some action,” Hope blurted and then laughed as her friend’s eyes went wide under the moonlight.

  “I… um, I didn’t say that,” Joy stammered, her expression bordering on horrified.

  Grace let out a bark of laughter. “I can’t imagine Joy saying that, but it’s not a bad idea. I mean, at this point, it couldn’t hurt, right?”

  “So you didn’t hear her say anything?” Hope asked Grace, wondering if she was losing her mind.

  “Nope. But what do you say, Joy? Should we give it a try?” Grace asked with a sly grin.

  “I don’t… uh, wouldn’t that be wrong?” Joy glanced away from her friends, but then quickly focused on both of them again. “But really, what’s the worst that could happen? He gets an erection? That’s not really a bad thing, is it?”

  “I’d say it’s a really good thing,” Grace said. “Come on. Let’s fix Hope’s hair, then give you something to work with later.” She winked at Joy. Maybe Owen should take Paul to the adult toy store and introduce him to that flavored lube he found or something more exciting like nipple clamps. Something to jolt him out of his sex drought.

  Hope gaped at Grace.

  “Oh, come on. I’m not suggesting we alter his anatomy. Just put a little juice in his tank,” Grace said, sounding exasperated.

  “Nipple clamps?” Hope asked.

  Grace stared at her for a long moment, and then she pursed her lips and asked, “Hope, are you reading minds now?”

  “Wait a minute,” Joy cut in. “You’re reading our minds?” She clasped a hand over her mouth and gasped. “You are reading our minds. What the hell, Hope? How long has this been going on and why didn’t you say anything?”

  “I…” Hope shook her head. “I have no idea what is happening.” She peered at Grace. “You did just think that Owen should take Paul to the adult toy store, right?”

  Grace nodded. “I sure did.”

  “Something about flavored lube and nipple clamps?”

  “Yep.”

  “Oh, goddess. How do I stop this? I don’t want your dirty thoughts in my mind,” Hope said, sinking back down onto the log she’d been sitting on earlier. “This could be a nightmare. How? Why? I’ve never heard anyone’s thoughts before. Is it some sort of full moon thing? Did someone curse me?”

  “Whoa. Calm down.” Grace moved to sit next to her, putting an arm around Hope’s shoulders. “You’ve never heard thoughts before?”

  “No. Have you?”

  Grace shook her head. “Nope. But I’d never cursed anyone with acne or genital warts until last month either. Did you know I accidentally made Bill’s pants split right down the middle a couple of days ago?”

  “You’re joking,” Joy said, her eyes wide.

  “Nope. I ran into him at a house showing, and he tried to take credit for all of my success. All I could think about was that he was showing his ass… again. And the next thing I knew there was a loud split. The best part? He was going commando.” She sputtered with laughter and wiped at her eyes as she gasped in a breath. “His client made a quick retreat, leaving mine as the only bidder on the house, instead of the bidding war we’d anticipated. She got a great deal.”

  “Is that ethical?” Joy asked. “Cursing the competition to get a better deal for your client?”

  “I didn’t do it on purpose!” Grace insisted. “It just… happened. That’s the point. Hope isn’t listening to our thoughts on purpose either. The question is, can she control it? So far, I haven’t been able to completely control my revenge spells. I just get angry and think something, and the next thing I know, I’ve given the office jerk acne.” She shrugged. “I’m trying to work on having more charitable thoughts, but sometimes things get away from me.”

  Hope groaned. “Please don’t let this be permanent. As much as I love you guys, I really don’t want to hear things about your sex lives.”

  Grace chuckled while Joy grimaced and then buried her face in her hands. When she finally looked up, Joy turned to Grace. “Nipple clamps? Seriously? Is that what you and Owen are up to?”

  “No,” Grace said with a cackle. “But if I were you, I’d give it a try. I mean, seriously, Joy. You deserve a sex life. Just because you’ve been married for nearly thirty years doesn’t mean you should be regulated to the sidelines.”

  Joy sighed. “I’m willing to try anything. I just…” She shook her head. “I don’t know what the problem is. Paul has never been an every-night kind of guy, but I could usually count on at least once a week. This past year has been drought city, and he won’t even talk about it.”

  “Well, let’s give him something to talk about.” Hope jumped back up to her feet, waved at her friends to join her, and then snapped her fingers. The candles came to life, flickering wildly in the evening breeze. Hope raised her hands to the sky and said, “Goddess of the sea, hear our desires.”

  Joy and Grace repeated her words.

  “Let the power of the wind and sea reverse this youth spell and return my locks back to their natural state.”

  Magic zipped around the circle twice and then coiled through Hope’s hair just as it had earlier. After a few seconds, it vanished just as the candles went dark.

  “Did it work?” Hope asked, tentatively.

  Grace and Joy shared a concerned glance.

  “It didn’t. Did it?” Hope asked, reaching up to touch her hair. It was definitely longer, but it also felt fuller, wilder, as if she’d forgotten to use product or try to tame it in any way. “Oh, no.”

  “You did say to return it to its natural state,” Grace said.

  “I didn’t mean… oh never mind.” Hope dug a hair tie out of her pocket and went to work, trying to tame her out of control curls. “I’ll make an appointment with Lance first thing.”

  “Probably a good idea,” Grace agreed. “Now, let’s work on that spell to bring the magic back to Joy’s bedroom, shall we?”

  A half hour later, once they’d conjured a spell to help Paul get it up, Grace and Joy hugged Hope goodbye and went home to their men. Hope stayed behind and stood at the edge of the sea, staring out at the crashing waves. At midnight she’d turn a year older. Normally she’d take that in stride. Hope wasn’t afraid of getting older. She embraced life. Except this year, she had Lucas to deal with. And every time she saw him, all she could think about was what her life would’ve been like if he hadn’t walked out on her… twice.

  She let out a grunt of frustration and tried to forget she had to host the open house for Lucas’s new store, Against the Grain Interiors, the next evening.

  It was going to be the worst birthday in years.

  The wind whipped up around her, blowing her out of control hair back. And as she stood there, she heard the wind whisper, He’s here. If you embrace what’s offered, your life and everyone else’s will be changed forever.

  Chapter Two

  “Hope? Is that you?” Angela Anderson called out as soon as Hope walked into her cute turquoise blue cottage.

  “Nope. It’s Betty White. Better put out the good china,” Hope said, rolling her eyes. Who else would it be? Hope lived alone… or had until her mother had moved in a week ago. Hope still didn’t know how long she was staying.

  “Funny.” Angela strode in from the kitchen, wearing a rhinestone tiara and carrying two champagne flutes. Sometime over the past two years, her mother had let her long straight hair go natural. It was now a gorgeous silver that Hope already knew she hadn’t been blessed enough to inherit. “Happy forty-sixth, baby!”

  Hope took the flute, clinked the glass against her mother’s, and downed the liquid. “Thanks, Mom.” Without missing a beat, she brushed past her mother, intending to move into the kitchen, but stopped in her tracks when she heard her mother�
�s voice in her head.

  Everything is about to change, bunny.

  Turning, Hope eyed her mother suspiciously. “You knew about this?”

  “Knew what?” Angela asked flippantly, obviously pretending ignorance.

  Hope stared into her mother’s dark eyes and said, “Mother, don’t mess with me. What did you mean ‘everything is about to change’?”

  “So you did hear me.” Angela gave her a curt nod, plucked the empty flute out of Hope’s hand, and took a right turn into the kitchen.

  Letting out a breath of frustration, Hope followed her and leaned against the counter as her mother refilled the glasses and sliced a couple of pieces of double chocolate cheesecake.

  “Come,” Angela said, bringing the champagne and dessert over to the breakfast table. “Sit. Let’s celebrate your birthday.”

  “I’m not in the mood to celebrate,” Hope said even as she took her seat and picked up the fork.

  Her mother chuckled. “Okay. No celebrating.”

  Hope stared at the woman who’d raised her and could barely tamp down her irritation. Angela Anderson had been a single mother who’d worked hard to make sure Hope had everything she needed, including the opportunity to go to college. On paper, she was a great mother. Except, the minute Hope turned eighteen and enrolled in college, Angela had taken off, leaving Hope on her own. What was frustrating was that she came back to Premonition Pointe every few years, acted as if she’d never left, and tried to tell Hope how to live her life. And Hope was certain that whatever her mother wanted to talk about was going to be the same old tired script.