Page 110 of Jingle Spells

“Yeah, Del,” Luna said kindly. “Are you all right?”

“Not really.” Delilah didn’t turn around; her eyes remained fixed on the town below. “But I will be.”

Her sisters settled beside her on the log, one on each side, and they all sat in companionable (not to mention unusual) silence for a long moment. Eventually Scarlett broke the mood with a deep sigh. “You know, Del, for what it’s worth? I think you’re making a mistake.”

“Oh?”

“Yeah. I mean, look at Nate and me. We’re making it work, even with the whole forgetting thing.”

Del turned to look at her. “You told me he literally won’t propose to you because of the forgetting spell. That’s not exactly great.”

Her sister shrugged. “Okay, you got me. It’s not. But I mean . . . we’re happy, though. A wedding would be cool but it’s hardly the main point. The main point is obviously the fucking.”

Luna covered her face with her hands. “Scarlett, oh my gods!”

“It is my job as middle sister to speak the truth,” Scarlett declaimed. “Come what may. That’s a double entendre, you know, come what may.”

“I am begging you to stop,” Delilah said with a chuckle. “Anyway, it’s different for you guys. Nate grew up here, he has a hundred ex-pirate relatives in town. He’s part of the fabric of Oak Haven. But Jasper’s whole life is out there.”

“So? Dayo moved here to be with Aphra, didn’t she? Priti Chatterjee found herself a hot guy and talked him into moving to Oak Haven. It happens sometimes—it’s not that weird.”

“It happened to Papa,” Luna offered quietly. “He had a different life before he and Mama met. But he chose her.”

Of course Luna was right. Their father had been an outsider, a normal man just like Jasper, who’d stumbled into their magical world and chosen to stay, despite the costs. “It’s not the same,” she insisted, but suddenly her voice lacked conviction.

Scarlett shook her head. “No, I think Luna has a great point. My thought is, when you figure out the right spell, you cast it, consequences be damned.”

Delilah snorted. “That’s terrible advice, Scar. Advice like that is exactly what has gotten you into so many scrapes over the years.”

“Maybe. But things have worked out pretty well for me, if you didn’t notice.” She nudged her shoulder against Delilah’s. “What do you say, Luna? Should she go after Jasper or let him go?”

“Ohhhh I just got here. I met him for about two seconds.”

“Come on,” Scarlett urged. “This is the hour of sisterly advice. Let’s have it.”

“Well . . .” Luna leaned her head back and looked up at the stars for a long time. “I’ve never been in love. So I can’t say what I would do, much less what anybody else should do. But, I will say—” she broke away from gazing at the stars to lean her head on Delilah’s shoulder “—I think it’s lovely that you care enough about Jasper to let him go, if that’s what he needs.”

“Oh my gods,” Scarlett groaned. “Your advice sucks, Luna.”

In the valley below, Jasper finally got back into his car and drove away, his taillights disappearing around a bend in the road.

“Come on.” Scarlett stood, offering her hand. “Let’s go home. Zahir’s cooking up a feast, and I want to get home before Belinda has chugged every martini in Oak Haven.”

Delilah let herself be pulled to her feet, knowing that home, with all its chaos and complications, was exactly where she needed to be right now.

As the sisters walked down the hill, arm in arm in arm toward the twinkling lights, Delilah felt the pain of the past few days settling into something manageable. They had won. They had survived. That would have to be enough.

Chapter 32

Christmas Time Is Here

Christmas came upon a morning clear in Oak Haven, sunshine glinting off snow that had fallen overnight. The town looked like something from a holiday card: picturesque buildings with smoke curling from chimneys, evergreen wreaths on doors. And the magician had been as good as her word: not a tacky tourist trap in sight.

The Melrose family gathered for their traditional Christmas breakfast. Kelly presided over the dining room, which had been returned to its normal dimensions but was no less impressive for it. An enchanted string quartet played proper Christmas music for once, and the ornaments on the massive tree bickered away good-naturedly.

“More pancakes, darling?” Kelly offered the plate to Luna, who was already on her third stack. “Assuming you have room in there?”

“I’m still replenishing my reserves,” Luna explained around a mouthful of syrup. “Portal magic takes it out of you.”