Page 16 of Cursed By Fate

But because he was right.

CHAPTER THREE

Sunlight streamed into the bedroom, momentarily blinding me. I’d forgotten to close the blinds last night when I went to bed. An early morning wake-up was my penance.

Jinx purred beside me. The black cat was curled into a ball of pure contentment. I envied her.

I slipped out of bed, hoping not to rouse her. The moment her green eyes were visible, her mouth would follow suit, meowing for food until her demands were met to her satisfaction. I needed a few minutes of peace and quiet first. Time to collect my thoughts and bury my emotions.

I showered and dressed, inhaled a bowl of cereal, and swung by the office to check emails. The building was devoid of people at this hour, which I enjoyed. I put on a pot of coffee and gazed at the empty chairs that Judd and I once occupied. Life could change in the snap of your fingers—or the snip of your thread. Judd. Gary. Belinda. If Yume was, in fact, dead, a baby boy would have to grow up without his mother. Then again, if his mother was anything like mine, that would be a plus.

Yume didn’t strike me as the kind of woman who would sell her child into servitude. The house I’d entered had been a happy one, a hopeful one. The monster’s attack had shattered their peaceful existence.

It wasn’t fair. I hated the extent to which life was unfair to those who deserved better. It only served to strengthen my belief that true justice was an illusion.

My phone thumped against my desk, vibrating with a call from Meemaw.

“Good morning, sunshine,” I greeted the crone. “To what do I owe the pleasure of your sultry voice?”

“Change in plans today. Joan has a tennis game this afternoon. Crazy Eights start at ten, if you’re interested.”

“At night?”

She blew a raspberry into her phone. “This isn’t a club in Ibiza, Maya. Ten this morning. Can you make it?”

“Would you change the time if I said no?”

“Of course not. This call is a professional courtesy. Are you in or out?”

“I’ll be there.”

I welcomed the distance from Penny and the distraction from Yume’s plight. Besides, ever since Judd died, I found myself looking forward to activities like this with people I trusted. Rarefied air to breathe.

Especially now that Penny had dropped.

I left the office before the fury arrived. It was Sunday, and I’d told her not to come in until after lunch. What seemed like a kind gesture was really just me trying my best to avoid her without being obvious about it.

Meemaw opened the door of her condo, a cigarette dangling from her lips.

“Seriously?” I said, sliding past her into the condo.

She pretended to puff. “It’s candy.”

“No.” I snatched the fake cigarette from her mouth and sniffed it. “Who ever thought it was a good idea to make candy out of a thing that’ll kill you?”

Meemaw shrugged as I handed it back to her. “It was the 80s. They don’t make these anymore because of health and safety concerns.” She used air quotes for “health and safety.”

“Good morning, Maya,” Margie Ashford, Meemaw’s daughter and roommate, greeted me.

The usual suspects filled out the rest of the table: Joan Byers, Catherine Weyand, and Louise Perry. All witches and all badasses in their own right, although no one held a candle to Meemaw. The crone’s power was a step above the others, not that you’d know it by looking at her. The elderly witch favored tracksuits, white sneakers, and thick gold jewelry, including a gold tooth with an origin story. She was my strongest ally on the island and the closest thing I had to a confidante.

I sat in the empty chair between Catherine and Joan. “What are we playing for?”

“What does it look like?” Joan said. “Diabetes.”

Meemaw motioned to the bag of peppermints in front of Margie. “We’re playing for sweets today. Did I not tell you?”

“I didn’t bring candy. What should I use?”