wicked witches 08.6 - a witch in time (19 page)

“Who’s Chris Hemsworth?” One of the sidekicks asked the question.

“He’s Thor,” alternate Landon offered, moving forward.

Bay squared her shoulders and narrowed her eyes. She was unnerved, but refused to show it. I remembered the day well. “Who are you guys?”

“Who are you?” the other Landon asked, his gaze fixed on Bay.

“I think you liked me right from the start,” I said, giggling. It was surreal to see our first interaction. It was also entertaining.

“My name is Bay Winchester. I’m the editor at The Whistler.”

“The newspaper?” alternate Landon asked.

Bay nodded, and I could see her chest heave as she fought to contain her nerves. “Why are you here?”

“I don’t remember you being this nervous,” Landon said. “You’re just … so freaking cute. You’re trying to be bold, yet you’re obviously worried. If only you knew then what you know now.”

“That I can bribe you with bacon?” I asked, smirking.

“Exactly.”

“To cover the opening of the corn maze,” Bay said, her eyes busy bouncing from face to face as she tried to get a handle on the situation.

“This is news?” The other Landon was having a good time at poor Bay’s expense.

“It is in Hemlock Cove.”

The other Landon tilted his head to the side, considering. “Well, Bay Winchester, I’m Landon.”

The two figures shook hands and then biker Landon proceeded to introduce his friends. They had ridiculous names like Diesel and Gunner.

“Do you know what I was thinking right about now?” I asked.

“What?”

“That Diesel and Gunner were probably really named Norman and Myron,” I answered.

“I don’t think you were very far off,” Landon said, pressing his lips to my temple as he enjoyed the spectacle. “I’m introducing Russ to you now. That made my stomach turn because I knew he was interested in you.”

“You didn’t even know me then,” I pointed out.

“I was already smitten, though,” Landon teased.

“This is Russ,” the other Landon said, gesturing toward the gang leader.

Bay nodded, wary. “You still haven’t told me why you’re here,” she prodded.

“Just wanted to see what all the hoopla was about,” alternate Landon shrugged, accepting a beer from one of his friends and popping the top.

I narrowed my eyes when I saw him drop the beer cap onto the ground, almost laughing when I saw the mirror expression on Bay’s face. She stepped forward and picked up the beer cap and tossed it in a nearby garbage can.

“Sorry,” the other Landon said. “We’ll try not to make a mess.”

“That would be great,” Bay said, sarcasm practically dripping off of her tongue.

“I forgot what a stickler you were for the rules,” Landon said, chuckling. “You don’t like littering.”

“I didn’t like that you were dressed as thugs at a family event,” I clarified.

“The littering bothered you, too.”

I couldn’t really argue with that, so I let it go and refocused on the other us.

“She’s trying to get information out of you,” I said. “It’s not going to go well.”

“That’s because I was undercover,” Landon said. “I couldn’t let it go well. Trust me. If our first meeting had been under any other circumstances, I would’ve charmed your pants off.”

“Where are you from?” Bay asked.

“Around,” the other Landon said evasively.

“Around where?”

“A little bit of everywhere.”

“So, you’re from nowhere?” Bay was growing confrontational.

Biker Landon chuckled. “I guess you could say that.”

“Well, that’s great!” Bay’s faux enthusiasm made me giggle.

“She’s not falling for you at all,” I said. “Look at that. She thinks you’re up to something nefarious.”

“I was up to something nefarious,” Landon said. “I was trying to be bad while really being good. It’s an acquired skill.”

“You’re very good at it.”

“Thank you, sweetie,” Landon said, resting his head against mine. “This is so … odd.”

“I find it comforting,” I admitted. “We’re getting close to the real us.”

“This is the real us, Bay,” Landon said. “We just haven’t worked out all of the kinks yet.”

“Something tells me you don’t actually think that’s great,” alternative Landon said, flashing a bright smile.

“Perceptive,” Bay deadpanned.

“Maybe we got off on the wrong foot here.” The other Landon started hopping from one foot to the other. Russ interrupted him, though.

“Why are you so interested in us?” Russ asked forcefully.

“I’m interested in everyone who visits our quiet little town,” Bay lied.

“That right there was when I first thought you were unbelievably cute,” Landon said. “You were a terrible liar and I knew I wanted to spend time with you and hear some great truth.”

“You have a poetic soul sometimes,” I said. “I forget that.”

“I don’t see you questioning everyone else here,” Russ challenged.

“I already know all of them,” Bay countered.

“You want to know me? Is that what you’re saying? I’m flattered.” Russ ran a hand over his beer gut, causing me to cringe.

“I’m just curious about why you’re here,” Bay argued.

“We wanted to see what all the excitement was about, girlie,” Russ supplied.

“And you brought beer?”

“It’s a party, isn’t it?”

“It’s not that kind of party.” Bay was antsy, but she refused to back down. I had to smile. Landon was right. If I knew then what I know now I wouldn’t have been able to stop laughing.

“Maybe you wouldn’t be so uptight if you had one yourself?” Russ grabbed a beer out of the container at his feet and handed it to Bay.

Bay finally broke and took an involuntary step away from the group. “Thanks. I’m good. It’s a bit early for me.”

Russ shrugged as he slipped the beer back in the cooler. “Your loss.”

The opening of the nearby maze drew Bay’s attention, and alternate Landon almost looked disappointed when he realized she was about to leave.

“I have to go,” Bay announced. “Welcome to Hemlock Cove – whatever it is that you’re doing here.”

“Have fun in the maze.” Biker Landon smiled as he watched Bay disappear into the maze. Then he turned back to his friends. “She’s is freaking hot. I would love to bend her over my bike and … .” The other Landon mimicked a sex act.

My mouth dropped open. Of course I didn’t remember this part. I hadn’t been here for this part. “I can’t believe you just did that!”

My Landon offered me a rueful smile. “I was playing a part, sweetie. I didn’t mean it.”

“Are you saying you didn’t think I was freaking hot?”

“Oh, I stepped right in that one,” Landon said, shaking his head. “I should’ve seen that coming. Boom! There went the landmine.”

I didn’t want to laugh, but I couldn’t help myself. “Do you still think you were charming?”

“I’m starting to think that you might have brain damage,” Landon countered. “You never should’ve gone out with me.”

“You have your moments,” I said, laughing. We lapsed into amiable silence for a moment, and then something occurred to me. “Why are we here?”

“Because we’re strolling down memory lane and this is one of our memories,” Landon replied.

“Yes, but it’s not one of Aunt Tillie’s memories,” I pointed out. “How could she possibly know about this unless … ?” I narrowed my eyes and scanned the people congregated near the barn. “There she is,” I muttered, pointing.

Landon followed my finger. “What is she doing?”

“She’s hiding from someone.”

“You? I mean the other you?”

“Probably,” I said. “Come on. I have to see what she’s doing.”

We picked our way through the crowded area in front of the maze. No one acknowledged us or even looked in our direction, so it was safe to say this memory wasn’t interactive. That was probably a good thing. I could barely handle one Landon. Two would tip me over the edge.

“She went inside the barn,” Landon said, gripping my hand as he moved in front of me. It was a nice sentiment – he was trying to protect me – but because we weren’t in actual danger it was a wasted effort. I didn’t bother telling him that. “Where did she go?”

“Who are you looking for?” Aunt Tillie popped up to our left, a mischievous smile on her face.

“Which Aunt Tillie are you?” I asked.

“The world can’t take more than one me,” Aunt Tillie said, shuffling her feet in a little dance.

“You’re my Aunt Tillie,” I said. “You had a good time watching that, didn’t you?”

“As did you.”

“But … I didn’t know you were here that day,” I said. “Why didn’t you say something?”

“I watched you to make sure the bikers didn’t do anything untoward, and then I had business of my own to attend to,” Aunt Tillie explained. “I knew you were fine, so I left you to your own devices. It worked out, didn’t it? Look at the two of you now.”

“Yes, we’re thrilled to be stuck in your head with you,” Landon deadpanned. “What did the other Aunt Tillie have in her hands?”

“Probably her purse.”

“It wasn’t a purse,” I countered. “It looked like a brown paper bag.”

“I guess it was a bag then,” Aunt Tillie said, averting her eyes. “That’s not important to the story.”

“Then why are we still here?” I challenged.

“Because I want to show you one other thing before we hop to another memory,” Aunt Tillie said. “Look over there.”

Aunt Tillie pointed toward the door we had walked through moments earlier, and my gaze landed on the other Landon. He was separated from the biker group and watching the maze with keen interest.

“What is he doing?”

Aunt Tillie shrugged. “I have no idea. Do you know what you were doing, Landon?”

“I do,” Landon confirmed, making a face. “It’s not important to this story, though, so why are we watching?”

“Because it is important to the story,” Aunt Tillie argued.

I was confused. “I don’t understand,” I said. “What are you doing?”

“I’m just … taking a breather,” Landon said. “Look. There’s the other Aunt Tillie. She snuck out the back of the barn and is heading toward the parking lot. She’s behind the other me.”

“That explains how she knew this happened,” I said, watching as the Aunt Tillie with the bag in her hand stopped long enough to give biker Landon a long look. She was close enough to talk to him, but they didn’t speak or lock gazes.

“Why are you watching me like that?” Landon asked.

“She’s reading you,” I answered, shaking my head. “She’s trying to read your aura. It’s one of her gifts. You can tell because she always gets that ‘I’m going to fart’ look on her face when she does it.” I swiveled quickly. “You read him long before I realized he was a good guy. Why didn’t you tell me?”

“How would that have been any fun?” Aunt Tillie asked. “You needed to find out about Landon on your own, Bay. Technically, though, all you needed to know about him is illustrated by what he’s doing now.”

I turned back to the Landon watching the maze. “What is he doing?”

“I’m waiting for you,” Landon replied, his cheeks flushing with color when I darted a surprised look in his direction. “I wanted to make sure you got out okay. I was … worried … Russ might make a move on you. I was merely acting as a concerned law enforcement officer in an undercover situation.”

“You had a crush on me,” I teased.

“I did not.” Landon crossed his arms over his chest. “I thought you were pretty, but mouthy. I thought you were great to look at, but I had no idea at the time you would come to mean so much to me.”

“You had a crush on me,” I giggled, pressing my finger into Landon’s red cheek. His skin was hot. “You wanted to kiss me even then.”

Aunt Tillie did a little jig in the space next to us. She was giddy, which was odd given the circumstances. “You wanted to kiss her,” she sang out. “You wanted to hug her.”

“I definitely want to smack you,” Landon shot back, although his expression softened when he met my gaze. “I might have had a crush on you. I definitely have a crush on you now.”

“Why didn’t you tell me you waited around to see whether I got out of the maze okay?”

“Because it wasn’t important,” Landon answered. “I was doing my job, Bay. There was no ‘us’ at that point in my life. Not yet.”

“Yes, there was,” Aunt Tillie countered. “When hearts connect, there’s always an ‘us.’ You two connected right away. You just didn’t admit you connected until much later. You were stubborn little cusses.”

“You knew, though,” I pressed, glaring at Aunt Tillie. “You could’ve made things easier for us.”

“Life isn’t easy, Bay,” Aunt Tillie said. “You have to work through the tough stuff just as much as you have to enjoy the fun stuff. By the way, you have another memory coming up. This one is going to be a doozy.”

“Aunt Tillie!” She was already gone, though, and Landon had a hold of my hand as two timelines careened toward imminent collision.

How long would it be now?

You think I enjoy torturing my family, and I do. I enjoy torturing their enemies even more, though. That, right there, is the definition of family.

– Aunt Tillie to Landon when asked why she got such a kick out of cursing her great-nieces

Seventeen

We were back at the inn, the side door visible as we landed behind Aunt Tillie’s favorite lilac bush. The air smelled musty, as if it had rained recently, and the sun was missing from the sky.

“This is … lovely,” Landon said, frowning at the mud on his hands. “Why can’t she do this and leave us standing up?”

“Because then she wouldn’t have any fun,” I replied. “Ugh. It’s so muddy and mucky. Whenever we are, it’s right after a storm. You can smell it.”

“You say very odd things, but I love you anyway,” Landon said, causing me to smile. “Despite that, I’m running out of patience, Bay. Next time we see Aunt Tillie, I want you to grab her and shake her until she wakes up.”

“Why me?”

“Because if it’s you, she’s liable to curse you, and that means you might smell like bacon all weekend,” Landon answered, winking. “You know how much I love it when you smell like bacon.”

“I never would’ve guessed,” I said dryly. “You’ve never mentioned it.”