Chapter 3

That’s the last of it,” Laci said, blowing out a breath as she stood straighter, hands on her lower back. “Are you sure you don’t need us to help with anything else?”

“Yeah, really, I’d love to skip my afternoon classes,” Jayden added, hope on her face.

Tansy laughed, shaking her head. “Nope, we got this. You two can go about your day, and we’ll see you tonight. Thanks for your help.”

“Yes, thank you,” Sherri said, hands in her pockets as she stood there, staring at the stack of boxes in the living room. “I appreciate you ladies helping us out.”

Both Valentine sisters said, “No problem,” and then left Tansy and Sherri alone to deal with the stack of boxes.

Tansy glanced at Sherri, but the girl seemed forlorn as she stared at her meager possessions. “Come on,” she said, patting Sherri on the back. “I’ll haul the boxes with your dishes into the kitchen and find a place for them. Since I have a master bath in my bedroom, the guest bathroom is yours. Feel free to put things in there wherever you want. Afterward, I’ll help you carry the boxes to your bedroom. Decorate it any way you wish. It’s yours for as long as you want it.”

Sherri gave a slight dip of her head. “Thanks. That means a lot.”

“My pleasure,” Tansy said. “Now, let’s get busy. Sooner started, sooner done, as my dad would say.” She watched as Sherri nodded and then reached for one of the boxes containing her toiletries. As the blonde walked away, Tansy noticed the sad droop of the other woman’s shoulders and the way her head leaned forward slightly, as if Sherri just couldn’t hold it up. Taking a deep breath, Tansy reached for her own box, hoping the new environment would shake some of the girl’s melancholy out of her. Tansy was sure it resulted from Sherri looking at her life and comparing it to everyone else’s, but that always led to depression or pride, depending on where a person found themselves on the scale. Sherri had nothing to be depressed about. She made a new life for herself, and Tansy had no doubt the girl would succeed at anything she put her mind toward.

Setting the box on the kitchen table, Tansy opened the flaps, staring down into the box at the odd assortment of mismatched dishes. The dishes were unnecessary, of course, and at first, she thought about telling Sherri they could just put them in storage until she ever moved into her own place again. The house in the Bottoms was a rental, and Tansy had no problem helping Sherri break that lease. Tansy also held no illusions that the younger woman would one day move back out, able to stand on her own two feet and make a life that, hopefully, included some young man she could build a future with. Sherri could store the dishes until then. However, seeing the bashful look on the girl’s face at how meager her possessions appeared, Tansy decided everything needed its own place in the house. Sherri needed a feeling of participation that came from seeing some of her own things around her. That was worth the small amount of space the dishes and knickknacks would occupy.

As Tansy started unpacking the box, she thought about how different it would be to share her house with someone again. The last time, it hadn’t exactly gone over too well. At thirty-seven, she truly thought her time of sharing her home was over. Of course, Sherri was a lot more stable than Dean, Tansy’s ex-boyfriend, in the end. Sometimes, even after five years, people can hide their true nature from you.

It took less than ten minutes for Tansy to find a home for Sherri’s dishes. Deciding more coffee was in order, Tansy slid over to the counter to make a fresh pot, pouring the old coffee into the sink. She could hear Sherri in the bathroom, rearranging her things, and getting herself organized. New beginnings. They happened to everyone, and usually more than once. Tansy knew that for a fact, and her little coven was proof of it with Laci, Sherri, and now Kayla.

Tansy’s cell phone rang, and she pressed the brew button on the coffeepot and moved to the living room to pull her phone from her purse. Maggie Olsen. Tansy sighed as she slid the answer button to the right. Placing the phone to her ear, she said, “Hello, Maggie. What can I do for you?” Since putting an end to the Darkness and the crumbling of the Daughters of Darkness, Maggie called Tansy once a day, if not more. It became a nuisance, but Tansy had no idea how to get rid of the woman. This constant communication was why Tansy avoided the other covens in the first place.

“Aileena wanted me to make sure you still planned to attend the Coven Council Saturday night concerning Selina Devayne,” Maggie said, her nasally voice grating on Tansy’s nerves.

“Me? Maggie, we both know I don’t take part in the overall coven infrastructure,” Tansy said, holding the phone with one hand, while she pulled down two coffee mugs with the other. “I’m sure you all have a better feel for how these things should happen.”

“Now, Tansy, that’s not how it’s done,” Maggie said. “You’re one of the High Priestesses which gives you a seat on the council. It’s your duty to participate. Besides, you’re the one who brought this young woman to us. Who better to speak against her crimes than you?”

Tansy closed her eyes for a brief moment, taking a deep breath. “I’m not speaking out against Selina’s crimes,” she told the other woman as patiently as she could. “Cherise manipulated the poor girl. Selina was merely a daughter trying her best to please her mother.”

A loud gasp came through the phone. “She almost killed a member of your coven. You’d permit this…this…dark witch to get away with that? How could you do that? Where’s your sense of loyalty?”

“If you’re referring to Kayla, she’s fine, and it’s because Selina had a change of heart, breaking free of her mother’s grip, that Kayla didn’t suffer what the others did.” Tansy reached out, taking the coffeepot in her hands, and poured two cups. “From what I understand, Selina even tried to warn Cherise and the others about what the Darkness intended and almost got herself killed in the process. I’m sorry, Maggie. I can’t vote against her.”

When Maggie Olsen spoke next, Tansy shivered at the ice that dripped from each syllable. “You’ll be the only one who doesn’t. Still, it’s your responsibility to be there and serve the covens. I’ll see you Saturday night. Nine o’clock sharp. I’d come early, so you can prepare.”

The phone went silent, and Tansy pulled it away from her ear, staring at it. Prepare? Prepare for what? How do you prepare for railroading a poor girl? She sighed as she shoved the phone in her back pocket. She knew why Maggie was riled up; Selina’s brother threatened the Sisters, tried to extort money out of them, using the Darkness to destroy their business. Maggie—ever-peaceful, calm, and loving Maggie—held a grudge, and Tansy couldn’t say she blamed the woman. Still, Cherise manipulated Selina. While she should have seen what was happening and done more to stop it, Tansy could appreciate the hard place the young witch found herself.

Picking up the two cups of coffee, she turned and headed to the back of the house and Sherri, putting Maggie and the Coven Council out of her mind. She had enough stress with the girls in her care; she didn’t need to take on more problems before they were actually hers. Selina had friends, as well as a husband. She would be fine.

Stepping into Sherri’s bedroom, Tansy noticed the chaos scattered across the bed, Sherri sitting in the middle of the floor, her shoulders slumped as she stared at her possessions. Sherri on the other hand only has me.