Every Witch Way But Wicked (A Wicked Witches of the Midwest Mystery) Read Online Free Page A

months back. The inn could house a number of guests, and it had a formal dining room and reading room for the general public. It also had a private residence at the back of the property where my mom, her two sisters, and our great-aunt lived together. The only way you could get to the living quarters from the main inn was through the kitchen – which no one ever tried because Aunt Tillie was so frightening.
    While I was changing in the bedroom, I heard the door to the guesthouse open.  “Why are you changing before dinner?”
    I walked out into the main room in time to see Thistle cast a disdainful look in Clove’s direction. “I just want to look nice.”
    “For Marcus?”
    “For myself,” Thistle snipped back.
    Clove slid a sly look in my direction and then threw herself on the couch to wait. “Don’t take too long. It will just give them fodder – and you don’t want to give them any more ammunition than they already have.”
    Despite Clove’s warnings, Thistle took a full twenty minutes to get ready. Her efforts were worth it, though. When she came out of her bedroom, Clove and I both whistled appreciatively at her ensemble. She’d changed into an ankle length gypsy skirt in a lovely lavender hue that complemented her new purple hair. She had also put on a sequined black tank top that managed to show off an impressive amount of cleavage. She looked hot. Her mother was going to have a fit.
    I glanced down at my simple jeans and T-shirt and wondered briefly if I should change. I didn’t want Brian – or anyone else for that matter – to think I’d changed for him, though, so I opted to remain as I was.
    We walked the 500 yards up to the inn and let ourselves in through the back door. The family living quarters are decorated in bright colors, and there are a variety of different floral concoctions on the walls. To the casual observer, it would look like three women liked dried flowers and herbs. To anyone familiar with the craft, though, it would look like four practicing witches had erected an impressive array of protection spells and wards.
    Most of the town knew there was something off about the Winchester women – and many had guessed that we were actually witches. Guessing and proving, though, were two entirely different things.
    When we got inside the living room, none of us were surprised to find Aunt Tillie sitting in her favorite chair watching Jeopardy . The fact that she was wearing sunglasses indoors was something of a surprise, on the other hand. I opened my mouth to ask the obvious question and then snapped it shut. Not only is it a bad idea to interrupt Jeopardy , but it’s also a bad idea to give Aunt Tillie an opening when you don’t have to.
    Instead, I merely shook my head and continued through the living quarters until I reached the kitchen. As suspected, my mom and aunts were busily cooking dinner – and chatting away amiably. None of them looked up when the three of us entered the kitchen.
    “You’re late,” my Aunt Marnie admonished, not looking up from the asparagus she was chopping.
    “Thistle had to change her clothes.”
    Thistle shot me a death look, which I steadfastly ignored. I figured it was better that Thistle be the center of their wrath instead of me. I love my cousins, but I’m willing to sacrifice them to the family beast whenever possible to save myself.
    Clove wandered over to Marnie and dropped a kiss on her cheek. Seeing them together must be a sobering thought for Clove, I thought briefly. They looked exactly alike. They were both short – right around 5’0” – and they both had pitch-black hair (which I knew Marnie was getting from a bottle these days to hide the gray). They were also top heavy – for lack of a better description. Seriously, they were stacked. Marnie repeatedly teased her less endowed sisters by actually sitting them on the table from time to time.
    Thistle hopped up on the kitchen counter and snatched a slice of apple from my mom as