Witching The Night Away: A Cozy Mystery (The Witchy Women of Coven Grove Book 3) Read Online Free

to college to learn a thing? “The Library,” she said. “I don’t wait for any stuffy old teacher to spoon feed me an education; when I want to know something, I go and find it out myself.”
    Rather than dismiss her like Bailey half-expected, Owen grinned at her conspiratorially. “The old boys do tend to blow a lot of wind, don’t they?” He chuckled. “I admire the pluck of a young person willing to work for knowledge. It’s the only real way to learn anything, you know—do for oneself, I always say. Well it has been a true delight to speak with you, Miss Robinson. I do believe we’ll see one another again, and quite soon I hope.”
    He offered his hand again. It felt, somehow, as if his way of informing her the interaction was over now; she could move along with her day and leave him to his work. Bailey took it, and shook again. “Best of luck with all of your research,” she said. “I’d be very interested to hear more about it later on, when you’ve had some time to look around. I can suggest a few books we have in the library, if you like. I work there, too. It isn’t much”—and most of it was inaccurate—“but it might be useful.”
    “Splendid, my girl,” Owen said. “Just splendid. Do set them aside for me if you please.”
    When he let her hand go, he turned away from her, and pulled a small black notebook, worn from years of use, as well as a pencil from his hat. He immersed himself near-instantly in his study of the cave wall, flipping back and forth through his little book as he did. Bailey may as well have already left. She wondered if he would even notice if she stuck around and watched him. Probably not.
    Somehow, that made her like him just a little more.
    Still, she couldn’t imagine what Aiden was thinking, letting someone else come and poke around the caves after everything that had happened. So she left Professor Turner to his work, and scurried up the path to the office as quickly as she could without running. It was well after the end of the day, and if she moved quickly, she might have a chance to ask her boss that very question, even if she lamented of ever getting a straight answer from him.
    Wizards, like witches, simply seemed incapable of answering a question directly.

Chapter 3
    When Bailey got to the office, she had to let herself in. The back door was locked, and she wondered if Aiden had already gone home for the day. She did find him there, however, and he wasn’t alone.
    “Avery?” She asked when she saw her best friend sitting opposite Aiden at his desk in the office. Both men straightened when they saw her.
    “Bailey,” Avery said, “we thought you’d left for the day.”
    “I spent some time in the caves after the tours,” Bailey said. She frowned at them. “Is something the matter?”
    “Not at all,” Aiden assured her. “Avery and I were just chatting. Keeping an eye on things, still trying to ascertain who it was that attempted to abscond with one of the stones.”
    “Nothing so far,” Avery said. He shrugged. “Well, I was just heading out anyway. You headed to the Library?”
    Bailey shook her head. “I’m making dinner for Dad tonight,” she said. “I promised.” A small lie. She’d be going by the Bakery first for a practice session with the Coven. But, Avery still didn’t know about them. Neither did Aiden, for that matter. The opportunity to tell the two of them hadn’t quite presented itself. As far as they knew, she was the only witch in town although she suspected that Aiden didn’t entirely believe that.
    “Alright,” Avery said as he stood. “Well, I guess I’ll see you tomorrow then.” He smiled when he hugged her, and then gave Aiden a wave before he left them.
    Bailey watched him go, and when the front door closed again she turned toward Aiden, one eyebrow up. “Anything I should know about?”
    “Nothing you don’t already know,” Aiden said casually.
    How to ask delicately… “Do you and Avery spend… a