Dewitched (Witchless In Seattle Mysteries Book 3) by Dakota Cassidy Read Free Book Online

crowd swelled as some of the waiters arrived with fresh plates of the big hit of the night—the shrimp wrapped in bacon and stuffed with jalapeño cream cheese.
    When I managed to find my way past them and the crowd waiting for the food, the awkward mime had disappeared.
    But Bart hadn’t. He strolled up to me, tall and maturely handsome, his shock of thick white hair even whiter against his tan. “Stevie! Have I told you how good it is to finally meet you in the flesh?”
    I smiled up at him, remembering my words to Win that I was going to try to leave my baggage behind me. It wasn’t Bart’s fault my mother wasn’t Donna Reed. “It’s good to finally meet you, too. Where’s my mother?”
    “Oh, she’s floating around, working her magic on all her old friends, if you know what I mean,” he said on a wink.
    My mother didn’t have any old friends here in Ebenezer. And when he used the word “magic,” I grew a little nervous. Did he mean magic -magic? Or magical charms? Either could apply when it came to Dita.
    Hooking my arm through his, I caught a whiff of his spicy cologne. He even smelled expensive. “So tell me a little about you, Bart. Where do you come from? What do you do for a living? What’s it like to live in Rome?”
    The warm smile never left his green eyes. “It’s actually Greece, and I dabble in the market from time to time. Speaking of the market. I’d love to advise you.” He leaned in and whispered the next words. “Dita told me all about your recent coup and it sounds like you need an investment planner. I’m your man. If you’re looking, of course.”
    “I’ll keep that in mind—”
    Bart’s phone rang, interrupting any more conversation. He held up his phone, the shiny Rolex on his wrist flashing in the dark. “You’ll excuse me, won’t you?”
    I smiled and patted his arm. “Of course. We’ll have a nice long chat later, after the party.”
    Bart nodded and moved back off into the crowd of people, stepping around Sandwich, who was looking very smart in his tux, even if his bow tie was a little off. I nudged him with my shoulder. “Find any sardines in the sea of escargot and goat cheese?”
    He barked a laugh, his shortly cropped dark hair glistening beneath the lights. “No sardines ever again for me.” Dropping his hands into his pockets, he smiled wide, his easygoing expression much different than the one I’d witnessed just two months ago at the scene of a murder. “So, this place, Stevie? It’s pretty amazing.”
    I curtsied and winked. “No big deal. Just a couple of marathons on the DIY channel, YouTube videos, and some two by fours and paint. Easy-peasy.”
    Sandwich smiled, flashing his white teeth. “You wear it well, Stevie. This house somehow suits you, and you look great tonight, by the way. Not that you don’t always look great, but tonight, you look extra great. Thanks for inviting me. Good eats.”
    “Miss Cartwright?” someone drawled from behind me. Someone who was the bane of my existence.
    Ah. My favorite police officer was here. I turned to find Officer Nelson, also known as Dana (I was still snickering over that), and occasionally known by me as Officer By The Book, looked quite dapper all dressed up. “If it isn’t Mr. Sunshine and Chuckles. Are you having a nice time, Officer Nelson?”
    His lips lifted at the corners, otherwise known as the rare beast called a smile. “I am. This shrimp is pretty dang good.” He held up his hors d’oeuvre plate to show me, his always-serious eyes dancing with a flicker of delight.
    “Good. I’m glad to see you’re enjoying yourself. So, anyone save your life lately?” I teased, batting my eyelashes in reference to my last tango with a killer.
    Sandwich snorted. “Told ya, she grudges and she never forgets.”
    I didn’t know Officer Nelson’s story. He was already a part of the Ebenezer Falls Police Department when I moved back. I didn’t know where he came from or where he’d been before