wicked witches 07.5 - christmas witch by Amanda M. Lee Read Free Book Online Page B

microwave for a few seconds so they’re extra-special gooey and good.”
    “Yay!” Clove clapped her hands.
    “They’re so cute,” Ginny said, smiling fondly at them.
    “Try living with them,” I shot back.
    Ginny brought the steaming hot chocolate and doughnuts to us a few minutes later. I watched her chat up each of the girls in turn, making sure to give everyone equal attention, and when she moved to walk away I stopped her with a hand on her arm.
    Ginny arched an eyebrow, surprised at the contact. We don’t spend much time together these days, and it’s rare for me to visit the bakery. “Is something wrong, Tillie?”
    “I don’t know,” I admitted. “Have you heard anything about Bernard Hill?”
    “What do you mean?”
    “He didn’t show up at the school pageant last night, and Terry doesn’t think he’s been home in at least a week,” I answered.
    “And his house is gross and there are bugs inside of it,” Thistle said.
    “And he has dirty underwear on his bedroom floor,” Clove added.
    “And how do you guys know that?” Ginny asked.
    “Aunt Tillie pushed me through the bedroom window so I could open the door and we could search his house,” Clove said. “I landed on the underwear. I’m going to have nightmares.”
    Ginny pursed her lips and glanced at me. “Is that true? Did you force those children to break into Bernard’s house? Tillie, what were you thinking?”
    “I didn’t force them to do anything,” I corrected. “They’re all up in arms about Santa not being at the town party. I was trying to make Christmas better for them. I was doing a good thing.”
    “She made us lie to Officer Terry,” Bay said. “We had to tell him we saw the door open from the street.”
    “You lied to Officer Terry?” Ginny was scandalized. “Do you really think that’s a good idea, Tillie? How did you know they’d lie and back your play?”
    “I’ve worked really hard on the lying lessons,” I said. “Bay and Thistle are naturals. Clove still needs some work. She pretended to have amnesia and cried. I found that to be more effective than the lying. It was a good lesson to learn.”
    Ginny scowled. “That is horrible.”
    “Oh, please,” I scoffed. “Terry knew they were lying. He told me as much. What does it matter? It’s not as though we tried to steal anything.”
    “Trust us. We don’t want what he had,” Thistle said, happily munching away on her doughnut.
    “Don’t talk with your mouth full,” I ordered. “It’s gross.”
    “You do it.”
    “It’s cute when I do it,” I said. “You guys all shut up for a second. I need to talk to Ginny and it’ll be a lot easier if you guys aren’t chattering at the same time.”
    “Seriously, you’re the worst babysitter ever,” Thistle said.
    “I’m going to have that put on a sweatshirt and wear it when I drop you three off at school wearing nothing else but a bathrobe and flip flops if you’re not careful,” I warned.
    “You don’t take us to school.”
    “I’ll start just so I can wear that outfit.”
    “Whatever,” Thistle said. “You’re crazy sometimes. Has anyone ever told you that?”
    “Only seventy-five percent of the people I meet,” I replied. “Eat your doughnut.” I focused back on Ginny. “Have you heard any rumors about Bernard?”
    “I know he was having a rough time of it,” Ginny replied. “He’s been depressed, but I didn’t think it was bad enough to off himself or run away. I don’t know what to tell you on that front. The holidays are hard for people when they’re alone.”
    My heart went out to her. She’d been alone for a long time, ever since her jerkoff husband disappeared without a trace years earlier. When I lost my husband, I thought I’d never get over it. I still love him, but having six girls to focus on – even if they’re complete and total pains sometimes – lessens that burden.
    “You’re always invited out to our house for Christmas dinner if you want,”