Chapter 7

“Mom, what are you doing here?” I said after ending the call.

She stormed toward me and snatched the phone from my hands. 

“Cassidy?” Mom tried to open my phone, but a code was protecting it. “How could you! Our family was broken by magic, yet you work with a witch. Do you not care about us at all?” She screamed at the top of her lungs. Tears of sorrow ran down her freckled cheeks as she pulled at her red hair.

Mom was extremely unwell. It’s not okay to have extreme mood shifts within minutes.

“No, Mom,“ I said, taking my phone back. “Elaine is a friend, and she only practices white magic.”

“White magic is Devil’s worship in disguise. It’s unholy and unclean. Magic destroys lives and souls just like it did to our family,” said Mom. She was not ready to calm down or listen.

“Okay, Mom,” I said, tossing my phone onto the bed. “Relax.”

Mom grabbed me by the arms. “Promise me, Cassidy. Say that you would never go near any magic or witches. You must promise me.”

Mom’s outrage was scaring me. I could see the pain in her bloodshot eyes. She was barely holding it together.

“I promise, Mom,” I said and hugged her.

She shoved her face into my shoulder and cried her heart out. “I love you all so much. I didn’t mean to yell at my baby. Forgive me and call Mason now, or else I’ll drown in guilt for ruining your day.”

I tapped her back. “Okay, I will do it. Just promise to be okay and take some rest. Your concern is a shield protecting me from harm. It could never ruin me.”

After comforting her a little more, Mom went downstairs so I could call Mason.

The small yet dramatic fight with my mother had ruined my excitement completely. Now, I wasn’t sure if I should call him or not. So, I sent him a text instead. I also had one unread message from Elaine.

Elaine’s text:

I am unsure about the disturbances it may cause, but I am sure it won’t be fatal. Shoot me a text if you notice something strange. I am here to help. Come by when you can. Just don’t delay it for too long.

I asked her to arrange a seance next week and thanked her again for all the help.

My text to Mason:

Hi! It’s Cassidy Black if you don’t have my number anymore. 

Mom gave me your message. Just wanted to let you know I arrived in Wneebeach Springs today. Want to hang out?

We had not talked in years. It was best to keep the text as short as possible.

After texting, I went downstairs to look for Mom.

She was cooking in the kitchen with a big grin on her face. How she was keeping up with so many emotions was beyond me.

“Did you call him?” She asked immediately upon seeing me.

I hopped on a kitchen stool. “I sent him a text.”

“A text?” Mom dropped her knife onto the counter. “I remember you being obsessed with this boy. You used to look for excuses to call him.”

“A lot has changed. It’s been years. That teenage spark has faded. I am not sure if it’s there anymore,” I said. “What are you making?”

She picked up the knife and began chopping again. “Lasagna. You can share it with Mason today.”

“Don’t jump to conclusions. He might be busy,” I said.

“Have you stopped going to the shrink you were seeing?” I asked.

She lifted her eyes and looked at me with displeasure. “Can a shrink help us break Satan’s spell?”

“No, but he can help us get through the grief of losing Dad. It’s okay to feel lost after losing someone special. He was your high school sweetheart,” I answered.

“I’ll be alright after I have my revenge.” She chopped harder. “No shrink can help with the rage I feel inside.”

It was hard to get through Mom. She was trying her best to survive the pain and protect her family. So, I switched the subject to lighter things and helped her cook. Mia participated as well.

I wanted Mom to regain the happiness that went away with her first and only love. I promised myself to help her achieve that, inch by inch.

The doorbell rang amid our conversation.

“I’ll get that,” I said, licking the sauce off my fingers.

I opened the door and was taken aback by the person before me. It was Mason. He flashed a pearly smile my way and ran his fingers through his silky raven-black hair. I could feel the definition of his big muscles and snatched waist through his tight-fitting black sweater. Oh, god, he looked more stunning than the version of him I knew in high school. 

The spark was there. It was definitely there. My body could feel it all over.

“Hi, Cassidy. You look lovely,” he said, handing me a fancy black box.

I took the box with shaky hands. “Hi. You look more lovely. I meant handsome. You look lovely and handsome.”

“Thanks, I guess,” he said with a skeptical look. “I hope I didn’t disturb you by coming over. You didn’t reply to my texts, so I thought maybe I should stop by to chat.”

Shoot! I must have put my phone on silent accidentally. 

“Sorry, I was helping Mom cook. Please come in.” I moved to the left and gestured for him to step in.

He walked inside, and I couldn’t help but check out his body from behind. That man was smoking hot.

He made small talk with my family, and I watched from a distance. What should I say to him? I was practicing my words.

“Have a seat with Cassidy in the living room. You two haven’t seen each other for so long. Mia and I will finish this up here,” suggested Mom.

“Thanks, Mrs. Black, for welcoming me into your home. It would be nice to talk alone with Cassidy for a while,” said Mason. 

He and I sat on a couch. The middle seat remained empty between us. We shared an awkward few smiles before any of us spoke.

“So, how’s life? We never had a chance to talk after high school,” began Mason. “I heard you got a decent job and apartment in the city from your mother.”

“It’s a start. My father died right after I graduated. So I couldn’t work for a while,” I said.

His expression dropped. I've heard of that. My condolences go out to you and your family. I lost my grandmother many years ago. I know how you feel. If I weren't on another continent, I would have attended the funeral.”

“It’s okay. I wouldn’t expect you to drop everything and show up at my dad’s funeral when we hadn’t talked in years,” I said with an awkward smile. It was horrible! The conversation was becoming grim. I had to lighten the mood.

“What have you been up to? I asked.

“I am running our family’s wine business,” he said. 

He picked up the box he had brought that I had put on the coffee table. “Here. I brought a bottle of our finest for you.” 

“Thanks,” I said.

We tasted the wine together. It was delicious, and he explained how it was made and the types of wines. I barely paid attention to his words when my mind was so distracted by his looks. Everything about him was so breathtaking.

“Cassidy, can I ask you something?” he said.

“Of course,” I said, straightening myself up.

“Would you like to go on a date with me tomorrow? If you’re not seeing anyone, of course,” He said.

My mouth fell open. I think I lost my balance a little while sitting there.

“What! What? Yes, of course. I am single,” I answered clumsily.

“Then would you like to?” he asked again.

“Uh, yes. No, I mean. I am going somewhere out of town with my family,” I answered.

He looked at his wristwatch. “Then how about tonight? It’s only 6:45.”

I looked at Mom, working in the kitchen. Going on a date with Mason was like a dream come true, but my family needed me.

“I can’t. Mom needs me,” I said.

“No, I don’t need her. You two are free to go wherever you want after having dinner with us,” Mom spoke from the kitchen.

Gosh, it was a big house. How did she hear us? I forgot about my Mom’s superhuman hearing. We often got in trouble as children thanks to her gift.

“Your mom has given us permission now. If you don’t want to, you can say it outright. No need to find perfect excuses,” said Mason politely.

“No. It’s not that. Okay, let’s go on a date. I would love to,” I said.

We had lasagna with my family, just like my mom wanted. The food was delicious, and so was his company. I couldn’t help but picture us in different romantic and sexual scenarios.

He was such a gentleman that he cheered up Mia and Mom. 

After dinner, I put on a borrowed dress from my mother to wear on our first date. None of Mia’s dresses would fit my enormous chest. Lastly, I applied some red lipstick and powdered my face.

The plan was to watch a movie since we already had dinner and were short on time. 

As horror fans, we picked a scary one. I am glad we did, as it gave me an excuse to grab his tight, muscular arms.

 We exited the movie theatre with hand in hand, laughing about the horrible ending.

“I had a great time,” He said as we walked down the street to my house. 

“Me too,” I said.

He grabbed my hand, and we stopped. His beautiful brown eyes stared into mine with interest and affection. 

His face slowly inched towards me. Oh my, he was leaning in for a kiss. Butterflies flew in my stomach. I closed my eyes and helped him close the distance between our mouths, and once our lips touched, it was pure magic. He softly sucked on my lower lip.

“Ah!” He groaned in pain.

I opened my eyes to find him at least a few feet away from me on the ground. 

I rushed to help him. “What happened?”

“Someone violently pushed me. My arm is burning,” Mason replied, pressing on his right arm.

I looked around and found the well-lit street empty. There wasn’t a soul around us.