Blue Moon (3 page)

horrible rumor about her right before the end of school. Partly it had happened because Sherrie wanted

to get revenge for something Annie had done with Tara’s help. None of them had seen Tara very much

since. Cooper looked at Annie and saw that she was staring intently at her menu, obviously trying to

ignore Jessica as much as possible.

“Tell her I said hi if you see her,” said Kate.

“Sure,” Jessica replied. “Now, what can I get you guys?”

They went around the table, giving their orders, and Jessica left. When she was gone Cooper sighed.

“And I thought we were going to have a Three Graces-free summer,” she said. “Isn’t Sherrie in France?”

“She’s supposed to be,” Kate said. “I don’t know when she gets back.”

“I wonder if she met the mysterious guy you told her she’d meet, Annie,” said Cooper, referring to a

Tarot card reading Annie had done for Sherrie at the school fair—the very Tarot card reading that had

started all the trouble.

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Annie shrugged. “I said she
might
meet someone,” she said shortly.

“Well, I hope she did, and I hope he dumped her,” Kate commented flatly.

“Wow, I’d hate to get on your bad side,” remarked T.J. “Tyler, you and I had better watch out.”

“You guys have nothing to worry about,” Cooper said, patting T.J. on the knee. “As long as you give us

everything we want.”

Jessica returned a minute later with their drinks. As she was putting them on the table, her hand suddenly

knocked against Annie’s Coke and sent it spilling into her lap.

“Oh, I’m so sorry,” Jessica said, grabbing a stack of napkins and blotting up the mess.

“It’s okay,” Annie said, dabbing at her sticky lap. “Really.”

“I’ll go get a rag,” Jessica said, running off toward the kitchen.

“She did that on purpose,” Annie said when Jessica was gone, picking at her wet clothes.

“I really don’t think she did,” Cooper said, handing Annie more napkins. “I think it was just an

accident.”

“Well, I don’t,” Annie told her curtly. “I think she did it to get even with me because she blames me for

what Sherrie did to Tara.”

“Jess isn’t like that,” Kate said. “Sherrie’s the vindictive one.”

“Well, it looks like hanging around with her has rubbed off on Jessica,” said Annie angrily.

She stood up and brushed past Cooper and T.J.

“Where are you going?” Cooper asked her.

“Home,” Annie said.

“What do you mean?” said Cooper, surprised at her friend’s behavior. “It’s just some soda. It will wash

right off.”

“That’s okay,” Annie told her. “I think I’ve had enough for one night. I’ll see you guys later.”

She turned and walked away. Cooper watched her leave the restaurant, then turned to the others.

“Something’s gotten into Miss Crandall this evening,” she said. “She’s been acting weird ever since we

were at the coffee shop. It was like she didn’t want to be there at all.”

“Do you really think she’s still upset about what happened with Sherrie and the Tarot cards?” Kate

asked.

“I doubt it,” replied Cooper. “I think it’s something else.”

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“What’s this about Tarot cards?” asked T.J.

Cooper sighed. “
That
is a long story,” she said.

“We have time,” T.J. responded. “Do you want to tell it?”

Cooper looked at Kate. She hadn’t told T.J. very much about their involvement with Wicca. He knew

all about her encounters with a ghost earlier in the year, and he knew that she attended the weekly study

group with her friends. In fact, he had encouraged her to go back to the group after she’d left it. But they

hadn’t talked a lot about the subject in detail. This was the first time he’d ever really asked her a direct

question about it. Was it time to tell him more? Although she’d told him more about herself than she’d

ever told anyone besides her best friends, Cooper was still a little hesitant to tell him too much because

once she started there was no going back.

Kate nodded at her, and Cooper knew she was telling her to go ahead. But should she? Did she really

trust T.J. enough to let him know so much about what she did? She looked at his face. He was looking

back at her with an open expression, waiting for her to say something.

She leaned back. “Well,” she began. “It all started when we convinced Annie to tell fortunes.”

CHAPTER 3

“I’ve been thinking about the stuffed mushrooms,” Mayor Pershing told Kate’s mom at the

pre–Winter-Pershing wedding meeting Kate was sitting in on. “Do you think we could have oysters

instead? Diana and I discussed it, and we think they’re so much more elegant.”

“Certainly we could do that,” answered Mrs. Morgan carefully. “But that will increase the overall cost

dramatically.”

“Oh, don’t worry about that,” the mayor said, brushing a piece of lint off the cuff of her navy blue blazer.

“Just make sure they’re fresh.”

Mrs. Morgan wrote something in her notebook. “Okay,” she said. “Oysters. Now, have you definitely

settled on how many guests there will be?”

“We think it’s two hundred and seventy-three,” Diana Winter said primly, her clipped speech matching

the crisp cream linen suit she was wearing.

“Two hundred and seventy-seven,” her daughter, the bride, corrected her.

Lily was standing nearby on a short platform as a dressmaker measured her and made alterations to the

beautiful wedding gown she was wearing. The seamstress was marking the hem while Mrs. Winter eyed

her warily, her sharp features tense as the woman handled the ivory silk.

“Lily, I thought we agreed that the Simons and the Schusters would not be coming,” said Mrs. Winter

firmly, putting her well-manicured hands in her lap.

“No, Mother,
you
said they wouldn’t be coming,” Lily answered carefully as she played with the

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engagement ring on her finger. “I want them to attend. They’re very good friends of mine.”

“Two hundred and seventy-three,” Mrs. Winter said again, turning and smiling at Kate’s mother. There

was a note of finality in her voice, and Kate knew that Lily had just lost the argument over the guests.

“That’s forty more than I’d planned on,” Mrs. Morgan said. “I’ll have to order more chicken.”

“Do whatever you have to,” Mayor Pershing said, dabbing her mouth with a napkin. “This wedding has

to be fabulous.
Everyone
will be there.”

Everyone except Lily’s friends, the Simons and the Schusters,
Kate thought. She was sitting next to

her mother on the couch in Mayor Pershing’s impeccably decorated house. They’d been there almost

two hours, going over and over the menu. Mrs. Winter and Mayor Pershing had changed their minds at

least half a dozen times since hiring Mrs. Morgan to cater the affair, and Kate knew that they were

driving her mother crazy. But this was a big deal—the largest event Mrs. Morgan had yet been asked to

do—and Kate knew that it was important to her mother that her clients be happy.

“Oh, I almost forgot,” Mrs. Winter said. “Dessert. The cake is going to be vanilla, so of course we want

to have bowls of fresh strawberries and cream available. Will that be a problem?”

“But I ordered a chocolate cake,” Lily said, sounding confused. “Chocolate is Jack’s favorite!”

“Yes, dear, we know,” the mayor said. “But your mother and I agree that vanilla is much more suited to

an August wedding. Chocolate cake is for children, not for grown-ups, and it just doesn’t fit with the rest

of the food. I thought we’d told you.”

Lily started to say something, but at a look from her mother she bit her lip and looked away.

“All right, then,” said Mrs. Morgan, shutting her notebook. “I think that’s everything. Now, just keep in

mind that this is absolutely the last week that any changes can be made. So if anything else needs

rearranging, call me by Thursday.”

“I think this will be it,” said Mrs. Winter. “Lily, do you have anything you want to add?”

Lily looked down shyly from her position on the platform. Kate had a feeling the young woman wasn’t

really enjoying making the plans for her wedding nearly as much as her mother and mother-in-law-to-be

were. She’d spoken only a few times during the meeting, and then only to be quashed by her mother.

“It all sounds fine,” she said softly, her hands running over the smooth folds of her dress.

“Good,” said Mayor Pershing. “Then, if you’ll excuse me, I have some work that needs to be done this

afternoon. Diana, I’ll see you tomorrow at lunch. Teresa, thank you so much for coming over today. It

was lovely meeting your daughter.”

“Thank you,” Mrs. Morgan said. “It was a pleasure.”

As her mother said her good-byes, Kate walked over to Lily. “Your dress is really beautiful,” she said.

“Thanks,” Lily said. “I wanted something more modern, but Mother had to have her way. I just keep

reminding myself that it will all be over soon.”

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“Well, you look great,” Kate said warmly.

She and her mother left the mayor’s house and got into their car. As they drove home, Kate thought

about Lily and the wedding.

“I can’t believe that poor woman has to do everything her mother wants,” she said. “It’s
her
wedding.”

Mrs. Morgan smiled. “Weddings are almost always more about the mothers than about the bride and

groom,” she said. “My wedding sure was.”

“Really?” Kate said.

Her mother nodded. “Your grandmother wanted everything to be just so. She planned everything, from

the guest list to the color of the bridesmaids’ dresses. And your Grandma Morgan, well, let’s just say

General Patton’s troops probably had fewer instructions than your father and I got from her. By the time

the day came we wanted to be on our honeymoon just to get away from them.”

Kate laughed. “I can just see the two of them ordering you guys around,” she said. “But you all look so

happy in your wedding pictures.”

“Don’t be fooled,” her mother replied. “We were just in shock.”

“Why did you let them do it, then?” Kate asked.

Mrs. Morgan let out a long sigh. “Sometimes you do things to make your mother happy,” she said. “I

figured I would have the rest of my life with your father. It didn’t hurt too much to give your

grandmothers one day.”

Kate thought about that. She knew a little bit how her mother must have felt. Although her mother very

seldom insisted that Kate do something her way, Kate sometimes
didn’t
do things she wanted to do

simply because she knew her mother wouldn’t approve. Like the whole Wicca thing. She was doing it,

but she didn’t bring it up because she knew her mother wouldn’t like it. She’d even lied about the extent

of her own involvement in Wicca when she’d suggested doing the healing ritual for Aunt Netty, her

mother’s sister. She didn’t feel good about that, but she knew that telling her mother she was studying

witchcraft wouldn’t go over particularly well.

But would she stop going to the Tuesday night class if her mother told her to? She didn’t know. She

hoped she would never have to make that choice. In fact, one of the reasons she was helping her mother

with catering the wedding was because she thought that if they spent more time together it might make

her parents less suspicious when she hung out with Annie and Cooper. They’d made a couple of

comments about how much time she spent with her friends, and she knew that it was because she’d told

them that Cooper and Annie had gone to some rituals. But they hadn’t asked her not to see them, and

they hadn’t asked any questions about what they did when they were together, and that was a good sign.

Still, it couldn’t hurt to rack up some brownie points by working with her mother. Besides, she enjoyed

it. It was fun spending time with her mom and learning about the business.

“I haven’t seen much of Annie and Cooper these past few weeks,” her mother said suddenly, as if she

knew what Kate was thinking about.

“They’ve been really busy,” Kate told her. “Annie is working over at Shady Hills and Cooper is doing

the tour guide thing at her house. Plus, she’s got a new boyfriend, so she’s been sort of scarce.”

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“What about Sherrie, Tara, and Jessica?” her mother asked. “Have you given up on them for good?”

The way her mother asked the question, Kate could tell that she was hoping Kate would say that she’d

made up with her former best friends. Her mother had always liked Tara and Jessica, even if she did

think Sherrie was kind of a snob. Kate knew that her mother had been concerned when Kate stopped

hanging around with them and took up with Cooper and Annie. She’d never said anything outright about

it, but Kate knew that she hoped someday the old group might get back together.

“I don’t think we have a lot in common anymore,” Kate told her.

“But you, Cooper, and Annie do?” asked Mrs. Morgan.

Kate nodded. “A lot more than the Graces and I ever did,” she said, slipping and using the nickname

she, Annie, and Cooper had given the trio of her former best friends.

“What did you call them?” asked her mom.

“It’s just something we call them,” Kate explained. “You know, the Greek goddesses of beauty and all

that.”

“I never understood what happened between you,” her mother continued, ignoring the remark.

“It’s a long story,” said Kate. “Suffice it to say that Sherrie doesn’t like it when she’s not the boss.”

“What about Jessica and Tara?” her mother pressed.

“Tara and I still sort of talk,” Kate said carefully. “And I just saw Jess the other night when Tyler and I

went out. But I don’t know. I think we’ve grown apart.”

“Well, that’s too bad,” said her mother. “They’re nice girls.”

“So are Cooper and Annie,” said Kate warily, not sure what her mother was getting at.

“Oh, I know,” said Mrs. Morgan. “I’m not saying they’re not.”

“But you’re saying
something
,” Kate replied, testing the waters.

“I guess I just don’t entirely understand what the three of you have in common,” explained her mother.

“They just seem a little . . . eccentric . . . compared to your old group of friends.”

Kate knew full well that her mother was making a reference to the fact that she’d told her that Annie and

Cooper were friendly with the people who’d done the ritual for her aunt. She knew that her parents still

felt that what they’d done was weird, even if maybe it had helped her Aunt Netty feel better. And even if

it
had
helped, they would never admit it. They would prefer to think that the medical treatments Netty

was receiving were entirely responsible.

“They’re a lot more normal than people think they are,” Kate said, trying to not let the anger she was

starting to feel inside creep into her voice.

“I know they were very kind about your aunt,” her mother said. “And I really do appreciate that—”

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“Yes,” Kate said, interrupting her before she could start with the “but” Kate knew was coming. “They

were
very
helpful about that.”

“I’m just saying that I’m surprised you’re friends with girls like them,” her mother said. “You’ve changed

in the past few months.”

“I like to think that I’ve matured,” answered Kate, trying to sound like she was sort of kidding. But she

wasn’t. She really did think she’d grown up a lot since becoming friends with Cooper and Annie and

beginning her study of the Craft.

“Yes, you have,” her mother agreed. “But don’t you ever miss hanging around with—”

She stopped as if she didn’t know what to say next.

“With Scott?” Kate said, finishing the question for her. Her mother had never really asked about her

breakup with her ex-boyfriend, and Kate had been expecting her to for some time.

“Not just Scott,” said her mother. “Just your old group of friends. You used to go to so many parties.”

“You mean I hung out with the popular kids,” Kate replied.

“For lack of a better word, yes,” admitted her mother.

“I didn’t think you cared about stuff like that,” Kate remarked.

“It’s not that I think you need to be popular,” answered her mother. “But you have to admit that Cooper

and Annie are a little on the ‘different’ side.”

“I admit that they aren’t part of the Beecher Falls High School clique scene,” Kate told her. “But that’s

one of the things I like about them. People who get their self-worth from being popular are the real

losers.”

Her mother smiled. “You
have
grown up,” she said lightly. “I don’t want you to think I don’t like Annie

and Cooper,” she said. “I do. I just want you to be careful.”

“Careful?” Kate repeated, feeling a tight, cold knot forming in her stomach.

“It’s just that sometimes people who don’t fit in sometimes have a hard time of it,” her mother explained,

speaking carefully.

“I see,” said Kate. She knew that her mother wasn’t really talking about her old friends. She was talking

about Kate’s getting involved in things she suspected Annie and Cooper of being involved in—things like

Wicca.
It’s too late for that,
she wanted to say. But instead she said, “You don’t have to worry about

me.”

“Who’s worried?” asked her mother innocently.

“So, how are you going to get all of this cooking done?” Kate asked, changing the subject.

“The museum has a kitchen,” her mother said. “We can use that. And I’m hiring several cooks to help