Nick had spent some long, hot hours of summer building a pergola and deck off the back of their farmhouse. It had turned out to be our new favorite spot on the farm, other than sitting in the pen with Emily's precious goats, Tinkerbell and Cuddlebug. Emily had woven strings of lights between the upper beams on the pergola, bathing the entire structure in a fairytale glow. Lana had joined us for dinner and the seven of us, (Nick was sorely outnumbered) sat under the twinkling white lights feasting on savory pot pie, white wine and Emily's fudgy brownies and ice cream.
"This is so ideal," Lacey said. She waved her arm around. "A cozy, rustic farmhouse, chickens clucking to their own music, the snorts of barn animals settling down for the evening, and all with the Great Smoky Mountains as a backdrop. It's like a painting come to life." Both Lola and Lacey had fit so easily and perfectly into our close knit group, it was as if they had always belonged with us. I had to admit, I was going to miss them when they went back home.
"Normally, at this time in the evening in Port Danby," Lola piped up from her end of the table, "the town is already choking in the heavy coastal fog."
Lacey nodded. "The fog is one drawback about living near the ocean—"
"But there are so many terrific tradeoffs." Nick placed his napkin on the table. "I've always dreamed about living by the sea, having a little fishing boat to putt around on, watching the sunset on the horizon. As a kid, I always wanted to be a pirate."
Emily laughed. "That explains why you always pull out that old, faded pirate's hat for Halloween. You're living out your childhood pirate dream."
"It's true, there is something perpetually romantic about living near the ocean. And we have a beautiful lighthouse." Lacey put the brownie she had just plucked off her plate back down. "Oh my gosh, a brilliant idea just popped into my head. All of you need to come visit us in Port Danby." She leaned her head my direction. "I could show you the notorious Hawksworth Manor and all of my scribbly yet somewhat organized notes on the murder case."
I sat straight up. "I would love that. The only thing better than a fresh murder case is a century old unsolved crime."
Lacey sat forward excitedly. "I've found some letters in an old trunk that belonged to Bertram Hawksworth, the man who was blamed for killing his whole family in cold blood." Lacey and I had gotten so instantly swept up in murder and intrigue it took us a few moments to realize the table had fallen silent and all eyes were on us.
We both relaxed our enthusiastic postures and smiled sheepishly. "I suppose murder isn't the best topic for a cozy fall dinner under the stars," Lacey said.
I leaned closer to her and winked. "We'll catch up on this later."
Lana restarted the awkward pause with a brownie discussion. "Little sis, I think this is your best brownie yet. What's different? They are fudgier."
Emily's cherry pink lips turned up in a smile. "Same recipe only I took them out five minutes earlier to see if they would be moister. Seems it was a good call."
"So, what you're saying is, we're technically eating raw brownies," Nick said as he plowed one into his mouth. This time all eyes were on him.
"Your point?" Lana asked.
He swallowed. "No point. I'm good with undercooked, overbaked. Heck, I'll even eat them burned."
"And yes, he has proven that boast on more than one occasion," Emily said.
"Your brownies are so good," Lola said, "I'm sure a little char wouldn't take away from the taste." Lola looked at Lacey. "If Emily visits Port Danby, we have to introduce her to—"
"Elsie," Lacey finished for her. "Absolutely. Elsie owns a bakery right next to my flower shop and across from Lola's antique shop. The two of us are spoiled by a constant flow of sugary baked goods and tasting samples. We're a very important part of her business, you see. Without Lola and I lending our educated taste palates to the cause, the entire business would probably end in disaster."
Lola licked brownie off her finger. "Yeah, it's quite the sacrifice, but someone has to do it."
"I would love to meet her and get some hints and secrets of the trade from a professional baker." Emily smiled at Nick. "Guess we're going to have to take that trip to Port Danby. Then I can learn baking skills and you can wear your stretched out pirate hat down by the water."
"I can lend you a bird for your shoulder," Lacey piped up. "It's not a parrot but I think a crow would make a rather dashing looking pirate mate."
Nick laughed but stopped it short. "Wait, you don't actually have a pet crow?"
We all turned our attention to Lacey, everyone except Lola, who was busy with another brownie.
"I know it's a strange pet to have," Lacey began. "But my life wouldn't be the same without Kingston. I found him injured and nursed him back to health. I made a few attempts to set him free, but it seemed he liked the spoiled, leisure life of a pet bird."
A dry laugh spurted from Lola's lips. "Spoiled doesn't even start to describe it. Kingston thinks he's human. He struts around the flower shop like he owns the place and heaven help you if you walk into Lacey's store with something edible in your hands."
"Did I mention that my crow has a major crush on Lola?" Lacey added. "He practically swoons off the side of his perch when she walks into the shop."
Lola shrugged without taking her focus off the brownie in her hand. "What can I say? I've got that certain something. Of course, King is the only one to see it, but that's the story of my life."
"Except that you're dating an absolutely wonderful man who adores you almost as much as my bird," Lacey added.
"Now I'm going to Port Danby for sure," Lana said. "I'm in the market for an absolutely wonderful man, and I've got to meet Kingston." Lana poured herself a glass of wine. "Sunni, Raine tells me you girls are off to watch one of the Wiccan festivals. What is it this time? The Autumnal Equinox? Those women find more reasons to party than anyone else I know," she quipped.
"We thought we'd go check it out," I said. "Might be fun. Definitely different. Do you want to come?" I asked Lana.
"Nope, after this rich, filling meal, I'm going to head home, soak in the tub and crawl into bed early. Give my best to the witches," she said with a lift of her glass.