Pumpkin Spice & Poltergeist (Maple Hollow #1)

“Ramona,” Iris whisper-yelled, “if you’re going to be here, you need to hide.”

“I’ve come to collect on a debt,” she said, arching her brow at Iris. “Time’s up, witchling.”

Iris gaped at her. “What are you talking about?”

“You agreed to a date,” Ramona said with a feral grin. “Within a year. And I have given you much longer than that out of the sheer kindness of my heart.”

“Can this please wait a couple minutes, please?” Iris hissed. “You can wait just a tiny bit longer.”

“I am good at many things. Waiting isn’t one of them.” Ramona’s smile just widened. “Give me a time and I’ll go.”

“This is ridiculous,” Iris snarled, darting looks out to the road and back to me, but Ramona didn’t budge. The demon stood as frozen as a statue, staring daggers into Iris that were from hate or, worse, heat. I couldn’t tell.

“I can hear the car!” Dougall called from his hiding spot.

“Iris,” I whined. This was too important for her to mess up for me!

“You have to go,” Iris insisted, trying to shove Ramona, but she didn’t budge. She didn’t even rock back on her heels. “Goddess, are you made of stone?”

“Iris!” I snapped, doubling the pace of my bouncing. “This is kind of important. Just pick a time!”

“Okay, fine.” The redhead threw her hands in the air. “You can pick me up at seven. We’ll go eat at the new Italian place.”

Ramona gave a wicked grin and winked. “Done.”

I blinked, and then she was gone, disappearing into thin air.

“Delightful. A date with a demon.” I shook my head. “What are your parents going to say? What is the coven going to say? Also, that’s one hell of an age gap between you two?—”

Iris elbowed me as a car pulled into the square. “Worry about that later.” She dashed down the steps and hid behind the nearest holly bush. I heard a sneeze somewhere in the general vicinity and then a chorus of, “Shush!”

Great, the whole town was here to listen in.

I’d tried to shoo away the first group of onlookers, but the stubborn harpies had just floated around the square until they thought I wouldn’t notice them crouching next to the old maple tree.

I gripped the ring box in my pocket tighter. My nerves were shot, but I had no doubt in my mind that I wanted this more than anything.

Sweet Goddess, please, please let her say yes.

35

HARLOW

“Why are you turning here?” I asked Willow as her car pulled into the town square instead of around the back of the café.

“I’m just dropping you off here,” my sister said a little too breezily.

“Wh-why?” My question was cut off when I spotted the gazebo. The path leading up to it was lined with candles, a heavy sprinkling of salt covering the iced-over path. Black curtains hung from either side of it, and more candles covered the space. Twinkling lights were strung up in zigzags from the ceiling, and in the very center . . . stood Jordyn.

She wore a flowing black-velvet dress and black combat boots, her hair pinned up in curls. She shifted her weight back and forth as she stared at my foggy car window like she’d just seen a ghost.

“Oh my god,” I whispered.

There was only one thing this could be. There was no mistaking it for anything else.

I gaped at my girlfriend through the fogged window. “Holy shit.”

“Go!” Willow unbuckled my seatbelt and shoved my shoulder. “She’s probably freezing. Don’t make her wait in the cold.”