Jack and Ginger (Sacred Heart Coven Book 3) Read online

  "You know I will." Jasinda kissed him back. "Ginger, I can give you a quick tour of where everything is in the back and then you will be in the hands of this wonderful man for the evening. I will be back before last call so we can make our arrangements later."

  Jasinda walked Ginger around the bar explaining where to find the walk in cooler, stock room and where to change the soda boxes. When Jasinda walked her into the dry stock room, she noticed all the leftover football paraphernalia and a light bulb went off. She finished the quick tour leaving her with Steve.

  The employee parking was in the rear of the building. There was an exit through the back of the kitchen. Jasinda's car was parked just outside the back door. Not that it would have killed her to bring her stuff out to the car by herself, she just loved that she was able to use her husband's muscles whenever she had the opportunity. She also knew that he liked to feel useful. She told herself it was part of her selflessness to ask him for help.

  She giggled to herself and did a sweep of the kitchen to make sure she wasn't forgetting anything. It crossed her mind that she may not have packed cups with the mead and the other odds and ends she was bringing.

  Before heading out the back door, she snuck into the dry storage to grab a sleeve of disposable cups. She saw the leftover football paraphernalia from last year and grabbed a Bears' coffee mug to bring with her to the ceremony. She thought it would make a great item to enchant, if only it were her month.

  Jasinda considered texting Seraphina, her coven's high priestess, but she wasn't as attached to her mobile phone as the rest of the younger girls in the coven. It may have been a waste of time, and time was not something she had a lot of. When she contributed to the pot luck meals she preferred to be there early to help set up.

  Jasinda hoped that maybe she and her sisters could do something for her friend Ginger. She didn't have time to put together a spell, but the coven had extra supplies in the box with their ceremonial items they used at all of their gatherings.

  Jasinda had to monitor her speed driving over to the property where the sisters gathered every month. She also needed to be careful about how fast she was driving when she turned the corners so as not to spill the Pumpkin Mead. She was anxious to tell her sisters about Ginger's situation, both excited to get their help and nervous that it wasn't her turn to ask that of the group.

  She spent the time in the car thinking about a spell that she could use to bring some joy to Ginger's life. Jasinda didn't really know all the details of Ginger's situation. One thing was sure, that she could use a little magic in her life. Although the sisters usually cast a spell every month to help bring love and romance into the hearts of those who need it most, she wasn't completely sure that was what Ginger needed.

  Jasinda's heart ached at the thought of all that Ginger lost over the past few months. Jasinda's parents had both long since moved on to the afterlife, but thinking about her, how close Ginger and her father were, opened the emotional gates associated with missing her own parents. She was very close with her mother, whom she still spoke with or prayed to on a regular basis.

  She suspected that Ginger's divorce was probably for the best, based on things that Ginger had mentioned. It was still a huge change and a lot of loss to deal with all at the same time. She couldn't imagine a life without Steve in it. He was more than just her husband; he was her lover, business partner, and best friend. She couldn't remember what life was like before she had him to back her up.

  Anything Jasinda wanted or needed, Steve tried to find a way to make it happen. He put thought and consideration into everything he did, and worked hard to make a better life for them both. There really wasn't anything he wouldn't give up for his wife. Jasinda knew it, and tried to make sure that she gave back to him and the universe the same kind of devotion.

  Her blessings were plentiful. She tried to show the spirits her gratitude by offering back and doing selfless things for others whenever the opportunity arose. She was lucky that she found a mate that followed her lead. A part of Jasinda was thinking twice on her decision to volunteer someone who had just been crying to work in her establishment for the night. Most husbands and business partners would not have been so quick to take on that kind of liability.

  Then again Steve didn't know that Ginger had been quite that upset, which was probably for the best. He wouldn't have to worry about how to act. The bar would be busy enough that they would both be plenty occupied helping customers that they wouldn't have time to think about the woes of life.

  Chances are they wouldn't have found anyone willing to come in to work at the last minute anyway. At least Steve could use the time he would have spent calling people training Ginger and she would be there to help him. He most likely would have been able to handle the bar by himself, but two sets of hands are almost always better than one. Jasinda thanked the goddesses that they didn't have food service to worry about at this time.

  Some of her sisters tried to encourage her to get the kitchen up and running on several occasions. Jasinda didn't doubt that adding food into the mix would increase revenue. She just wasn't sure that they were ready for the added stress and responsibility. They considered subletting the kitchen, but were concerned that if the tenant decided they didn't feel like showing up for work and there was no food as promised it would hurt their overall business and their reputation.

  They wanted to make sure that they had the time to learn the ins and out of the business and hire the proper professionals that had the knowledge and experience to run a kitchen. One of Steve's strong suites was research. He researched almost everything before they bought it, sold it, or experienced it. Steve had begun the process of investigating the possibility of hiring a restaurant consultant earlier that year. It would be an added expense, but from much of what he had read thus far, it seemed like it would pay for itself in the long run. Jasinda trusted that he would get them where they needed to be when they were ready.

  Jasinda's relationship with Ginger was mostly based on Ginger's visits to the bar, but they had gotten to know each other enough that she considered her a friend. If there was something that she could do to help her through this rough patch, she was determined to do whatever she could. Another reason she needed to get to her coven's gathering.

  Chapter Two

  JASINDA PULLED OFF THE ROAD and down a long unpaved driveway. There was something magical about the property that Maiden Mariana purchased for the coven's use. There were large oak trees that lined the private route. The branches were still filled with thick patches of green leaves that were on the cusp of changing colors. They created a tunnel-like canopy over the entryway.

  Maiden Claudia always talked about how they should string lights between all the trees. She said it would look like you were driving through a tunnel in outer space. The only problem was that there were no utilities on the property. The sisters had talked about combining efforts to have water and power brought in, even if they did solar power it would be a great addition and investment.

  Jasinda knew that Seraphina dreamt of having a home or a space to gather, even when the weather was at its harshest. More than half of the sisters were married at this point and maybe half of those husbands were handy enough that they could build a simple structure like a cabin or a large one room space.

  If they got to the point of making it a reality, she would be volunteering Steve to be on the building team. Where he lacked in skill, he had plenty of brawn to help get the job done. Of course they would need to have architectural plans drawn up and apply for permits. Jasinda would do what she could to help, but she had enough on her plate with the bar right now that she wasn't in a place to push for the idea.

  There were only a handful of cars parked ahead of Jasinda's. She was partially relieved that she got there early enough for the meal, but still fearful that she would arrive late and not have the opportunity to speak with her High Priestess and or Claudia before they assembled to cast their monthly circle. It was Claudia's scheduled
time of the year to offer up someone in need of their services.

  Seraphina was usually one of the first witches to arrive. It was her coven and she felt that it was her duty to be there to oversee and help the other women with whatever they needed. She had a very maternal way about her. She was the eldest of them, even though there were a few other sisters close to her in age. Strangers would be amazed if they knew how old she was. She had an amazing radiance to her that rivaled that of a teenage girl.

  Jasinda left her party supplies in the car for the time being and decided to make her way to the clearing in the center of the garden. She wanted to see who was there and run the Ginger situation by anyone that might be available lend an ear.

  She took in a deep breath of the fresh earthy air. The musky smell of decaying leaves was mixed with the fresh scent of the late blooming flowers. Jasinda could smell their sweetness before she approached the flower beds.

  Lenora couldn't be missed, she always wore the same thing, or at least it looked like the same thing. In the warmer months she donned thin white nursing pants and a white ribbed tank. Jasinda couldn't recall ever seeing her wear a dress. Lenora usually wore her long blond hair in a braid down the center of her back. Jasinda had plenty of hair, but she envied how abundant and straight Lenora's was. It pulled back into the perfect sized braid, thick at the base of her skull, it only thinned out slightly below her bra line.

  Lenora turned to say hi, exposing Seraphina standing in front of her. Seraphina's silver hair cascaded over her shoulders. She wore a crocheted white dress that had cropped sleeves and hung just below her knees. Her fair skin radiated like she was with child. Both women lifted their hands to greet Jasinda.

  It then occurred to her that she was wearing jeans and tee. She was known to be forgetful so she always kept an extra set of whites in the car.

  "Good evening, ladies," Jasinda said as she approached the two women. "Excuse my attire, I still have to get changed and get my goodies from the car." She looked down at her body and pulled at her shirt as she spoke.

  Lenora opened her arms for a hug. "Oh please, don't even worry about your clothes. We can always go nude if someone forgets their whites, it won't stay this warm for long." She winked at Jasinda.

  "That works for me," Jasinda softly chuckled, but she knew it wasn't a really a joke."High Priestess Seraphina, can I have a word with you for a minute, if you don't mind me stealing her ear?" she asked directing the latter part of the question to Lenora.

  "Sure, I need to go help set up the picnic. If you want to give me your keys, I can help with your things. I'm assuming there is mead in that trunk of yours," Lenora offered.

  "I think it's open, but here," she handed her the keys, "thank you, love."

  "Everything ok, sweetie? You seem a bit more flustered than normal." Seraphina put her arm around Jasinda's shoulder as Lenora walked away.

  "Yes, mostly, and sort of no." She took a breath to regroup. "A lady friend of mine from the bar came in tonight. She used to come in with her father for football games. She is not one of the typical bar flies that tend to be in on a regular basis, if you know what I mean.

  "Well, apparently she has had a summer full of loss. Her father passed at the beginning of the summer and then her husband, or I should say ex-husband divorced her just after that."

  "Oh dear, I see." Seraphina nodded.

  "Honestly, I don't know all the details yet, but I know she is hurting. I also know that she needs to go through her own grieving process, but I want to do something to help her. Does that make sense?" Jasinda pushed her curls behind her ears.

  "Of course, and you are right, there is nothing we can do to take away her grief. She has to move though that on her own terms."

  "But do you think we can do something? I know it's not my month to ask the sisters for help with an enchantment. I don't even know if she is interested in dating yet or again. I did get the impression that she was unhappy in her marriage, so it would be nice if we could help her. I was hoping that maybe we could do a heart opening spell for her." Jasinda bit her lip and rolled her eyes up like a puppy dog.

  "Hmm. Well, how about we present this idea to the sisters as a group. I don't know what Claudia has planned, she may be open to the idea of doing two spells, but you know that they won't be as strong if we do more than one. I can't speak for her, but I will help you if that is what you think needs to be done." Seraphina pulled her in and kissed her on the crown of her head. "How about we head over to the picnic and you can tell me about the mead you brought."

  Jasinda's lips curled up as they stretched across her face. "Thank you. I made one of my favorites, pumpkin spice."

  "I love pumpkin. It is one of the newer trends that I can actually get behind. I bet Esmerelda has a pumpkin coffee on her menu too." Seraphina's long legs carried her at a much quicker pace than Jasinda's. She fell slightly behind and noticed that there was a big butterfly crocheted on the back of Seraphina's dress. She looked like a fairy with the wings spread across her back.

  All the sisters managed to make it to the picnic, this was not something that happened often. The meal was an open invitation to all the sisters if they could make it before they cast the circle. At some point each sister contributed, maybe not every week, but it was fun to have a variety of things to nosh on.

  Seraphina also joined them, another rarity. They had an over abundance of food and beverages. All the girls brought something, not all food, but it was heartwarming the way they came together so effortlessly. Seraphina asked the women naming each of them, "Esmerelda, Jasinda, Serena, Sabina, Merida, Prunella, Claudia, Lenora, Lucia, Mellissana, Talia, Belinda please join me for a meal prayer.

  "Bless us Gods and Goddesses,

  We give thanks to you Mother Earth,

  For the plentiful bounty you bestow upon us,

  We are eternally grateful for your blessings in our lives,

  We take not for granted the sacrifice of the earth to fill our bellies,

  Nourish our bodies, our minds and our spirits,

  When we are full we have more to share,

  May we give back three fold,

  Take our offering that we share,

  This breath of life with you and our meal."

  All the sisters thought about their intention and blew across the display of food so that the essence of their nourishment was offered back to the universe.

  "Blessed be! Cheers!" Claudia lifted her glass of pumpkin mead inciting the rest of the women to follow her lead.

  "Blessed be! Cheers!" they all said in unison.

  Esmerelda leaned forward opening a large Tupperware container. "Take a look at these. Homemade Salted Caramel muffins, they are made with fresh buttermilk I got from Lenny's Farm Market."

  "You must be kidding me, those look redunkulous!" Claudia almost knocked over her drink reaching for one. Patience was not yet something she had mastered. "I see you brought a box of Joe as well. This is going to be a great night!"

  "Maybe you might want to start out with something a little healthier before you indulge in all that decadence? I brought a homemade edamame dip and veggie sticks." Mellissana was big time into her nutrition; she had strong beliefs in healing through food. She didn't eat any processed foods, animal products, genetically modified foods, or anything exposed to pesticides. She was a hard core purest.

  "That looks delicious, Mel." Jasinda reached for a few carrot sticks and spooned a little of the dip on her plate. "Listen, ladies, I wanted to ask you all something, I guess it's a favor. Maybe I should be directing my question first to Claudia since tonight is her night."

  "Sure thing, what's up, Jazz?" Claudia's mouth was half full and she had a string of caramel hanging from her bottom lip.

  "I know this isn't my month, but I have a friend of mine...I really think she needs..." Jasinda felt a ball in her throat as her emotions started to spike.

  "Whatever you need," Claudia said as she wiped her mouth with a red cloth napkin.

 
"I haven't even told you yet."

  "I can see that this is important to you. We are here for you. Ask for what you need, and we will try to help you." Claudia may have been the youngest, but she had great insight at times and a giant heart of gold.

  "I was hoping that we could do some kind of heart opening spell for her. She has experienced great loss this summer and I want to help her along to a better place. I know I can't fix things or take away her pain, but I want to be able to help encourage the universe to send her what she needs most." Jasinda sipped on her spiced mead.

  "I am up for whatever. My intended party can wait, I was actually pulling at strings trying to find the perfect person to share our gift with. This gives me more time to make sure I can find the perfect recipient." Claudia was so easy going. Her mouth was almost full with another bite before she stopped talking.

  "So will this still be a love, lust, or romance spell?" Belinda asked.

  "A heart opening spell can bring about any kind of love into a person's heart. It might not be a romantic situation. Sometimes it can be the love of a child or a new friend that has a shoulder to lend. A heart opening spell helps the intended party to let down their guard enough to allow the universe to work its magic," Seraphina explained to the ladies.

  "I did bring a mug that I can use to enchant. Ginger is a Chicago Bears fan so it will be a perfect little gift I can give her. The only thing is that I didn't bring any other supplies." Jasinda looked around at her sisters and admired them for their unique beauty.

  "We can use my stuff, I was going to make a salt scrub for my girlfriend. Do you think you would want to do that? You could give it to her in the mug, maybe?"

  "A salt scrub could be very cleansing for her. I think it sounds like a great idea. What do you have with you Claudia?" Mellissana asked.

  "I have a bottle of sweet almond oil and a few ounces of pink, Himalayan, fine ground, sea salt. I was thinking about infusing it with some of the flowers or herbs from the garden. Truth be told I was going to wing it." Claudia helped herself to a second muffin and some coffee.