Page 79 of Laird's Curse

“I don’t get it,” she muttered to Arran. “I thought they’d roast me alive.”

Warily, she walked through the door and into the cottage’s neat little living room. Her aunts were pottering around in the kitchen, and she could hear the sound of cups and plates. She noticed Aunt Rose’s phone on the sideboard. On impulse, she walked over and grabbed it, staring at the screen.

Or, more specifically, thedateon the screen.

Her eyes widened. “I don’t believe it!” she gasped, looking at Arran. She waved the phone at him as though it explained everything. “Look!”

He blinked, a baffled expression on his face. “At what?”

“The date! This is the same day I left! I haven’t been gone for months at all! Lir has sent us back to the exact same day we left! No wonder my aunts aren’t pissed off with me! They don’t even know I’ve been gone!”

She didn’t know whether to feel annoyed or relieved. “Lir knewabout this all along, and still she let me stew! I’ll kill her when I see her!”

Arran shook his head and whistled under his breath. “A showdown between a goddess and a MacFinnan spellweaver. I reckon I could sell tickets to that.”

“Are you coming in or what?” Elise’s voice came from the kitchen.

Jenna let out a long breath, feeling tension leak out of her, along with all the excuses she no longer needed. All this worrying and there had been no need! Aargh! If this was a goddess’s idea of humor, she didnotappreciate it!

Taking Arran’s hand, she led him into the kitchen. The countertop was piled high with jars of chutney and the kettle on the stove was just beginning to boil. It was all so familiar, so homey, that for a minute Jenna felt her chest tighten with emotion. Oh, how she’d missed these two.

“Coffee or tea?” Rose asked, turning to face them with a coffee pot in one hand and a teapot in the other.

“Chocolate cake or lemon drizzle?” Elise said, balancing a cake-topped plate in each hand.

Jenna couldn’t help herself. She burst into tears. With a sob, she threw her arms around each of her aunts in turn.

Aunt Rose blinked. “What was that for?”

Jenna wiped at her eyes. “I’ve just… missed you guys, that’s all.”

“Missed us?” Elise said. “We only saw you this morning.”

Jenna took a deep breath, glanced at Arran. “You’d both better sit down,” she said. “And you might want to put something stronger in that coffee. We have a lot to tell you.”

THE END