Sticks and Stones by Kerrie Dubrock

began to
close and suddenly they reopened.
              “I thought we
were going to be friends! Friends don’t just casually say hi and bye to each
other, do they?” Grace asked softly.
              Rick shrugged,
“I don’t want Three Piece to get his nose out of joint. Thought it was best I
stayed away.”
              Grace moved to
the threshold of the elevator and clasped her hands in front of her. Rick’s
eyes traveled from her hair to her white sleeveless blouse down to her short
black skirt.
              “I’m not with
Ben.”
              Rick’s eyebrow
lifted. “Seemed that way last week.”
              Grace nodded her head
sadly. “Yeah, I guess it did.”
    *        *        *
     
              During
appointments with potential clients Grace kept thinking about the comment Zee
made earlier in the day. ‘Maybe someone put a spell on you’. After her
last appointment, she hastily packed her briefcase and made a bee-line for the
parking garage.
     
    *        *        *
              Rick had his
hand wrapped around a Corona bottle and his arm draped around a redheads
shoulder. She was too giggly and quite frankly, annoyed the fuck out of him.
              Brice bought a
round of tequila shots and Rick drank his quickly and slammed the glass down on
the thick wood table. Christ! He couldn’t get the sad look on Grace’s face out
of his head.
              He leaned over
the table. “Yo, Cappie. I gotta jet.”
              Brice shot him
a knowing grin. “Not a problem. Have fun,” he laughed, gesturing to the
redhead.
              “No, I mean I’m
going home. Alone.”     
     
    *        *        *
              “Poppet! What a
surprise!” Aunt Tilda squeaked when she opened the front door.
              “I know it’s
late and I’m sorry, but this can’t wait.”
              “Poppet?”
              Grace spun to
face her aunt. “Did you cast a spell for me to get over Ben?”
              Tilda nodded
gleefully. “Did it work?”
              Grace closed
her eyes and counted to ten in her head. “Please remove it.”
              “But Poppet,
you’ve been so sad. It breaks my heart to see you that way.”
              Reginald
appeared next to her. “Mine too, love.”
              “Please remove
it. Now,” Grace ordered.
     
    *        *        *
              Sunlight
filtered through lace curtains across from Grace’s bed. She rolled over and
threw an arm over her face to shield her eyes. It was Saturday, dammit! She’d
put in nearly a sixty hour work week and wanted to sleep! Thicker curtains were
definitely in her future!
              She rolled over
and began to drift off when the phone rang. Her hand searched the top of the
white wicker nightstand until she found her cell phone.
              “Hello?” she
grumbled into the phone.
              “Grace?”
              Her eyes shot
open. “Hey, I’m outside your door and I’ve brought breakfast. Can I come in?”
              “I’ll be down
in a minute,” she replied, casting the blue sheet to the side.
              She ran into
the bathroom and pulled her hair into a ponytail, after quickly brushing her
teeth.
              Grace took a
steadying breath before opening the door. The early August heat hit her almost
as hard as seeing Ben before her. “Come in,” she murmured.
              Ben gaped at
her. She wore the red satin teddy he’d bought for her on Valentine’s Day. It
stirred pleasant memories in him. He’d taken the day off and they spent the day
visiting the museums. Later, after a lavish dinner, he took her home and gave
her the perfectly wrapped teddy. When she modeled it for him, he grabbed her
hand and a can of whip cream