Dani forced herself to relax back into her cane rocker. This was easily her favorite time of day on the bayou, when the light got all soft and the witch bottles started to fire up. The heat faded with the sun and you felt like you could take a deep breath without inhaling a mosquito. She was going to miss this, when she picked up and moved on to her next assignment. She would miss having her own space, as opposed to living in some soulless hotel room. She would miss the smells of honeysuckle drifting through her screen windows, and the chirping of birds and frogs.

She’d told her grandfather that the farm was the only home she’d ever known, but if she was honest with herself, this house—Mystic Bayou as a whole—had put her at ease in ways she hadn’t felt in years. Yes, it was a strange place filled with stranger people, but she’d been accepted here. She didn’t have to hide what she could do. She didn’t have to worry about choosing her words carefully or coming up with a believable lie. Her skills made her part of something, instead of setting her apart. When she walked down Main Street, people knew her, they waved, called her by name. She had a place here.

And Zed.

She would definitely miss Zed in ways she didn’t want to think about, particularly when she heard the rumbling of Clarissa’s big rusty red pick-up truck that looked like it was produced in the 1940s . . . which was a little awkward. She hoped that Clarissa couldn’t sniff out hormones and other bodily secretions, because she did not have the strength to deal with an angry bear mama.

Clarissa hopped out of the truck, reaching in the back and pulling out a large basket over-flowing with shiny red apples. “Hi there, cher!”

Dani jogged down the stairs to meet Clarissa at the door, pausing to spray on some perfume, just in case.

“I thought you might need a pick me up,” Clarissa said, handing Dani the basket. “I thought you might appreciate some of the fruit from my trees.”

“Oof!” Dani huffed under the weight of the basket. “Thank you, but I’d hate to take so much of your harvest. Do you want to come in?”

Clarissa took the basket back from Dani and bustled into the house. “I have more than I could ever eat. Are you feeling all right, sweetheart? You look like you’re plumb ready to fall over.”

“I’ve just had some trouble sleeping lately.”

“Well, that’s understandable, considering all you’ve been through.” Clarissa patted Dani’s cheek with her soft, warm hand. The gesture reminded Dani of her grandmother and she had to hold her breath to prevent her eyes from watering over.