I spin back around, my heart falling. She can’t be serious, can she? It literally feels like a magnet is pulling me toward that door.

My mom looks smaller under the shadow of the house, her stark outfit contrasting sharply against the sprays of flowers swaying behind her. But her face is hard. Determined.

“But, Mom…” I trail off. I have no words to tell her how badly I want to go into the house right now, and more than that, I can’t fathom how she isn’t bounding after me. Are we not looking at the same house?

“We’re staying on Essex,” Mom says, turning to the aunts. “I’m only here to handle the legal aspects. We won’t be spending time here.”

Violet claps her hands together. “Nonsense. You brought Willow for a reason, and we all know it. You need to complete Sage’s plan.”

Excitement zings through me. “What plan?”

“There is no plan,” my mom says loudly. “And we will not be staying in the house. Also, unless the two of you change your minds about assuming ownership, I’ll be putting it on the market right away.”

Her words hit me square in the chest. “Mom!”

“Think of Willow,” Violet says. Rather than panicked, she and Poppy look slightly bemused. My mother sighs as though this is all annoying, but her body is tense, shoulders creeping toward her ears. “I am thinking of Willow. This is the way I’ve decided to manage it. Plus, I only have a short amount of time before we need to get back to LA.”

She can’t possibly be thinking of me. She won’t even look at me. “But, Mom, I really, really want to see it. It would mean a lot.”

My words seem to bounce off the wall surrounding her; she doesn’t even acknowledge them.

“She wanted you and your daughter to spend your time in Salem in the house,” Violet insists. “It was in her will. She specified that you spend the summer here.”

Now my mom’s voice is getting desperate. “I can sign the paperwork over to you this week. Like I said before, you could use it for whatever you want, your coven meetings, a bed-and-breakfast. anything.”

The aunts gaze at her adoringly. “Aren’t you precious. Our Rosemary, always thinking she’s in charge. You must be so tired. The house will be a wonderful place for you two to rest.”

My mom’s fists clench at her sides. “I’ve already told you. My daughter will have nothing to do with…” She hesitates, then continues, her voice firm. “Nothing to do with the… estate.”