Read Online Gone With the Witch by Heather Blake - Free Book Online Page A

my hand, and her blond ponytail swished side to side as she pulled me along. “You’re about to be disqualified.”
    At the bottom of the marble staircase, I glanced around the event hall and said, “Do you know if Ve is back from lunch? Have you seen her? I’ve been calling her cell phone, but she’s not answering.”
    There must have been something in my tone that had alerted her to trouble in the air, because she stopped dead in her tracks. “She’s not back yet. Why? What’s wrong?” She flicked a glance at Glinda and frowned.
    Glinda held up her hands in surrender. “It has nothing to do with me. This time,” she added under her breath. She skirted around us and headed straight for Vivienne Lucas.
    I turned my attention back to my friend. “Have you taken any pictures of Ve or Evan?”
    Confusion flickered in Starla’s blue eyes. “Not specifically because, well, you know, but I’m sure there are a few shots with them in the background. I haven’t reviewed the photos yet, but I’ll just delete those ones. Why?”
    â€œIt’s the strangest thing. Take a look at the photos. I bet you’ll be surprised by what you see. Glinda had this video—”
    â€œDarcy!” Evan yelled, cutting me off as he stomped toward me. “The judges finished with Natasha five minutes ago and are waiting for you. Come on!” He grabbed my hand and tugged.
    Like brother, like sister.
    To Starla, I said, “Please go find Ve for me.”
    With a nod, she spun around and hurried off.
    I stumbled along until Evan suddenly let go of my hand, stepped behind me, and pushed me forward, his hands firmly on my shoulders as though he was suspecting I’d flee at first chance.
    Truth was, the thought had crossed my mind.
    Right now the Pawsitively Enchanted competition was the last thing on my mind. Something big was going on in the witch world, and I needed to make sure Ve knew about it.
    â€œHere she is,” Evan said brightly as he presented me to the judges. “I told you she’d be right back.” He bent and picked up Twink, gave my arm a squeeze, and blended into the crowd.
    As my gaze flicked over the judges’ faces, I pasted a fake smile on my face. “Hello!”
    â€œNice of you to join us, Darcy Merriweather,” Dorothy Hansel Dewitt said, her tone dripping with condescension.
    Dorothy, Glinda’s mother, and I had a long history of disliking each other. She was short, busty, and crazy as a loony tune.
    â€œSorry,” I said. “I, uh, the restroom had a line . . .” Not entirely a lie.
    Next to Dorothy, Ivy Teasdale was giving me an icy glare. No wonder, as I’d obviously not been keeping an eye on Natasha as I’d been hired to do. She was clearly unhappy with me.
    I peeked across the aisle to find Natasha grinning at me like the Cheshire Cat over the rim of a cardboard coffee cup. She was obviously enjoying the fact that the judges were clearly displeased with me.
    Titania had fallen asleep on her velvet cushion, and the half-naked men were nowhere to be seen—probably on their lunch break.
    I noticed that the coffee cup in Natasha’s hand looked as though it had come from Baz and Vivienne’s display—it was that telltale Tiffany blue.
    Had she no shame at all?
    Had
he
?
    Now that I knew they were carrying on, I couldn’t help replaying Natasha and Baz’s every interaction today and wondered how I’d misread the obvious signs. The gooey-eyed glances. The giggly conversations. Sure, I’d witnessed them, but I had chalked them up to Baz’s flirtatious personality. It made me a bit queasy as I looked his way. His attention, however, wasn’t focused on Natasha right now—it had been captured by the whispered conversation going on between Vivienne and Glinda.
    Vivienne’s eyes had narrowed, her lips had pursed, and her face had flushed as