Read Online Witches of Three_Philomena by Temple Hogan - Free Book Online Page B

considered Emily.
    “Tell me about your mother, Emily,” she invited and the festive mood vanished.
    “She’s dead,” the girl said in a trembling voice. Phil waited. “Grandma says daddy killed her, but I don’t believe that. I think a bad man did it, but daddy’s not bad.”
    “I agree,” Phil said. “Do you have any idea who the bad man is?”
    Emily nodded her head, her cookie momentarily forgotten.
    “There were a lot of bad men,” she solemnly. “They were cranky and yelled at me if I came into the room when they were visiting, so even mommy said bad things about me when they were there.”
    Phil’s heart constricted at the pain and confusion on Emily’s face.
    “Mommy didn’t like me when her friends were there.”
    “Oh, honey, I’m sure she did. Mommies love their little girls.”
    “That’s what daddy said.”
    Phil imagined Beck trying to comfort his daughter and changed the subject. “Do you remember any of the bad men who came to see your mother?”
    Emily shook her head. “They only came a couple of times. The last time one of them came, he was especially mean. He hurt mommy and yelled at her. She was crying and when she saw me, she yelled at me to run away to Sally’s house. The man chased me, but I was too fast for him, so he went back into the house.”
    “Is that when your mommy got hurt?” Phil asked urgently.
    Slowly, the little girl nodded.
    “What the hell—” came an exclamation from below.
    Instantly, Phil nodded her head and the table and their chairs settled back in place on the kitchen floor.
    Beck stood rubbing his eyes. “Did I just see what I think I saw?” he asked.
    “Probably not,” Phil said tersely.
    Emily giggled. “We had tea on the ceiling, daddy. It was so much fun.”
    Beck stared at Phil questioningly.
    She shrugged and smiled. “I warned you,” she said softly.
    “I thought you were just kidding or…or…”
    “Fantasizing?”
    “Something like that.”
    “Don’t tell grandma, daddy,” Emily said. “She won’t let me come again if she knows Phil’s a witch.”
    “No, I won’t say a word,” he muttered. “I’d better get you home, our time is nearly up. Say goodbye to Phil.”
    Dutifully, Emily repeated his words then ran to throw her arms around Phil’s legs. “I love you, Philomena,” she said and held her face up for a kiss.
    Phil bent and felt the soft butterfly brush of a kiss on her cheek. Something melted inside her. She stood with her hand pressed to her cheek as Beck urged Emily to the door.
    “I’ll be right back. We have to talk,” he said before closing the door behind him.
    Phil just stood savoring the moment of Beck and Emily’s presence. Something was wakening inside her and it brought such joy as she’d never experienced before.
    True to his word, Beck returned in a short time. He entered the kitchen and stood watching as she set the table and produced the makings for sandwiches.
    “I thought you might be hungry,” she said. Their gazes met and held.
    “I am,” he answered with such hot intensity that she felt herself blush. “But I want to talk first.”
    Her blush faded. She settled into a chair and waited. He seemed a little uncertain about how to begin. Finally, he seated himself across from her.
    “Tell me again about you being a witch.”
    “I am.”
    “And your sisters?”
    “Yes, both of them.”
    “Your mother?”
    “Nooo.” Suddenly she wasn’t so sure. She’d never asked herself that question before. Since Claire was so against the use of special powers, Phil had assumed she wasn’t a witch, but now she wondered.
    “I don’t think she is,” she amended.
    “So what do you do as a witch, besides eat on the ceiling and throw your boyfriend out the front door?”
    “Oh, you noticed that.”
    “I didn’t understand what had happened until on the drive back here. A lot of things began to fall into place.”
    “I tried to tell you.” Phil looked at him, suddenly thinking he might not