First Witches Club E-Book

Yates Maisey

• Herausgeber: BookRix
• Kategorie: Fantasy und Science-Fiction
• Sprache: Englisch

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2026

Beschreibung

When three betrayed wives stumble into a magical apothecary shop, they discover that revenge is sweet—but finding true love and their own power is even sweeter in this witty, romantic novel about second chances from New York Times bestselling author Maisey Yates.

Nora, Daisy, and Soraya think their marriages are just fine. Until their husbands prove them wrong.
Nora’s says he needs distance and flits off to a wellness retreat in Chile. Daisy’s confesses to an affair with someone younger. And Soraya’s sends her a pic of that special part of himself—meant for another woman. At a loss for what to do, they follow their intuition right into Lady’s Mantle Apothecary.

As they embrace their untapped magic, their fortunes begin changing fast. Getting even with their exes is satisfying, but the real magic happens when they start opening their hearts to new possibilities. Nora discovers that true love might have been right in front of her all along in the form of her childhood best friend. Daisy finds herself falling for her ex-husband’s handsome business partner, a former TV star who sees the real her. And Soraya, who never dated before marriage, experiences an unexpected attraction to the mysterious owner of the game shop across the hall.

With the help of an enigmatic shopkeeper, these three women discover that the best revenge isn’t just about hexes and karma—it’s about finding your own path to love, friendship, and claiming your power. And that is positively magical.

Leseprobe

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OTHERTITLESBYMAISEYYATES

HappyAfterAll Cruel Summer

TheLostandFoundGirl Outlaw Lake

Cowboy,It’sColdOutside Dallas

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This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, organizations, places, events, and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.Otherwise,anyresemblancetoactualpersons,livingordead,is purely coincidental.

Textcopyright©2026byMaiseyYates All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying,recording,orotherwise,withoutexpresswrittenpermission of the publisher.

PublishedbyMontlake,Seattlewww.apub.com

Amazon,theAmazonlogo,andMontlakearetrademarksofAmazon.com, Inc., or its affiliates.

EU product safetycontact:

Amazon Media EU S. àr.l.

38,avenueJohnF.Kennedy,[email protected]

ISBN-13: 9781662535451(paperback)

ISBN-13: 9781662535444(digital)

Cover design by LetitiaHasser

Coverimage:©Abscent84,©FScottMattern,©Mangata,©Sensvector,© Svetlana Ievleva / Getty

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For everyone who needs to find theirmagic.

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Contents

APLAYLISTFORSPELLSANDMAGIC

Epigraph

Chapter One: NORAChapter Two: NORAChapter Three: SORAYAChapter Four: NORAChapter Five: DAISYChapter Six: NORAChapter Seven: DAISYChapter Eight: NORAChapter Nine: SORAYAChapter Ten: NORAChapter Eleven: SORAYAChapter Twelve: DAISYChapter Thirteen: NORAChapterFourteen:SORAYAChapter Fifteen: NORAChapter Sixteen: SORAYAChapterSeventeen:DAISYChapter Eighteen: NORAChapterNineteen:SORAYAChapter Twenty: DAISY

ChapterTwenty-One:NORA

ChapterTwenty-Two:NORA

ChapterTwenty-Three:SORAYAChapter Twenty-Four: DAISYChapter Twenty-Five: SORAYAChapter Twenty-Six: NORAChapter Twenty-Seven: NORAChapter Twenty-Eight: NORAChapter Twenty-Nine: DAISYChapter Thirty: SORAYAChapter Thirty-One: NORAChapter Thirty-Two: SORAYAChapter Thirty-Three: DAISYChapter Thirty-Four: NORA

ChapterThirty-Five:ALEXANDRAChapter Thirty-Six: DAISYChapter Thirty-Seven: SORAYAChapter Thirty-Eight: NORAChapter Thirty-Nine: NORA

AcknowledgmentsAbout the Author

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APLAYLISTFORSPELLSANDMAGIC

“Practical Magic” –AlanSilvestri

“The Lost Words Blessing” – Spell Songs “LikeaPrayer(EpicVersion)”–AxelAvix “Crystal” – Stevie Nicks

“TheProphecy”–TaylorSwift

“IfYouEverDidBelieve”–StevieNicks

“LikeaPrayer(ChoirVersion)”–I’llTakeYouThereChoir “Season of the Witch” – Lana Del Rey

“AddictedtoLove”–Florence+theMachine “labour” – Paris Paloma

“LittleGirlGone”–CHINCHILLA “Cassandra” – Taylor Swift “Mother’sDaughter”–MileyCyrus

“MyKinkIsKarma”–ChappellRoan “as good a reason” – Paris Paloma

“Who’sAfraidofLittleOldMe?”–TaylorSwift “Silver Springs” – Fleetwood Mac

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I call my power back to me. Icallmyenergybacktome. I call my magic back to me.

I am shielded from anything that would take my powerfromme.

Nothingcanharmmeortakemylight. I am safe. I am protected.

I ampowerful.

And so itis.

—Aspell for tryingtimes

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ChapterOne

N

Ifyour life is going to fall apart over a man, he should behotter.

Like yourhusband?

The swift comeback from Nora’s subconscious made her grimaceas she stood in front of her neighbor’s hospital room door, flowers clutched tightly in her hand.

Herlifehadn’tfallenapart.SheandBenwerejustseparated. She stared at the whiteboard by the door.Alexandra Stone.

Alexandrawasthemostorganized,pulled-together,formidablewoman in Hemlock, Oregon. She and Christopher were a power couple. Though Nora had always thought Christopher was getting the better end of the deal.

Nora lived across the street fromAlexandra and Christopher, and Nora worked with her on community art and writing classes for kids in foster care, but when Christopher’s affair had come out, Alexandra, who spearheaded more committees than Nora could readily list, hadquiteverything.

She’d started staying out late. Going to the casino two hours up the freeway and gambling. Drinking. She’d been unraveling.

And two days ago she’d gotten in a car crash on her way home from the casino, and now she was hovering between life and death.

All because she’d been betrayed by a man with the round, smooth face of a gallon milk jug. A man who was essentially a pair of sentient khakis wandering around the car lot he owned like it was a kingdom, and heits very king.

That’snotme.

Nora blew out abreath.

“For God’s sake, Nora,” she muttered as she raised her hand toknock on the door.

Whichthenopenedbeforeherhandcouldmakecontact.“Nora!”

Her fist was hovering right above Daisy McNamara’s face.She lowered her hand quickly. “Hi.”

“Iwasjustdroppingoffabouquet.”

She looked behind Daisy and saw a gorgeous array of flowersthat made her own look a little sad.

“Same.” She lifted her vaseslightly.

Daisy was dressed all in green, from her green skirt to hergreen cardigan, and green, thick-rimmed glasses.

“Come in,” Daisy said. “Not that I’m . . . Madison stepped out fora vape break.”

MadisonwasAlexandra’sadultdaughter.

“Ah. Vaping. The deeply less cool way to compromise your lungs.” Nora stepped into the hospital room and looked around.

“Ourcigaretteerawasmuchcooler,”Daisysaid.

She and Daisy had been friends in high school but had lost touch in that way you did. She didn’t avoid Daisy in the produce aisle.Whenevershe and Daisy ran into each other, they would talk for fifteen minutes, at least, and promise to do something sometime, which never happened because they were both busy, and that was fine.

She meant it when she told Daisy they should have lunch. She wassure Daisy meant it too. It had just never occurred.

It wasn’t like Daisy had stolen Nora’s boyfriend or worn thesame dress to prom or spit in her iced coffee. There hadn’t been a dramatic friendship breakup. Their friendship had been a victim of the relentless continuation of space and time that carried them away from the people they’d been in high school. They’d gone to different colleges and done life on different timelines. Daisy and her husband, Jonathan, had gotten married very quickly after school and had started having kids.

Nora was mildly embarrassed that she didn’t know the nameof Daisy’s third kid. The first one wasAvery. The second one was Wren.

What was the thirdone?

Itwasaboy.Norawasreasonablysureitwasaboy.

“Which florist did you get yours at?” Nora asked, because theflowers were stunning, and small talk was all she had. She deliberately avoided looking atAlexandra’s bed, the soft beeping of all the machinery reminding her of exactly where she was.

“Oh, I madeit.”

Ofcourseshehad.Daisywasoneofthosewomenwhodideverything.

Not unlikeAlexandra,really.

Nora kept her focus on the flowers for as long as possible. Theremust have been fifty bouquets. She took a step toward an arrangement of sunflowers in a rusted water pot, tied with a burlap bow. She touched the card and turned it over.

GodBless!

XxSorayaNichols

Oh, Soraya. She’d barely seen her since high school, andapparently today was a near miss.

She glanced up at Daisy and was about to say something dryabout Soraya, but the expression on Daisy’s face, which was suddenly so bleak, stopped her.

Finally,shelookedatAlexandra.

Oh God,Alexandra would hate for people to see her like this.With her dyed red hair half bandaged—likely shaved—and tangled on herpillow. With bandages on her arms and no makeup on her face.

“I’ve never seen her withoutlipstick.”

Daisyletoutashort,shockedlaugh.“Youknow...neitherhaveI.” They both stood there for a moment.

“Niceto...seeyou,”Daisysaid.“Evenifit’s...” “I didn’t know you knew Alexandra.”

“Yeah. I do. In the way that everybody knows her. But I’ve been back and forth between my house and YMTO rehearsals and the hospital a lot because my grandma is getting PT before she can go home, and mymom isn’t doing so well, so she and my dad are dealing with . . .Anyway, I was here.” Daisy tucked some of her rigidly straight light-brown hair behind her ear, her blunt bob in perfect order, as she always was.

“Oh. Sorry about your grandma. And your mom.” Nora had noidea what was happening with her own mom or grandma, but she imagined at this stage of life there was a strange sort of freedom in that.

Now Daisy had to care for the people who had cared for her. Norawas free because her family had never cared for her at all.

“Jonathan knowsAlexandra,” Daisy continued. “He’s been on thecity council for a couple of years. It’s good for him. With the construction company. You know, he gets a lot of information on zoning changes and things like that. It gives him some influence.”

Norafrowned.“That’snotaconflictofinterest?”

“It’s hard to find someone who doesn’t have a conflict of interest here. This town has like ten thousand people,” Daisy said, and Nora huffed alaugh.

“Indeed, itdoes.”

All they had talked about when they were younger was wantingto leave. Because as beautiful as Hemlock was, nestled in the mountains of Southern Oregon and only a few miles from the California border, it was boring for teenagers.

Nora had never asked Daisy how she had ended up backhere.

Of course, Daisy had never asked Nora how she had ended up back here either.

“Weshouldgetlunch,”Daisysaid.

“Yeah,” Nora replied, meaning it just like she did every time. “Weshould.”

Daisyshookherhead.“No.Notsometime.Let’shavelunch,Nora.

Today.”

If this moment was a reminder of anything, it was that life was mean and took unexpected turns off the road.

You couldn’t keep putting the deep, important things off untila tomorrow you might not have.

“Yes.Let’shavelunch.”

Too late, Nora realized that might mean talking about her personallife.

Which might mean bringing up the subject of Ben and theseparation.

Wouldthatbesobad?

Yes,itfeltpotentiallyfatal,actually.

ProvingBen’spoint.

Wasn’t that what he’d said? That she clung to the past in unhealthy ways and resisted healing and kept her walls up?

But what was thealternative?

She looked back at Alexandra. That was the alternative. Beingso vulnerable, caring so much, that when someone left you, all the pieces of yourself fell away.

Nora was sad about the separation, but she was okay. She also had every confidence they’d get back together.They’d made vows.They werea team, a partnership. Friends. He needed to go and deal with his issues, which was fine. She was strong enough to let him go away and do what he needed to do.Theywere strong enough.

“I hope you . . .” she started to say toAlexandra, but the words died on her lips. “The community might fall apart without you,” she said instead.“I mean, who’s going to organize the Christmas parade? The tree lighting. Community trick or treat. The Arts Club won’t be able to function without you. We’ll all be lost without you.” Nora cleared her throat. “Okay. I’mready.”

Daisy nodded wordlessly, her lips closed in a way that suggestedshe might cry if she tried to speak. They walked out of the room and down thehall.

It was quiet in the elevator, and Nora felt like she didn’t know what to say. She looked down at her purse. Ben had given this purse to her for Christmas just last year.

The perfect purse. Black with the cycles of the moon embroideredonit in gold. It went with everything she owned, and it felt likeher, and of course he’d known that.

Had he found the purse in a cute little boutique, bought it, and carried it back to his car thinking,In eight months, I’ll tell her I haven’t been happy for years?

That would beinsane.

Yet now she was stuck on it, her hand on the purse feeling like itwas on fire. Feeling like Ben was right about her.

No.

Whentheelevatordoorsopened,shecouldbreatheagain. She wasn’t the worst.

She did havefriends.

They walked through the lobby area and past the gift shop, whichwas when she caught a glimpse of her.

SorayaNichols.

SunflowerSoraya.

She had been one of the most obnoxious girls in high school. Everyso often Nora hate-scrolled Soraya’s Facebook feed, just to check and see if she was still deserving of Nora’s rage. She was.

She would look at photos of Soraya’s sparkling white kitchen,photos of her wearing dresses that seemed like they belonged on a prairie somewhere as she made glorious loaves of sourdough, her blond hair stillup in a big messy bun like she was fifteen years old, or down in bouncy Instagram curls.Happy, happy. So blessed so blessed. Hashtag boy mom.

ShemadeNora’steethache.

But right now Soraya was not standing in her kitchen looking thinner, prettier, and better than Nora. She was currently standing in front of a shelf of crystal angels crying. Not pretty crying. Ugly crying. Her shoulders were shaking, and people were just walking by her. It was a hospital.

Given that, it wasn’t weird that Soraya was crying. It made it seem reasonable to walk by her.

Nora wantedlunch.

“OhGod,”Daisywhispered.“Issheokay?” Of course.

The problem was, Daisy was a good person. Nora had neverclaimedto be nice. She tried to be kind, she supposed, but there were limits.

“I don’t know. She’s probably sad. Because it’s a hospital. Seeing Alexandra was really upsetting.”

“Weshouldseeifshe’sokay.”

Just like that, Nora could feel the third invitation to lunch hoveringin Daisy’s spirit. She was that kind of person.

Daisy’s kindness was how they had ended up hanging out with Soraya occasionally in high school. On field trips and in certain classes whenher youth group friends weren’t around. Most of Soraya’s friends had been part of the homeschool clique in town, and so sometimes at school events she hadn’t had anyone, and Daisy had always been the one who wanted to collect people like they were wounded birds.

Nora was okay with being the worst person right now, actually. Butit seemed like Daisy was intent on being the bigger and better one, taking off toward Soraya without giving Nora another glance. Nora looked down at her purse and decided she really didn’t want to be alone this afternoon. She followed Daisy to the corner where Soraya was standing, inconsolable.

“Hey,”Daisysaid.“Areyouokay?”

Soraya looked up at them, glassy eyed. “I . . .No.”

Sheseemedsurprisedbytheanswerthatcameoutofhermouth.

Shocked that she was in fact notokay.

That was what had always irritated Nora about Soraya. Well, it was one of the things. But the relentless toxic positivity was a lot. One ofthe times Nora’s mom had come back into town and pretended, yet again, they might have a shot at reunification, only to leave Nora devastated by her (predictable) defection instead, Soraya had said God would show Nora something good through this betrayal, that it would be a lesson.

Nora had told Soraya exactly where she thought God could shove hislesson.

SorayahadtakenexceptiontothementionofGod’sholyasshole. It really wasn’t a mystery why they weren’t friends.

Unfortunately, Nora was no longer sixteen. So as much as shewould like to give Soraya a half-hearted wave and leave with a snarkyPraying for you, she wouldn’t do that.

“I saw that you brought Alexandra flowers,” Daisy said, like she was talking to a frightened animal, all soft and soothing. “I didn’t realize you and she were so close.”

“Weworkatthefoodpantrytogether.”Sorayalookedhelplessandlost and very sad. “It’s . . . it’s awful, isn’t it? She’s one of those people who seemed like she had a blessed life, and then he—her husband—left her, and nowshe’sinthehospitaland...and...”Shehiccuped.Shemanagedtodo it prettily.

Daisy gave Nora a long look. Nora let the left corner of her mouth twitch upward slightly, the most enthusiastic consent Daisy would getfromher.

DaisyturnedbacktoSoraya.“Weweregoingtogohavelunch.Do you want to come?”

Soraya glanced between the two of them.“Really?”

“Yes. I’m hungry.” Nora tried to smile. “And you seem like you need something. A drink?”

“Idon’tdrink.”

“Ofcourseyoudon’t.Howaboutalemonade?”

Soraya’sexpressionwassohopeful,Norahadahardtimebeing spiteful. “Iwouldlike a lemonade.”

“Great,” saidNora.

Soraya turned away from the angels and pressed her palms against her cheeks, aggressively pushing her tears away. “Great, let’s go.”

Soraya was even lovely after a cryingjag.

TheystartedtowalkoutofthegiftshopwhenDaisystoppedmid-step. “Nooo.” She grabbed both Nora’s and Soraya’s arms and jerked themback behind a tower of pastel teddy bears and Mylar balloons. “Look! But don’tlooklook. It’s Christopher andher.”

Both Nora and Soraya gasped and peered around the tower, just intime to see khaki-wearing Christopher Stone walk by, hand in hand with a blond who was young enough to be his daughter.

“How dare he?” Soraya whispered at the same time Nora said,“Bastard.”

“I can’t believe he’s bringing her to his . . . not-even-ex-wife’s bedside,” Daisy hissed.

“Maybe he’s meeting his daughter here,” Soraya said. But it was obvious not even she believed that best-case scenario she’d cooked upinher fluffy, optimist brain.

“He’s probably standing over her, gloating.” Nora’s tone was far more acerbic than she’d intended it to be.

They disappeared into the elevator, and Nora could only stand there and marvel at the audacity.

The three of them stood in silent judgment for a few moremoments until Soraya sighed. “So. Lunch?”

Norawasn’tsureifshefelthungrynow,butshecouldalwayseat.

The hospital wasn’t far from the main town square, where therewere eclectic clothing boutiques, a yarn store, several restaurants, and a British pub, for some reason.

It was all part of the quirky charm ofHemlock.

They let the sound of the traffic on the street stand in for small talk as they walked toward the square. “Brickroom?” Daisy asked.

“It’s too millennial gray,” Nora said. “Half the menu is avocado toast. Last time I was there, I think the server got mustache wax on my waterglass.”

“We’remillennials,”Sorayapointedout.

“That doesn’t mean I have to surrender to every dish having microgreens and pickled onions on it.”

“Louie’s?”Daisyasked.

“Sure,” Nora and Soraya saidtogether.

They walked through the alley that led to the entrance of therestaurant,upthestairstothediningroom,andstoodintheentrywaitingto

beseated.

“I’ll probably get a salad,” Sorayasaid.

Nora clenched her teeth together but didn’t say what she was thinking, which was growth, really.

She was already feeling crushed by the weight of how mundane the conversation was going to be, and she couldn’t even be mad about it because she was going to be part of that mundanity.

She would rather drill a new hole in her skull than discuss the stateof her life presently.

It didn’t take long for them to get seated at a four-person table by an upstairs window that overlooked town.

The square had a small clock tower in the center, with flyers tackedto every inch of surface that could be reached.

There were also drinking fountains, one with fresh water, and one with the sulfuric water that came out of the local springs. It was a time-honored tradition to trick your children into trying the sulfur water withoutwarningthem.

It was little wonder Nora had trust issues. Though, to be fair, it wasn’t from surprise sulfur water.

You were right. You were right about the world and love and everything. Hooray.

Shecouldn’torderthatdrinkfastenough.

They were greeted by a waiter and handed menus. She was goingto order a hamburger now, just because Soraya was getting a salad.

When the waiter returned, Nora ordered a beer, while Daisy got a white wine.

“Imightactuallylikeaglassofthezin,”Sorayaremarked,smiling. “I thought you didn’t drink,” Nora said.

“It’swhitewine.It’snotreallydrinking.”

Shecouldn’ttellifSorayawaskiddingornot. She decided to let that one go.

“How old are your kids, Daisy?” Soraya asked, and the familiarity in Soraya’s tone made Nora wonder if Daisy and Soraya had been hangingout without her.That would normally be fine, wouldn’t bother her at all, except right now she was feeling a little bit raw, and if she found out that Daisyhad made time for lunch with Soraya but had never managed to make time for Nora, she might cry.

Maybe.

“They’re nine, seven, and five.” “Ohwow.Sothey’reallinschool.”

“Yes.”Daisytwistedtheringonherlefthand.“Yeah.Allinschool.

Allday.Whichisnice,butit’sdefinitelydifferent.”

“Well. My boys don’t have any time for me anymore. They’re seventeen and fifteen.”

Seventeenandfifteen. Nora felt closer to being a teenager than not.It blew her mind that somebody her age had nearly full-adult humans. But then, Soraya had gotten married one month after their high school graduation. Like a lot of those church girls tended to do.

That was what happened when you weren’t allowed totouch underneath the clothes until marriage. The timeline had to be accelerated.

“Youmusthavealotoffreetime,”Daisysaid.

Sorayalookedlikeshedidn’tquiteknowwhattosaytothat.“Imakea lot of sourdough.”

“Oh,” Daisy and Nora said at the sametime.

SorayaturnedtoNora.“Youstilldon’thavekids,Nora?” NorawasquitecertainSorayaknewshedidn’thavekids. “No.” She let that be a complete sentence.

The drinks came, and they put their order in for food. Theyordered salad, a burger, and a chicken Caesar wrap. It seemed somehow very Daisy that her order was a middle ground between Nora’s and Soraya’s.

Soraya took a sip of her wine. Nora watched her closely to see what her reaction was. Did she actually drink? Or was she about to have her first taste of alcohol in the middle of the day on a Friday?

Sorayastartedtotearup,settingtheglassdown,herhandsshaking.“I

. . . I do have a lot of free time,” she said, her lower lip trembling.“Because I . . . I kicked David out.”

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ChapterTwo

N

Whenyou’reinneed,askthedivinepowerinthe universe. It will provide.

—Rules forWitches

NoracouldonlystareatSoraya,hermouthdroppedopen.“What?” “You kicked David out?” Daisy asked.

“Yes. I did. Two weeks ago. He’s staying in a house his real estate company was selling, with our boys, and they just want to live with their dad because he’s better than me, apparently.” She blinked back tears as she took a sip of wine.

“What happened?” Noraasked.

Sorayawastheperfecttradwife.Thekindwhodeferredtoherhusband in everything, or at least that was what Nora had assumed basedonknowing her in high school, plus what she posted on social media. She couldn’t fathom Soraya throwing her husband out.

Not without a very good reason. Nora didn’t know what even counted as a good reason to a woman like her.

Sorayasetherwineglassonthetable,herhandtremblingslightly.“We were . . . We were at church. We were at church, and he went intothe bathroom during the sermon, and I was sitting there, and my phonevibrated. I thought I should check it, even though you’re not reallysupposed to have your phone on during the sermon, but I always think it might be one of the kids, so I pulled my phone out to check, and it was a picture of . . .” She looked around and lowered her voice to a near- imperceptible whisper. “Of his penis.”

“What?” Nora gasped. “You kicked your husband out because he sent you dick pics during a sermon?”

“No.If he’d wanted to send me . . . I . . . If he wanted to do that,then I’dhavebeenokaywithit.”Sorayadidn’tlookokay—shelookedperturbed

—but Nora didn’t comment. “It’s that it was a penis photo thatwasn’t meant for me.”

“Howdidyou knowitwasn’t foryou?”Noraasked.

“Because he’s just never done anything like that before, andthere’s something to be said for trying new things, but usually you don’t try new sexual things during the Lord’s Prayer.”

“Everyone has kinks,” Nora pointedout.

“Well,notDavid.OratleastIdidn’tthinkso.”

Daisy put her hands flat on the table as if bracing herself. “Your husband misdirected a picture of his—”

“Hiscock.”

“Thank you, Nora,” Daisy said dryly. “He sentthatto you from the church bathroom?”

“Yes.” Soraya spun her wineglass in a circle. “I don’t . . . I don’t know what I’m supposed to do now. I’ve never had a job. I’ve never had a job, and he’s not supporting me. The kids won’t talk to me, and they’re my whole life.”

“Whywon’ttheytalktoyou?”Daisyasked.

“I’m the bad guy,” she whispered. “I’m the one who kicked himout and broke up our family.”

“How didyoubreak up the marriage?” Noraasked.

Soraya looked down at her hands. “I’m supposed to forgive him. It’s supposed to be not that big of a deal. Our pastor said because David repented, I . . . I need to forgive him. He was supposed to installsome software on the computer to keep him from going to websites he shouldn’t be on. I don’t want software to keep my husband from looking at other women or trying to hook up with other women. I just think it’s wrong. Shouldn’t it be enough that I don’t want him to?”

Silencefell around the table. Nora took a sip of herbeer.

Daisy looked like she was about to vibrate apart. “Jonathanleft.”

Soraya and Nora turned to her. “What?” they said at the same time. Daisynodded.“Just...justlikethat.Myhighschoolsweetheart.

Suddenly it’s . . .You don’t know me, not really. We haven’t been happyfor the last ten years. Whohasn’t been happy for the last ten years? I’ve been perfectly happy. I . . . I thought we had everything. He said he needs more, that people aren’t meant to just meet someone and settle when they’re as young as we were, and he met her and found out he wanted all these different things.”

“Her?”

“Hemovedintoanewhousewithhisnewgirlfriend.”Daisypicked herforkupandsetitbackdown,thendiditagain,likeshewastryingto find the perfect place for it on the table where it might help ease her nerves. “Holdon.”Norapinchedthebridgeofhernose.“Ihaven’theard

rumors aboutanyof this.About either ofyou.”

“Alexandra’sdivorceandaccidenthavebeenenoughfortherumor mill,” Daisy said. “No one’s that interested in me.”

“We’vestillbeengoingtochurchtogetherasafamily,”Sorayamumbled.

“Oh, Soraya.” Nora groaned. “I’manEnneagramTypeTwo.”

“Idon’tknowwhatthatis,”Norasaid.“It’s—”

“Oh, I’m not asking.” Nora turned her focus to Daisy. “Whydidn’tyou tell me? Why haven’t you told anyone?”

Daisy’s eyes glistened. “Jonathan doesn’t want his mom to know yet, so he’s been really careful, because I think he wants to make it seemlike Amberly was someone he met after we split up. But I know she’s living in that house with him.”

“Amberly?” Nora asked. “Is she a shih tzu?Aninfant?”

“Not canine.And she’s twenty-five.” Daisy blinked her tears back, her tone hard and bitter now. “Which makes sense, you know, since thelast time Jonathan was happy, we were twenty-five. So I guess he had to find a twenty-five-year-old who didn’t have stretch marks from bearing his children in order to be happy again.” Daisy looked down at her hands. “He murdered our life. We had this really good life, and he just walked in one day and . . . blew it up. For himself. Nothing I said made any difference to him. I told him I didn’t want it. I told him I wanted to work on it, that I didn’t care he slept with someone else.”

Nora’sstomachtwisted.“Howcanyounotcareaboutthat?”

“Because I just wanted him to stop . . . saying those things. I just wantedittogobacktohowitwas.Beforehesaidthat.BeforeIknewit’s

. ..”

“It really is like having your life murdered,” Soraya said, her tone soft. “No warning and no way to defend yourself, and when you know, you can’t go back andnotknow.”

“I’msorry,”Norasaid.“That’sawful.Ican’tevenimagineit.”

It was a stupid thing to say. Who wanted to hear that their life wasso shitty you couldn’t even begin to imagine what they were living? Nora knew better than that. It was the kind of thing people used to say to her when she’d been a kid living in foster care.

Ican’timaginenothavingafamily! Good for you.

“I just mean,” she tried again, “I don’t want to be dismissive of whata big deal that is.”

“It’sfine.”Daisytookadeepbreath.“So,howareyouandBen?” The question Nora had dreaded didn’t seem so dreadful now.

“Fine,”shesaid, notsure whyshewasn’t beingtotallyhonest.

But it was different from all this. It wasn’t church-bathroom dickpics and affairs with twenty-five-year-olds. He just needed a little bit of space. He was just finding himself.

Ben’s decisions had been more unilateral than she would have liked, but he hadn’t told her he’d had ten years of unhappiness, and he hadn’tleft her for another woman.It was different.

“Fine?” Daisypressed.

“Yes. Just . . . fine. I mean, you know how things are. They move in waves. Marriage is complicated. But you know, we’ve only beenmarried for five years. There’s just not . . .” They were both looking at her like they could see through her. “I mean . . . we are a little bit separated right now.”

“You’reseparated,” Daisy said. “Butyou’refine,”Sorayaadded. “He needed some space.”

“Oh, space?” Daisy said. “That always means they’re sleeping with someone else.”

Shedidn’thave tospreadher bitternessovertoNora.

“He’s not.” She did her best to affect a neutral expression.“What happened to you guys is terrible, and I’m really sorry about it. What happened to Alexandra isawful. I hate that everything unraveled for her when Christopher cheated, but it’s not the same. He needs to go be by himself and deal with some things. I love him, and he’s going to . . . findhimself.”

“When did helosehimself?” Soraya asked. Yet again, Nora couldn’t tell if she was being funny or tragically sincere.

“I just think . ..”

Suddenly sheheardherself. Sitting there at this table with two other women whose marriages had come unglued, having come from thehospital room of a woman who had gone through a heinous separation.

She did sound naive. She did soundsilly.

But they didn’t know Ben. Ben was fun and funny, and there was a reason he’d been voted Hemlock’s Favorite Dentist three years in a row.He wasn’t like a regular dentist; he was a cool dentist.

He had a twenty-sided die tattooed on his arm, and he liked to tell jokes with kids, and . . . and . . .

She knew him. He’d talked to her. She hadn’t liked everythinghe’d had to say, but they’d talked.

“It’snotideal,”shefinished.

“I’m Jonathan’s bookkeeper,” Daisy said. “That’s my job. I do allthe financial stuff for the construction company. But I do more than that too. I collectthepayments,andIorganizeeverything.Imakesureallhisaccounts are balanced and he isn’t going to overdraw. I’m still working for him.”

“That’snotokay,”Norasaid.“Unlesshepaysreallywell.”

“We just share all the money.” Daisy’s lip trembled. “Or at leastwe did. I don’t know what to do. I hold his whole life together. Plus, if I don’t keep the job, I won’t have enough money to maintain the mortgage. There aren’t any divorce papers; he just left. I don’t have a timeline. I don’t know how much child support I’m going to get.”

“I’m a freelance writer and artist,” Nora reminded her, and herselfat the same time.

She’d never faced the potential reality of what life would looklike without Ben’s dentist salary, but it suddenly felt very heavy.

Ben had left for his solo trip to SouthAmerica three weeks ago, to stay at a wellness retreat in Chile, and she’d let it stop there in her mind. He was going to sort himself out. He’d been working for years—doingschool, establishing his practice—and he needed time to himself. It had seemedreasonable.

Shesuddenlyrealizedallthepracticalitiesshehadn’tconsidered. Like if he decided he didn’t want to come home.

Where would that leaveher?

She wouldn’t be able to afford their mortgage, and if he decided tonot pay it . . .

The anger she felt at herself right then was swift andjudgmental.

She’d been like a frog, boiled slowly in the promise of Ben, and she’d lost her cynicism.

She’d done the rightthings.

She’d gone to school. She had a degree; she’d majored in English and minored in art. She could teach at a school if she wanted to, but she’d never done that. They’d lived modestly, and then Ben had finished dental school and graduated without loans, thanks to his parents. They’dalmost immediately started making a decent income, and Nora, who’d always had to be independent and protect herself fiercely, had never had to worry about anything since being with him.

Somehowalongthewayshe’dconvincedherselfshewastakencare

of.

Shehadacareer,sure.

Butthatcareerwasn’tasteadypaycheck.Herunstablechildhood

shouldhaveservedasawarning.Sheshouldhaveknownbetterthanthisall along. Hadn’t her own mother taught her anything?

“There’s no way I’ll be able to keep the house,” Soraya said. “Idon’t know what I’m going to do. I . . .”

“We’llthinkofsomething,”Norasaid.

Her irritation with Soraya suddenly feltpetty.

Daisy and Soraya had been totally screwed over by the men who were supposed to care about them more than anything else.

AsforNora, shewasn’tas secureasshe’dthought.

On that they were united, even if there were a lot of other thingsthatdivided them.

“Thankyou.”Sorayafinishedtherestofherwine.Shehadbarely taken a bite of her salad. “I don’t have an appetite right now.”

“Can’trelate,”Norasaid,polishingoffthelastofherfries. “I just want to eat my feelings,” Daisy said.

“I can’t,” Soraya said. “My feelings sit in my stomach like a giantball of lead. I was a good wife.”

They were all quiet for a moment. Because the truth was, they had all been good wives. Nora was sure of that.

She’dbeena goodwife toBen. Ormaybe shehadn’tbeen.

Maybeshe’dbeenahumanicesculpturelyinginbednexttohim.That was how he made it sound. That was why he’d said he had to reevaluate.

“We’re going to be okay,” Nora said, her tone way moredeterminedthan she felt.

“Weare?”Sorayaasked.

“Yes,” Norasaid.“We’regoingtobeokay.We’reresourcefulwomen.

We’re going to find everything we need to navigate whatever is coming.” “I’m going to need a job,” Daisy said. “One that’s flexible, because of

mykids.”

“I’ll need a job other than my baking. I’m starting to sell loaves of sourdough at different stores, but I’m one person, and there’s no way I can support myself on bread alone.”

“Jesus said that,” Nora pointedout.

“That’s not quite what Jesus said.” Soraya took a breath.“Butsomeone will have to take a thirty-five-year-old woman with no jobexperience.”

“Youhaveskills,”Norasaid.

“You never think it will be you.” Soraya scrunched her eyes up, like she was trying to hold her tears back. “This happened to one of my mom’s friends, and everyone ostracized her. She couldn’t get work because no one wanted to hire a woman with no education and no experience, and Ijudged her like everyone else. Now I am her.”

“We’ll be okay.” Daisy reached across the table and put her hand overSoraya’s.

NorasettledherhandonDaisy’sshoulder.“Wewill.” Soraya looked down. “Okay. We will.”

GoosebumpsroseonNora’sarms,achillcomingthroughthefront door of the restaurant as it opened.

“Ready?” she asked, suddenly feelingrestless.

The other two nodded, and Nora signaled to their waitress. They split the check three ways, then walked downstairs and back out onto the street.

“I’mparkedupthatway,”Sorayasaid.

Nora jerked her chin the same direction. “I’m that waytoo.”

Theybegantowalktowardthepark,whenNoranoticedastoreshe hadn’t seen before. “What’s that?”

Abuilding wedged between the yarn store and a brewery had itslights on, when it had been dim and empty for months.

There were really only two kinds of businesses in town. The kind that cameandwentinlessthanayear,runbypeoplewhohadfantasiesabout

cute, cozy stores but were unable to handle the reality of the harsh churn of doing business in a town where crowds ebbed and flowed with the seasons.

Orbusinessesthathadbeenthereforthirtyyearsormore.Fixturesthat never seemed to go away. This storefront was one that often rotated, and it had gotten to the point where she didn’t really notice when it changed hands. She often didn’t bother going inside. Why get attached?

But this one stoppedher.

Therewerebroomsinthewindowsandhangingherbs.Alargewooden sign read LADY’SMANTLEAPOTHECARY.

“Oh,youdidn’tknowaboutthis?”Sorayaasked.“It’soccultic.” “What?” Nora asked.

“It’s . . . it’ssatanic,” Soraya whispered, like she was concerned people would think she was being rude saying the store was satanic,though saying it anyway.

“Satan? Sounds fun.” Noragrinned.

SorayagaveheralookthattookNorarightbacktohighschool. “Why do you know about the store?” Daisy asked Soraya.

“Oh, Pastor John mentioned it in church last week.When he found out it was opening, he wanted to make sure everyone in the church knewso they could guard their . . .” She seemed to realize she was saying too much to an audience who hadn’t even wanted to hear half of it. “Whatever.”

That was some growth for Soraya, Nora had toadmit.

“I want to check it out. So if you want to stay away from theoccult, you can keep going, I guess,” Nora said.

“Iwanttoseeit.”Daisywasalreadywalkingtowardthefrontdoor. “I can’t.” Soraya took a step back.

“Youcan’tgointothestore?”Noraasked,incredulous.

“No. We’re supposed to stay away from even the appearance of evil.” “Iwonderwhatcategorydickpicsinthechurchbathroomfallinto.

Pictures that you were supposed to be fine with, I might add,” Norasaid.

Soraya’sfaceturnedpink.“Okay,Icanstopinforasecond.”

Nora smirked at Daisy, who gave her a hard look.This interaction was oddly cheering, because it reminded her of a time when she didn’t feelso desperately jaded and out of hope.

She pushed the door open, and a bell jingled above the door.The room was dim and cool, soothing music playing over the speakers.Atable satin thecenteroftheroomwithasigninthemiddlethatproclaimedtarot

readings were available. There was a shelf next to that with boxes of tarot cards on display. Beyond that was a large counter, and behind itwere shelves of dried herbs and jars of tea.

Across from that were bookcases filled with books aboutthe metaphysical and the divine feminine.Then there were bins of crystals with cards attached to the front that spoke to the purpose of each one.

For the first time in weeks, Nora felt like she could take a full breath. She walked over to the counter and admired the large jar filled with dried yellow flowers.Asmall handwritten card was placed just in front of it.

Lady’sMantle:thepatronherbofalchemy,oftenused

inlovespells.

“There’s not even anyone here,” Soraya said, still standing at the door. “Let’s go.”

“No.”Noratouchedthelady’smantlecardandthenmovedfartherinto the shop. “I want to look at some of the stuff.”

She’d always been interested in the idea of magic—what little girlwith no control or power in her life wasn’t?—and of course hergothic aesthetic had frequently led her into witchy shops, where she liked looking at crystals and bundles of herbs, but that was all it was. A vague interest. Whenever she picked up a deck of tarot cards and considered buying them, her more practical self told her it was nonsense, and she ended up putting them back.

Everything felt like it was off kilter, which made her feel like maybe this time she would buy a deck of cards. Or some crystals. It couldn’thurtanything.

There was a shuffling sound, a fabric curtain hung over a doorway opened, and a very small woman with long white hair came out and stepped behind the counter. “Good afternoon,” she said. “Welcome in.”

Norawavedawkwardly.“Hi,thankyou.”

Daisy walked deeper into the room. “This isgreat.”

“Is there anything that you’re looking for in particular?” the womanasked.

“Just looking,” Nora said. “We were walking by and saw the store and thought we should check it out.”

“I’msoglad.”Thewomansmiled,theskinbyhereyescrinkling. “What’s . . . an apothecary?” Daisy asked.

“I’m not sure what all the other ones are,” the woman said, “but this one has medicinal herbs, teas, spells. I want to do tea parties andtarot readings, tea leaf readings, though I won’t have my full menu of services ready until I get some employees. I need a bookkeeper and a baker, and I really need someone to run the front counter.”

The same goose bumps that had risen on Nora’s arms earlier roseagain now.

We’llbeokay.

“Abookkeeper?” Daisyasked.

“Yes,” the woman said. “I can’t do that for myself. I’m not good withnumbers.”

“What...kindofbaking?”ThatquestioncamefromSoraya,whowas almost pressed against the door, like she was afraid Satan himself wasgoing to pop out from behind one of the shelves.

“I’mopen.WhenIfindtherightbaker,I’lldefertoherskill.”

Noramovedovertothetarotcardsandtouchedoneoftheboxes. “Do you read tarot?” the woman asked.

“No,”Norasaid.“I don’t.I’vealwaysbeeninterested.”

Thewomannodded.“Youhavetowaituntiladeckspeakstoyou.”

“I guess that’s my problem. No deck has spoken to me yet.” Nora released her hold on the box and walked back to the counter.

“Do you havequestions?”

Nora looked up at the older woman, at her faded blue eyes surrounded by innumerable wrinkles. She wanted to have questions. She wanted to ask her those questions. Get some of the wisdom of the elders she’d beentold existed but had never actually experienced. Her grandmother hadn’t contained wisdom. Only bitterness.

“Idon’t,”Norasaid.

“I’dliketopullacardforyou,”thewomansaid.“Forallofyou.Since you’re among my first customers, I can give you an idea of what I do here.”

“Oh.”Sorayalookednervous.“Ican’t—”

“Youdon’thavetoreceiveit,”thewomansaid.

Receiveit.

The words lingered inside Nora like a cloud ofmist.

“I’d like a card,” Daisy said, in that calming, peacekeeping wayof hers. Obviously trying to undo the rudeness of Soraya’s response.

The woman reached beneath the counter and pulled out a stackof cards. They were gilded on the edges, with midnight blue on the back and large yellow moons. She shuffled them quickly, her crooked hands moving deftly as she did so. She spread the deck out in front of her and looked at Daisy with a steely-eyed gaze.Then she carefully took a card from the deck fanned out before her and turned it over.

The image on the card was a tower, on fire, with people eitherfalling or jumping from the crumbling structure to the ground below.

“Ithoughtthere was big energy here.” She looked at Daisy. “That’sa significant card. It feels like things are falling apart, doesn’t it?”

Daisy stood still, but Nora could see tears gathering in her eyes.She nodded slowly.

“The Tower can feel brutal. It’s destructive, and it’s painful. Butthe secret of the Tower is that what falls away doesn’t need to be.”

“But those people are going to hit the ground and . . . die,”Daisy pointed out.

“They won’t die. That doesn’t mean they won’t behurt. But being down there is better than being where they never belonged.”

Nora’sheartstartedtobeatfaster.Itwasso...apt.Toospot-on,in

fact.

TheolderwomanlookedatSorayanextandpulledoutacard.She

turnedit overso itsface wasshowing, butSoraya didn’tmove anycloser.

“The Hierophant.” The woman pointed at the card, which had animage of a man in robes, who looked like a priest or cardinal orsomething. “Structures and systems are very important to you. Maybe even religious systems.Butsometimesthosesystemsthatonceservedyoucanhinderyourgrowth.”

Soraya opened the door to the shop and slipped outside withoutsaying a word.

“Sorryabouther,”Norasaid.“She—”

The woman didn’t seem bothered at all. Instead, she turned her startling eyes to Nora. She flipped a card over, and a soft smile crossed her lips. “The Moon. It’s a complicated card, the Moon. The moon is light,but it’s darkness too. It moves in cycles. It changes the tide. Though it may not seem clear now, it will in time.”

Withoutthinking,Noratouchedherpurse,herfingersskimmingacross the embroidered moon.

“This is just where you are right now,” the woman said. “It’s the energy you brought into the store with you. When it comes to matters of tarot, nothing is fixed. Everything, life and the future, is on a continuum.”

Noraswallowedhard.“Right.Well.Mypresentcontinuumblows.”

The woman laughed, a deep, hearty sound that came from low in her belly. “It can certainly be like that. For a while. The universe has a wayof taking away what isn’t needed and providing what is.”

Platitudes. Good guesses. She probably did this for everyone who walked in. Daisy was the walking embodiment of someone going through a crisis, and Soraya looked like she’d stepped straight out of anLDS influencer’s Instagram, so guessing that religious structure was part of her life wasn’t really difficult.

As for Nora . . . things being unclear but becoming clear could applyto anyone.

“Well.Thankyou.”

“Of course,” the woman said, then turned away. “If you know of anyone who needs a job . . .”

“Imight...”Daisystopped.“I’llletyouknowifIhearofanyone.” “Thank you,” Nora said.

“Of course.” The woman fixed her gaze on Daisy. She didn’t say anything, but Nora felt like something significant passed between them.

“Bye.” Daisy turned away, and Nora followed behind her, out thedoor and onto the street.

Soraya was standing as far away from the store as possible without falling off the sidewalk, her arms crossed tight. “No surprise she said weird stuff about religion,” she muttered.

“It’sjustalittlebitoftarot,”Norasaid.“It’sharmless.” “It’s how the devil gets a foothold,” Soraya responded.

Norascoffed.“Isthathowthedevilgotafootholdinyourhusband?

Tarot?”

Soraya narrowed her eyes.“No.”

“Itseemstomehewasabletogetaprettygoodholdonhimatchurch.”

“Well,there’snousetemptingbadthingstohappen.”

“She’s hiring. And you need a job.” Of course, Soraya hadprobably just made the worst first impression in history.

Itwasacoincidenceofthehighestorder,onethatwasalmosttoogood to be true, and definitely too good to pass up.

“Idon’thaveanyexperienceworkinginastore.” “But you bake,” Nora said.

“I...Idon’tknow.”

“No one from your church would know. Anyway, if they did, they would have to admit they walked into the store,” Daisy pointed out.

Soraya seemed to considerthat.

“Sheneedsabookkeeper,Daisy,”Norasaid.

Daisy sighed heavily. “Yes. She does. But if I’m going to take a new job, I have to quit my current job, and that’s . . . complicated.”

“IonceplayedwithaOuijaboardataslumberparty,”Noralied.

She hadn’t been to slumber parties. But shehadgotten a Ouijaboardat a yard sale when she was twelve, and she’d played with it one evening, until her foster mom had found it and thrown it out. Because of the devil. The devil was a big concern around these parts.

“Youdid?”Sorayaasked.

“Yes,” Nora continued seriously. “The devil came out and said ifI gave him my soul, he’d give me something shiny.”

“Nora . . .” Soraya looked both frightened andannoyed.

“It was bullshit,” she finished. “Satan wasn’t in the Ouija board, just like he isn’t in the apothecary, Soraya, because nothing but herbs are in the apothecary. She’s probably a very intuitive person who does cardtricks. The end. But she has books that need keeping and bread that needs baking, and it sounds like it would be perfect for the two of you.”

“What about you?” Daisyasked.

“Ben will be home in three weeks.” Maybe. He hadn’t exactly givena definitive time frame. And she didn’t know what he’d decide when he did come back.

“There’s no harm in taking a job until he comes back,” Daisy pointed out. “Just in case.”

It wasn’t a mean thing to say. She was trying to keep Nora safe, and Nora knew that, but it felt like being stabbed, even if shallowly.

WhywouldDaisy think Ben would come back? Her own situationwas so dire, she was projecting onto Nora.