Phantom Quartz: A Stacy Justice Witch Mystery Book 6 (Stacy Justice Magical Mysteries) by Barbra Annino Page A

drinking.”
    “Probably not.”
    Fiona reached inside her pocket and produced a compact. I thought she was about to tidy up her winged liner before she popped to her feet, but she opened it and quickly snapped it shut. She looked at Birdie, then Lolly and said, “You two really ought to attend yoga with me. You both sound like a bowl of Rice Crispies.” Fiona didn’t have that problem. She had the body of a Las Vegas showgirl and the face of a cover model. There was a petition going around town to feature Fiona in a pinup calendar. Last count was 442 signatures. 
    I pulled out three chairs and invited them all to sit down. It was then that they noticed my mother.
    “Sloane! Oh, honey come here and give us a kiss,” Lolly said.
    There were questions of, “How was the flight?” and “Why didn’t you call us to pick you up?” and “Are you hungry?”
    Their faces were filled with joy and warmth, as if the last several hours never happened. It seemed they didn’t remember a thing about the collection spell. Not even about offering to host the dinner, or that someone who looked just like my mother had spent time with them today.
    My mother complained of a long lay-over and jet lag, and I instinctively walked over to the cabinet, shuffled a few bottles around and pulled out a blue jar. I handed it to her absent-mindedly and said, “This will help.”
    Birdie shifted in her seat as I walked over to the mirror. I fluffed up my hair and pinched my cheeks to give them color.
    Birdie said, “Stacy, how did you know that was the potion for jet lag? I only made it yesterday. It’s not even labeled.”
    I shrugged, patting my chin with the back of my hand. “I don’t know. Maybe you made one for me when we traveled to Ireland.”
    Birdie stood and said, “No, I didn’t.”
    I turned to face her. “It’s one part malachite crystal, two parts guarana, one part ginseng, isn’t it?”
    An eerie silence fell over the room and suddenly all I could think about was that I needed to spice up my wardrobe. It was unsexy for someone my age who had such a handsome boy who loved her. Skirts, I needed more skirts. And I really shouldn’t wear so many baseball caps, it might stunt my hair follicles, and—
    What the...?
    Where had that come from?
    Then I blurted, “The pizza’s here.” Thirty seconds before the doorbell rang.
    “Uh-oh.” I said, which normally wasn’t my line. That was usually reserved for Birdie or one of the aunts, but it seemed as if the tables had been not only turned, but flipped upside down and the legs chopped off.

 
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
    Chapter 15
     
    “What uh-oh? What does that mean, Stacy?” Mom asked.
    Birdie stood, drinking in the room as if for the first time. “Why are we in here anyway?”
    Pacing is a nervous habit of mine. In the past, I’ve used this technique to stall the inevitable. Like when they want to send me off to battle some impending doom and I’m not quite up to the task. You know, like a virgin waiting to be tossed into a volcano. I’m sure not one of those women just stepped right up and jumped. Very likely they took a lap or two around the gaping hole. Maybe stopped for a cocktail first.
    Now, though, I was pacing to avoid telling them about what I suspected was happening.
    “Stacy...” Birdie warned.
    I pivoted and said, “Everyone take a seat.”
    Lolly yawned. She was already sitting.
    “How are you all feeling?”
    Birdie thought for a moment. “Tired.”
    Fiona said, “That’s because you won’t take yoga with me.”
    Birdie rolled her eyes. “If I wanted to contort my body like a pretzel, I’d lock myself in the dryer.”
    Fiona frowned. “I’m growing tired too, actually. I feel like putting my hair up in a ponytail and climbing into a pair of sweatpants.”
    Lolly looked at Fiona. “You don’t own any sweatpants.”
    “I know that,” Fiona said. “Do you have any I could borrow?”
    This was worse than I thought. In my head, I heard