Entangled (Spellbound #1)

Chapter 4

"Hello? Anybody home?" Graylee called into the kitchen after finding the living room deserted. She leaned into the stairs. "Char? Mom?"

Just as her heart started an uneasy drumming inside her chest, Graylee heard her mom call out, "Up here, hon."

Graylee heard laughter and followed it straight into her mother's bedroom. Charlene was wearing a dress and had done her hair and makeup. She looked downright perky.

"What's going on?" Graylee asked.

Charlene's face dropped for a fraction of a second. It was so quick Graylee couldn't be sure she'd imagined it. Her mom, on the other hand, grinned from ear to ear. "Your sister and I have just been planning Operation Get Blake Back."

Graylee's mouth dropped. "Operation what?"

"Get Blake back," Charlene repeated as though Graylee were hearing impaired.

"Yeah, I caught that and again, what?"

"All that boy needs is to see your sister's pretty face and it won't take him long to realize what he's missing," Mom said. "So how about the three of us have a girl's night out at the mall and do a bit of shopping followed by dinner and a movie?"

Graylee started to protest then stopped herself. Was she really going to argue against the mall and a movie?

She grinned. "Let's do it."

"That's the spirit! When should we go?"

Charlene gave Graylee the once-over. "I'm ready now, but maybe Lee wants to change."

Graylee looked down at her shorts and tights. Cute, but not Barbie cute—urban hip in her estimation. Charlene must have read her hesitation as something else.

"Here, let me help you." Charlene snapped her fingers and like that Graylee was wearing the pastel dress she'd worn to their cousin Myra's graduation.

Speaking of violations...

"Charlene, you know I hate it when you do that!"

Charlene blew on her fingernails. They'd been painted pink—if Charlene had indeed taken the time to paint them herself.

"I can dress myself. Besides, I'd never choose this."

Charlene looked up. "But you look so cute in that dress. You really ought to rethink your wardrobe."

"Mom!"

Their mother moved to the door. "I don't know about you girls, but I'm ready to go shopping."

"I'm not leaving in this dress," Graylee said, heading toward her bedroom.

"Fine, if you're going to be pouty." Charlene snapped her fingers again and Graylee's original outfit appeared.

Charlene was lucky she'd just gotten her heart broken; otherwise, Graylee might've paid her sister a midnight visit, shoestring in hand. If only Charlene's magical advances were as easy to put the kibosh on as Raj McKenna's. Raj. The thought of him made Graylee shudder. She put a hand on her hip. "Guess I'm ready to go then. We should hustle since Char's so obviously bored she has nothing better to do than play dress-up."

Charlene's eyes narrowed and she raised her fingers like she might snap again, but was interrupted by their mother's loud clap. "All right, let's get this show on the road."

"I call front seat," Charlene said.

It was then Graylee wished she could snap her own fingers or nod her head like Barbara Eden in I Dream of Jeannie and teleport herself into the front seat of the Volkswagen Bug. She'd been working on the spell for months. Few witches could transport, but then again, few could make themselves invisible and that's what had given Graylee the gumption to try.