Spellbound

Original Edition: Twenty-Eight

"Sis, we have a problem."

I groaned and closed the tome, dropping it onto the sofa next to me. I had a feeling I was about to get to the juicy stuff about Soren, and here was Hunter standing in front of me with a problem.

"What is it?" I asked, gesturing to the chair next to my couch.

Hunter sat down, crossing one leg over the other. "We're having issues securing the building permit for the bar."

"What?" I sat up and leaned forward, putting my elbows on my knees. "I thought everything was going perfectly."

He sighed and ran his fingers through his dark hair, making it stand on end. "It was, until I went to city hall to sign the final paperwork. That was when they showed me the hefty fines our dear Aunt Hazel let stack up."

"Fines? Well, can't we just pay them?"

"Well, it's not just the fines, but interest too. Ten years of interest."

I gulped. "How much?"

"Ten thousand dollars."

I almost choked on the air I was breathing and sprang to my feet. "Ten thousand dollars? We don't have that kind of money!"

"Yeah, no shit."

"What the hell are we going to do?" I said, pacing in front of the coffee table. "We have to get the bar up to code; it's not like this is just a remodel for funsies!" I exclaimed, wringing my hands.

I'm sure the bar was one of the many reasons she accrued the fines in the first place. Hazel had a way of doing things in her own time, and her priorities never lied with the man. If she could find a way around something, she did it. Still, I have to wonder how she managed to hold off on paying fines for so long.

Hunter got to his feet and put his hands on my shoulders. "Gemma. Breathe. Panicking isn't going to do any good."

I exhaled a long breath and nodded. "Okay, okay. You're right. What are we going to do?"

Hunter chewed on the inside of his cheek and twisted his mouth. "Well, you could ask Mom and Dad for the money..." He paused as I started to protest. "When they come down for Christmas," he added in a whisper, not meeting my eyes. "With Uncle Thomas, Deborah, and...Raven."

"Raven? No no no, they cannot come here! Not right now! If Raven finds out about the fines and the fact that we're not up to code, you know what she'll do! What were you thinking telling them yes?!"

My brother scowled and tilted his head to the side. "Do you really think Mom posed it to me as a yes or no question?"

I blew out a breath that rattled my lips and folded my arms like a sulking child. "Why can't we just have Christmas at Trevor's place?"

Hunter rubbed the back of his neck and shot me a coy smile. "Because him, Kelsey, and the kids will be here too. And so will Logan and Emma. And...I invited Caden."

"Well fuck." Hunter raised an eyebrow and crossed his arms, and I looked at him apologetically. "Of course Caden is always welcome. It wouldn't be Christmas without him. But the rest of them?" I groaned and sat back onto the couch, casting my eyes to the ceiling.

"Sorry. On the bright side, you already know this will be a shit show unlike your unexpected Thanksgiving drama." He smirked. "But it might be fun to invite your ex-boyfriend and his brother."

"He wasn't my boyfriend," I grumbled.

"Bed buddy, side piece, lover—"

"I get it." I marched to the kitchen for a drink. "I wouldn't invite Archer to a weed-blowing contest."