Returning for a Magic Refill

By Jamie K. Schmidt and Angela Scavone

With a dating app based on completely unreliable blood magic and three old crones running the office who may or may not be the Three Fates, what could possibly go wrong?

Welcome back to the magical and whimsical town of WhyNot where love is just a BITE away!

Located along the River Sticks, the town is home to many magical species.

Love Bites, the most popular matchmaking agency in the tri-state area, offers in-person matching or cutting edge technology in the form of a dating app made just for the unnatural and unholy. It just requires a picture. Sorry, vampires. You will need to submit a sketch for our artists to render into a lifelike image. Once your image is accepted, fill out our 42-page questionnaire and lick the screen (The technomages are aware the app tastes like oranges. They're working on it.) to connect with others looking for a happy ever after without the traditional white picket fence.

These paranormal romcom stories will leave you in stitches as you follow our not-quite-human characters searching for their mates one one horrible first date at a time. Are you ready to be swept into the world of WhyNot?

• Language: English
• Publisher: 918 Publishing
• Release date: Jun 4, 2024
• ISBN: 9798224795512

Book preview

Heat Level 1

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The Christmas Countdown

Angela Scavone

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Chapter One

December thirteenth of this year was an interesting day; I worked at my grandma's quilt shop, I almost got robbed, I saved a man's life, and... I met the Devil.

The day started like any other. It was close to Christmas, and my grandmother’s quilt shop was decked out in decorations from the front windows to the back and everywhere in between. It was a simple country shop. The walls on either side were covered in shelves of quilt fabrics, and the wall to the left had a cutting table and the cash area. In the middle of the shop were six tables with two quilt machines each on them; this was for when Grandma Gigi gave classes or for those who didn't have quilt machines in the town to come and use one. The front of the store had floor-to-ceiling windows and a glass door right by the cash counter. The back wall was the same as the front, with a door that led to a back parking lot.

Audrey, darling, my grandmother said as she maneuvered herself through the back door with arms full of Tupperware containers, can you help me bring all this stuff in, please?

Of course, I tied my long, brown hair streaked with blonde highlights into a ponytail, went through the back door to her parked car, and grabbed the rest of the medium sized round Christmas tin containers. It was chilly out but I hadn’t grabbed my coat, there was minimal snow on the ground and I figured I would be okay without one.

It's going to be a great day! Grandma Gigi announced when I came back into the store. It was close to opening, and we had no customers in the store yet.

I put most of the containers behind the cash register counter as Grandma Gigi opened several of them and placed them on the cash counter.

There, she said as she proudly looked over all her homemade Christmas cookies and squares, Anyone needing a treat this morning can have one.

Grandma, you always go overboard with these treats every year at Christmas.

Yes, but it makes people happy, that’s why I bring them in every day in December. We will put the rest on the cutting table before this afternoon's class.

That afternoon, as fate would have it, the store was having a hand quilting lesson. It was for anyone in the town to join in and either get help with their current hand quilting project or learn how to do it. Ten women signed up, so the class was pretty much full, which made Grandma Gigi very happy.

She stood in the middle of the store and just looked around with the most content smile I had ever seen on her. What a year it has been, she said. Who would've thought that after your grandfather died, I could have made something of this store.

Grandma, Grandpa died twenty years ago, and you've had this store for almost thirty years.

I know; I just like to be grateful every year around this time. This was another successful year, and I know your grandpa and your mother are looking down on us smiling.

I shook my head and laughed, Mom isn't dead, Grandma.

I know. Technically, she isn't, but we haven't seen her for years, so she might as well be.

I rolled my eyes. My parents divorced when I was young; my father disappeared, and my mother was supposed to work with my grandmother at the quilt shop. She opted to move to California to pursue an acting career and left me to be raised by my grandparents. She never became an actress but married a rich finance investor, and instead of having me move in with them, she opted to help raise his three children from a previous marriage. She sent money every month first to my grandparents to help raise me, and once I turned twenty, the money started coming directly to me. The money had put me through college, where I got my legal degree, but I realized I still wanted to help my grandmother with her shop. Now that I was in my thirties, I did help people around town with legal advice occasionally, but my focus was on the quilt shop.

Let's not focus on her, Grandma Gigi. We have much better things to think about. I tried to get her off the topic.

Good point. Let's unlock the front door and start the day.

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In the afternoon, I was sitting at one of the tables helping a woman with her hand quilting and showing her the basics when I looked through the front windows. I saw two guys in their thirties aggressively walking toward the store from across the street. I didn't recognize them, and I had a bad feeling.

Grandma Gigi, I called over to her.

She caught my eye from across the room, and I nodded toward the front window, but before I could say anything else, the two men were in the door. One was tall and lanky; he immediately went to the back of the store and blocked the back door, as the store was on the smaller side he was able to reach the door in seconds. The other man was tall and rather good-looking. He was blonde and had a classically handsome, movie star face. Both were wearing caps, but we could see their faces. The good-looking one went to the cash register. Then, both pulled out guns.

This is a robbery, the one at the cash announced to the store, everyone stay calm, and we will be out of here fast.

Chapter Two

Gasps could be heard from all the old ladies at the tables and they began to panic and all speak at once.

Quiet! The thief at the cash yelled as he held his gun above his head, Or I'll be forced to use this and I don't want to.

Everyone, please listen to him and be quiet. I was sitting at the table closest to the cash and I would likely be the first one shot, so I needed everyone to stay calm.

My grandmother sat down at the table she was at and gave me a look of utter despair.

This is just a simple small-town quilt shop, I said to the thief nearest me, we don't have a lot of money on hand.

No worries, he said as he expertly opened the register and started riffling through the money, this will do just fine.

Unfortunately, for my grandmother and I, it was the Christmas season and people were spending a ton of money at the store. There was easily over two thousand dollars in the cash register.

What's this? He pointed to all the treats on the cash counter.

Those are treats for customers! Grandma Gigi yelled from the other side of the room emphasizing the word customers.

Can I have one? he asked.

You're stealing money from the cash, I began, but, you're asking for a free baked good.

Oh yeah, he said as the realization came over his face at the irony.

He took one of the squares out of the tin. It was a three layer square with chocolate, graham cracker crumbs and coconut on the bottom, custard in the middle, and melted chocolate on the top.

Oh my God, he exclaimed, what are these?

In our family, we call them New York Special but the rest of the world calls them Nanaimo bars, Grandma Gigi answered.

They are incredible. Doug, he called to his partner, you gotta try one of these.

Doug gave him a nasty look, Ryan, I told you not to use our names.

Oh yeah, sorry.

I put my head on the desk. Clearly, we were working with morons here.

Ooh these are delicious too, Ryan cooed as he bit into a shortbread. Who made all of these?

I did, My grandmother proudly announced from where she was sitting.

You, my lady, are one hell of a cook.

My grandmother turned a light shade of pink and smiled.

If you like that, young man, you should try some of the cherry heaven bars I brought, Mildred Pennefather shouted from her place next to my grandmother, they're over there on the cutting table, the one in the green tin.

Ryan diligently went over and took a cherry heaven bar and bit into it, Oh my God. He closed his eyes as if in heaven.

See, Mildred responded, I told you they were good.

Suddenly all the ladies that had brought treats were piping up telling him what to eat next.

What was happening here? Did they all lose their minds and forget we were being robbed?

Okay, okay, Ryan laughed, putting his hands up, I'll try them all. Hang on.

Seriously what was going on?

The old ladies in the class started speaking to each other about what they made and how he liked theirs better. I took the opportunity to hurry the thieves along.

Uh, excuse me, Ryan? I had held up a pattern paper beside my face so no one else could see me talking to him.

Yeah? He asked with a mouthful of Christmas fudge. His partner Doug was now beside him sampling the desserts as well.

Do you think maybe you should get out of here before one of these old ladies calls the cops? I gave him a go-out-the-door look.

I can't leave until I've tried them all, I can't disappoint them, he whispered back to me.

Seriously, I plead, I just wanted them and their guns to go away, hurry up.

You know for someone whose store is being robbed, you're acting kind of nice to me. Why?

Honestly, I continued to loudly whisper, I just want this over with and you both out of here.

Yeah well, Ryan again speaking with a mouth full of cranberry lemon square, I don't want to leave until I've sampled all the goo—

Suddenly he was choking and grabbing at his throat, Doug not paying attention continued eating his way down the table.

Oh my God! I jumped up from the table and ran over to him. By the time I got to him, he was on the floor and starting to turn blue. Someone call nine one one, I shouted.

What's happening? Doug asked, leaning down on the floor next to me.

I tried doing the Heimlich manoeuvre but because he was lying down I wasn't sure how. Hold him up, I shouted at Doug.

By the time Doug and I fumbled through it, Ryan had passed out. I tried doing CPR and chest compressions on him but nothing was working. I checked his pulse just to make sure he still had one.

Oh no, I said, standing up and taking a step back, he's dead.

Chapter Three

The lady on the phone, my grandmother yelled, says to keep doing CPR on him until the ambulance gets here.

I immediately fled into action and once again started CPR.

Come on, Ryan, Doug pleaded, you can't leave me here alone, man, come on.

There was a commotion behind me but I didn't stop, I was told to continue the CPR so that was what I was doing.

What the hell? I heard Doug yell, You called the cops too?

Well, I was on the phone with nine one one anyway. I heard my grandmother respond and then I blocked out the yelling and focused on my task.

Suddenly, Ryan was breathing again and his eyes flew open. He didn't move from his position and just stared at me.

They were playing funeral music, he said.

Yes, that tends to happen when you die, I said. But, no one here was playing music.

No, not here. Ryan slowly started to sit up, I helped him and held his shoulder while he leaned against me. Then this guy came, he continued, he was wearing a black suit with red edging all around it.

That sounds tacky. I tried to joke as the conversation was starting to feel creepy.

You'd think so, but it was actually quite classy-looking. He shook his head. It was so hot, like screaming hot. I was sweating.

Are you sure you want to tell me all this? I asked, but he seemed not to hear me and continued speaking.

The guy in the suit said I had one chance. If I did twenty good things a day between now and Christmas Eve, then I could stay here and continue my life.

My eyes widened. Was he for real right now?

Then he said, Ryan continued, if I don't complete those good things then I will immediately die again and go live for eternity where it was so hot. He looked at me. What do you think that means?

Uh, well, I stammered. I think maybe your heart stopped and you had a bizarre dream? I asked not wanting to think any of that had actually occurred in the time he was out.

He looked at the palm of his left hand. It's still there.

What is? I glanced at his palm but couldn't see anything.

Can't you see the light?

No. I was starting to think he was having some neurological issues from being dead.

Is he okay now? I heard a booming voice standing over us. I looked up to see two police officers standing behind Ryan.

Yes, he seems to have recovered but will need medical attention, I answered.

Okay, the cop waved someone over, once he gets checked out at the hospital we will then bring him into the police station.

No, Ryan was suddenly animated, I can't go with you, I have a job to do.

Kind of too bad, buddy, the cop responded, you shouldn't have robbed a store in my jurisdiction then.

No, seriously, Ryan started to pull away from the cop, pushing into my side, he turned to me. You have to do this for me please, until I can get out and finish it myself.

No, I answered, backing away, why should I?

Please, he begged. In his last attempt before the cop put him in handcuffs, he grabbed my left hand and rubbed his left palm into my palm and said, "I am passing it to