Pumpkin Spice & Poltergeist (Maple Hollow, #1)

by Ali K. Mulford

Summoning the ghost of my ex-girlfriend on the anniversary of our breakup wasn’t one of them. Yet here I was, drunk at three a.m. in a circle of salt.

Had she been relegated to an immortality of wearing the lesbian staple outfit of chunky shoes and cargo pants?

“This is the gayest thing we’ve ever done, by the way,” she said. “Summoning me from the afterlife to have one more long talk about our feelings.”

“I just wanted to clear the air, not have you become some fucked-up otherworldly dating service!” Her grin turned foxlike as she looked me over. “This is going to be fun.”

I thanked my ADHD and my proclivity to forget everyone who wasn’t directly in front of my face.

She had a smart, bookish, and—maybe I was overreaching—slightly queer vibe, like an Oxford professor and a Chapstick lesbian had a baby.

Did witches even date? Was she queer, or was she just magical? Although a lot of times, it felt like the same thing.

Lou cackled as she followed me to the door. “No way! I have to see this for myself. How else will my soul know you’re putting in effort?”

Billy looked at me. “I like this one.” “Yeah.” I looked at Harlow, surveying her anew. “I like this one too.”

“That sweet little doe is a master of manipulation,” Lou said with an impressed nod. “You hang on to her. Everyone needs a best friend like that.”

I fought the smile pulling my lips up at the way she said “us.” As if after one date, we were already a couple. As if there were an “us” after a single kiss. God, I loved women. In two more dates, I would be ready to adopt a cat with her.

This witch and I had gone on one single date and I was already ready to jump her bones. Fuck. Maybe I should book the U-Haul now . . .

It was like I’d spent my whole life staring at the moon and she’d walked in with all of her sunshine. Now I was constantly seeking out her warmth, constantly turning toward the sun.

“I love you,” she said, and my whole world shattered and fused back together anew. “With every ounce of my soul, I love you.”

“Are you sure you didn’t put a love spell on me? Because I love you more than I ever thought was possible. I love you like it’s magic.”