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

I would rather grapple with the paranormal than deal with our parents’ passive-aggressive judgment.

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

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

She was so calm, so still and serene, like a pond without a single ripple.

But getting ice cream with a gorgeous girl was definitely not a hardship.

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 really wanted to say that I’d love to knock on her melons, but after the shears debacle, I decided against it.

“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.”