"How’s working with your grandma, Mandy?" Henry asked, all eyes and attention suddenly averted to Mandy.
"Um, not bad, really," Mandy answered, wanting to crawl underneath the nearest rock. It was easier to sit here and not talk then it was to have all ears turned towards her.
"Learning any trade secrets?" Henry pushed.
"Trade secrets? What, you mean like how to cut the stems at an angle to give them a longer life?" Mandy shot back, confused.
Jack snorted under his breath, but Henry went on, "No, you know what they say about your grandma…"
"No, I don’t. Why don’t you enlighten me?"
Henry looked at Jack and Mandy thought she saw Ally shake her head slightly in his direction. It was quiet for a moment before he continued. "Have you ever heard of Mary Nasson?"
"I don’t think so," Mandy shook her head.
"Well, your grandma, so then you too, are supposed to be a descendent of hers."
"And?" Mandy asked perplexed.
"And Mary Nasson was supposedly a witch here in York in the 1700’s."
"An herbalist, actually," Steve corrected quietly.
All eyes flew to Mandy’s face to look for some sign of confirmation or denial or shock.
Mandy gasped a bit, speechless and stunned. "A witch? C’mon guys, there’s no such thing!" A nervous laugh escaped her mouth. The laughter sounded false and too high, but the rest took Mandy’s cue and tried to laugh it off as well. All except Henry. His face was solemn, firm even.
He shook his head and then answered, "Isn’t there? Grampa is convinced your grandma knows more than she lets on. He goes to your grandma’s shop every week to buy yellow daisies because he believes they bring him luck. He believes your grandma does something to those damn flowers, like casts a spell or something. He insists it’s true, and he insists your grandma is well aware of what she is."
Mandy stared at Henry, grasping for something to say. Was he serious? What was going on here? She felt she was on the verge of matching up a puzzle piece to the confusing week suddenly. Her brain was struggling frantically to find the piece and to find her something to say so that could quit staring at Henry like a simpleton. Finally another awkward laugh slipped out, shocking Mandy. She reached up to cover her mouth, surprised that it was her own voice she heard laughing. "Good one Henry!" she exclaimed, still laughing and shaking her head. "How’d you know I like ghost stories?"
Henry’s eyes burned into her face, but finally a smile crept over his face and he joined in the laughter.
Mandy is a quiet teenager who just wants to blend in with the crowd rather than stand out as anything or anybody. Mandy's pretty successful at this until her parents decide it's time to move from Boston to the quiet seaside town of York Beach, Maine, to "be closer to Nana". Although Mandy has been vacationing in York every summer since she was a child, she has no desire to live there and is worried about fitting in and finding friends during her senior year of high school.
Nana owns a flower shop in town and while working alongside her, Mandy makes a few friends and observes the oddities of the little town and its inhabitants. When she finds some old and cryptic correspondance hidden inside an antique trunk handed down from her Nana, the "oddities" turn into full fledged mysteries. As she unravels the forgotten and hidden history of the town, she simultaneously unravels her own family's past and current secrets while writing her future. With bits of romance and paranormal along the way, she is able to figure out the puzzle of the correspondance, the magic she never realized was surrounding her, and visions of the past and future. Will she walk away from her personal history and her future or will she realize it's ok to be somebody, even if that somebody is nothing like everybody else? (Goodreads.com)
"Um, not bad, really," Mandy answered, wanting to crawl underneath the nearest rock. It was easier to sit here and not talk then it was to have all ears turned towards her.
"Learning any trade secrets?" Henry pushed.
"Trade secrets? What, you mean like how to cut the stems at an angle to give them a longer life?" Mandy shot back, confused.
Jack snorted under his breath, but Henry went on, "No, you know what they say about your grandma…"
"No, I don’t. Why don’t you enlighten me?"
Henry looked at Jack and Mandy thought she saw Ally shake her head slightly in his direction. It was quiet for a moment before he continued. "Have you ever heard of Mary Nasson?"
"I don’t think so," Mandy shook her head.
"Well, your grandma, so then you too, are supposed to be a descendent of hers."
"And?" Mandy asked perplexed.
"And Mary Nasson was supposedly a witch here in York in the 1700’s."
"An herbalist, actually," Steve corrected quietly.
All eyes flew to Mandy’s face to look for some sign of confirmation or denial or shock.
Mandy gasped a bit, speechless and stunned. "A witch? C’mon guys, there’s no such thing!" A nervous laugh escaped her mouth. The laughter sounded false and too high, but the rest took Mandy’s cue and tried to laugh it off as well. All except Henry. His face was solemn, firm even.
He shook his head and then answered, "Isn’t there? Grampa is convinced your grandma knows more than she lets on. He goes to your grandma’s shop every week to buy yellow daisies because he believes they bring him luck. He believes your grandma does something to those damn flowers, like casts a spell or something. He insists it’s true, and he insists your grandma is well aware of what she is."
Mandy stared at Henry, grasping for something to say. Was he serious? What was going on here? She felt she was on the verge of matching up a puzzle piece to the confusing week suddenly. Her brain was struggling frantically to find the piece and to find her something to say so that could quit staring at Henry like a simpleton. Finally another awkward laugh slipped out, shocking Mandy. She reached up to cover her mouth, surprised that it was her own voice she heard laughing. "Good one Henry!" she exclaimed, still laughing and shaking her head. "How’d you know I like ghost stories?"
Henry’s eyes burned into her face, but finally a smile crept over his face and he joined in the laughter.
Mandy is a quiet teenager who just wants to blend in with the crowd rather than stand out as anything or anybody. Mandy's pretty successful at this until her parents decide it's time to move from Boston to the quiet seaside town of York Beach, Maine, to "be closer to Nana". Although Mandy has been vacationing in York every summer since she was a child, she has no desire to live there and is worried about fitting in and finding friends during her senior year of high school. Nana owns a flower shop in town and while working alongside her, Mandy makes a few friends and observes the oddities of the little town and its inhabitants. When she finds some old and cryptic correspondance hidden inside an antique trunk handed down from her Nana, the "oddities" turn into full fledged mysteries. As she unravels the forgotten and hidden history of the town, she simultaneously unravels her own family's past and current secrets while writing her future. With bits of romance and paranormal along the way, she is able to figure out the puzzle of the correspondance, the magic she never realized was surrounding her, and visions of the past and future. Will she walk away from her personal history and her future or will she realize it's ok to be somebody, even if that somebody is nothing like everybody else? (Goodreads.com)
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Thanks so much to Bree @ The Magic Attic for hosting this tour and allowing me to participate. And don't forget to go HERE tomorrow and check out the next stop! There are tons of awesome posts on thetour, like giveaway and guest posts.
