On Thanksgiving weekend, Beatrix “Trixie” Fairchild expects her three grown children to meet her in Niagara Falls. For what, she won't say -- but her cryptic invitation spark a certain kind of magick and makes it so each one of her adult children returns to their hometown with hope, and only a small amount of resentment, in their hearts.<br><br>Whether it's Ivy, the oldest, who fears following in her mother's witchy footsteps; or Hazel, the middle child with itchy feet and a wanderlust that can't be sated; or Rowan, the youngest and only boy, now a trans woman struggling to integrate her past and present lives; each returns home, expecting some sort of resolution to their family woes. What they get is a surprise love interest along the way.<br><br>Will Ivy continue to overthink her own happiness, refusing to see what is right in front of her? Will Hazel feel too betrayed by her false family line and leave now that she has no home anchoring her in place? And will Rowan be able to finally integrate the best parts of herself without compromise and hurt feelings in the aftermath? What is Trixie planning for the holiday weekend?

The Thanksgiving Invitation

“Shoot,” she said. Then, realizing that she wasn’t in the classroom in spite of what her clothing told her, she swore for real. “Fuck.”


She liked that necklace. It had a chunk of petrified wood at the end and always made her feel as if she belonged in the New Age store where she bought it. She had other necklaces that gave her a similar feeling—the goddess pendant, the amethyst stone—but the wood made her also feel like she belonged at home. With her family and their strange root system. She sighed forlornly. Maybe she wouldn’t need it now that she was actually heading home. If only for a weekend, and even while still dressed as a man, maybe just being around the family would make her feel better.


Chapter 13