3. Chapter ThreeDaria
Chapter Three
Daria
I studied the menu before me, leaning on the counter as I thought. I was going to update the menu and add breakfast and lunch items. That could bring in more business and allow me greater creativity. It didn’t have to start with anything fancy. Just sandwiches to begin with. It was slow right now, as it often was after the lunch crowd. I still had a few hours until we closed at 7 pm, so I spent this time thinking up a more diverse menu.
“Yeah, that would be a good idea,” I said to myself.
“Who ya talking to, girlie?” a female voice rang out next to me.
I yelped and straightened up. “How many times have I said don’t pop up on me like that?”
I turned to look at my friend, Angelica “Angie” Scardino. She waved at me with a wide smile. She was dressed in her usual skinny jeans and an old band T-shirt, tied in a knot in the front, along with high-top patterned chucks. Her long, bra strap-length black hair hung in loose waves around her shoulders. She was tiny and always cheerful, her hazel eyes pleasant despite her circumstances.
She shrugged. “Sorry, Dar, I don’t know how to give a warning first before popping up.”
I wasn’t mad with her. I knew she couldn’t help it. She was, after all, a ghost. My family’s particular brand of necromancy allowed me to also see and communicate with the undead in any form, including ghostly form. This was a gift I’d also learned about the hard way when playing at the playground and knowing that my new friend Kyle was, in fact, not imaginary but a ghost, as my mother explained. Since then, I’d only been moderately creeped out when ghosts appeared to me. Most didn’t unless I was near a cemetery.
Angie was different. She had been a friend. My best friend. We’d gone to culinary school together and lived together. We shared dreams of opening up our own restaurant. And then, three years ago, she was killed coming home from work by a hit-and-run driver. She should have passed on to the heavenly realm, but I didn’t have expertise in guiding spirits. More importantly, her anger, my anger at her murder without finding the culprit, prevented her from moving on. That was typical of ghosts. They didn’t want to leave with unfinished business. Angie was set on finding her murderer, and I tried where I could. It was part of my deal for helping the police. Ensuring they never gave up on her case.
I would never admit it to her, but I enjoyed having Angie around. I was a loner most of the time, and having someone to come home to made me feel less lonely. She also loved reading romance books like I did and watching K-dramas with me. She was the best. It was selfish, and I wouldn’t tell her. She’d worry and never be able to find peace. It wasn’t right for her to wander the earth for so long, and there would be a day when I had to say goodbye. I wasn’t looking forward to it. Just the thought made the pit of my stomach twist.
Angie looked over my shoulder at the menu. “Thinking of expanding, huh? It’s about time, but do you think Lila would let you?”
Since my boss left to live in the fae realm a year ago, she’d given me full reign of the business as the manager. I was practically the owner now. The store felt like mine, but it wasn’t. “Yup, I’m not worried about that. As long as I don’t do anything to worsen business, she’s open.”
My teenage employee, Nick, glanced over to me talking to Angie. He couldn’t see her, but I’d told him about my gift, and he didn’t question it when I started talking to what appeared to be an invisible friend. “Ang here?”
Angie turned to him, squinting her eyes. “He knows I hate that nickname, right?”
I eyed him, twisting my lips. “You know she hates when you call her that.”
Nick chuckled. “Just kidding. I don’t want her haunting me again.”
Angie gave a curt nod. “And I will. It was a lot of fun.”
I shook my head with amusement. “Please don’t scare my employees.”
She waved a dismissive hand at me. “Anyway, I was going to say that Lila should just sell the business to you. And when she does, change the name. Lila’s Love? No, make it Daria’s Delectables.”
I shook my head. “I don’t know if I’m ready for that kind of responsibility. I don’t want to ruin her business.”
“Of course you’re ready. You’re doing it now. You need to have faith in yourself, lady.”
“I don’t even have the money to buy the business. But maybe I can one day work an arrangement for a down payment and a loan. It’s the dream.”
“Our dream,” Angie said wistfully, eyes taking an unusually sad tone.
I frowned. Times like this I wished I could give her a hug, but she wasn’t exactly in solid form. “I’m sorry, Angie. I wish I could change things.”
“Not your fault. I get sad sometimes thinking about what could have been. Oh well, maybe in the next life. Of course, I have to move on for that. But I really want to see season three of Heatherton.”
Heatherton was a Regency romance show we both adored. While I didn’t think it was healthy for Angie to stay in the human realm, I was thankful to the show for keeping her around a little longer. I just wished I could get her the justice she deserved. Hit and runs were complex cases to solve, and magic hadn’t aided us yet, but I wasn’t giving up.
“Oh!” Angie exclaimed, eyes brightening again. “Did you finish reading Hearts A Fire ?”
“Girl, no, and don’t tell me what happens.”
She pouted. “You read too slow.”
I rolled my eyes in response. “I also work.”
“Fine, fine. But…there were tentacles.”
I raised my brows in surprise. “Shut up. I didn’t get to that part yet.”
Angelica nodded eagerly. “Yup, and…”
She trailed off when the front door opened, and two teenage girls entered. So that I didn’t look insane talking to a being no one else saw, I ignored Angie and took their orders. To annoy me, my ghostly bestie kept talking about random parts of the book, knowing that I couldn’t tell her to shut up. Maybe I might be rethinking about her sticking around.
The girls bought their treats and some specialty drinks one of my employees made and went to sit in a corner of the store. Lila had it decorated like a box of crayons, with colorful art on baby blue walls, white circular tables, and marble floors. More her style than mine, but I still enjoyed the aesthetic.
The door opened again, and this time, a large, green orc walked through, and it was as if all the attention in the room turned to him. It felt like not enough to say he had presence. His very being demanded attention. He had to be closer to seven feet tall, almost needing to duck before entering the space. He had long, black dreadlocks, currently pulled back into a high bun, exposing shaved sides. His arms were covered in tattoos beneath the short sleeves of his white T-shirt, which hugged the muscles straining against the fabric.
He was nice to look at, like one of the guys on the cover of my many romance books, and I was thankful that we had such a warm early autumn day requiring no jackets so I could not so discreetly ogle his physique. I looked up to his face. His features were very human-like, with a square jaw, full lips, and two small, bottom-row fangs that overlapped his top lip. His almond-shaped eyes were a bright blue against his deep green complexion. And, whoa, what was that scent? Like coffee and chocolate mixed. I know I worked in a bakery, but that strong scent was not there seconds ago. This had to be him. He was an alpha. Interesting.
Angie leaned toward me. “I’ve never been into orcs before, but I can appreciate a fine-looking man when I see one. That’s quite the specimen.”
I had to agree. However, I’d never been opposed to dating a non-human male. I just never had the opportunity. I didn’t get a chance to date many alphas or anyone. Most of the ones I attracted in my thirty-four years of life were jerks who tried to take advantage of me as an omega. Omegas and alphas made great pairings, bringing each other power and increased strength. So, the unions were always desirable. Even betas, the majority, got a boost from being with us. We also had the reputation of being very satisfying in bed, which was part of why we got a lot of interest from those who just wanted to use us. Especially omegas because we weren’t as physically strong as others. Alphas were typically taller and stronger than betas, which had its own appeal. I surely wasn’t mad at the male I was looking at right now. Still, I had been celibate for some time and wasn’t going to jump on any alpha that appeared in front of me. I might be lonely, but I still had standards.
The orc stepped to the counter and looked at our display of desserts, a slightly overwhelmed expression on his handsome face.
“Can I help you decide on what to get?” I offered.
He looked up at me and paused. His nostrils flared, and pupils dilated. I was sure I didn’t look that much different in my reaction to him. He was definitely scenting me. He didn’t speak, instead staring at me as if I were some marvelous work of art he was compelled to study. I smiled wider, slightly uncomfortable with the attention. I didn’t think I was unattractive, but I wasn’t used to getting such notice, or, instead, I never paid attention if I did.
“Ooh, he is into you, girlie,” Angie stated. “This might be love at first sight. Let me go change the music playing to something better fitting the mood.”
He shivered, stepping back and seemingly breaking away from his earlier trance. “Cupcakes,” he said awkwardly.
I giggled. Was I making him that uncomfortable? It made me feel slightly buzzy. “Yup, that’s what we sell. Do you want cupcakes? How many?”
He frowned. “What?”
“How many cupcakes and what kind?”
“Oh, uh, six. Any kind.” He raised his left hand and right thumb to show me six fingers, eyes still glazed.
I bit my lip to hold in another giggle. He was cute, and his scent was making me extremely heady. I’d never taken to an alpha scent this hard before. “Awesome. I have some good ones.” I liked making the choices. I could put in cupcakes people didn’t pick as much. They were all good, but some people liked to go with what they knew. I began to gather the cupcakes in a box when the orc spoke up again.
“And an iced coffee. And a bottle of water.”
I looked over to Nick, and he saluted me, having heard the request. After picking the best cupcakes, I returned to the register and rang up his orders. He paid with cash, which was a rarity. Our fingers connected when I took the money, and it felt like my soul had been zapped. I looked up to him, and the gaze in his eyes should have melted me. That intense stare was a mixture of confusion and lust, and I felt every emotion down to my core. My heart pounded loudly in my ears, and I fought my own body’s desire to tremble. Like an idiot, I smiled back, unsure of how to accept his spotlight on me. I didn’t think I’d ever flirted with a guy before and it seemed I was too awkward to try now.
I took his change out of the register, and he stepped back from the counter. “Keep the change.”
I raised a brow. “It’s twenty dollars.”
He grabbed the cupcakes and moved over to the other part of the counter to get his drinks. “I know. You’re doing a good job. It’s a tip.”
I looked after him, my mouth hanging open in shock.
“Was he flirting?” Angie asked. “That sounded like flirting. The way he was looking at you, I thought he wanted to sop you up with some gravy and lick his fingers clean.”
I grimaced and glanced over to her. “That’s a weird analogy to use,” I muttered.
Still, she wasn’t exactly wrong. It felt like he was into me. But my flirting game was low-tier trash, and I didn’t know what to do with his possible interest. I wasn’t used to getting positive attention from men. Sure, I got catcalls, but if I was going out with the girls back in my younger days, I was not the one getting attention. I was a nerdy girl who wore baggy clothes to hide her curves. I’d done better recently with my dressing, but I was still the nerd who stayed home to read books over going out to the bar.
When the orc left, I felt a little disappointed. Then again, I didn’t know what I expected. If he wanted my number, he could have asked, and there was no way I would ask him. The rest of the evening went smoothly. We closed up on time, with me sending Nick home before me as I stayed to count the register and lock up our paper money earnings. I then headed to the back of the building to my car in the alley parking lot. Before exiting, I turned on the security alarm and ensured our wards were up against intruders.
I clicked the unlock button on my car keys as I made my way to the small four-door red sedan, my mind already thinking about what I would have for dinner. This felt like a popcorn and wine night.
A gust of cool wind suddenly swirled around me, blowing my curly hair into my face. A strange odor, peppermint, filled my nostrils. I coughed and swiped a hand in front of me. “Where’s that smell coming from?”
Angie frowned and was already at my car door since she always rode home with me. “What’s wrong?”
“I suddenly smell?”
I didn’t get a chance to finish that sentence as my vision blurred, and I stumbled sideways. And then… darkness.