Chapter Ten
This Is Not a Date
Bellamy
Miles is standing proudly outside the shop, waiting for me to come along, and honestly he is far too bright. He’s holding the map like he’s about to lead an expedition for buried treasure. “You ready?” he asks, grinning like this might be the best day of his entire life.
“No,” I say flatly, locking the shop door. “But apparently fate says I don’t get a choice.”
Nyx sits down beside me, snickering. “You could pretend you like him and see what that does.”
I give Nyx the side-eye. “I like my sanity more.”
Miles unfolds the map dramatically. “Alright, first stop…” he runs his finger across it. “Harvest Square. Seems we have a giant pumpkin to meet and pay homage to.”
“It’s a gourd, not a god,” I mutter, but he’s already walking down the path towards Harvest Square. His shoulders bounce with far too much enthusiasm for an early morning. Well early for me, but semantics.
The streets of Pumpkinridge are alive with bustling activity as everyone prepares for the Samhain festival. Bunting is being draped along the storefronts. The enchanted lanterns float in above the doors, and a squirrel carrier flies by with a canvas tote bigger than him.
Miles slows to watch it scurry into The Whisper Post.
“Do they…actually deliver the mail?” he asks.
I smile as I shake my head slightly. Grasping him by the arm, I pull him down the path.
We cut through the square, passing the witches casting spells to bring pumpkins to life. The air smells faintly of damp soil, crisp air, and a hint of cinnamon. The giant pumpkin looms ahead—six feet across, glowing faintly even in the daylight. Miles stops dead in his tracks.
“That thing is alive,” he whispers.
“Technically, it’s enchanted,” I correct. “I advise you don’t try to touch it. It’s feral on the best of days and bites anyone who gets too close.”
He glances at me like he isn’t sure if I’m being serious. I am.
There was a vampire who considered himself invincible and who thought that nothing could ever kill him. When he was warned about the Giant Pumpkin biting, he tested the theory. He’s now one of the many ghosts haunting our small town. Some theories just shouldn’t be tested.
Miles circles the giant pumpkin, oohs and aahhs echoing from around it as he walks in a circle. He comes back to where he left me standing by the bronze placard.
“So this is clue stop number one?”
“Yes,” I say, pulling the folded clue list from my bag. “Now we have to decide what they need to find here.”
He leans closer to it, testing just how close he can get before it reacts. The pumpkin shakes when he’s within arms distance and he launches backwards, stumbling back beside me.
“Told you,” I chuckle.
He scratches the back of his neck. “Alright, so should we do like a historical clue or like…” He leans to the left and right. “Maybe something around it in a safe distance.”
I pull out the second sheet that Elora gave us.
“Sit.” I point to the bench. “Stay and be a good boy.”
“You know, I think I like that.”
I just stare at him. I plop down on the bench beside him.
“It looks like Elora plotted out a clue for us.”
Miles leans closer and peers over my shoulder. My notebook lays on my lap, my pen scratching across it as he watches. “You’re going with…Bigger than the average squash, older than the town's Sasquatch.”
“It’s a clue, not a dating profile.”
“Could have fooled me,” he says with a shrug.
I snap the notebook closed. “Next stop, The Wishing Well. You can pick the next clue since you think mine is awful.”
As we walk, he matches his pace to mine, which would almost be sweet if it weren’t for the constant sideways glances like he’s dying to ask something.
“Go ahead,” I sigh.
“Is it true that the well actually grants wishes?”
“Yes,” I say. “But it has a bad sense of humor.”
He cocks his head, listening intently. “Bad like… ironic?”
“Bad like gives you what you want but in the wrong way. For example wishing for a singing ability but never being able to stop.”
As if on que, Tim’s favorite disco tunes rings through the air. I tilt and lift my eyebrows.
“Ah, okay. I see. So be careful what you wish for.”
“Exactly.”
“So if I were to say, wish for a second date…”
“You would end up as a frog.”
Without hesitation Miles steps up to the well, coin in hand, ready to do something I basically said not to.
“So, I just toss the coin in?”
“Yes,” I say slowly. “But you might want to think about…”
Too late.
Plink. The coin is gone.
I pinch the bridge of my nose. “…what you are wishing for.”
He closes his eyes, clearly milking the moment for dramatic flair. “I wish for…” he peeks open an eye to see if I’m still there, “for a second date with Bellamy!”
The well doesn’t make a sound as a ripple of magic flows from it. Nyx stiffens next to me.
I lean against the lip of the well. “Enjoy your wish.”
Milo laughs, unbothered. “You’re just mad I used my only wish on you.”
“I’m mad that you didn’t use your one wish on something logical, like a better haircut.”
He lets out a long, drawn-out gasp. “I’ll have you know that my hairdresser said this cut brought out the angle of my jaw.”
“She lied.”
Before he can respond, there is a faint pop as bubbles come up from the bottom of the well, and a single lily pad floats to the surface…with a large green toad sitting on it, staring straight at him.
Miles blinks. “That’s…specific.”
I smile sweetly. “This is going to be hilarious.”
He’s looking between the toad and me when Tim’s vespa rumbles to life and the faint tune of Stayin’ Alive floats through the square.
Miles grins as if there isn’t a toad sitting on a lily pad after he made a ridiculous wish. “See, even your friend seems to approve.”
“Not my friend,” I correct. “And if the well has any sense of humor left, it’ll make you regret that wish.”
“I wouldn’t be so…”
The toad croaks before launching from its lily pad, onto the ledge, before jumping again onto Miles’s boot. He doesn’t hesitate before he climbs up Miles’s pant leg, all while staring at him without blinking.
“Uh…what is happening?”
I look at my nails, enjoying every single second of this already. “Well…that…” I point to the toad sitting on his thigh like it’s completely normal, “is called your wish, and it looks like it’s judging you.”
The toad only slowly blinks at Miles. He lets out a long croak. Nyx’s ears perk, and he snickers. “Oh, I like him already.”
I blink. “You speak toad now?”
Nyx ignores me, nose twitching as the toad lets out another couple croaks. “He said that you are a beautiful creature. But wants to know why the weird guy is staring at him with that goofy look on his face.”
Looking up at Miles, I can’t help but giggle. He does have a weird look on his face.
Miles frowns. “What’s he saying?”
I hide my smile behind my hand. “You don’t want to know.” I’m already walking to our next stop as a scribble down the clue.
The toad hops from Mile’s leg to Nyx’s back, settling in like it owns the place. Nyx smirks, well as much as a fox can smirk. “Yeah, this is going to be the start of a great friendship.”
Nyx side-eyes Miles as he walks past him as the toad just stares as they pass. I’m really struggling to not laugh because Miles looks so confused.
“What is happening?”
I keep walking as he just stands there.
“Wait…” He runs after me. “Why does it feel like your fox is judging me right along with the toad? What even is the toad?”
We head along the cobblestone path back towards the heart of town.
The crooked brick building is on the corner.
The sign above the door sways gently in the breeze, the painted letters faded, but still legible: The Whisper Post, our local post office and one of the most haunted places in town.
Don’t ask me why, but once the squirrels pass away…
they kind of stay in the post office? We have yet to figure out why, so we have all just accepted it as part of our world.
“Is that a doggy door?” Miles asks as he points to the tiny wooden hinged door at the bottom of the wall. There is an in and an out door for obvious reasons. He watches as squirrels continue to run in and out.
“Wow, they really are fast.” His eyes round as he watches the flow of traffic.
“Come on.” I hook my arm through his, pulling him inside. We will never get this list done at this rate.
“You know that’s the second time you’ve touched me on your own. I think I’m getting somewhere. No hexes and physical touch.Ow,” Miles yelps when I zap him.
“Don’t get too cozy, Dog. I just want to get this show on the road, and you are gawking at every single thing today.”
Miles pushes the door open, holding it for me to walk inside. The air is cooler, heavy with the scent of old paper and lavender. There’s a flutter of sound between the squirrels who are alive and their ghost counterparts chittering. There’s easily a thousand squirrels running around in here.
“Do all post offices smell like this?”
“No,” I say. “Just this one. And don’t touch anything with a red wax seal unless you want to start receiving your mail from the afterlife.”
He pauses mid-step. “You’re serious.”
“As a heart attack.”
A haunting voice curls around the corner near the sorting table. The room falls silent. “Not all of the letters are bad…some are just overdue bills.”
Miles freezes. “Tell me you heard that.”
Sitting down on the bench, I say, “Congratulations.” I pull out my notebook and begin writing our next clue. “The Whisper Post has chosen you.”
“What does that mean?” He’s frantically looking around as if something is about to snatch him and drag him away.
“It means that you will receive mail from the afterlife. Welcome to the Ghost Pen Pal program. I don’t recommend opening them, but it might be too late for you now.”
The toad croaks. Nyx chuckles. “Yeah, he’s doomed.”
“Yeah, he is for sure. But that’s his problem.”
“Who do you keep talking to?”
I don’t bother answering, only continue to write the clue. This one is rather simple, keeping in line with the last two. I’m not even sure why Elora insisted on us doing this, she practically did all the work herself. All we are doing is the tour she wanted me to give him the first time around.
As much as I don’t want to admit it, it is cute to see how he reacts to everything.
I’ve lived here my entire life, so all the things he’s pointing out are normal to me.
But, I forget that he didn’t have things like this in his day-to-day life.
It’s refreshing to experience my town through fresh eyes. All the things I walk by, he admires.
By the time I finish writing the third clue, the ice in my coffee has melted, and the toad has claimed a place on Nyx’s back like it’s a hammock.
He’s even crossed his legs and arms with his eyes closed.
Miles is still glancing around as if one of the ghosts will come rushing from the back any second now to snatch him.
I snap the notebook shut. “Alright. Next.”
The rest of the afternoon is a blur of cobblestone paths, stops at landmarks, and Miles stopping every five steps to point out something else that fascinates him or catches his attention.
It’s like he’s never seen a floating candle before.
Geez. We check off the remaining locations, jotting riddles in between his hundreds of questions about magical landmarks, and the commentary from Nyx and Toad.
By the time we cross the square again, the enchanted lanterns are softly glowing, and I’ve got all the clues that we need.
I have a headache, my patience is gone, and I think he’s memorized our town’s entire history.
My bag smells of cinnamon from when he insisted we stop for cinnamon rolls, but quickly moved to the roasted almonds after we bought them.
My legs are aching—not from walking but from resisting the urge to kick him.
Regardless, I did what Elora asked. All the clues are chosen, we asked permission from the ones she highlighted, and everything is ready to go for the scavenger hunt. I’m done. Finished. Ready to escape back to my house.
Miles stretches beside me on the bench. We are staring at the Giant Pumpkin again, a full-circle moment.
The leaves fall in soft waves, giving a disgustingly perfect fall moment that should be in a movie for the couple’s first kiss.
I look over at him, his soft smile spread across his face, his thick black hair is tasseled, and his entire body is relaxed.
“That wasn’t so bad, was it Trouble?”
“Mm-hm.” I tuck the notebook into my bag and start walking toward Curious & Curses. “Thanks for your help today. I guess I’ll see you around.”
“Wait, where are you going?”
“Anywhere but here,” I mumble as I walk back towards my shop and its peaceful serenity.
Miles falls into step beside me. “What do you have to work on now?”
I heave a sigh. “Well, since I spent the entire day strolling around town with you, I have several spells I need to make up.”
“Yeah? I can’t wait to see you work.”
I come to an abrupt stop, turning to face him. “Don’t you have something to do? Someone else to follow around?”
“Nope,” he says with a pop of the p.
I pull my shoulders up to my ears and storm off down the pathway. I was hoping for some alone time, like I’m used to, not more time with Dog Boy.
“So what kinds of spells do you normally make?” he asks as if I’m not a fuming teapot.
“I was really hoping for some alone time. Fewer distractions.”
He lets out a chuckle. “Too bad,” he says cheerfully. “I told Elora I’m sticking with you for the rest of the day.”
I whip around to face him as he abruptly stops with his eyes wide, holding his hands up in surrender.
“You what?”
“She seemed really happy about it. Said something about fate and really encouraged me to push past your boundaries.” He shrugs. “Guess that means we’re officially partners until Samhain is over. Expect me to be with you every day for the next week, at least.”
I stare at him, willing him to vanish. He just grins back, and the toad blinks from Nyx’s back like it’s in on the joke.
Nyx smirks. “Told you he wasn’t going anywhere. Should have hexed him into a toad before this guy showed up.”
Toad croaks in agreement. Great.
“Perfect,” I mutter, unlocking my shop door. “My nightmare continues.”
Miles bows at the waist. “See you bright and early tomorrow, Trouble.”