Chapter 3
THREE
Dexter didn’t return the next day, or the one after that, and so on.
Soon, a full week had passed and all Yerina had seen of him was a brief glimpse while running errands around town with the children.
She didn’t have time to dwell on his absence, not with midsummer bearing down on her at a breakneck pace.
Though a week went by without them exchanging a word, he made his presence felt in other ways.
A red clay mug appeared outside the back door with ‘For Dex’s use’ scribbled onto a piece of paper stuffed inside.
Another crate of cups and mugs and a few sturdy teapots arrived a few days later to be added to the Leaf’s collection.
And without Yerina posting a single notice, people from shops a few streets over came by to check out the teashop.
All mentioned that they’d heard of the Mighty Leaf’s reopening from Dexter as he went about his work around town.
Yerina eagerly welcomed each guest, and by the end of the week, every one of the Leaf’s limited seats was filled within an hour of her turning the shop’s sign to ‘Open.’
A pair of grad students arrived, their third visit in as many mornings.
Yerina situated them at a table near the window before gathering their favored cups and a pot of roasted green tea.
As she walked away, she heard one of the students comment on how the teashop would be great for their summer study group—provided they’d all fit.
Yerina all but floated back to the counter, where Terryl perched on a stool.
“They want to have study sessions here,” Yerina said.
“Of course they do. Who wouldn’t?” Terryl said without looking up. She held an embroidery hoop in one hand, a needle with yellow thread trailing in the other. A swathe of tea-dyed fabric covered her lap, yellow and green floral designs swirling across like paint upon a canvas.
Terryl had found the bolt of fabric in the haberdasher’s discard pile due to an unfortunate ink stain marring the formerly cream-colored fabric.
Nothing a tea bath couldn’t fix, transforming a flaw into a beautiful shift of warm-toned browns.
Some imbued thread and a pattern for a sound absorbing rune, and the main room’s new quiet area partition was nearly ready.
“I need to have someone in to check the stove,” Yerina said. “It’s smoking more than heating.”
She consulted her floorplan, then looked out at the room, picturing the space with more seating options and the pathways she’d need for guests and future servers to move safely throughout the shop.
“I’ve got a lead on a big table if you still want one for the front.”
Yerina nodded to herself. “Maybe in front of the knee wall? We can move the round tables over so it’ll fit.”
“Need to do something about the pit,” Terryl added.
“I’m thinking of turning it into a waterfall. Somehow.”
Filling in some of the excavated section and installing a waterfall or large fountain, that could work.
Yerina tested a few routes around the pond hole, taking notes on how traffic could flow.
Between the front counter and the knee wall on the courtyard side of the room, once the pond area was fixed, the main seating area naturally formed quadrants.
With Terryl’s curtains and another display case next to the counter, perhaps she could install a small footbridge over the wider part of the pool, and the room’s sections would be even more intuitive.
Real pond fish were probably out of the question, but some nice glass or clay art would complete the calm beauty of the Leaf.
Yerina could already imagine guests sitting at tables situated around the pond, sipping their tea as they contemplated their day, or sharing a plate of baked goods with friends.
Summoning the children from where they played in the back room, Yerina wrote out a quick request for the bakery. “Eunny, Ana, could you take this across the street for me please? And come right back,” she added, more for Eunny’s benefit than Anadae.
“Can we have cookies?” Eunny asked.
“May we?” Anadae added, along with two more hopeful, crafty little faces Yerina had never seen before.
“Later. We’ll go out once I get food settled here,” Yerina said. “We can go by the inn and see if your mama wants to join us.”
Eunny laughed. “Mama said she’s never coming back.”
“Oh, she doesn’t mean that.” Yerina shooed them out. “No snacking. Come right back, okay?”
Terryl glanced up from her sewing as Yerina rejoined her. “When was the last time you saw your sister?”
“She’s been busy. She has Coalition work to do while we’re here.”
Which was true. She’d seen Bioon briefly in town.
Once. Admittedly, it had been by the docks, and her sister had been bound for Renstown in company with the Thomases.
Yerina and the children had moved out of Sylvan’s inn and into the loft over the Mighty Leaf, finding the accommodations cozy if not overly furnished.
For Yerina, it simply meant there were fewer things to worry about with a pair of five-year-olds, even ones of a respectful persuasion.
With the teashop just down the stairs, continuing the renovation plans and opening the shop early in the morning was even more convenient than making the short trek from the inn.
“Oh, honey.” Terryl said.
They looked at each other. The desperate hope Yerina felt must’ve shown on her face, for Terryl pursed her lips, then shook her head once.
Expression clearing, she leaned toward Yerina, a conspiratorial twinkle in her eye.
“I heard that Dexter’s been spreading the word about this place.
Dexter Burl. The man who never volunteers a word, telling everyone about your teashop. ”
Yerina ducked her head to hide her grin. “He’s been very generous. He’s like that, you know.”
Terryl’s shoulders jerked with her laugh. “Yes, that’s him all right. Spreading kindness for everyone.” Terryl’s mirth subsided, and she reached over to touch Yerina’s arm. “Have you talked about… Since you’re back now, maybe you could…?”
Yerina avoided her friend’s eye, instead leaning over so she could track Eunny and Anadae’s progress through the front windows. “No, there hasn’t been time. I’m so busy with the shop and everything, I haven’t had, um, and he wasn’t—”
“But do you want to?”
“I…”
The children nearly made it back, but then were sidetracked by the rain bells that hung from a chain by the teashop’s front door.
Eunny poked one, then goaded Anadae to do the same.
To do more, and the budding little water mage coaxed a few sparks of golden light to float from her fingers to the metal bells.
A melodic ring sang out as the sparks dripped down the lines of bells, fading once they reached the ground.
Which prompted Eunny to cheer for more, the girl’s squeals of laughter reaching the pitch reserved for small children.
Light flashed from Anadae’s fingers, causing the water to freeze.
Eunny batted at one, causing a frozen, bell-shaped ball of ice to fly out.
It zipped through the air to smack into the chest of a man approaching the inn.
Dexter.
The ball burst apart into a handful of fluffy ice shavings. They flickered with a hint of golden light before reverting to water, leaving a damp spot on Dexter’s shirt.
“Oh, Goddess break me,” Yerina mumbled, hand flying to her mouth in horror.
“Yeri, do you want a distraction or a moment?” Terryl spoke quickly, her tone hushed.
“I-I,” Yerina stammered, looking from her friend, to Dexter and the wide-eyed children, and back to Terryl. “A moment, I think?”
Terryl winked at her before thrusting aside her sewing and rushing to the door, calling out, “Come along, my lambs! Apologize to the nice man and go get washed up for lunch.”
“I’m sorry,” the children chorused, before running ahead of Dexter into the shop.
Terryl urged them into the backroom, leaving Yerina and Dexter alone at the front counter.
“I’m so sorry,” Yerina said, unsure of what to do with her hands. She grabbed a tea towel and offered it to him.
Dexter declined with a shrug. “Just a little water.” He looked around at the open portion of the tearoom and its lack of vacant seats. “Business looks good.”
“It is.” Yerina beamed. “Thank you for letting people know. And for the mugs and the teapots and, oh, just everything. Thank you. Here, let me find you a…”
Yerina surveyed the remaining space around the counter, biting her lip as she realized her dilemma.
“Space is a bit tight right now. I swear, once we figure out repairs for Haze’s pond project, things will be better.”
As she spoke, the baker’s apprentice came in through the back, carrying a tray of divine-smelling pastries, with the children following close behind. Yerina let the kids share a bun as she worked out a hasty agreement for the apprentice to take back to their master.
Through it all, Dexter lingered. A mischievous smile hovered upon Terryl’s lips as she took up the apprentice’s tray.
“I’ve got them,” she murmured to Yerina, before beckoning for them to help her hawk the baked goods to the Leaf’s patrons. “Eunny, don’t poke someone else’s food!”
The speed of the admonishment made Yerina laugh as she turned back to Dexter. Alone, relatively, once more, Yerina offered him a smile. “I’m sorry. It’s chaos here.”
“At least it’s the happy kind.” He rubbed his chin, a thoughtful look on his face. “I might be able to help with the pond. You want it filled?”
“Not completely. I’d love for a water feature that complements the space.” Yerina showed him her floorplan, pointing at the spaces that were only squiggly lines on the page.
Dexter listened attentively, brow furrowing with concentration. When she finished, he said, “I’ll see what I can do.”
“That would be wonderful. I can pay—”
Dexter shook his head. “Materials, maybe. The rest is—”
“But it’s going to be so much work! And the mugs, what do I owe—”