Chapter Fourteen
T he spicy, full-bodied, yet surprisingly sweet aroma of chai and pumpkin spice wafted across my nostrils as I removed the tea kettle from the hot plate.
As I did, the flames beneath the kettle began to take shape, and Mavro made a gentle, throaty squeaking sound.
“What?” I narrowed my eyes at the little weasel as I fetched two teacups from the cupboard. They were the ones with little forest creatures painted on their sides – Rowena’s favorites. I noticed she used them almost every day for her morning tea.
Mavro squeaked again, and I sighed.
“I’m not giving you more charcoal.”
The fire elemental didn’t have eyes, but I swore I saw his brows narrow. Rowena was in the back kitchen, returning some frozen goods to Mount Katahdin, which meant I was alone in the front of the café with the impudent little weasel.
And he’d become accustomed to me being the “fun parent”. In other words, giving him extra treats when Rowena wasn’t around.
Mavro huffed, and a tiny whiff of smoke trailed out of his nostrils. Aria was perched on my shoulder, watching the whole ordeal, and she used her elemental powers to blow the smoke away with a look of utter disgust.
“Sorry about that,” Rowena announced as she burst through the kitchen doors. Mavro immediately backed down, lowering himself onto all four paws and trying to look as innocent as possible.
“Fritzi was very… well… frisky today,” Rowena scoffed as she leaned on the front counter, running a hand through her short black hair. “She wanted more treats after putting the ice cream back.”
I gulped. From the corner of my eye, I saw Mavro shoot me a smug grin.
“Also… can elementals get fat?” Rowena asked no one in particular. “I swear Fritzi’s put on a few pounds. Maybe she…”
“I made you tea!” I declared, setting the forest critter teacup in front of Rowena. Before she could open her mouth and reply, I added, “And it’s got maple syrup. Just the way you like it.”
Rowena chuckled, lifting the teacup from its tiny plate and inhaling the steam that wafted off the hot liquid. “Thank you. You’re the best.”
She turned to me and smiled, placing a hand on the curve of my shoulder and rubbing gently. She insisted we sit down by the fireplace, since it was mid-afternoon and business was slow. I relished the way she pressed her fingers against my upper back as she did so.
It had been a few days since the pumpkin carving contest when we took our chloromancer-grown pumpkins back to the café and had our own festivities.
Our sloppy but menacing jack-o’-lanterns were perched out on the front porch, and Rowena placed tiny tea candles within the hollowed gourds for us to light them at night.
It always made me smile to walk past our creations, side-by-side, illuminating the front porch of the café.
Since that night, Rowena had been more affectionate than ever.
Whenever we were close – which happened often when we were running the front counter during the morning rush – she’d always offer subtle touches.
A hand on my arm, or my shoulder, or my upper back.
I swore that whenever we were prepping orders, she’d brush against me on purpose.
I easily fell into the flirtation, welcoming her little touches and gestures, drinking them up like the sweet honey wine we werewolves made back home.
But as I sat next to Rowena in our high-backed chairs, teacup steaming in my cold hands, my full, happy heart sank.
Because it never went past those little moments.
There was no conversation, no confession of feelings.
No hug, or kiss, or anything past the subtle hints of affection.
I knew why. We both had secrets to hide, and we feared that revealing them would shatter the beautiful, sweet facade we’d built for ourselves.
Plus, I was supposed to be leaving soon. It was less than a week until Halloween – and the full moon – and I’d promised myself I wouldn’t stay much longer. It was already a risk to remain in the town during a full moon frenzy, but I was desperate for more time with Rowena.
I just didn’t know if I could risk a second full moon. Or a third. Every passing month would bring an even greater risk of being caught.
“You’re quite enjoying the pumpkin spice tea,” Rowena commented as I took a long sip.
I nodded as I settled the teacup back in my lap. “I guess I do like tea after all. Just not Earl Grey.”
A sly grin crept across Rowena’s lips. “I question that.”
“What do you mean?”
“Whether or not you really like tea,” Rowena pointed to my teacup. “The liquid is practically white. You dumped a ton of cream and sugar into it to mask the taste, didn’t you?”
I frowned, shielding the top of the teacup with my palms. “I… I did not!”
“Then let me taste it.”
I had no choice but to relent, and as soon as my teacup reached Rowena’s lips, she coughed and made a face, like someone who just sucked on a lemon.
“That is ridiculously sweet,” she chided, setting the teacup down on the end table with disdain.
“I like it.”
“Don’t tell me that’s how you make your coffee.”
“Maybe you’ll have to try it sometime and find out.”
Rowena rolled her eyes, offering me a playful grin as she stood up and gathered both of our teacups.
“I can make some coffee right now,” I continued to tease as she rinsed our teacups in the sink. “I can even do a light roast so it’s not so bitter.”
“Are you going to dump a bunch of sugar and cream in it?” Rowena asked, a dark eyebrow arched.
“Of course. That’s how you drink coffee.”
Rowena let out a low scoff of disgust as she whirled around the counter, pressing a hand against the kitchen door. “You’re just solidifying my argument that tea is better. Anyway, I have some matters to attend to in the garden. Are you okay watching the shop for, say, ten minutes?”
I nodded, scrunching my nose up at Rowena. I knew her tomato plants had been having issues, but I also knew it was an easy cop-out for our little quarrel.
“Excellent.” Rowena tossed open the kitchen door. “Come fetch me if anyone orders tea.”
“What if they want coffee instead?”
Rowena didn’t even reply to that one. She simply rolled her eyes, shook her head, and disappeared through the kitchen door. Its soft slam woke Mavro, who had been asleep on top of the hot plate.
He gave me a dirty look, and I pointed to the door. “Hey, wasn’t me. Besides, I need your help, buddy.”
Mavro cocked his little fiery head.
Two cups of coffee in a day, on top of all the pumpkin spice tea I’d drank earlier, was really pushing my caffeine limit. But werewolves had a fast metabolism, so I gleefully filled the percolator as the rich, nutty scent of coffee grounds permeated the air.
But that didn’t stop Mavro from giving me a dirty look as I placed the percolator on the hot plate.
“What?” I scoffed at the little weasel. “Are you going to blackmail me for charcoal again?”
Mavro nodded eagerly, and I couldn’t help but giggle at his brashness.
“Fine, you little rugrat.” I grabbed a piece of the chalky black substance and tossed it at the hot plate. Mavro caught it with a single paw, clutching it like a tiny dragon with a gold coin.
“You get your second one after you boil the coffee. And don’t burn it, please.”
There was still no one in the café. We hadn’t had a single customer in almost thirty minutes, which was common near the end of the day.
It was just past two o’clock, so I didn’t have much time until I needed to start cleaning up.
Aria was still a wonderful help getting all the dust out of the café, but I’d already gone through an entire bag of peanuts this week alone.
According to Rowena, elementals didn’t actually need to eat. But they still enjoyed food, as it enhanced their powers and gave them more energy.
And by the gods, they ate a lot . I made a mental note to pick up another bag of peanuts from the general store next time I had a day off.
Once my coffee was finished, I settled into my usual chair with a steaming mug full of the light brown liquid, savoring my first piping hot sip. The cream and sugar balanced the bitterness of the coffee well, and I couldn’t help but sigh with contentment as I lowered the mug into my lap.
Then I heard a bell ring.
Specifically, the bell at the top of the doorframe.
I bolted out of my seat, nearly spilling my coffee in the process. I clumsily placed the mug on the end table, smoothing the skirt of my dress and scurrying behind the counter to greet the new customer.
It was Juniper. She looked beautiful today, in a long-sleeve, coral-colored dress with a plunging V-shaped neckline.
A flat, oval tiger’s eye on a thin chain sat at the top of her cleavage, and a colorful woven belt was wrapped loosely around her waist. As usual, a pointed hat was perched on her head, but this one was a light grey color.
Juniper smiled as soon as she saw me. I noticed she looked far more relaxed than usual. Almost relieved.
Then I realized it was because Rowena wasn’t there.
“Hi, Juniper!” I greeted, my voice nearly cracking from anxiety. I inhaled, forcing air deep into my lungs so that my heart would stop hammering. “How can I help you today?”
Juniper suddenly looked uncomfortable again. Her eyes darted from the loose-leaf tea jars, over to the pastry case, then back to me. I could tell she wanted tea. But I’d have to call Rowena back into the café to do so.
“Um, just…” She examined the pastry case. Since it was mid-afternoon, the case was almost empty. All that remained were a few cookies and some flaky, rectangular-shaped pastries that oozed a rich, gooey filling.
“What are those?” Juniper pointed to the flaky rectangular pies.
“Oh!” I exclaimed, excited to show off my newest creations. “Those are apple pie turnovers. Basically, a little handheld slice of apple pie. I modified my grandmother’s recipe for blueberry turnovers, and everyone has been really enjoying them.”