Chapter 31 #2
“Wow! It’s a madhouse out there!” She’s carrying four coffees in a to-go carrier. She hands one to Ivy and another to me. Then she takes one and sets the other on the counter for Winter.
“Thanks!” I offer. “You know the way straight to my heart. I was just giving Ivy an apology for not being here last—”
“No need to explain. Josie gave me the entire story,” she says.
“Ugh. My cousin sometimes exaggerates things,” I explain. “How much do I owe you for the coffee?”
“Oh, my treat. If we’re half as busy as we were on Saturday, we’re going to need another one at noon.”
“I’ve got the next round then,” I say.
Winter comes up front, snatches the brew off the counter, and hands me the manifest. “I didn’t count them. Thought maybe you could do inventory when we open?”
“I’d love to hide in the back,” I say with a laugh.
The three of them move around Charmed Cauldron like they’ve worked here for years. Halloween decorations are placed strategically around the shop, and it makes me so damn happy.
At ten, Winter flips the sign, and the people rush in like a tide.
I grab the schedule book and move to the back.
I flip it open and realize my entire day is booked, starting at eleven and running through to five with twenty-minute breaks in between.
I wasn’t prepared for this. There’s not one cup or card reading.
Winter penciled them in, starting today through the end of the year.
My eleven o’clock cries for four minutes straight, laughs at herself, and leaves, standing a little taller. The twelve thirty wants her ex-husband to call her even though he’s off gallivanting with his mistress. My one fifteen wants her best friend to fall in love with her.
They each believe I’m the only one who can help them find love. Because I did.
I’ve avoided talking about Jamie at every reading, but every single time, strangers have brought him up to me. Not to pry, but to say that my relationship with him gave them hope. I don’t know how to feel about any of it.
By half past four, I’m exhausted with one client left.
Ivy leans through the beaded curtain as I shake out my hands and get my mind right. “Your five o’clock has arrived early.”
“Give me five minutes, then send them in,” I tell her as I pace the room.
I have to let go of the energy I’ve absorbed. The tourmaline is in my dress pocket, and I hold it. Knowing my time is running out, I sit at the table and light a candle, waiting for my next client.
The beaded curtain shifts behind me.
I keep my eyes on the flame. It’s only ten steps from the doorway to the chair, and I can tell plenty about a person from the speed they take them. These come even. Confident.
Hairs on the back of my neck stand on end, and I have to stop myself from rubbing them away.
My head rises as the guy enters.
Familiar green eyes stare into mine, and I straighten my back.
Teddy sits down in front of me and interlocks his fingers on the table.
Neither of us speaks for a long time. The candle flickers between us. His hair is shorter than he used to keep it, and he looks good, which is annoying. He watches me while I watch him. I used to fill every silence when we were together, but I let him sit this out.
“You booked under Theo, with no last name,” I say.
“Everyone calls me that, Blaire. Except you. Had I put my last name, you wouldn’t have seen me.”
“You’re right about that. I wouldn’t have.”
He looks around the room, then back at me. “So, this is yours now.”
“Yes.”
He nods at the picture of Flora that’s hanging on the wall in a nice silver frame. “I was sad to hear about her. I always liked her. She always told me the truth.”
There’s nothing to do but say thank you. So, I do.
After a few seconds, I speak up. “What do you want, Teddy?”
“A love spell.” His brow pops up.
“No,” I say. “That’s not happening. Your intentions aren’t pure.”
He runs his fingers through his hair. “The truth is, I needed to see you without that meathead around. What are you doing, Blaire? This isn’t you.”
I narrow my eyes at him. “How would you know? When we were together, you paid zero attention to me.”
“That’s what you think?” He almost looks hurt. “I loved you. I still love you. We had something real.”
I wait for the rest of it, but he doesn’t say anything else.
“You can’t storm back into my life when it’s convenient for you and expect me to drop everything. I’ve moved on. And so have you,” I say. “What’s her name?”
“She cheated on me,” he says. “There’s no one now. I thought the grass would be greener on the other side, but it’s not. Give me another chance.”
I shake my head. “I can’t do that.”
“You will.”
He stands, and so do I.
His arm wraps around me, and before I can stop him, his lips are brushing against mine.
I pull away. “Are you insane?”
“I’m still in love with you, Blaire. A fuck buddy won’t change that.”
When I look into his eyes, I see a flicker of something behind them that gives me the fucking creeps. “Get out.”
He lays two twenties on the table. “I’ll see you soon.”
“Stay away from me before I hex you.”
“I think you already have.”
The beaded curtain clicks, and the bell over the front door rings once.
I place my palm flat on the desk, nearly gasping for air. My stomach hurts, and I feel lightheaded.
The love spell I cast all those years ago has taken an evil turn, and I have to undo it.
Tonight.
Winter is at the register when I come through the curtain, and whatever is on my face stops her mid-count.
“Everything okay?”
“No.”
“Blaire.”
“I’ll tell you tomorrow after I take care of it,” I tell her. “I made a horrible mistake when I was twenty-one, and today, it came back to haunt me.”
She studies me for three seconds. “Why don’t you go now? We can close up. You look pale, like …”
“I’ve seen a ghost? I have.” I grab my coat and shrug it on.
There are at least twenty people in the shop, and I try to keep my chin up as I leave. But if I’m being truthful, I’m spooked, and I have no one to talk to about it.
When I leave, a few people follow behind me, and cameras snap, but I put my hand in front of my face.
I take the side street that connects to the one that runs behind the manor.
It’s not as traveled as Main Street. As soon as I pass a building, I see Jamie walking toward me. I instantly smile, and so does he.
“Hi, friend.”
“Hi, friend,” he says back to me. “Did you leave work early?”
“Yeah. I-I, uh … sorry.”
“Something happen?” he asks and turns, walking toward the manor with me.
I look around at people in the distance, wondering if any of them are taking pictures of us right now. He matches my fast pace.
“I need your help,” I mutter.
“Okay. Anything.”
“I have to break a spell. Tonight, while the moon is still in its waning phase. I can’t wait another day.” I make myself say the rest of it. “It’s the spell I told you about at the cabin. The one that found Teddy. It never let go of him.”
He stops walking. “He came to see you.”
“Yes.” The manor’s back porch light glows in the fading sun. Josie passes the kitchen window, and I swear she’s singing. “What I saw today isn’t heartbreak, Jamie. It’s my spell. It’s shifted into something else. Obsession.”
He slows down for a brief second. “What do you need?”
“Your blood,” I whisper.