Chapter 3 #2
“He and my mom weren’t mates, but they had me, and they’ve gotten along pretty well over the years.
They’re really different people, too. It’d be hilarious if fate had decided they should be together.
” She laughed and shook her head. “A mate is a lovely idea, but it’s not like the guy you’re meant to be with is just going to come waltzing in the door. ”
At that precise moment, the door to the café opened. Nia’s spine stiffened, and she knew who it was without even looking.
Brianna grinned over her shoulder. “What are you doing here, Dad?”
“It’s tradition for the police chief to stop by and welcome a new business into town,” Cole replied.
“More like tradition for a dad to come by and check up on his daughter,” Brianna teased.
“Can you blame me?”
Nia stared at her plate for a moment, trying to get herself under control. She didn’t want to turn around or say anything to him at all, but it would be too obvious if she didn’t. The stool squeaked as she spun around, and then she leaned her elbow hard on the counter to keep from falling.
She hadn’t seen him in his uniform yet. The deep blue shirt stretched nicely over the muscles of his shoulders and arms. A badge winked in the lights, and she spotted a row of medals just over the embroidered patch with his name on it.
She forced her eyes away from getting a good look at how well his pants fit.
A man in uniform was enough of a turn-on, but it was really working for Cole.
“Hello, Nia.” His words were polite, but his dark eyes burned.
“Hey.” She hopped off the stool and went around the counter into the kitchen.
Nia wanted to act normally, but her body wouldn’t allow it.
She was thinking too hard about the way she walked, the way she held her shoulders, even the pace of her breath.
Her lynx scrabbled around inside of her, urging her to quit being such a human and let it make the decisions for once.
“Come check it out,” Brianna invited, grabbing her dad by the arm and pulling him into the kitchen. “We’ve been working really hard today, and we’ve already made so much progress that we decided to start testing recipes.”
“I can tell. It smells delicious.” He frowned as he stepped into the kitchen. “I’m concerned about using these old appliances, though. If one of them fails, it could really set you back.”
“That’s why we’re testing them out now.” Brianna peeked into one of the ovens, where a batch of huckleberry streusel muffins was baking. “They’re fine so far.”
“Mm. And what about the security around here?” Cole asked, fiddling with the lock on the back door that led to the alley and the dumpster.
“Dad…”
“Do you have any lights back there?” he pressed. “You should have a camera, too, since you’ll probably be taking garbage out late at night.”
“More like early in the morning,” Brianna corrected him. “Our hours won’t be that late, since coffee is one of our main staples.”
Nia noted that he still didn’t look satisfied with this.
“People with bad intentions come out at all hours,” Cole noted.
This elicited a long and irritated sigh from Brianna. “I know you’re worried, and you’re only saying these things because you care, but holy shit, could you find something nice to say?”
“I’m sorry. The place has a lot going for it.” He looked around. “It’s clean.”
“It is now,” Brianna noted.
“And you’ve already got some dishes,” he pointed to the stack of colorful plates on an open shelf.
Just then, the bracket under it gave way. Nia’s hand flung up into the air the moment she heard the noise. A sphere of white magic shot out from her fingertip and hit the wall, floating like a bubble and supporting the shelf, even though the dishes on it still trembled.
Cole blinked and adjusted the brim of his hat. He studied the sphere and then looked at Nia. “Brianna told me you were a witch, but I didn’t know magic looked like that.”
“It doesn’t for everyone.” She had to concentrate on the little ball of energy. “It’s a long story, but I was gifted with a special power. They used to come out rapid fire, like a machine gun. I’ve been working hard to get better control over it.”
“I’d say you’ve got it.” Cole examined the bracket. “Looks like it’s a loose screw. Got any tools around here?”
Brianna rummaged through a few supplies. “How’s this?”
“It’ll do.” Cole reached up and took the plates off the shelf so Nia could let go of her magic.
He frowned as he fiddled with the screw, cursing and mumbling under his breath.
“It’s not anchored into the wall correctly.
I can put it back for now, but I need to come back with some real tools if you want to be able to actually use it. ”
He tightened the screw, still scowling at it as though it’d deeply offended him. “Don’t put those plates back on there. Unless you think they’re ugly and you want them to break.”
One corner of Nia’s mouth quirked up. Was that actually a joke?
“Thanks, Dad.” Brianna was back at her mixer, a binder of recipes next to her. “I think one of the blinds out front could use some tightening, too. It felt like it was going to fall down when I opened it. Could you check it out? Nia can show you which one.”
Cole’s eyes met Nia’s as he answered. “Sure.”
The two of them stepped out into the dining area. The kitchen was only one swinging door away, and Brianna was right behind it. Nia felt Cole’s eyes on her as she led him to one of the windows. “I think it was this one.”
He tugged on the string, his eyes narrowing as the bracket sagged a little.
“Yeah, it’s at least this one. I should check the others.
You don’t want your customers suing you if this falls on their heads, but I’m not sure saving them with magic would draw the kind of attention you’re looking for, either. ”
“Maybe they’d like getting a floor show with their pastries and coffee,” she joked. Nia stepped back a little so he could fix the blinds, her eyes scanning the walls for anything else that might need to be worked on. “Oh, these ones need tightening, too.”
He glanced at her as he worked on the first set. “None of the other new businesses in town ask me to fix their places up when I stop in.”
“I’m pretty sure you offered,” she pointed out. “You can send us a bill.”
“Depending on how well the rest of this place has been kept up, it might turn into a monthly fee.” He rapped a knuckle on the offending blinds before moving to the next set.
“Then I’ve got just the thing to cover it.” Nia went back into the kitchen. She grabbed a mug, this one with ‘I Never Make Mistakes’ written on the side in large red letters. Serving up another slice of banana bread, she stepped out to the counter and set down the mug and plate. “How’s this?”
Cole was just finishing with the second set of blinds. He turned and came to the counter, eyeing the snack warily as he swung his leg over the stool and sat. “This feels a bit like bribing a cop with a donut.”
“Nah, we’re just using you as a taste tester,” she shot back. “We need to make sure we don’t poison anyone when the place is officially open.”
He let out a short laugh and tried the coffee. “Okay, that’s actually pretty good.”
“Any reason you thought it wouldn’t be?” she challenged.
“No.” He took another sip. “Does it involve any of your magic?”
Nia grabbed a rag and a bottle of spray cleaner.
She needed something to do with her hands.
When he sat right across the counter from her like that, it was far too easy to look him straight in the eyes.
She felt like she might trip and fall into his soul if she looked for too long.
“No magic required. Just decent beans and a good machine. Do my abilities bother you?”
“There just aren’t many things that can surprise me these days, that’s all. A few, but not many.” He used the side of his fork to cut into the banana bread.
Nia attacked the counter, working just far enough away from him that it wouldn’t disturb him while he ate.
“I don’t usually just let it out like that.
I guess I just figured…” She trailed off, trying not to say that she was comfortable around him.
That was ridiculous. How could she be comfortable when she couldn’t even be herself?
It was instinctive, but that was still hitting too close to exactly what she couldn’t say.
“Shit!” Brianna screamed, followed by the clatter of a pan.
Nia jumped and dropped her rag. “Are you all right?” she shouted.
Brianna stormed out of the kitchen, her face red. “I burned the damn muffins!”
“I’m sorry,” Cole said softly.
Nia noted that he didn’t just tell her she could make another batch and not worry about it. He sat there with his coffee and let her have her feelings. Cole gave off the air of a stodgy man who had no time for emotions, but he looked at his daughter with pure sympathy.
Not that Nia needed any more reasons to think of him as a good man.
“Ugh, this sucks.” Brianna thumped her elbows down on the counter.
“I know it’s just one batch of muffins. I need to get used to this particular oven, and the banana bread was more forgiving.
It needs to be a little overdone to be good.
But I’m just so nervous that this is all going to be a failure, and those damn muffins are taunting me. ”
“Brianna.” Calmly, Cole took another sip of his coffee. “You wouldn’t even be attempting to open this place if you didn’t think you could make it happen. Deep down, it’s what you’re passionate about. I’ve never seen you fail at anything you’re passionate about.”
She sniffled, swiping at the tears that made tracks in her makeup. “What about ballet? I’m not exactly starring in this year’s production of Swan Lake.”
“You decided you liked riding horses more. That’s not failing. That’s changing and growing,” Cole replied.
“Maybe.” Brianna took a deep, hiccupping breath and sighed. “I just really want this to work.”
“Well, we can always see what the cards have to say.” Nia reached for her back pocket.
“You’ve got them with you?” Brianna asked, surprised.
“Always.” Nia shuffled them, the cards moving with quick familiarity in her fingers. She glanced up at Cole. “I guess you’ll get to see both of my abilities in the span of one afternoon.”
He said nothing but watched as Nia laid out three tarot cards.
“The known,” she said as she turned over the first card.
“Why have a card for what you already know?” Cole asked.
Nia smiled as she tapped The Magician. “Because sometimes, we need to be reminded. The Magician has all the elements of the tarot laid out on the table in front of him: a wand, a sword, a cup, and a pentacle. It means we’ve already got everything we need to make this happen.
We just have to add a little magic—or hard work—and turn all of that into a great business. ”
Brianna inhaled deeply through her nose and nodded. “Okay. That’s a good start.”
“Now the unknown.” Nia flipped the next card. “The Two of Cups is about partnership and alliances.”
“But we already know we make a great team,” Brianna pointed out. “How can that be for the unknown?”
Nia was used to getting questions during her readings.
Everyone looked at the cards a little differently, and they didn’t all have a trained eye.
Her intuition had developed and deepened as she’d been studying, and there were few questions she couldn’t answer.
She allowed herself to sit with the card and its position for a moment.
“We are a great team, but this could mean there’s someone else coming into the picture. ”
“Like who?”
“I really don’t know,” Nia admitted. She wondered if she’d been specific enough in her request. The cards had a way of telling her things, even when she didn’t ask. “There’s a possibility it might not relate entirely to the shop. I’ll have to do another drawing later. Let’s check the last one.”
Nia flipped the remaining card, revealing a man seated at a table full of cups. “This is the outcome, or our future. It’s the Nine of Cups, which is sometimes referred to as the wish card. It suggests getting all the things you’ve wished for and worked for. In other words, it’s about success.”
“So, we’re going to be all right?” Brianna asked. “Even if I burn some muffins?”
“Yes,” Nia told her confidently. “Everything is going to be just fine.”
Or at least the bakery was. The future for herself and Cole was far less certain.