8
Bevin
Clare came up thirty minutes later with two huge bowls of her creation. She’d used large ramen bowls, and I gave her a look until I saw how excited she was. One bite and I was glad she had.
“This is fucking unreal, Clare,” I groaned and quickly got us drinks from my kitchenette.
“Right? I’m digging these Goodles,” she muttered, thanking me for the pop.
I nodded as she rambled about slow cooking the ground meat instead of meatballs and adding extra mushrooms. How she’d used blended tofu for more protein and to thicken the sauce instead of fattening heavy cream.
Yes, there was cream cheese and the cheese sauce with the Goodles packages, but it was still way healthier.
Especially when she’d basically put pounds of mushrooms in there.
No one in this house would complain. Clare, Tracey, Jasmine, and I all loved mushrooms.
“You okay?” she asked quietly.
“No, but not really for me,” I admitted. “It’s complicated and I can’t tell you and it makes it so much harder on me that I can’t tell people.”
She nodded. “But then you also get it because it’s not just about you, but other witches and warlocks like you. Tracey’s really struggling with that. I am a bit, but Jasmine and I are…”
“You’re not selfish, Clare,” I said gently, giving a half shrug when she froze in her next bite.
“Your familiar snitched. She doesn’t think you’re selfish either.
You aren’t ready for that kind of burden and you have enough on your plate.
” I gave her a serious look. “Your familiar agrees and wants you to prioritize yourself more to heal.”
She nodded that she heard me, thanking me and reminding me that she was here if I did need her.
“This is what I need,” I admitted, gesturing to the meal and us just being there. “Everyone pushes. It’s honestly nice you don’t want to know. Sounds weird, but it’s nice.”
“Glad to be putting myself first?” she asked, but sort of not really.
We chuckled and agreed that the meal needed to be a standard in the rotation it was so good.
I worked on toys for a bit after she left but then remembered the apples, thinking one actually sounded really good. I finished what I was doing and set it to the side before brushing off my pants and heading to where I left them. I studied the one and debated washing it.
Would it offend the gods if I washed their magical apple like I would normal produce?
Probably.
Yeah, it seemed safer to not be petty that it got a bit dusty on Hecate’s tree from the spirit realm or the doorway back. And yes, that sounded insane to think which was why I wouldn’t ever say it out loud.
I stared at it for longer than I should like I was trying to gather courage, but then just took a bite. I frowned when nothing happened and simply chewed, then swallowed. It was definitely the best apple I’d ever had. Sweet but not too sweet. Crisp but not too much where it hurt to bite into.
Like perfect.
“Maybe that’s really it,” I muttered as I turned it in my hand. “Just your perfect healthy snack when you just need one thing to be reliable?”
It sounded pretty lame when it came from the gods, but hadn’t I just been saying I wanted more normal? More consideration and less problems?
A perfect apple that was exactly suited to my taste was actually really calm and nice.
I shrugged it off and sat at my desk to go back to reviewing what I needed to.
I didn’t want to eat something like an apple while working with familiar toys.
Not the ones I’d been doing at least. I needed both hands for those even.
I smiled as I saw the final layout for the new store in the second main magical mall. We’d changed our lease with bringing the blankets, brushes, and large familiar housing on the market. The large familiar housing not yet, but we were taking preorders and were hiring for people to be installers.
There was no reason not to. Things were going well at Morrigan and no one could deny it anymore. Yes, there had been a mess with Demeter, but that was… I actually didn’t know where we were with that.
“Always something,” I grumbled.
But the store was going to be cool. And the fleece-cutting station for our employees was awesome compared to the setup at Michael’s. It was basically unfold, measure, and run it through the automatic scissors so no one’s hands ever cramped.
See how easy that could be?
We weren’t being weird about people buying the fleece from us.
We were being up-front that it was the braided skeins of yarn that had the magic and that was the reason it was expensive.
The fleece we were selling for normal prices and markup.
It was for convenience, but if customers had some or wanted a different print we didn’t carry, that was completely fine.
We were going to have someone there just to show people how to make them, but their purchase also came with a QR code to videos on how to do it later.
The goal was for people to do it with their familiars and show that they cared.
That had shown much better results and even the council members were saying so on social media.
Even the ones who hated me after what happened with Hanson’s son and they realized they couldn’t control me. This was something that could help witches and warlocks and they still wanted that. Several had used their own social media without prompting to show their own blankets and familiars.
I wouldn’t forgive them if that was part of the goal, but it was good free promo. They should do it anyways since we hadn’t charged them and for everything they’d gotten from me—done to me.
The brush station was amazing and would have people there to go over the options and to collect the hair samples right there.
We’d gone back and forth on that. People would push back that it was overkill and yeah, it was, but it was the only way to make sure people weren’t buying brushes for those blacklisted.
And we weren’t hiding that was the reason. They didn’t like it?
Fuck off. Others would follow the rules and get their brushes. But it was also a bonding experience between family. A chance for parents to support their children becoming closer with their magic and familiars as they came in and had that experience.
All of that mattered to our magic.
I agreed with all of it except I wanted to change out the fleece.
I knew it might be more overhead, but I wrote a note that Tracey was talking about a warehouse on the new land and that could be the answer.
Also, something for content on our social media and chances to show different combinations for the blankets.
We were going to donate a bunch of them anyways.
I was done with the apple by then and stood to throw it out but then froze as I stretched.
I frowned and then slowly moved the other way like when I normally got up and stretched out my back.
I stepped away from the desk so I didn’t bang my head and reached down so the backs of my hands touched the floor.
And it was all easy. Easier than normal. Easier than it should be after the day I’d had. A really long run. Nina getting physical with me. Sitting for hours working.
The stress I was under.
I also felt completely rested as if I’d just woken up, but also in a way I wasn’t sure I’d ever felt before because of my traumas. Never feeling safe in the Shaw house.
The stress I was under.
That was a reoccurring theme for sure.
There was only one reason and I was very sure the core was still in my hand. I didn’t throw it out but set it on the kitchenette counter, wondering how to handle this.
“Derek, this is being pushy again,” Quinn worried from outside my suite. “I don’t want Bevin to hate me. We’re friends again.”
“I won’t be mad, Quinn,” I said as I headed for the door. “I’m sure he texted and I wasn’t paying attention because I was working.”
“I did, actually,” Wyatt said from the door. “And I brought dessert.” Worry was in his eyes when I opened the door. “I talked to Tracey. How are you?”
I gave a half shrug and gestured for him to come in, smiling as Quinn jumped to my shoulder. “You brought me fluffy comfort too, huh?”
“Seemed like you needed it after what you said,” he muttered and came inside. He opened his mouth but then frowned and glanced around. “Is Winter here?”
“No, why?” I hedged.
He seemed to shake off what he was thinking and walked towards the kitchenette. “I don’t actually know how to answer that without possibly sounding offensive.”
“Free pass since I messed up earlier?” I offered with a snicker.
He chuckled and set down the nice takeout bag that probably came from a fancy place from the writing on it.
“I thought maybe you had a spa night with Winter. You looked exhausted earlier and now you’re glowing.
” He cleared his throat, probably hearing how that sounded.
“I assumed face mask or something like that.”
I was already heading to the bathroom to see what he was talking about and about fell over when I looked in the mirror. I didn’t simply feel refreshed, I looked it.
No, I looked like I’d had a full day of spa services and whatever people did to have that trending Korean glass skin look or whatever.
My skin was healthy and I took care of it—had the money where I could, but this was unreal.
It was flawless, and even a few freckles were gone as if sunspots weren’t allowed to mark my perfect skin.
I came back out to tell him what happened and almost tripped over my feet when he was holding one of the apples.
“I forgot to ask you about these,” he said, twirling it in his hand. He did a double take when he saw me. “Seriously, what did you use? You’re always gorgeous, but you look like you had a weekend spa trip or something. I need to get whatever you’re using. I’m so run down.”
I burst out laughing. I couldn’t help it. He and Quinn both looked at me like I’d lost it and were glancing at each other, but finally I just walked over to him and brought the apple closer to his mouth.