Chapter 16
Hand of Fate
SOPHIE
I’m having my third cup of coffee… or maybe it’s my fourth…
at my kitchen table, surrounded by cookbooks and notes and a half-eaten bowl of oatmeal.
I should be eager for my hair appointment in an hour and thrilled about my date later with Rafe, but I have this unsettled feeling in the pit of my stomach I can’t shake.
But the best part was finding out the name of that infamous faerie—Auntie Dragonfly!
Apparently my great aunt had used magic to disintegrate her ex-boyfriend’s boat…
when he was sailing on the lake! He wasn’t hurt; he was a merman, so really, it was more of a prank, a pretty spectacular one if you ask me.
I’ve always known Auntie Dragonfly was feisty, but this little fact gives me renewed respect for my deceased faerie auntie.
All of which is making me wonder whether I should trust her judgement a bit more when it comes to Teddy. I haven’t exactly welcomed him with open arms… not that I intend to hug him or anything… but maybe I could be more understanding of his situation.
The doorbell rings, and Zosia dashes out of the kitchen with a loud, “Pah!” I guess Zosia is expanding her vocabulary from wumps and meeps. Shrugging, I pull open the door, surprised to find Jake and Teddy on my doorstep. “Hey guys… come on in. Can I get you some coffee?”
Jake shakes his head. “No thanks. We’re here to pick up Teddy’s things.”
“Oh, I see.” I glance over at Teddy, not sure what’s going on. Yes, we had an awkward moment in the kitchen yesterday when I was patching him up… and also in the bakery when he held me in his arms… but that doesn’t explain why he’s moving out.
I clear my throat, hoping Teddy will look at me, but he’s bending down to pet Zosia. My baby fox has wrapped all nine of her tails around Teddy’s ankles, and rather than trying to escape, he’s smiling down at her. “Has something happened that I should know about?” I ask.
Without glancing up, Teddy murmurs, “Nothing’s happened.”
Jake claps a hand on his shoulder. “Why don’t you go pack? I’ll wait here.” Teddy nods and heads into his room, Zosia hot on his heels.
Once the bedroom door closes, I turn to Jake and hiss, “What’s going on? A few days ago I needed to rearrange my home to accommodate a werewolf named Leslie, who had nowhere else to live, and now you’re helping him move out. This makes no sense; you’re not even Teddy’s alpha.”
Jake rubs the back of his neck. “Teddy and I had a long chat about a lot of things, and under the circumstances, it’s prudent for him to relocate.”
“What circumstances?”
“This is werewolf business, Sophie; I can’t disclose it.”
Stars above! I hate it when werewolves get all mysterious.
Sometimes I wish I could be a werewolf for a day, just so I could know what happens at a pack meet.
I’ll bet it’s actually pretty boring; the werewolves probably do a lot of chest bumping, howling, and chomping on beef jerky.
Besides, I love being a faerie… well, I did before my grandmother stripped away my magic.
I’m feeling guilty about Teddy’s sudden departure, like maybe I’m to blame. “Did I do something wrong?”
“Of course not,” says Teddy quietly, coming up behind me.
When I spin around he finally meets my gaze, and I take a step back.
The gold flecks in Teddy’s irises flare and then wink out, and now I’m staring at the saddest puppy-dog eyes imaginable.
My insides twist; if I saw those eyes on a dog in the street I’d have to take him home with me.
Jake goes into the bedroom and returns with an armful of boxes that Teddy hasn’t gotten around to unpacking.
Nodding at the suitcase and backpack he’s holding, Teddy gives me a tentative smile.
“I think that’s everything… Oh, I almost forgot.
” He puts down his stuff, withdraws his key ring, and hands me the house key.
When his fingers brush mine, he pulls his hand back so quickly you’d think I just burned him.
I narrow my eyes at Teddy, but he grabs his belongings and hurries out the door. “See you tomorrow, Sophie—” he calls over his shoulder “—and… um… I hope you have a nice day off.”
“Geesh,” I mutter when he’s out of earshot. “I don’t get him at all.”
Jake pauses at the door with the boxes. “I like him; if things go well at our meeting tonight, I suspect he’ll be joining my pack.”
“That’s… surprising. I thought you didn’t trust lone wolves who eschew pack life.”
“As a rule, I don’t. But sometimes we all need a second chance.”
After I close the door, Zosia whimpers and flails all nine tails in the air. Then she trots into the spare room that’s no longer Teddy’s and starts whining, “Pah! Pah! Pah!”
She can’t possibly be missing Teddy already… Can she?
It’s time to shake off my melancholy mood, which has nothing to do with Teddy’s departure and everything to do with my clipped wings.
I need to get in the proper frame of mind for my date with Rafe, and I know just the gal to help me: Spectra Twinkler, a middle-aged, platinum-blonde faerie who can turn even my wild waves into something stylish.
She’s also one of the best sources of gossip in our town.
“Sophie!” calls out Spectra in her sing-song voice. “I’ve been so worried about you!” Spectra is high strung and speaks with a lot of verbal exclamation points.
“You’ve been worried?”
She hugs me and then guides me over to the sink for a shampoo. “Of course! We all heard about your clipped wings; you must be positively devastated!”
“It’s been a rough twenty-four hours.”
“You poor thing! Let’s get you all fixed up for your date with that gorgeous werewolf.” Spectra drapes a cape over my t-shirt and cutoffs; I’ll change later into my cute boating attire.
“How do you know my date is with a werewolf?” When I made the appointment yesterday and begged Spectra to fit me in, I told her I had a date… but I didn’t mention with whom.
Spectra massages my scalp as she lathers my hair, and for the first time since Teddy showed up on my doorstep two days ago, I feel myself start to relax…
until she says, “Who else could it be? We’ve all seen that strapping Norse god wandering around town, and we know he’s part owner of your bakeshop.
Lucky you; I hear he’s as sweet as he is good looking! I’d love to inherit a man like that!”
My eyes are closed to prevent soap from getting in, so I can’t give Spectra an eye roll. “Why does everyone assume I should be delighted to have a big, clumsy, finnicky werewolf as my business partner? Teddy can’t cook or bake; the only thing he seems to excel at is cleaning.”
Spectra says something I can’t hear over the running water, so she stops rinsing my hair and repeats herself. “Please send him over here; I’d hire him on the spot!”
“Whatever for? He’s obviously not a hair stylist.”
“That handsome young man could sweep floors for me all day; he’d be good for business. My customers would go gaga for him!”
This is getting ridiculous; first Cassia suggests I send Teddy to my parents’ café for a job, and now Spectra wants to hire him. “Well,” I reply stiffly, “Teddy’s not available. We have a lot of work to do to get the bakery ready for its grand opening.”
Done shampooing, I sit in one of the cushioned salon chairs and watch Spectra’s mirror image as she sprays my wet hair with her patented conditioner, which has been liberally infused with her magic.
Spectra is an aura faerie and a master at enhancing hair, makeup, and overall appearance.
Her clients are both supers and non-supers (who don’t have a clue why they look so amazing after a few hours in her chair).
As she tackles my tangled locks, she says, “Okay, spill the jumping beans. Who are you going out with today?”
I tell her about the sunset cruise with Vreeland, Pru, and Rafe. “So you were right that I’ll be on a date with a werewolf, just not the one you assumed.”
Spectra shakes her head. “You’ve met another werewolf? Do you think the universe is trying to tell you something?”
I quirk my eyebrow. “Like what?”
“Like maybe you need to pay careful attention to all the cues. This seems like more than coincidence, Sophie.”
“If it’s not a coincidence, then what could it be?” I start to shrug but stop because Spectra is snipping off my split ends.
“The hand of fate!” says Spectra with a completely straight face.
I snort. “You’ve got to be kidding me. Do you really believe in that nonsense?”
Spectra stops scissoring my hair long enough to murmur, “Of course I do!” Then she gets a dreamy look on her face and proceeds to tell me how she met her husband. It’s a sweet and romantic story I’ve heard before, but I smile as she recounts it again.
When Spectra’s finally finished, she spins me around so I can see my image in the mirror, and I clap my hands.
“You’re a regular miracle worker.” My hair falls in long, shiny, chestnut waves around my shoulders; she’s done my makeup too, keeping it minimal and natural looking, perfect for sailing around the bay.
Spectra grins. “I appreciate the compliment, but it’s easy to make a pretty girl like you look spectacular.”
“You must be mistaking me for Cassia; she got all the looks in our family.”
“I hope you’re joking!” exclaims Spectra, placing a hand on my shoulder.
“You’re two of the prettiest girls in this town; Cassia’s beauty is ethereal and delicate, while yours is earthy and natural.
In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if that’s one of the reasons why you’re attracting werewolves; they adore sassy, curvy girls like you. ”
I burst out laughing. “I’m not sure how I feel about that last remark, but thanks anyway.”
As I’m leaving the shop, Spectra calls out, “Remember to be on the lookout for any signs from the hand of fate!”
Rolling my eyes, I wave goodbye.