Chapter 3 #2
‘Oh, you’re one of those.’ Mia’s tone seemed more amused than disapproving.
‘Can I help it if the ladies love me almost as much as I love them?’ He chuckled. ‘So, back to my treat…’
‘You’re incorrigible.’
‘Part of my charm, Princess.’ He scratched an itch on his shoulder.
‘Princess? Really?’ She raised both eyebrows, challenging him.
‘You’re the one talking about fairy tales.’
‘Oooh, are we talking magic and stories? Hey, Mimi.’ Katie sauntered into the store. ‘Afternoon, Aiden.’
‘Mimi?’
‘Gee, thanks ever so, Kitikat.’
‘Kitikat?’ Aiden laughed when Katie stuck out her tongue. ‘I take it you two know each other pretty well?’
‘Most of our lives. We’re both Hudsbury born and raised,’ Katie explained. ‘Have you been baking again?’ She snagged a biscuit off the plate between them.
‘Yeah, I put him to work trying to help one of my patients. He’s been really helpful.’
‘I’ll just bet he has.’ Katie elbowed her friend, laughing. ‘These are good, Aiden, but I liked the others better. The spicy ones were fun.’
‘These are for expectant mums, Katie.’
‘I suppose they already had plenty of spicy fun then, to end up in that condition.’ Aiden guffawed as Mia turned red. He didn’t catch the look Katie shot her friend.
‘When you’re done down here, pop up and have a brew with me if you’ve got time, Mimi? And steal some more biscuits.’
‘Hey.’ Mia knocked on the door to the flat above the shop. ‘I got honey and lavender cookies. Decided there’s been enough spiced biscuits for now.’
‘Yeah.’ Katie handed her friend tea. ‘That’s kinda what I wanted to talk to you about.’
‘OK?’
‘Would you mind a bit of unsolicited advice?’
‘From you? Always.’
‘Without wanting to overstep and stick my nose in…’
‘Katie. It’s fine. Just say it.’
‘When I came in, it was pretty hard to miss the sparks flying between you and Aiden. And I just wanted to make sure you know what you might be getting into. I mean, he’s a great guy, Mia…
He’s been brilliant with the store, great with the customers: charming, empathic and considerate.
Ophelia adores him – and I adore him because he helps her.
She’s a lot calmer and more focussed with him here. ’
‘What’s the “but”, Katie?’
‘But from everything Phe’s told me, and what I’ve seen, I wouldn’t want a friend dating him. If I were being polite, I’d probably call him a player.’
‘And if you weren’t being polite?’
‘I’ll let you guess.’ Katie cackled, sounding a lot like her girlfriend.
‘But seriously, Mimi. He keeps clothes here to change some mornings, and when he talks about his dates he never mentions the same woman more than a couple of times. Phe says there’s been three different women since he’s worked here – but not anyone local who we’d know.
But honestly, I suspect there might be more than he’s letting on.
I get the impression he’s a bit commitment-phobic. At best.’
‘OK.’
‘I don’t want to tell you your business, Mimi, but I don’t want to see you hurt either.’
‘I appreciate the warning, Kitikat, but it’s just a bit of harmless flirting. I’m not interested in Aiden, and highly doubt he’d be into me!’
‘Why not? You’re gorgeous. And I say that as your friend and someone into women.’ She laughed. ‘Still, if he gets out of line you can always set one of Phe’s pet demons on him.’
‘Ophelia doesn’t have pet demons!’ Mia hesitated and leaned forward. ‘Does she?’
‘Who knows? I’m not asking and she’s not volunteering the information.’ Katie laughed. ‘Still, if Aiden gets a bit much, just do what I do and smack him.’
‘I can’t hit him!’
‘It’s just in play.’
‘Play or not, I’m not interested.’ Mia sipped her tea, before smiling. ‘I want what you have.’
‘A woman? I can recommend some dating sites…’
‘No.’ Mia laughed. ‘I still like guys. I mean the great and grand romance we always talked about – the one that sweeps me off my feet to a glorious sunset and happy ever after.’
‘Oh, you’re still looking for your fairy tale.’
‘Nothing wrong with that. Your parents and mine both found it. And so have you with Ophelia.’
‘I love Phe, I really do. But our relationship wasn’t always smooth – you know that. And you know there were a lot of frogs before I found her.’
‘Yeah, well, I’m done with my amphibian phase,’ Mia grumbled, making Katie giggle. ‘I’m ready for my own head-over-heels, sparkling fireworks and roses moments.’
‘You deserve it, and more. Let’s hope the universe is listening.’ She chinked her mug against Mia’s. ‘To your overdue happy ever after!’
‘Good morning, Rayenne,’ Aiden called as the woman walked into the store. After a couple of seconds, he cleared his throat and tried again. ‘Morning.’
‘Oh, hello, Aiden.’ Rayenne gave him a quick hug as she breezed by, a rainbow of scarves and patchouli following her. Utterly cliché, but completely and entirely Rayenne. ‘Are you well?’
‘Getting fed up of this fog, but otherwise good.’
‘I’m sure the fog has good reasons for being here,’ Rayenne replied. ‘And I’m good also. The moon’s current phase is pleasing.’
‘Glad you’re enjoying it.’ As much as he liked Rayenne, and appreciated the time she was spending teaching him all about reiki and energy healing, he still felt like he struggled to understand her, and her dreamy, odd ways.
‘Hmm. It is lovely.’ She smiled distractedly, staring across the store at something he couldn’t see for a few moments before suddenly blinking and snapping her grey gaze back to his. ‘I have some clients this morning. And a delivery due. Could you keep watch for it?’
‘Sure. Do you want me to unpack it too?’
‘That would be wonderful.’ She smiled warmly. ‘I’m going to go check in with my sparrows and see what news there is.’
The huge box arrived later that afternoon, and Aiden hefted it onto the shop counter and started unpacking it, carefully placing the crystals, books, cards and statues to one side ready for pricing up.
He pulled out the bundles of sage and rosemary – ready to be used for smudging – and packets of lavender and thyme, along with jars of other herbs that needed decanting for sale and stacked them all along the counter.
He priced up the crystals quickly, referring to the inventory list and Rayenne’s checklist, then reached for one of the sage bundles while still reading.
It rolled away. Not far, but enough that his fingers closed on empty air instead of the dried herbs he’d expected, making him look up.
He reached for it again, and it… scooted…
rolling over. He stared at it, surprised, then grabbed it and studied it.
It seemed perfectly normal, so he tossed it into the basket.
The bundles were neatly tied, but the nature of them meant they were uneven and not designed to balance.
He reached for the jar of lemon balm and froze when it wobbled on the counter. It was almost imperceptible – even watching for it, he wasn’t sure it had actually happened, because what he thought he’d seen was too ridiculous for words. Then it slid a couple of inches when he reached for it.
‘The counter must be crooked,’ he muttered.
‘Mweep.’ Mist was watching him from across the shop. When he looked back at the jars, a couple of them had slid forward a little more.
‘I’m going to have to bring in my toolbox to try and fix this.’ When he reached for the packet of lavender, there was a slight crackle, and a tingling sensation jumped across his knuckles as he yanked his hand back.
‘Everything OK, Aiden?’ Now Ophelia was watching him too.
‘Yeah… just some static electricity.’
Mist chirruped something and Ophelia made a strange sound like a half-choked hiccup. ‘Right. Static.’
There was another hushed sound behind him, almost exactly like the noise you’d get if someone gently slid a packet of dried herbs across a wooden surface.
Mist twitched her tail twice then leapt onto the counter, scattering the packets and jars.
She smacked one down with her paw and held it there, wobbling it back and forth.
‘Think you’ve made a friend.’ Ophelia smiled.
‘Aww, Mist and I have an understanding.’ Aiden petted her gently. ‘I make sure her food stays well stocked, and she occasionally lets me pet her.’
‘What makes you think I was talking about Mist?’ She smiled softly. ‘Sometimes things get lively as people are waking up.’
‘Mweep! Moweeweeeoww.’ Mist sounded worried and demanding.
‘But it’s been…’
‘Mweep.’
‘But you saw…’
‘Mwew!’
Aiden shook his head, still amused – and slightly weirded out – by their apparent conversations.
‘Sorry, yes. Of course. You’re right.’ She turned to Aiden with a smile. ‘Was there anything else you needed?’