49. A Family Brunch
FORTY-NINE
A FAMILY brUNCH
Perhaps there is much we could stand to learn from the humble sea otter. To this keystone species, family is everything.
In order to stay close in the ever-shifting ocean currents, these playful creatures form a “raft” by holding hands, linking themselves together in a web of love and protection.
It’s a magical sight—otters floating in perfect harmony, bound not only by their paws, but by the invisible threads of connection.
Otters remind us that even in the vastness of life’s currents, family holds us together, keeping us anchored in the most unexpected ways.
–EXCERPT FROM THE MUDPUDDLE MANUAL OF NATURAL MAGIC
“Who’s up for some fresh baked scones and herring?” Granny Luna and the doctor breezed back into the cafe where Maida, Arthur, Rosie, Buffalo, and Will were already assembled.
“It’s about time,” Will said, reaching into the bag of pastries. “I thought you’d never get back here.”
“Where’s Hildegarde?” Granny Luna asked.
“She left as soon as Rosie got back with Amrita and Buffalo,” Maida answered. “She seemed in a hurry to get home.”
“She should have stuck around for tea,” Granny said. “Although I don’t think we can charge her for tea ever again after what she did this morning.”
“Agreed.” Lucretia sipped from her cup, pinky extended. “It might be the first time in Primrose Court history that ‘wrong-spell-Hilly’ got it right.”
“Are you just going to leave him there?” Buffalo looked askance at the beta fish flouncing around inside the mirrored glass orb on the bookshop counter. Every time the fish spied itself, which was often, it fanned out its fins.
“Why not?” Maida shrugged. “Hildegarde helped to put him inside that habitat and Minerva reinforced it. He can’t hurt anybody now and he gets to spend his days looking at himself, which was always one of his favorite activities.”
“What will happen to his company?” Lucretia asked, a worried frown playing upon her brow.
“I think that’s for the Society to decide.” Arthur cast a stern look at Maida’s aunt. “But I imagine it’s not long for this world.”
Lucretia folded her hands piously in front of herself and stared down at them, nodding as she processed this.
“Good,” she said. “I just hope the products are destroyed before anyone else gets harmed. I…I had no idea.” Her voice faltered.
Finally, she looked back up at Arthur and Will. “And I’m so sorry to both of you.”
“We know.” Will grinned. “And that apothecary discount you offered us for life is still a thing. You’ll honor that, right? I’m almost out of OPF cream.”
“Absolutely.” Lucretia crossed her heart. She used her wand to stir her tea. The wand had not left her hand since the moment she’d retrieved it from Cormac’s bag.
“Then no harm, no foul, right, Arthur?” Will prodded Arthur in the arm. “It was nice of Lucretia to help Maida restore us, wasn’t it?”
“I appreciate your efforts to make things right,” Arthur agreed.
“As well as the discount.” He was still picking stray fluff off his clothing, meticulously gathering the bits into a tiny pile, so that they could stuff them back inside the original Mr. Pants.
Now that he and Maida had finally found each other, he felt more whole than he ever had in his entire life.
Perhaps he was just being superstitious, but he didn’t want to risk losing any more bits of himself.
“Goodness, I’m famished!” Will popped an entire scone into his mouth.
“I thought you said there were donuts inside the gearhart locket?” Arthur asked.
“Mmph…” Will chewed and swallowed. “There were donuts, but I was operating on a deficit. I really appreciated them though! Such a thoughtful touch sticking The Bunny Hole in the locket with me.” He beamed at the group. “Maida thinks of everything.”
“It wasn’t fully intentional,” Maida confessed. “I just wanted you to be somewhere you found comfortable. The Bunny Hole was the first place that came to my mind.”
“Didn’t anyone notice the donut shop went missing?” Arthur poured some cream into his coffee.
“Not really.” Will helped himself to a second scone.
“It was still the middle of the night in LA. Business hasn’t been so great there lately.
Ever since The Greatest Crepe opened up down the street.
They’re targeting a more international porting clientele but the Ordinaries can’t get enough of their food.
That coastal crowd is notoriously fickle. ”
“The struggle between sweet and savory is hardly a regional phenomenon,” Rosie noted. “Do you think we should put crepes on our menu?”
“I think it’s an excellent idea. But only if they include cheese,” Minerva chimed in. She and Amrita had finally returned from their debriefing down in the Archives.
Buffalo stood to hold a chair for each of them, then settled himself back down beside Amrita.
He placed a scone on her plate and poured her a cup of tea from his own teapot.
Maida didn’t think she’d ever seen her father so solicitous, and it amused her to see this unexpected side of him.
He seemed younger and somehow softer around the Director.
She couldn’t help noticing the way they kept catching each other’s eyes, either.
It was as if they were wordlessly sharing secrets.
She supposed they had quite a bit to catch up on.
Under the table, Arthur laced his fingers through hers. Taking advantage of a lull in the conversation, he leaned forward to whisper in her ear. “You know, when I said I trusted you to take care of Mr. Pants, that scenario wasn’t exactly what I had in mind.”
“I know.” She blushed. The feel of his skin against her own had her imagining other scenarios.
She longed to be alone with him. She wanted to see him transform again, to sketch him as he was in both states.
She wanted to map his every sinew with her fingertips, and revel in the miracle that he was.
Their togetherness seemed inevitable now, written as it was in the stars.
“You’re really something,” she whispered. “Thank you for coming to my rescue again.”
“Always,” he replied. “But it turned out this time that you were the one meant to save me.” He held her gaze.
“Not just me. All of us, apparently. So thank you. Thank the moon and the stars, the gods and the goddesses and all of nature in her infinite wisdom, for you.” He held her hand more tightly now, and looked away, gazing at his feet.
“I hope you weren’t too disturbed, seeing me shift like that. ”
“Arthur?” Maida looked into his eyes, the eyes that had come to feel as much like home as the house around her. “I loved what I saw.”
She also loved the shy smile that bloomed on his face at her words. It reminded her of the boy he had once been. She’d only seen that smile once, over her shoulder, but it had imprinted on her soul, a negative image waiting to develop into something more.
“Does this make me your toy?” His lips grazed her earlobe, and she shivered in the nicest way.
“I sure hope so,” she murmured.
“Good,” he whispered back. “Because I don’t think either of us should play alone anymore.”
The clunk of wood and the clink of china as Granny set a heavily laden tray on the table interrupted their interlude. The tray contained fresh plates of cookies, toast, savory cheeses and vegetables, and the aforementioned herring, as well as a fresh pot of tea in a floral pot.
Granny passed the herring plate first.
“No herring for me, Beryl!” The doctor waved away Granny Luna’s offer. “You know I’m vegan.”
“I’ll take some. You know this was Zephyr’s favorite.” Minerva helped herself to a piece. “I wish he could have been here today.”
Will helped himself to one of Rosie’s freshly baked cookies. He closed his eyes in rapturous pleasure as he crunched. “You know Rosie, have you considered the concept of a br?lée bar for a pop-up bakery?”
“Don’t go giving her ideas. First, she has to finish high school,” Arthur admonished.
“This tea is for you, Minerva.” Granny set the pot down in front of the senior witch. “Don’t let it get too cold.”
“Thank you, Beryl,” Minerva replied. “And thank you for helping to put the Archives back to rights. I don’t know how you did it so quickly. Some items will still need repair, but there’s nary a sign of the mayhem that took place.”
“Well that’s what house fairies are for.” Granny smiled. “We do come in handy occasionally.”
“She even got rid of that stubborn synthetic magic smell,” Will commended.
“I hope you have fun with the hourglass, Beryl.” Minerva winked at the fairy. “A small token of my appreciation. At our age, sometimes you just need to freeze time and have a laugh.”
“Oh I’ve got plans…” Granny Luna’s eyes glittered mischievously.
“Just go easy on the customers! Have you decided yet whether you’re going to stay here at the Mudpuddle?” Minerva asked Granny Luna. A pointed look passed between the two.
“I suppose I’ll go back to Buffalo’s when I’m no longer needed here. The Westabrook estate is where I’m bound.”
“You know you’re free to go wherever you wish, Beryl,” Buffalo said gently. “I released you years ago.”
“Don’t encourage her, Buffalo.” Will washed down his cookie with a glass of milk. “I need to regain my strength before she asks me to take her to Marrakech to shop the souks.”
“You’re both welcome to stay here as long as you like, you know,” Maida felt as though she should say something.
“Thank you, Maida. I can’t speak for Beryl, but I think it’s time I found a place of my own,” Minerva said. “I have some savings and a few ideas.” She smiled at Lucretia. “There’s an empty storefront between the apothecary and the pet shop. I’m thinking I should open a small fromagerie.”
“I just can’t believe you were here the whole time,” Lucretia marveled. “Right under our noses. And nobody noticed.”
“Almost nobody.” Minerva exchanged another quick glance with Granny Luna. “But to tell you the truth, I hardly recognized myself.”
“What changed?” Lucretia asked. “Was it the hex wearing off?”
“Cormac never cursed me.” Minerva smiled sweetly at her niece. “In fact I think he blessed me.”
“What are you talking about, Auntie M?” Lucretia’s brow wrinkled. “That cretin turned you into a mouse!”
“No, my dear, I was always a mouse.” Minerva disappeared for a moment, and reappeared on the edge of the table, a mouse once more. Just as fast, she shifted back and lifted her cup of tea.
“But…that’s impossible! It goes against the code of purity! It’s wrong. It’s…it’s….” Lucretia stammered.
“It’s who I am, dear. You too. All of us Lathrops. We’re all the products of a mixed marriage.” Minerva took a sip as she gave Lucretia time to process. Then she pulled her great great grandmother’s journal from her apron pocket and pressed it into Lucretia’s hands.
“I know this is probably coming as a shock to you, Lucretia, but it’s true.
And it’s the only thing l can thank that muddled mage for.
I never expected to learn something new about myself at my age.
And now that I have…” Minerva stared off into the distance for a moment, gathering her thoughts.
“Well, it’s important not to dwell on regrets, but I won’t lie.
I have quite a few. I thought I knew who I was, but I wasn’t seeing the whole picture.
I don’t intend to spend the years I have left living a half-life. ”
Minerva turned to Maida next.
“Maida Lathrop Westabrook.” Minerva placed a soft dry hand on Maida’s cheek and beamed at her.
“Meeting you at last brings such delight. But I’m afraid I owe you an apology.
I should have reached out sooner. Even if you had turned out to be an Ordinary, you’re still kin.
” Minerva leaned forward and reached across the table to grasp Buffalo’s hand now. “You did a fine job with her.”
“I did my best.” Buffalo bowed his head.
He met Maida’s eye and held it for a moment, both of them acknowledging the emotional sea of storms they’d traveled through together.
Throughout it all, her father’s love for her was one thing that had never wavered, never faltered.
It would take time to rebuild their relationship, but she didn’t doubt it would happen.
There were still so many truths to reveal, and stories yet to be told. She looked forward to it even.
Beside her, Arthur gave her a comforting squeeze and Rosie beamed.
“Your Mama was hardly the first Lathrop to test the old traditions,” Minerva told Maida.
“In fact, none of us would be here in Primrose Court, and there wouldn’t have been a Primrose Court at all, if Papa Lathrop hadn’t married a mouse.
” She looked around at everyone assembled, gauging their reactions.
“To Papa Lathrop and knowing, and embracing, one’s true self.
” Amrita raised her teacup. Maida was surprised to see that Amrita’s beautiful raven colored hair had rearranged itself into a wreath of cascading feathers.
Amrita patted it unself-consciously and clinked her glass against the others.
“I think there may have been a drop of absolute truth in the mist last night. It seems to have settled on us all.”
As if to punctuate the toast, the clock in the foyer chimed out the hour.
“We’ll need to open soon,” Maida said. She stood to help Granny and Rosie clear the table.
“Sit down, Maida,” Rosie commanded. “Enjoy your company. We’ve got this handled.”
“I see you have, indeed,” Minerva agreed, smiling wistfully.
She sipped her tea, draining the last dregs from the cup.
“I cannot thank you all enough for what you have done for me and this place.” She looked around the table, making eye contact with every one of the assembled group, and finally settling on Amrita.
The Director of the Society nodded sympathetically at Minerva and patted her hand.
“Finish your tea please,” Minerva continued, “but as soon as you’re done, I think I should like to pay my last respects to Zephyr. He deserves his peace.”