Chapter 2
CHAPTER TWO
At one-thirty precisely, Erin Mathews showed up for our meeting. She was carrying a cute floral tote, and looked eager, but not anxious. I motioned for her to follow me over to the sofa in front of the window.
“Have a seat,” I said, taking a long swallow of my drink. “Would you like something to drink? We have an espresso machine.”
Erin let out a long breath. “Thanks. I’ll have whatever you’re having.”
“Are you sure? This is a quad shot mocha,” I said. I loved being wired up on caffeine, but I knew some humans couldn’t handle the drug.
Erin blushed. “Well, maybe a double-shot mocha?”
“I’m on it,” Iris said, heading toward the office.
We settled on the sofa, watching the hustle outside the window.
I turned to Erin. She was star-struck—the look in her eyes told me that my glamour had hit a bullseye.
It was innate and I tried not to abuse it, but possessing what amounted to a natural charm spell did have its uses.
I tried to avoid turning it on full force around friends.
“So, what can I do for you today?”
She stammered over her words, blushed again, and said, “I’m sorry. I’m nervous.”
“Don’t be,” I said, reaching out to place my hand on her arm. “It’s okay. Just us girls here.”
“I know, but damn, I have to tell you, it’s hard… You’re… You’re from Otherworld!” Erin blurted out, then pressed her lips together, looking miserable.
I squeezed her arm. “Take a deep breath and let it out slowly. Everything’s okay.”
One thing we hadn’t expected when we came over Earthside was that we became instant celebrities. While we kept our OIA connections secret, the fact that we were from Otherworld was impossible to cover up, and that gave us a free pass for a lot of things.
Over here, the Fae—half-human or not—had developed a fangirl cult status. We were the new flavor of the month. But instead of a passing fancy, we seemed to be settling in as city celebs. And Erin was star-struck.
“Yeah, I am,” I said, giving her a soft smile. “And you had something to ask me, so ask away. I wouldn’t sit here talking to you if I didn’t want to.”
That seemed to shake her out of it. She returned my smile.
“Thank you. I’m president of the local Faerie Watchers Club. I know it sounds corny, but…we’re a huge fan club. We love the fact that Otherworld and Earthside have connected. We all knew other worlds like yours existed, but now it’s all true.”
I nodded. A lot of people hated that fact, but it was nice to talk to someone who embraced it.
“Here in the Seattle branch, we have a book club because so many of us are readers,” she continued.
“We’ve been wondering, since you’ve opened a bookstore, maybe you’d let us meet here once a month.
We read both nonfiction and fiction focused on the world of Faerie.
And we thought you might be able to dispel some of the myths when we’re reading some of the nonfiction—”
As her words sped up, her embarrassment faded. Erin was truly passionate about the subject. Being a reader myself and loving books, I understood.
“I think that would be dandy,” I said, gently breaking into her speech. “If it’s only once a month, I’d love to host your meetings here at the Indigo Crescent. I might not be able to make all of them, but we can work out arrangements.”
She sat back, speechless. After a moment, she sputtered, “Really? You’ll let us meet here?”
“Yes. All I ask is that you keep all refreshments in this area instead of near the books.” I glanced over at the counter.
Iris was trying to answer some questions an obviously irate customer lobbed her way.
“Listen, I need to attend to something, but I’m going to send Iris over to talk to you about scheduling your club’s first meeting, okay? ”
Erin nodded. “Oh, go do what you need to! I’m just so grateful that you said yes.” She seemed to have calmed down and looked much more comfortable than she had at first.
I headed over to sort out whatever was wrong. As soon as she saw me coming, Iris quickly stepped off the box.
“Here’s the owner. She can help you more than I can,” Iris said. Before the woman could answer, Iris turned to me. “Do you want me to talk to Erin?”
I nodded. “I told her yes, so help her schedule a few meetings out, please. Meanwhile, what’s shaking?”
“Mrs. Fields wants to discuss…” Iris paused, shaking her head. “Just be prepared,” she said, lowering her voice so only I could hear her.
“Gotcha,” I said.
As Iris moved off toward Erin, I turned to the woman standing at the counter.
“How do you do? I’m Camille D’Artigo, the owner.” I didn’t offer my hand. Her aura was ruffled, and I had no desire to take on that energy. It was all too easy for me to absorb the mood and energy of others by being in close proximity, so I did my best to keep up my wards.
She stared at me for a moment. A tall woman, she must have stood five-ten, and she was dressed in a beige linen pantsuit with a pair of Doc Martens.
Her hair was cut longer in front, in a spotless bob, blond with ashy highlights like so many of the women I saw around the city, and she had what seemed like a perpetual scowl on her face, like she’d eaten something bitter.
She was carrying a tote bag and had pulled a notebook out of it.
“My name is Gretchen Commers, and I represent MASI—Mothers Against Supe Indecency. I’m registering an official complaint about your bookstore with the Chamber of Commerce.
” She gave me the once-over, and in response, I turned my glamour up a notch and straightened my shoulders so my boobs stood even higher.
One nice thing we had over Earthside women—gravity didn’t play havoc with our busts.
And I had one hell of a pair of breasts.
“Is that so?” I asked. “You do know the Chamber of Commerce has officially invited me to join them. Community relations, and all.” I engaged her in a staring contest and held her gaze until she shifted her eyes away. Nobody cowed me into a corner.
“You’re not a good role model for children—” she started to say, but I cut her off.
“I don’t aspire to be. My bookstore’s for adults, though anybody’s welcome in here. At least here, I offer them a chance to learn something, as opposed to—say—spending a day at a spa where you teach them to treat the staff like servants.”
I tried to bite my tongue, but I wasn’t feeling very diplomatic.
I despised the do-gooder save-the-children crowd.
We had them in Otherworld as well, and they were just as bigoted.
One thing I’d accepted: There would always be some faction trying to lord it over everyone else.
It didn’t matter what world you lived in, or what side you were on.
There was always going to be someone who thought they were better than you.
Gretchen stiffened. If she could have hit me, she would have—the anger clouded her face and her aura. “I…I…” She slapped a piece of paper on the counter. “Your shop isn’t going to last out the year, mark my words. You two-bit Faerie whore—”
“Out,” I said, using my command voice as I pointed to the door. “Now.”
I seldom attempted it because it so easily go wrong, but this time my voice echoed through the store and Gretchen froze. She sputtered once, then began to back toward the door. It had worked! She whimpered once before turning and racing out into the street.
“Good riddance,” I said.
Erin, who had wandered over to watch what was going on, clapped. “Good on you. That woman makes more trouble around town than anybody I know.”
I took a deep breath, then let it out slowly. “You know her?”
Erin nodded. “Gretchen has attempted to oust every shop in the area run by immigrants, people of color, and members of the LGBQT community. It doesn’t surprise me that she’s going after you now, too.
She’s white bread to the core, and her husband rules high up in the tech sphere around here.
Everybody knows he has a trophy bimbo on the side, but Gretchen would rather have the power she has by being his wife, more than her dignity. ”
I cleared my throat, staring at the door. “Well, she’s going to get a surprise with me. I’m…”
I stopped. I couldn’t talk about the cases I’d taken on with the OIA.
I was supposed to be a bookstore owner. “I’m a witch, and there’s plenty of magic I can draw on to make her back down.
If she chooses a fight, that is.” Shrugging, I turned to Erin.
“So, did Iris get you booked for the next few months?”
Erin nodded. “Yes, and thank you. I’m so excited to tell the group. They’ll be over the moon.” She paused and looked around. “Would you like a plant for the shop? I grow a lot of plants and have plenty of cuttings.”
I grinned. I’d gotten so many gifts since I moved over Earthside that I almost felt guilty. “Sure, if it can handle the lack of light. We don’t get much in here,” I added.
“Will do. I’ll bring one that’s easy to maintain next time I drop by. Meanwhile, come by my shop and see what you might like. A new shipment came in the other day.”
“I’ll do that,” I said, waving as she left. As I turned back to the cash register, I reached into my pocket and pulled out the disc that Chase had left behind, and once again, I felt uneasy. I picked up Taylor’s Grimoire of Old Artifacts and settled in behind the counter, beginning my search.
By the time I was ready to close up, I had covered half the chapter on talismans and amulets. I wasn’t sure that’s what the disc was, but it seemed to be the best place to start. I slid the grimoire into my tote bag, gathered everything, and Iris and I armed the security system.
Delilah had helped install it, and I had warded the entire building, given Delilah had the shop upstairs. She’d stayed home today, though. Her business wasn’t faring as well as mine, primarily because she wasn’t that interested in running a private investigations company.