That’s my last straw.Officially.The witch’s camel back is broken, or something.
Laughter bursts out of me, slightly manic and definitely too loud.The sheer absurdity of all of this slams into me like a freight train, and I can’t quite catch my breath, cackling, well, like the witch I apparently am.
The thought makes me laugh harder, and Tara watches me with a mix of apprehension and humor as she puts another kolache on my plate and tops off my coffee.
“Whew,” I finally manage, wiping the corners of my eyes with the back of my hand.“Okay.Sorry.”
“Nah, don’t apologize,” Tara says.“Laughter is the best medicine, right?”
“Laughter and working Wi-Fi,” I nod sagely.“I needed that.”I stuff the apple cinnamon kolache in my mouth because now that the humor has passed, I’m afraid I might just start weeping from the sheer amount of adrenaline and whiplash in the last few days.
Nearly choking on the kolache definitely gives me a tasty and dangerous distraction.
While I struggle to chew, Tara rummages through the boxes of merchandise and books stacked on open shelving.
“Aha,” she says, “here.These two.They’re simple, nothing fancy, but they should help.”
“And I just… use whichever, er, spell appeals to me?”
“Don’t overthink it.”A smile softens the directive.“Intent is what matters.Think of the spell as a way just to focus your intent.Give me your phone.”She makes a grabby gesture and I comply, fishing my phone out of my pocket and handing it over.
“Are you adding me to a witchy WhatsApp?”That would be cool.
“No, I’m putting my number in so you can text me.I’m going to check on you, okay?You’re not alone.We’re in this together.”
She hands my phone back a second later, and though I could literally crumple to the floor from the weight of everything on my figurative plate, it makes me feel better.
“This means a lot to me,” I tell her.“I feel totally in over my head.”
“You’re not alone,” she says, pushing my full coffee cup to me.“You’ve got me to help, I’ll introduce you to Em, and it sounds like Aiden has already made you his pet project.”
I frown.“Pet project?”My stomach does an uncomfortable flip.
I feed it more coffee.If my stomach is going to be uncomfortable, I might as well be supremely caffeinated, too.
Nothing could possibly go wrong with this plan.
Leaning forward, I pour myself more coffee.Get thee inside my belly, caffeine.
“I don’t mean it in a bad way.It’s just… unusual.For Aiden, I mean.Either he’s turning over a new leaf, or…”
She lets that or hang in the air for a long time.
“Oh, he wants to fuck her,” the cat says.“Like she’s in heat.”
“Absolutely not, Prudence,” I tell her, using my very best bitchy librarian voice, tested on teenagers and disorderly members of the general public for years now.“She’s just being rude,” I tell Tara.
Prudence sniffs, tearing her attention away from the spider long enough to glare at me.“Suit yourself.Ignore the obvious.”
“Even if he did want to, ahem, do that, there’s no evidence of it, nor has he done anything but be kind.So there.”It sounds as stupid to my ears as it likely does to Prudence’s.“Whatever.Aiden’s carnal intentions notwithstanding, I have work to do.”
“We both do.And you know what?”Tara slides a sly look towards the black cat.“Let’s have dinner and drinks at The Salt Circle tonight.Ward’s been wanting to try their new fall beers—that’s my husband,” she pauses, grinning, her eyes lit up at the mention of her man.“And I’ll get Em to come down, too.It will be fun.”
“I’m not sure I have time?—”
“We’ll be there,” Prudence tells her.
I stare at the cat, who is apparently also my new social coordinator.
