With a nod, he turned and went to get the broom.
Chapter Seventeen
Roger called me the morning of the party. I had spent the night before baking my little heart out, and even though my baking had been supplemented with a few sparks of magic here and there, I’d managed to get through the three-tier princess cake and several dozen decorated cookies with no new streaks of color in my hair, which I was counting as a massive success.
“Morning, Glory,” Roger said. “Get it? Morning Glory?” He chuckled at his own joke.
“I see you’re feeling feisty this morning,” I said.
“I’m more concerned with how you’re feeling.”
“I feel fine.” Pancake stepped on one foot, and when I looked down, I realized I was wearing a sensible shoe with plenty of traction for the kitchen on one foot.
On the other was a purple cow slipper.
So maybe not fine after all.
I sighed. “What if this goes badly?” I asked. “What if some disaster happens and I get a bunch of one-star reviews and I have to close the café and I end up having to come home, broke and alone?”
And there it was. I might not know exactly where I stood with Horst, but we certainly weren’t in a “sorry you lost your café and apartment, why don’t you just move in with me in the apartment/house I’ve never even invited you to” place. And we obviously weren’t in a “if you have to move back to West Virginia, I’ll just go with you” place either. He couldn’t even share whatever was on his mind recently—we weren’t exactly ready to share a closet.
I wasn’t sure whether I wanted a future with Horst or not. That was the thing. I only knew I wanted a chance to find outwhat I wanted, and what he wanted, and I knew the only way I was going to get that chance was if I was in Gallows Bay.
“Glory,” Roger said gently. “It sounds like you’re spiraling.”
“I just—”
“Okay, I need you to take a deep breath.” He leaned forward and put his hands on his knees while I followed his instructions. “Is everything ready for the party? Decorations bought and put up? Baked goods frosted? Princess booked?”
“Yes. But—”
“Glory, you did that. You handled all of those little details. And today, if you have a hiccup or two, you’ll handle those as well.”
“Well...” He did have a point.
“I want you to try something new,” he said. “I want you, before the party, to find a mirror and tell yourself it’s all going to be okay. I want you to say, ‘Glory, you’ve got this. You’re ready. You’re capable. You can handle what life throws at you.’ Because you really can.”
I took another deep breath, feeling the building anxiety starting to ease a bit. Roger was right. I’d moved to Gallows Bay and opened the town’s first cat café. Next to that, one birthday party was, well, a piece of cake.
From a three-tiered princess cake.
Roger nodded as though he could read my thoughts. “Remember what I said. Mirror. Pep talk. Okay?”
“Yeah. Thanks, Roger.”
