“Does that also mean you’ll be happy all evening, and I can go back to Ash’s without feeling guilty about you being over here all sad and alone?”
“No. If I’m going to read, I’ll want tea, and I have no way to make it myself.”
“I think that’s your way of saying you like my company, isn’t it?”
Eyes on the e-reader, he waves me away with his wing. “That’s my way of saying I want tea. I can buy anything I want?”
“Any boring epic fantasy you want.”
“You pegged me wrong. I’m a LitRPG kind of bird.”
I grin to myself as I walk to the cabinet. Tomorrow, I might regret leaving Ash and his couch, but tonight, I’m glad I came home.
Chapter 21
Rabbits. Obviously.
“This is really awkward,” I tell Rowan, clutching the stack of flyers we just printed off. “I can’t believe I have to pass these out.”
And by we, I mean me, while Rowan so helpfully told me what I was doing wrong. I’m not opposed to technology, but printers are not my friends.
“You’ll be fine,” he says. “Besides, you’re only inviting the local shopkeepers, and believe me, they know next to nothing about tea.”
“I still have two weeks before the festival. Maybe we should focus on turning you back first, andthenwe’ll open the shop.”
“Ansel has to work during the day anyway,” Rowan points out. “We might as well be productive while he’s busy.”
“What’s that? You’re okay with him helping? Did you two come to an understanding?”
He makes a “meh” noise and then says, “We need his workshop.”
“Yeah, okay.” I open the front door, and Rowan flies out over my head.
It’s a sunny day, and the town is bustling. Tourists loiter on the walkways, chatting in small groups, eating ice cream and carrying cups with the cafe’s logo stamped on them. Many have dogs with them. Just from my spot in front of my shop, I see two corgis, a chocolate lab, an Australian shepherd, and a cinnamon-colored husky. We could film a children’s movie right here.
“Your magic is getting away from you,” Rowan warns from a nearby tree.
But there’s no caging it. I’m happy. I like Moss Hollow and the tourists who visit it. It’s nice being surrounded by people who are on holiday. They have a different vibe.
And besides, no one is going to notice if I spread a little joy when they’re already having a nice afternoon.
Rowan follows me as I walk down the sidewalk, flying from tree to tree. “Where are you going?”
“I want to start at the bakery.”
I expect him to point out all the shops I’m skipping, but he miraculously keeps his criticisms to himself.
“I’ll wait here,” he says when I reach my destination.
“It looks busy,” I respond reluctantly, staring at the line at the counter.
“Just give Ryder a flyer and get out.”
Rolling my eyes, I open the door.
And…oh gosh. It smells amazing in here.
“Hello, Kit,” Ryder calls from the counter, giving me a wave before he returns his attention to the woman in front of him.
