Page 17 of Amber: Deja Brew

Chapter 7

Amber

Shift back. Shift back. Shift back! I mentally chant as I wait for the troll cop to burst into the back room. Of course, I don’t shift. Consequences or not, it’s not like my chameleon magic ever cares.

Julian and Chase jump to their feet, like they think they can somehow defend me from a gun-wielding troll cop. They both bend their knees and look ready to fight, but the main part of the cafe remains silent.

I don’t think any of us so much as breathe as we wait. A floorboard creaks faintly, but then there’s only silence.

My heart pounds in my throat as worst-case scenarios flash through my mind. Troll Cop Liam freaking out at the carbon copy of himself and shooting me on sight. Or arresting me and locking me up in Silver Springs Penitentiary.

Except Liam doesn’t appear in the doorway. After a few heart-stopping minutes, the door chimes again. Does that mean the troll—or whoever was in the cafe—left?

The three of us stay perfectly still, as if expecting him to return at any moment. Then, the door chimes again, and we all jump.

“Amber? Julian?” a familiar voice—and one that is definitely not the troll’s—echoes through the cafe. Rose! I’ve always liked the Club Vee bartender, who’s been a regular at Jewels Cafe since we first opened—but I don’t think I’ve ever been more relieved to hear her voice.

“One second, Rose!” Julian calls out and gets to his feet. Then he lowers his voice and adds, “I got this. You take all the time you need.”

Which is, of course, when my magic decides to get its act together, and I shift back to my regular self.

“Do I look okay?” I ask Chase as he helps me to my feet.

“Back to normal, sweetheart.” He smiles softly at me as we follow Julian to the main part of the cafe.

“Hey, Rose.” I smile at her as I slip behind the counter. “Did you happen to see anyone leaving the cafe?”

“I don’t think so.” Rose shakes her head, sending her auburn hair—which is a few shades darker than Minerva’s, but just as shiny—falling in gorgeous waves around her shoulders. For the first time, the reminder of the evil witch doesn’t send negative emotions coursing through me. In fact, it makes me smile, because Minerva Montgomery is finally out of our lives for good!

“Really? I swear I heard someone come in. Weird.” I shrug and then focus on our customer. “I love your top, by the way.”

“Thanks, Amber.” Rose pulls on one of the three-quarter sleeves of her cute, green top self-consciously.

“So, how was your morning?” I ask.

“I tried to walk the cat, but otherwise, uneventful,” Rose says with a straight face. Wait, cat?!

“You what?” Julian does a double-take.

“I tried to walk Pumpkin.” Rose shrugs. “But he just sat there and wouldn’t budge. Good thing I brought a book.”

“What kind of book?” Chase asks as he takes a seat in front of his laptop, when the real question should be ‘why were you trying to walk a cat?’

“I picked up a romance from the library. A Star Pilot’s Heart. Violet recommended it.”

“Who’s Violet?” I ask, forgetting about the cat-walking for the moment. “I don’t think I met her.”

“She’s this nice granny who runs Spell,” Chase answers first.

“Spell?”

“That’s what everyone calls the Silver Springs Public Library,” Rose explains. “SSPL. Spell. Get it?”

“Oh, right. I think Julian might have mentioned that,” I say, and he nods in agreement. “I’ve actually never been. I’ve just used Julian’s library card to download books, but I really should get my own.”

“You should,” Rose agrees. “And if you ever need help finding something to read, Violet makes the best recommendations.”

“She does.” Chase agrees. “Usually. Last time I was in, she gave me this book on writing, and I’m not really sure what to do with it.”