Page 19 of Violet

“I suppose I should call for a cab.” She sighs. “If I wait for Liam any longer, I’m going to be late.”

Her words conjure up an image of the troll. They also conjure up feelings for the troll. A troll I barely know, except for the few stories Betty shared.

I wrack my brain, but I only remember bits and pieces. How he picked up all her groceries last week and fixed her sink a few weeks back. Oh, and that he likes to read almost as much as Betty. Not that it should matter, since I can’t be with Liam any more than I can be with Cash. It doesn’t matter that they’re my mates. I can’t risk it getting back to them.

“Betty...” I blurt out, before I can change my mind, “there’s something I need to tell you.” Might as well rip the bandage off and tell her I have no plans of going anywhere near Liam.

“Just hold on a minute, Violet.” Betty rummages around in her purse and pulls out her phone. It’s not as ancient as old Violet’s—she’s got a flip phone for emergencies and grumbles any time I suggest getting her a tablet—but at least Betty’s is a smartphone, even if it isn’t all that smart.

I’d probably be stuck with a similar model, a lot of lag and almost no storage, if it wasn’t for Nole. He’d tagged along to the store with me and convinced me not to get the granny phone I’d zeroed in on. Then the sweet bear spent weeks teaching me to use it... while I played a game called What Would Old Violet Do. And what Violet did was grumble, push all the wrong buttons, and insist on printing out the entire phone manual.

Nole never once lost his patience, and those lessons were some of the most fun I’ve had all year. We watched prank videos together to help him come up with ways to get back at his brothers. Then we made social media accounts for Spell Library and brainstormed what to post. But the best part, hands down, was photographing our previous library cat, Handkerchief, and creating the posts that later went viral.

I smile and try to think what Nole and I can do to showcase Stacks the Cat-Dog, when the bear shifter saunters up to the desk.

“I got the hair growth formula from Willow’s, and I picked you up a...” He trails off when I look up.

He does this full-body shake, kind of like a wet pup... or a wet bear. Except his hair is all dry now, and so are his shoes. The only one who’s wet is me.

My reaction to Nole is instantaneous. My eyes widen, and I feel my chameleon magic swirling through me. For close to a year, I’ve managed to handle my attraction to Nole, but apparently those days are gone.

Suddenly, I’m right back to square one. I want to shift. I want to jump the bear shifter’s bones. I want to climb him like a chameleon climbs a tree—the human kind, and the lizard kind.

If the bear shifter was wearing his usual jeans and t-shirt, maybe I could resist him. But shorts, flip-flops, and a sleeveless shirt just aren’t fair!

“Is that a Mood Tea you’ve got there?” Betty asks. Good old Betty, reminding me that I’m an old lady and I need to snap out of it.

“I sure love Mood Teas. Don’t you, Betty, dear?” I ask. Five points.

The drink’s been a huge hit with the Senior’s Book Club, so much so that we’ve renamed the program to Mood Tea and Books. Nothing better than talking about all your most and least favorite scenes while your tea changes color to showcase your mood.

Except isn’t red the color of arousal?

I gape at the Jewels Cafe cup in Nole’s hand. I have a handy bookmark of all the colors and their corresponding emotions, but there’s no possible way Nole is attracted... to an old lady like me.

Wait, was he thinking about Willow? Is that why he took so long at her store, buying that hair growth formula? Was he flirting with her? Are they going out?

“What does red mean again?” Betty asks, still talking about the Mood Tea, which changes from red to a very light pink.

Is that embarrassment? I can’t be sure. What I do know, without a doubt, is that if I took that cup, it’d be green with jealousy. Which it has absolutely no right to be. Not when I look eighty and Nole and I are just coworkers.

“Violet?” Nole’s voice rumbles in his chest. I almost shift on the spot.

I definitely don’t reply or do anything that suggests I’m a normal, functional human being. All I do is stare.

What is with me today? First Liam, then Cash, and now Nole? I really shouldn’t have started reading that reverse harem romance my sister donated, because that book is messing with my head.

“Vi?” Nole prods, his tone laced with worry. “You look kind of flushed.”

“She was looking flushed earlier, too,” Betty says.

I feel a moment’s panic, worried she’ll bring up what happened with Cash. She doesn’t.

“Do you need to sit down?” Nole asks, rushing around the desk. “Here, let me help you.”

He guides me into my chair, his touch warm... tempting. I know he means nothing by it, but my body still responds. I start to feel my magic flicker, and take deep breaths to counter it.

You’re an old lady, Violet, and you need to stay that way, I remind myself. Whatever you do, do not shift!