Page 1 of They Were Broom-Mates

Chapter one

The cathedral stood on a hill just outside of town, towering over everything like a solemn sentinel. Amelie stepped out of the car, thanking the driver as he unloaded her things. As the cab pulled away, she grabbed her phone from the back pocket of her jeans and punched in her brother’s number.

As per usual, he answered on the first ring, but Amelie knew better than to expect a greeting. So, instead she launched right into what she had called him about.

“Hey Ro, did the new baker show up?”

“Yup.”

Her brother’s monotone grumpiness had her rolling her eyes as she snapped her fingers, activating the locomotion spell on her trunk, allowing it to float gently next to her as she made her way up the driveway.

“Isn’t she just so sweet?” Amelie gushed. Even her curmudgeon of a brother had to admit that much; it was impossible not to like the new girl.

“No. I mean, she’s fine, adequate.”

“Adequate?” Amelie felt the corner of her lip draw up in a sneer. She rarely made faces, but there were some things that only a sibling could pull from you.

“I hope you aren’t being rude to her,” Amelie scolded as she reached the gate to the main property. As if sensing her presence, the towering, gothic gates creaked open, slowly inward on their own.

“She is so nice,” Amelie continued, stepping over the threshold and officially onto the property.

“I thought she could bring some sunshine to the shop. Well, not sunshine.” Amelie shrugged as she made her way up the circular driveway to the massive front doors. “Since she’s a vampire and all, but you know what I mean. Balance out all your seriousness.”

“Amelie, please tell me you didn’t hire her based on her personality. We need someone who can get the work done efficiently, not someone who is always smiling. This is a hard job! Did you even check her references to see if she could bake?”

Amelie winced at the question. No… When she’d been called to fill the position at the cathedral, she’d only had less than 48 hours to find her bakery replacement. She would feel bad if Rowan hadn’t taught her everything she knew. She was confident that he could do the same for Sadie.

Probably…

“Stop worrying,” Amelie sidestepped the question. “She’ll be great. I can sense it. Just give her a chance to prove herself. You’ll love her once you get to know her.”

Rowan started to respond, but just then the front door swung open, and an elderly woman walked out, a welcoming smile on her face.

“You must be Amelie.” The woman’s hair was peppered with white and gray, and a pair of round spectacles sat atop her nose.

Amelie shoved her phone into her shoulder and extended her hand with a smile. “I am.”

Her brother’s voice continued on the phone, and while she didn’t quite catch exactly what he was saying, Amelie sensed his anxiousness to get off the phone. Pulling her cell back up to her ear, Amelie nodded apologetically to the woman.

“Sorry, Ro. I gotta go; I just got to the property.”

“It’s fine. I gotta go, Ames. I’ll text you later.”

Amelie grinned and hummed as Rowan hung up the phone, placing hers in the back pocket of her jeans.

“Sorry about that.” Amelie continued. “Family stuff, you know.”

The woman smiled kindly and shook her head.

“Of course.” Dusting her hands off on her apron, the woman reached into her pocket and pulled out a transportation stone.

“Now that you’re here, I have to get back to my post.”

Amelie’s smile dropped from her face as she realized that the woman was planning on leaving her all by herself immediately.

“Wait,” Amelie held up her hand just as the woman began to trace the runes on the stone with her thumb. Luckily, she paused, waiting for Amelie to continue.

“I um-” Amelie laughed nervously. “Can you show me the ropes first?”