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“Yikes.” I held up the jar to examine it more closely. “Was not expecting that.”
“How did the two of you do that?” Brooke plucked the honey jar from my hand and hissed. It slipped out of her grasp. Hitting the floor, it shattered into a million splinters. “Sorry. I didn’t realize it was going to be like dry ice.”
“Don’t apologize. I’m still trying to figure out how all this works. I have no idea what will happen next.”
At least it hadn’t rained. I couldn’t afford to lose the time it would take or the deductible from my insurance to replace my inventory. But did this mean I had multiple powers? Or just weather-related ones? Would I eventually be able to control it with practice, or would it continue to happen at random, without any say from me? Were there degrees of strength, and if so, what was the cost? I had so many questions and no answers because my ancestors never bothered to write anything down, assuming an oral history would be sufficient. Thanks, fam.
My grandma steepled her fingers under her chin. “You’re a water sign. It’s possible your power extends to all water-based weather. Rain, snow, ice.”
“What about Wes?”
“Taurus, right?” she asked. He nodded in return. “Earth sign. Lightning commonly strikes from the ground up.” A small smile played on her lips. “Funny how your powers started working the instant you touched each other. Are you sure you were just arguing Saturday night?”
Wes let out a short cough behind me, and I spun around with my hands on my hips. “Is there a reason why you’re here?”
“Actually, I stopped by to see my favorite lady.” He gave my grandma an elaborate hug that ended in a dip. She giggled like a schoolgirl in response. The traitor. “Hello, gorgeous. When are you going to leave Ella and finally agree to run away with me?”
My grandma swatted him on the chest. “You’re too much.”
“And you love it.” He set her on her feet and pressed a kiss to her cheek. The guy oozed charm. If I didn’t hate him so much, I might’ve been amused. “I don’t want to take up your whole morning, but I have a few questions about the legend.”
“Now you care?” I crossed my arms. “Well, too late. We’re busy.”
“You don’t have any customers yet, and I’m on my way out.” Brooke, aka Traitor Number Two, grabbed her empty box off the counter. “I’ve got some cross-pollination experiments to finish up this morning.”
“Hold on, dear. Before you go, there’s something I’d like to try.” My grandma approached Brooke and grabbed her by the wrist. “Can you touch Audrey for me? Right there on her arm is fine.”
Brooke gave me a bemused looked, but complied. Nothing happened. I didn’t know what my grandma had been expecting. From the satisfied expression on her face, she’d gotten whatever information she’d been after, though.
“Thank you.” My grandma squeezed Brooke’s shoulder. “That was all I needed.”
“Okay, then. Goodbye again.” Brooke gave everyone her sunshine smile and headed for the door. “Be nice,” she whispered to me on her way out. “And I need to hear about what happened with Wes on Saturday night.”
“I’ll call you later.”
Be nice, she said. Easier said than done. I didn’t seem to know the meaning of the word around Wes. He had a way of purposely provoking me to bring out my nasty side. Apparently, in more ways than one.
After Brooke left, I turned to my grandma. “What was that all about?”
“Brooke has magic. She probably doesn’t know it, but she felt the earthquake. I think that means something. However, touching you didn’t activate it.” My grandma tilted her head as she shifted her gaze between Wes and me. “Scorpio and Taurus are opposite signs. If I’m not mistaken, and I don’t believe I am, your magic works together. Like a battery with positive and negative charges. You attract, and as a result, energy flows through you.”
I deeply hated how much that made sense. No wonder I hadn’t been able to produce results all week. If I wanted to use my magic, I’d have to do it with Wes. Which was fine. I was an adult. I could handle this without drowning my head in a vat of bleach. Probably.
“Don’t look so disappointed, Baby Teeth.” He gave me a hundred-watt smile, not even bothering to disguise his delight. My misery must’ve been like Christmas morning to him. “Maybe you’ll get the chance to freeze off my balls.”
I perked up. “Finally, a silver lining.”
He chuckled and shook his head. What was he so happy about anyway? This couldn’t have been good news for him either. “Can I buy you a coffee and a cupcake from Capricorn’s?” Wes asked my grandma, completely ignoring the daggers I shot at him. “Gretchen put out the lemon poppy seed ones you favor, and I told her to set one aside for me.”
“That would be lovely.” My grandma fluttered her lashes. Good grief. Was blood no longer a sacred form of loyalty? “Maybe Audrey could join us. She can fill in the blanks on the legend that I’ve forgotten over the years.”
No one knew more about the legend than my grandma, and she had a mind like a steel trap. I could smell the setup from a mile away. Probably because it was so rotten. “I’d love to, but I’ve got a business to run.”
“That’s no problem. Wes can bring you a caramel latte when we’re finished, then the two of you can talk for a bit. Isn’t that right, dear?” She patted his arm.
“Yes, ma’am.” He beamed at her, fully aware that he was being maneuvered.
She clapped her hands. “It’s settled then. Wes will be back in about an hour.”
