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And I made sure to blow out the tea light before I left the room.
After debating outside my closed bedroom door for a minute, I ducked back inside and took the little candle downstairs with me, just in case.
Chapter Seven
I was shoulder deep inside a cardboard box when the newly repaired bell over the door chimed, and I had to fight back a frustrated groan.
It wasn’t that I wasn’t grateful that the store was having a busy day, not at all. It was just that the order I’d been waiting on had finally come in. But I still had to sort through it all, and make sure everything I needed was there. Not something easily done with a store full of customers. Not to mention the enormous list of potions I had to start brewing for the store, and for the festival, and on top of all of that, I had yet another list of personalized orders to make for customers who’d come in and pre-ordered while the shelves were bare.
Unfortunately, it seemed like every time I started to make any kind of headway, another customer would come in needing attention. And I’d have to slap on a smile and see if I could help them, or if they were just looking.
I’d just finished up helping a lady who’d lost a battle with a stubborn rose bush. She ended up purchasing a potion infused bandage that would speed up the healing of the dozen stinging little cuts in her left hand. Just as I was ringing her up, my phone rang and Finn’s name popped up on the call display.
It was barely lunchtime, and it was odd for Finn to call me from school. With my bad dream still lingering in my thoughts, I said a quick goodbye to the lady and immediately answered Finn’s call.
“What is it, what’s wrong?” I tried to keep the low drum of panic out of my voice, but I was clutching my phone case hard enough that the plastic creaked.
“Hey, Mom,” Finn said, in a relaxed voice that was very different from the tense, unhappy one from my nightmare—so much so that I actually managed a shaky breath of relief. “Is it okay if I go to Marty’s after school? We were going to play video games, and I forgot to ask you this morning before school.”
I sagged against the counter, letting it take my weight. That was another thing to be relieved about. Finn and Marty, in spite of everything, had kept up their friendship. And that was something I was really grateful for. And I think Marty was too because despite their age difference, Finn and he were pretty close. Maybe because, at heart, Marty was a big kid. It was one of the things I liked best about him, and I’d loved it that he genuinely enjoyed Finn’s company.
“Of course,” I told Finn, feeling lighter than before. “Just make sure you’re home for dinner.”
“Okay, thanks, Mom,” he said before hanging up.
I slipped my phone back into my pocket, glad I hadn’t let the ‘Say hi to Marty for me’ that had been on the tip of my tongue slip free. Marty had asked for space, and I was going to give it to him. If he was reaching out to Finn, then that was awesome. And if that was as much as he could do for a while, well, it was something.
I swallowed the lump in my throat, blinking to clear my eyes. I missed Marty, missed my friend. But I kept that sadness to myself, because whatever he needed from me, I was going to give him.
Between customers and sorting the shipment from an unfamiliar supply company, I lost all track of time. When I finally glanced at my phone again, I realized I was going to have to pack up and go if I had any chance of getting home and making some kind of dinner for Finn and myself. Just as I was reaching for my coat and keys and looking around in dismay at how much work there was still left to do, my phone buzzed in my hand.
Finn had sent me a text.Is it ok if I stay for dinner? We’re ordering pizza, followed by a bunch of pizza emojis, and one of a person drooling.
Guilt wrestled with gratitude, but gratitude won. If Finn had plans for dinner, it meant I could stay at the store and try to power through some of the backlog.
So, I sent Finn a text telling him that was fine.
Another one buzzed through about four seconds later.Cool.Marty says he’ll drive me home later.
I let out a breath, and sent him back a thumbs up emoji. I was glad they were having a good time, and it did help me out. I still had so much to do. But I’d miss having dinner with Finn. Lately it felt like that was the only time we saw each other.
A couple hours later, and I was standing in the center of an absolute mess. My hair had long since started to fall out of the bun I’d pulled it back into, blond strands hanging in my face while I tried to reconcile all the lists I had and the shipping inventory.
Behind me, someone knocked on the door.
I sighed, my shoulders slumping. I’d closed the shop a little while ago, hoping that without the influx of customers, I might actually be able to make some headway. But it seemed like all I was doing was making more chaos.
I figured I might as well let them in. But when I turned around to face the glass, it wasn’t a customer at all. Wanda was waiting at the door, one hand on her hip as she gave me a look that warned me I’d better open up if I didn’t want a hexed door. I hurried over and unlocked the door, as a spike of panic shot up my spine, leaving my fingertips tingling.
“What’s wrong? I didn’t forget a meeting, did I?”
Wanda turned to face me, one brow taking on a scathing arch as she gave me a pointed once over.
“Maybe you should switch to decaf,” she said as she slid past me and headed for where the shipping boxes were still sprawled out on the floor.
“So, I… didn’t forget a meeting.”
“I would have let you know if you had,” Wanda drawled. She picked up one of the vials of essential oils, and her nose wrinkled up in distaste.
