Page 48 of My Blind Date is a Demon

“No need to apologize,” I say, walking up to the counter. “Sounded like she really needed your help.”

“Yeah. Well, I can’t talk about it.”

“Understood.”

“So, what’s up?”

“Not much,” I say. “Well, sorry. I’m just used to saying that. But you know I have a lot going on.”

“Yeah. Hi, Damon.” She gives him a wave. He is still looking at the shelves, which makes me think he probably does use skin and face creams, he just doesn’t want to admit it.

“Hello, Sophia.”

“Well, I was just checking in,” I say. “Wondering if you or Jacob or Beverly had any ideas about Damon or Bella?”

“No,” she says, shaking her head. “I’m afraid not. But I haven’t had much time to help out. You should just talk to Beverly or Jacob about it. It’s the slow season here in the shop, but that’s when I’m the busiest brewing up new stock, so I’ve had my hands full.”

“Yeah? Got anything good I should try?”

“Oh, you are interested?” She dips behind the counter and brings up a tray of potions. They are hidden from plain sight so that tourists don’t see them. But for us locals, even us mundane ones, Sophia brings them out.

“Maybe. Depending on what you got.”

“Well, what ails you? Other than having a demon attached to you?” Sophia laughs, setting the tray on the countertop with a variety of bottles, each filled with shimmering liquids of different colors.

“Well, I had a good meeting with my therapist today,” I say. “I think…” I have to take a breath for a moment. “I think I might be ready to…to move on, you know? Let go of some of my guilt and grief.”

“Oh, honey,” Sophia says, putting her hand on mine. “I’m so proud of you. “Okay, let’s see what we have.” She picks up a bottle with a long neck, the liquid inside blue as a dark night. “This is one of my favorites. Twilight moonbeams, perfect for relaxation.” She tips the bottle over, showing the blue swirl around with shimmering silver. “One sip and all your worries and any tension in your muscles just melt away. It comes off first as a cooling, tingling sensation. It also has the lovely side effect of sweet dreams.”

“Oh,” I say, mesmerized by the movement of the liquid in the bottle. “That sounds nice.”

“Oh, here is a new one,” Sophia pipes up, picking up a short, fat jar with an inky purple liquid. “Mallard weed brew is an extremely effective antidote to almost any poison.”

“I’m not sure I need that one,” I say. “I don’t think anyone is trying to poison me, just curse me.”

“Well, you have a kid. They are always putting things in their mouths.”

“That is true, but I think Bella has grown out of the putting random things in her mouth stage, at least, I hope she has.”

“This might be more what you are looking for, though,” Sophia says, picking up a heart-shaped bottle with yellow liquid. “Willow bloom potion for a broken heart. This potion offers relief from any emotional baggage that may be bogging you down or holding you back from moving on. This potion will not cause you to forget your lost loved one, but it will replace all those feelings of suffering or melancholy with happy memories of your time together. It can also heal emotional wounds that may be holding you back. Of course, we do learn difficult, but important lessons from losing people who were once important to us. So, it is important to note that willow bloom potion for a broken heart does not cause you to lose any revelations, or intelligence, or insights that you may have gained from the experience. It only helps negate any suffering that may be holding you back from living your life in a positive way.”

“That sounds…perfect,” I say, reaching for the bottle. “I mean, I don’t want to ever forget my husband, but if I could just, you know, hurt less when I think about him, that would be great.”

Sophia starts to hand it over, but Damon pulls my hand back. “Hold on there.”

“What?” I ask, wondering why he doesn’t want me to take the potion. Does he not want me to get over my husband?

“I mean, it sounds wonderful. But we are already struggling with the issue of multiple spells overlapping. We don’t know how that could interact with everything else you have going on.”

“That’s…true,” I say sadly. Sophia pouts and puts the potion back in the box. “Well, hopefully, Beverly and Jacob will have answers for us soon. Then maybe I can try it out.”

“I’ll put it aside for you,” Sophia says with a wink.

“Thanks,” I say. “I’ll talk to you later.”

“Good luck!” she calls as we leave the shop.

“I’m sure your therapist would be happy with your sudden commitment to change,” Damon says as we get in the car, “but I’m sure even she would not want you to risk causing more damage to yourself.”

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