Page 95 of Bewitched & Bewildered
Aside from Aspen. Our middle sister is so happy that she barely responds to our texts.
I don’t need to keep taking care of them. It’s time to take care of myself. As much as Laurel’s words hurt me, she was right. I’m nobody’s mother.
“I think we should shut down the apothecary,” I say.
It feels surprisingly freeing to admit it aloud. The guilt I’m expecting doesn’t come. Instead, my smile grows. I must look positively chaotic.
Their eyes are all wide with alarm. Even Timber looks at me with his head cocked to the side.
“Why?” Rowan asks. “I thought we already had this talk.”
“Last time, I was whining, but I mean it this time.” I sitat the table and pick up a large orange, slipping my fingers under the peel.
“What changed?” Maple asks.
“Nothing,” I say. “That’s the problem. Ineedsomething to change, but I don’t know what—and I can’t figure it out, no matter how many times I look at it. That feeling of success, happiness, and excitement for the shop never came to me. I never wanted to run it.”
“It came for me.” Laurel smiles sadly. “But it wasn’t about the shop, I guess. It was my readings.”
“You can keep running the shop,” I say. “You would be good at it.”
“No. Definitely not.” Laurel shakes her head. “I don’t want to be theboss. I just want to read tarot.”
“You can do that outside of the shop,” Maple says. “We’ll set up a room for you right here.”
“That would be nice…” Laurel still looks glummer than I feel. I try not to let it elicit guilt.
“I get it,” Rowan says. “And I agree. I don’t think we should keep forcing it if it’s not working. It’s not what Mom would want.”
“But would she want us to shut it down?” My smile falters. “Would she be disappointed?”
I’m questioning myself. There’s no way of knowing what Mom would want. We could take out Laurel’s cards, but I don’t think asking her to channel our mother’s spirit is fair.
I need my sisters to support me and comfort me. Ineedto know they’re on the same page and won’t hate me for making this decision.
And I can’t keep being afraid to ask for love.
“She wouldn’t be,” Maple says. “She’s happy as long as we’re happy. That’s what I think.”
I drop the orange peel onto my plate. “The town doesn’t need us. That’s a big factor here.”
“It can’t still be about the other apothecary.” Laurel leans in and fixes me with a serious look. “You can’t let him stop you from doing what you want. That’s not very six of cups of him.”
“I’m not.” I smile wryly. “But because of him, I don’t have to force myself to do this. I’m glad someone else is taking care of the town. It’s… not his fault.”
The words have always been true, but it’s my first time saying them. It was hard to see it that way when Ozan’s apothecary first opened. I was still clinging to the past. I’m not now.
That must be why I feel so free.
“What are you going to do now?” Rowan is the realistic sister, and she poses the most obvious question. “For work, that is.”
“I… well…” I laugh. The sound is surprising to everyone around the table, I think, considering the look they exchange. “I don’t know what I’ll do next, but that’s what I need right now. I want to sit in confusion for a while.”
“You’re right,” Maple says. “You’ve been on the go for as long as I can remember. I tried to tell you at the start.”
Maple is correct, but I still can’t acknowledge the words with more than a simple nod.
After a moment of silence, Laurel sighs. “I don’t get it!”
