Page 51 of Bewitched & Bewildered
What should I do?
Rowan
Call a repair person.
Juniper
Lol thanks.
Can we afford it?
Rowan
Nope.
Laurel
DON’T WORRY! Laurel to the rescue.
I know a guy!
I’ll send someone your way. Xx
I shouldn’t trust Laurel with something like this, and I don’t. I spend half an hour scouring witchlist for someone who will do the work for free or afavor.
No bites, at least not from anyone who will know what to do. A few creeps contact me, but I swiftly block them.
At last, heavy footsteps enter the shop. I should have had more faith in my sister.
I lift my head, offering the patron a warm smile. “Sorry about?—”
Ozan stands in the doorway with a tool belt and toolbox. He wears a brown work jacket, and his hair is in disarray. I let my gaze linger longer than I should, wandering over the pink hue lighting up his face.
“—the cold.” I gulp.
OZAN
I haven’t seen the Hawthorne sisters around my shop—minus Juniper in disguise—since they opened their apothecary. Some popped in beforehand. Maple was kind enough to buy some herbs, and we had a lovely conversation about her rosemary bread.
The youngest sister, Laurel, is the last person I expect to come in. My greeting is more of a grimace than a smile. I can’t help but worry she’s here to flirt with me again.
The worry disappears when I see the dazed, urgent look she wears.
“There’s an emergency,” she says.
“What is it?” I quickly come out from behind the counter. My lips tug into a frown. “Did something happen to Juniper?”
She nods vigorously.
“Whathappened?” I ask urgently.
A smile plays on Laurel’s lips—the first sign it may not be all that serious. My shoulders drop.
“The heating at the shop broke.” Her frazzled nature fades. “She asked for your help.”
Whatever she’s planning, it seems more suspicious as the moments pass. Juniper and I have been talking more lately, and I would even say we’ve been civil… but I doubt she wants my help with this—or with anything.
“Juniper wantsmyhelp?” I scoff. “I doubt that.”
