Page 14 of Which Witch Is Wicked?
Claire snorted and shook her head. Leave it to Aerin to describe pregnancy in that manner. “No, she’s not going to die. She just needs some extra rest, and she’ll be fine. Why don’t you give her a call, and she’ll reassure you.”
“Don’t you worry none. She’ll be just fine.” Moira added. “Better yet, you sit yourself down, and let me bring you a cup of tea. Tierra’s been teaching me all kinds of brews, and we’re officially giving you a paid day off.”
“Really?” Sunny glanced between them, her lips twisting into a smile that reduced the stress in her features. “That would be like…amazing.”
“You’ve been working hard.” Aerin made a shooing gesture. “Go relax your shit. We’ll handle everything from here. I’ll start with inventory.”
Aerin headed toward the backroom as Moira made her way to the counter. Claire remained behind. “I’m curious, Sunny. Have we had any issues with panhandlers or hobos here at the shop?”
Sunny’s usually bright expression fell, leaving behind signs of worry and stress. “I would say no because that’s not really a problem here in Port Townsend. But…”
“What is it?” Claire could sense her hesitation.
“People are hurting, Claire. I’ve noticed. Others have, too. More sick people. Others losing jobs. Things like that. And this morning, we did have an old man come in here.”
“Dirty white sweatshirt?”
Sunny nodded.
“What did he want? Did you give him anything?”
“Maybe just to get warm? He looked around for a bit, but when I approached to ask if I could assist him, he left.” She shifted her stance.
“Crazy, weird eyes, though. Gave me the chills.”
Claire nodded, similar unsettled feelings churning inside. “Thanks. Hopefully he found what he needed somewhere else. And thanks, too, for handling everything here. One of the smartest things Tierra did was to hire you.”
“Uh…thanks.” Sunny glanced away as though Claire’s compliment embarrassed her. “I’m going to go help Moira before she wrecks everything.”
Claire moved to the front door and glanced outside, looking for the signs of misfortune Sunny had mentioned. The Mexican restaurant that had been opened when she’d first arrived in Port Townsend had closed, along with a shop that carried knickknacks and souvenirs. And of course, the shops Nicholas Kingswood had run out of business.
Thank God Aerin and her attorneys had tied up that acquisition.
Other than those few things and an overhanging cloud of impending doom, things didn’t seem that far out of the ordinary.
With a sigh, she turned and walked toward the storage room.
Inside, shelves of neatly stacked teas occupied one wall. Pots and jars of herbs and other potion ingredients lined another. Aerin had an electronic tablet already in hand, counting and entering supply information.
“Tierra really knows her stuff,” Claire said, looking around.
“She knows the production part, and I know marketing. We’re going to make a killing with this endeavor.” Aerin flicked a quick glance in her direction. “We’ve already seen an uptake in general potions and brews for things like boils and depression. I’m sure as conditions continue to worsen, demand will skyrocket.”
“So we’re capitalizing on the impending Apocalypse that apparently we’ve created? Doesn’t seem right.” She unzipped her leather jacket and tossed it on a workbench.
“Wedid not create this. What we’re doing will help those affected by this travesty. Make sure you keep the blame and the support in proper perspective.” Aerin turned from the stock in front of her and gave Claire a warm smile.
“You’re right. None of us asked for this, and the best thing we can do is try to help those in need. I’m at your service. What do you need me to do?”
Aerin paused. “Who I really need is Sunny. She’s going to be able to make much more sense of some of this than I can. Would you mind enlisting her help?”
“No problem. I’ll be right back.” With a heavy heart, Claire reentered the shop, glancing across the quaint setting in search of purple dreadlocks and bright eyes. When she couldn’t find her, she made her way to the counter where Moira studied a canister with a frown.
“Sunny says I screwed up the brew.” Moira set down the container and picked up another. “I swore Tierra said rose petals.”
“Did Sunny leave?” If she had a day off, she certainly wouldn’t stick around.
“In the office,” Moira said absentmindedly.
