Page 6 of Brews and Banishments
“You’re kidding.”
Tessa shook her head, speaking through a mouthful of food. “Seriously,” she said. “There wasn’t even aline.Isn’t that crazy? At first,” she paused to take another bite of her sandwich, the creamy aioli slipping down the corner of her lip, “I thought something else was going on in town, but when is there ever anything going on in Willowbrook?”
Daisy leaned back in her chair. They were eating their early lunch in Daisy’s office, the door pushed wide open with a doorstop to keep a close eye on the front door. Ronald’s sandwich shop was usually packed full of people by that point in the day, the lunch rush spanning from early in the morning all the way until three in the afternoon. Daisy hadn’t expected to see Tessa for at least an hour, but she had arrived back atFields’ Herbalsright when the mess behind the counter had been cleaned up.
Daisy glanced out the door, her eyes stuck on the spot where the green potion had once been spilled. There wasn’t a bit of itleft on the floor - Daisy made certain to clean up every last drop. And yet, she had the nagging sensation of someone watching her. For extra safety, Daisy lit one of her smudging sticks that was full of dried sage and brushed the smoke all around the counter before letting it burn beside the front door. The act was meant to comfort her, and to remove the remnants of that strangely peculiar smell, but all of it remained. The smell and her anxiety.
She shuddered.
“What’s got you so quiet?”
Daisy blinked, turning her attention back to Tessa. “I’m not quiet.”
“Sure,” Tessa teased. “If you’re not quiet, thenI’mnot clumsy.”
“Well, that’s just an outright lie.”
Tessa lowered her sandwich, leaning forward to place a steady hand over Daisy’s knee. “Seriously,” she said, “what’s going on? You seem off. Did something happen?”
Daisy hesitated. There wasn’t much either one of them could do in regards to the mysterious potion, other than worry over it. Daisy gave her friend the widest smile she could muster. The last thing she wanted was to make her worry about something out of their hands. Besides, the note seemed pretty obviously aimed towards Daisy. What if telling Tessa about it meant bringing her into the fold, having the same peculiar fate fall upon her? She wouldn’t dare to do such a thing if she had a say in the matter.
“Ethan came into the shop after you left.”
Tessa gaped. “You don’t meanEthan,Ethan, do you?”
“What Ethan are you talking about?”
“Do you mean money broker Ethan, or lawyer and divorced single dad Ethan?”
Daisy burst into laughter, her half-eaten sandwich almost falling off her lap. “I meant the latter, Tess.”
She squealed, throwing her food onto the small desk and leaping into the air. Her short, pixie cut hair bounced as she danced around, her excitement causing the floor to shake and creak beneath her feet.
Daisy could only watch, moving her food onto the desk as well. “I don’t know what’s got you so excited,” she finally said. “He ordered tea and left. If anything, he might not come back another time.”
Tessa frowned, pausing with her arms up in the air above her head. “What makes you say that?” She fell back into her seat, eyes narrowing. “What’d you do?”
“I didn’t do anything!”
Tessa raised a slender brow, her head tilting. “Then why don’t I believe you?” She crossed her arms. “You know, Daisy, Iama very skilled empath, and -”
“Oh, here we go again!”
“What? I am an empath!”
Daisy chuckled. “You’rehardlyan expert. I thought just last week you were going over your studies in that particular skill!”
Tessa pressed her lips together before falling back into her seat. “You know what my empath skills are telling me?”
“I wouldn’t have a clue.”
Tessa reached into the brown paper bag from Ronald’s shop and pulled out two takeaway boxes. She placed one down on Daisy’s lap. “That I got you a surprise. Open it up!”
Daisy eyed her. “You didn’t have to get me anything special, Tess.”
“Just open it!”
Popping open the seal, Daisy peered into the white box and gaped. In the box were two neatly sliced pieces of cherry pie. The red filling held itself within the slices, not falling over the bottom of the box or making a mess. They were perfect and large, just how Daisy preferred them. Her mother used to bake pies forthe entire neighborhood, and she would let them rest on the windowsill, the sweet smell of ripe fruits mixed with sugar filling the spring air. Cherries were always her favorite.
