Page 23 of The Rainbow Recipe
Accustomed to her mother’s bursts of wrath over perceived injustices, Evie unhooked Honey, the golden retriever, inside the Psychic Solutions shop, then scratched Psycat’s head. The Siamese offered a disdainful snort and returned to watching the world go by from the bay window.
Taking the flyer from her mother, Evie edged Mavis from behind the counter. “Go eat lunch and tell Gertie all about it.”
“Read it.” Mavis dusted a scattering of dried herbs off her rainbow-hued caftan and marched toward the door. “It applies to you too. I’ll have a word or two with Larraine about this.”
Since the recount had gone in Larraine’s favor, the newly-elected mayor was up to her eye sockets learning her new job, her old one, and the endless supply of journalists cruising Afterthought these days, Evie figured a one-on-one with Larraine wasn’t happening soon.
As per habit, she turned on the TV weather and got out the feather duster. Standing still was not in her wheelhouse. She only worked the shop counter to cover Mavis while she ate lunch and ran errands. Beating back the dust and spiders so as not to drive off tourists was a side effect. Her mother wasn’t much on noticing grime—probably because she refused to wear glasses.
Leaping down from the window and up to the counter, Psycat meowed a complaint and knocked the flyer to the floor.
“Really? You too?” she asked the cat. Her cousin had attempted to teach the Siamese communication. It had worked a little too well and hadn’t exactly led to obedience.
Psy’s hiss very much sounded likeyes.
“I’m being trolled all over the internet. Jax is practically living with his patent lawyers. Everyone is expecting a huge Thanksgiving dinner but Pris isn’t here to cook—and you want me to dive into my mother’s fights?”
Psy crossed his paws and glared. Cats made lousy conversationalists. Evie swiped the paper off the floor and glanced at the headline.
TOWN COUNCIL TO VOTE ON LICENSING LAW
Licensing, right. She set the paper on the counter and listened to the gloomy weather forecast while she dusted off the collection of crystals and tourist junk on the shelves. It was probably time to give the crystals a good wash. She hadn’t done that last spring. She’d been too involved in hunting the villain who’d killed Loretta’s parents. At least those ghosts had been more communicative than Kit-Kat.
Her own personal haunt had returned to Evie after la Bella Gente had closed up last night. Speak of the devil—a pale aura developed over the flyer.
“I get it,” Evie told the spirit. “You like company. You like parties. Unfortunately, I don’t drink and noisy parties put me on sensory overload. And I have work to do.”
The ghost’s aura of sorrow added a layer of anger. Kit-Kat had a short fuse.
Loretta popped in carrying her lunch bag. “You talking to ghosts again? This one doesn’t give off much wiggly air.” She settled into the window seat with Psycat.
The kid was trying to see spirits but hadn’t quite got the knack yet.
“You decided I was lonely and needed company?” Evie handed her the flyer. “Tell me if I need to rant.”
“I need a permission slip to stay after school and work on a math project.” Evie’s eleven-year-old precocious ward studied the flyer while nibbling her peanut butter apple.
Evie rummaged in Loretta’s backpack for the permission slip. “Does that mean you won’t be walking home with your friends? Do I need to pick you up?”
“I’m old enough to walk by myself,” Loretta argued as she perused the flyer.
“It gets dark early.” Loretta knew why she couldn’t roam alone. Evie didn’t remind her. She signed the permission slip and memorized the day and time she needed to pick her up.
“Huh.” Loretta read the paper while digging out her cheese and crackers. “I bet Aunt Mavis doesn’t like this.”
“Putting it mildly. Pris said something about this earlier. Licenses are just like another tax, right?” Evie returned the flyer to the counter and opened the register to tally the day’s take.
“You didn’t even read it. Does Jax know about this? Can he fight it?” Loretta opened her phone and punched buttons.
Despite trying to look like her idol, Hermione of Harry Potter fame, Loretta resembled no one but herself. Shoulder length dark hair, large purple-framed glasses for her indigo eyes, and slight build simply saidkid.Which was far better than the too-adult nerd in private school uniform she’d been last spring.
With a sigh, Evie glanced at the paper again. “It still isn’t saying whatlicensingmeans.”
“For one, you have to apply for approval. That means you have to tell them what kind of business you are. And maybe how much money you make?”
Ahhhh...Got it. “How did you get so smart?” Evie wrote down the tally for the bank deposit and picked up the paper again. “I’m guessingpsychicandsolutionsaren’t on the approved list of businesses?”
Before Loretta could answer, Jax sauntered in. He might attempt cool and calm, but her lawyer man did uptight anger well. Evie didn’t have to read his aura to know he was bristling. He caught the direction of her question immediately.
