Page 39 of Witch Upon a Star
Kora’s eyebrows went up. But before she could respond, Ghost approached the table again. “Carlos is on his way,” he informed Kora. “Come back to my office so you can talk to him without all this noise. And you two,” he pointed to Starbucks and me, “get back to your date.”
8
STARBUCKS
The store was locked when I approached it the next morning. I was pleased about that, but after a quick peek through the windows, realized it was because Calliope wasn’t here. I’d tried calling her early this morning and then again before I left for the store, but neither got an answer. I tried again now, but still nothing.
So I hopped back on my bike and rode Joe and I to her parents’ house.
I liked Solstice and Marmot. They seemed like good people. I understood their hesitancy about my presence in their daughter’s life, but I had every intention of proving to both themandCalliope that I was here to stay.
There was just enough room for my bike on the side of aVolkswagenvan that was likely older than I was. I didn’t want to block anyone in, but also wasn’t sure who all the vehicles in the driveway belonged to. Since she’d been in my bag for a bit, I pulled Joe out and set her on my shoulder as I approached the door.
Solstice opened it before I could ring the bell. “Star,” she greeted me with a smile. “It’s good to see you again.”
I leaned down to kiss her cheek in greeting. “You, too, Solstice.” It felt wrong to call her by her first name, but she insisted. I wasn’t sure if it was ruder to listen to her or ignore her, so I chose to abide by her wishes. “Is Calliope here?”
“She’s out back. Come on.”
I knew that Calliope’s apiary was in her parents’ backyard. I hadn’t seen it in person, though she’d shown me pictures on our date last night. I wasn’t sure what to expect, really. The idea of her standing in the middle of a bee swarm came to mind, but I hadn’t considered the colder weather.
As Solstice led me through the house and out into the backyard, though, I couldn’t spot Calliope. Numerous columns stood in the distance, some with flat tops and some with A-frame roofs. I saw no person or bees about. The night had been a cold one, and frost still littered the grass like crystals.
“She can spend a long time meditating,” Solstice said as she led me in a different direction than the bee boxes.
“Is something bothering her?” I asked, a little concerned. We were walking towards a dome structure of some sort. It looked like a tepee I’d seen in movies. Three poles protruded from the center, smoke billowing out around them.
As far as I knew, Calliope had a great time last night. After Ghost had taken Kora to his office, we’d talked very little about what had happened and then continued on with our date like it hadn’t been interrupted. She teased me about the lack of veggies on my plate and I teased her about having too many, though I was pleased that her salad came with steak too. At least she got some protein without me needingto sacrifice some of mine—a sacrifice I would have gladly made if it got her to eat more than a rabbit’s dinner.
But food wasn’t something I really had to worry about with Calliope. Not only did she eat her fair share of the appetizer sampler, but she ate her entire salad with steak and bleu cheese,and thenate the ice cream sundae I had Viktor run to grab for her. She put it all away with a smile and without prompting from me. With how small she was, I had to wonder if both her legs were hollow, because I had no idea where else she put it all. She out ateme, and I had a good hundred and twenty pounds of muscle on her.
By the end of the night, I drove her back to her house, moved in to kiss her goodnight with the intent of making it a kiss that would go down in history as the best kiss in the world—only for the front door I had her pressed up against to open and she nearly fell backwards into her father’s arms.
There was a lot I was willing to do to and with her in public. Giving Calliope her first kiss in front of her parents was not one of them.
So after wishing her parents a goodnight, I kissed Calliope on the cheek and told her to call me. With my phone connected to the Bluetooth in my helmet, we talked my entire drive back to the clubhouse and well into the night. When she’d started to fade, I reluctantly hung up the call.
Which was why I’d been surprised she hadn’t answered my calls this morning. Other than our numerous botched attempts to kiss—I really should have just kissed her in the store yesterday after she read her cards, because now it was becoming a thing—I thought it was a great date. Not that I had experience with many that didn’t involve sex. Even without sex, I enjoyed myself immensely, which wassomething I hadn’t thought possible. Which may or may not mean I was evolving.
Score one for Team Darwin.
“I think she’s nervous about the store opening in two days,” her mom answered in a low voice, like she was divulging a secret. “There’s still so much she has to do, and she’s trying to do it all alone?—”
“She’s not alone,” I interjected. “She has me and my club.”
The smile Solstice gave me was approving. “Make sure she knows that, please. I keep telling her she needs to hire an assistant or at least a part-time worker, but she says she can’t afford it. At least, in the beginning.”
“I would never charge her a dime.” In fact, I planned on figuring out how to repay her donation money for the auction, but wasn’t sure how to without insulting her. I didn’t have riches, but I did okay.
I smelled incense closer to the structure. “What is this place?”
“It’s our sweat lodge. Some might call it a smoke hut or a meditation dome.” She shrugged, “Same thing. We use it to increase our meditation. It cleanses, is great for healing, and hones the mind, body, and spirit.”
I paused, reaching up to scratch Joe’s head. “Should we not disturb her then?”
Solstice gave me a small smile. “Normally, I would say ‘no’, but I think in this case, she would welcome the interruption.” She held her hands up. “I’ll take Joe back inside. My Marmot is already cuddling with Oolong. What’s one more snuggle?”
I handed Joe over to her. “Thank you.”
