Page 18 of Witch Upon a Star
While I didn’t really need her to, she still held the ladder steady for me as I drilled the screws through the brackets that connected the units to each other and the wall. She’d gotten the exact right size shelves to fit four of them between two inner-wall columns. Had that been dumb luck, her witchy powers, or had she actually done her homework and measured prior to ordering?
I was just about to insert the last screw through the brace when her head whipped around over her shoulder. I thought at first that something had happened with Oolong and Joe, but both were curled up on a pillow Calliope had on her countertop. I loved Joe, but damn was she a moody bitch. She liked to fuck with Keys, which was hilarious because he was convinced that my cat was plotting his demise. My warning to Joe not to eat Oolong had been real, because I honestly hadn’t been sure how she would react to meeting the bearded dragon.
Turned out, she loved him. Like really loved him. Almost immediately the two of them had started rubbing up againsteach other, and Joe licked his entire orange body. Oolong treated Joe like she was his first and only love. I was dreading separating the two of them when my hours were up.
With them sound asleep, I had no idea what had drawn Calliope’s attention until she spoke. “My phone’s about to ring. Are you okay up there?”
I hadn’t even had a chance to open my mouth to reply before AC/DC’sWitch’s Spellrang across the room. My eyebrows shot up, more from her music choice than the fact that she’d predicted her phone would ring before it had rung.
“I’ll be fine,” I told her. I didn’t add that, with my height, I wasn’t actually that high off the ground. If something crazy happened and the ladder started to fall, I could just jump down.
Calliope headed over to her phone. A part of me wondered about the timing. Had she told someone to call at this time so she could ‘predict’ it?
She picked up the phone, moving her long brunette hair to her other shoulder as she did. “Mr. Nguon, hi. Thank you so much for getting back to me.”
I turned back to the shelf, but then realized I couldn’t drill without potentially disturbing her call. I’d wait a minute to continue.
“Yes,” she continued. “I just wanted to make sure that that number was accurate before I put the order through.”
I turned again, curious at the note of nervous anticipation in her voice. From my spot on the ladder, I watched as she bit her thumbnail as she listened to whatever was being said to her on the phone. She was tense, but like a volcano of excitement waiting to erupt.
Suddenly she smiled, exclaiming, “Absolutely!” Her body started to shimmy back and forth, and I swore I saw her physically have to push her joy down so she kept a modicum of professionalism in her voice. “Thank you so much, Mr. Nguon. I will get it packed up first thing tomorrow morning and my dad will have it delivered by noon.” She paused, her cheeks flushing at the reply from the other end of the phone. “Right. Um, check is fine. I know it’s a bit old fashioned, but trust me, it’ll be a lot easier doing it that way than trying to hand my dad a credit card to run.” She laughed, and the sound reminded me of wind chimes. “I appreciate your business. Thanks again!”
I watched as Calliope hung up the phone and placed the device on the counter. There was a solid ten seconds where she just stood there—and then she let out a shriek of excitement, startling both me and our pets. She jumped up and down, threw her arms up in the air, and swayed her hips in what could only be described as a Happy Dance.
Mesmerized, I put the drill down—the last bracket still loose—and descended the ladder to approach her. Her happiness was palpable, and I realized for the first time thatthiswas Calliope Hutchins. Not the shy woman I’d met on Saturday and who had greeted me at the door.This, right here, was the vivacious, excitable, and passionate woman she truly was.
And she was glorious.
I was nothing more than a moth to her flame as I approached, completely captivated by her celebration. I didn’t even want to join in with her. Merely witnessing it was fulfilling on its own. I didn’t want it to stop.
She either sensed my approach or glimpsed me, becausesuddenly she froze. Like a deer in the headlights, she became a statue with her arms still up, her mouth open, and her legs spread mid-dance. I suddenly felt like an intruder, and kicked myself for staring so openly as she closed down again before my eyes.
I hated it. Watching her fold these exquisite pieces of herself back up, hiding them from not only me but also the world. She straightened, ducking her head and hunching her shoulders. Like a student standing before the principal. How few people got to see this side of her? The uninhibited, incredible creature she buried.
Why? What had happened to her that she felt she had to hide such a monumental part of herself? I wondered if it was an ex, a man who thought he could tame her, to dim her light. If so, the fucker was dead. I’d hunt him down, string him up by his balls, and beat him within an inch of his life before leaving him out for the vultures to finish off.
Cheeks flushing, she opened her mouth, and a flash of anger took over me. She was about to apologize. To fuckingapologizefor being her?
“Don’t you fucking dare,” I snapped, unable to stop myself. She jerked back, eyes wide, and I cursed myself for not having a better hold on my anger. I took a deep breath and a step back so she didn’t think I was crowding her. Softer, I said, “I just meant, no apology is necessary. Who was that on the phone that had you so excited?”
Her light brown eyes glanced to the counter, where Oolong and Joe watched her in open fascination. Something pinched inside my chest, and I realized I was fuckingjealousof my cat. “Um, that was my first bulk order. He wants over fiftyjars!”
She wasn’t able to keep the smile from her face, and I wondered how the fuck I could have ever thought this woman wasplain. I was a fucking moron.
“Jars of what?” I inquired. I wanted to keep her talking, keep her smiling.
“My honey.”
And because I was a fucking bastard, my brain immediately went somewhere dirty with that answer. Thankfully, she kept talking and explained what she meant, but that did not keep my cock from twitching in my pants.
“I’m a beekeeper. Normally, I just distribute honey to my neighbors and sell at farmer’s markets, but I recently got my commercial license. And I made a website,” she added, her eyes going wide. “Just before you got here, I got my first bulk order. I thought it was a mistake. Thinking he meant to orderfiveand notfifty, but it was real!” Her hips started to swivel again, rocking back and forth in quick movements. “I got my first bulk order!” she repeated, throwing her arms up in the air again.
I had to lock my knees to keep myself from going to her, from taking her in my arms and spinning her around as she clung to me. Bringing me into her world and excitement.
“Congratulations.” The word seemed so bland, not historic enough, but I still meant it. Not only was she building something new with this store but she was expanding her business. “I didn’t realize you were a beekeeper, too.”
She nodded, practically bouncing on her toes. “I’ve been doing it since I was a teen. Local farms call on me to bring them my bees to help pollinate their crops, and people call me when they need a hive moved. Bees are misunderstoodcreatures, and so many people don’t realize how vital they are to our ecosystem.”
