Page 48 of Witch Upon a Star
The last customer didn’t leave until after midnight, almost an hour after when I was scheduled to close. A good amount of my family was still around, most slumped over in whatever seats they could find, but I only had eyes for one man.
As soon as I flipped the lock and turned my door sign to Closed, Starbucks swooped me up in his arms and spun me around in a circle. I clung to his neck, holding tight andthanking the gods that I was possessive enough over this man to bid on his auction when I wasn’t supposed to.
“Congratulations, Winnie.”
“I still can’t believe it!” I hadnotexpected that sort of turnout. Business in the bookstore had been declining recently. Dosia had been working her ass off to bring it back up in the short time since she’d taken it over again. I had no idea what the town would think of my New Age store, but if tonight was any indication, they loved it!
I got to see Paige tonight too. She was interested in holding an acupressure class here and even talked about working part time next year once her youngest started going to preschool.
“Believe it, Calliope.” I felt his lips against my neck. “You were amazing tonight!”
Slowly, he set me down. Like all of the club tonight, he was wearing his cut. Keys would be coming by in the morning to set me up with a new security system. Apparently any business affiliated with the club got one, and while my store wasn’t a club business, I was an ol’ lady. I also got a sticker in my window that proclaimed I was part of the club. There’d been no hesitation in Starbucks tonight, introducing me as his ol’ lady to his club brothers from the start. As he’d told me two days ago, he was jumping in with both feet. Some were surprised, others were not.
One, whose cut had named him Bones, complained that the club’s single men were now an endangered species.
When I saw Ghost again, I gave him a big hug for helping Kora out—and had to clamp my mouth shut when I got a flash of a woman with white-blonde hair standingbeside him. He was also wearing a phantom crown on his head in the vision, though I had no idea why.
Meeting Jenna and Steel, officially, had been difficult. I got a vision of a rainy graveyard when I shook Steel’s hand while Jenna had an owl perched on her shoulder. It was common knowledge around town that she was diagnosed last year with late-onset Multiple Sclerosis, or LOMS. The owl had numerous interpretations, but in this case, I didn’t need to question its dark omen.
I wished them the best. The bond between those two was strong, and I knew it would transcend even death.
My parents were slouched in folding chairs with Joe in my dad’s arms and Oolong on my mom’s shoulder. Our pets had been the center of attention tonight, and many customers took pictures with them. When I got asked when the wedding was tonight, it took me a moment to realize that the woman wasn’t asking about Starbucks and me, but Oolong and Joe’s wedding.
Starbucks also did a live video on his channel earlier today, encouraging support for a local business. He did not announce that this was my store or his relationship with me. He said that was for my safety, as he had some fans who bordered on fanatic and didn’t want to claim me online until I had a cut on my back. I’d seen some of the nastier comments on his page as well as some of the ones that were more creepy than sweet. As far as I could tell, only the good fans came by tonight. If anything else happened, he took care of it without bringing it to my attention, which I appreciated.
I hugged my siblings. They were so much older than me, that many mistook them for being my aunt and uncle. As they took me into their arms, I felt a ghostly arm press againstmy shoulders and knew that Stella was joining in on our embrace too. I loved that she came for a visit tonight of all nights. I couldn’t see spirits as others could, but I could feel her. Especially tonight when the veil between the worlds was at its thinnest.
“Thank you for coming.”
Fennel and Savory both congratulated me, but it was Fennel who said, “I’ve been watching your man all night. He’s a good one. I like him.”
I smiled at my big brother. “I like him too.” It was an understatement, and we both knew it.
Dosia and Ambrose had been raised with me, but they weren’t my only niece and nephew. They were just the closest in age to me. My oldest niece, Fern, was fourteen years older than me. I loved how my family didn’t hesitate to buy plane tickets or to drive home to support me. It wasn’t even a question of if they were coming, just when.
Mom and Dad’s house was going to be packed tonight. Some were crashing at a motel but would be coming to Mom’s for breakfast. Though Dosia and Pumpkin had left around nine to get their kids to bed, they’d also promised to come to breakfast in the morning. It would be an early breakfast as many of them had flights or jobs to get back to. Dosia and I also would be opening our stores at eight.
I thanked my parents last, holding onto both as tightly as I could. I owed them so much, beyond their unwavering support. I literally wouldn’t be here without their love.
“We can stay to help you close up,” my dad offered.
I shook my head. I wouldn’t be here alone and it was late for them to be up. “We’ll be back shortly. Could you take Oolong and Joe back though?”
“Of course,” my mom answered. She looked behind me and I knew that Starbucks had walked up. Mom moved around me to hug him. He was so big that his bending to hug her looked like he was trying to break her in two. “Thank you for looking out for our girl so well.”
“Always,” he vowed. “Do you want me to call a prospect to drive the two of you home? It’s late and very dark out.”
It was a cloudy and windy night, making the moon seem absent.
Dad, though, shook his head. “We’ll be fine. And I’m sure one of my kids or grandkids just so happens to be hanging around outside to follow us home.”
After another hug and kiss from both, I walked them to the door. “We’ll try to be quiet when we get home. Don’t wait up for us.”
I smelled something as I said the words. Like antiseptic. I was not looking forward to how much cleaning Starbucks and I still needed to do. It was going to be a long night and an early morning, but it would be worth it. Plus, I could sleep in the car because I knew that Starbucks would carry me into the house. Bonus!
No sooner had I closed the door behind them did I hear a car backfire. I jumped and flung the door open, but my parents were still walking to their car. They weren’t even in it yet. As my dad had predicted, one of my nephews was sitting on the hood of his car, likely instructed to wait for his grandparents and follow them on the drive home.
“What is it?” Starbucks asked.
