Page 20 of Spotlight on Poppy

Right now, though, it was time to get home and get some sleep. Tomorrow was opening night, and she needed a full night's sleep to be at her best.

CHAPTER11

Poppy

Opening night was here. Poppy was ready, but she had something important to do first. She had performed a love spell to bring her true love and then a dreamy Broadway star down into her lap. She loved the idea of leaving town with him and falling madly in love and living a glamorous life in the city. But she was starting to think she loved the idea of the life and not the actual man attached to it.

She was hoping a certain witch would give her some answers. The spell Hannah had been given was pretty clear, but Poppy couldn’t figure hers out. The timing for Damien made sense, but it couldn’t be him. Hopefully there would be some answers here.

She opened the door to the tinkling of a bell above her head. "Hello?" she called out.

A head popped up from behind the counter. "Oh, hello dearie, how can I help ye today?"

"Hi, do you remember me? I asked for a spell at Hannah's wedding."

"Of course, I remember ye, lass. How is yer quest for love?" she asked. Her bright eyes twinkled.

"Well... not good," Poppy said.

"Oh no, my dear, tell me all about it." Bridget made her way over to the table and chairs in the store and sat down. She pulled out the other chair and indicated for Poppy to join her. Poppy sat down and looked at her hands tightly clasped on the table.

"Well, I thought I knew how it was going to play out. After I took the potion someone new showed up in town, and I just kind of assumed it was him, but it hasn't gone at all like I thought it would."

"These things never do, my dear." She gave her hand a reassuring pat.

"Are you sure it worked? I wanted to find love. I mean I did what you said, I made the tea, wrote down what I wanted, and I just don’t think it worked."

“Do ye love him?” She waited patiently for the answer. Poppy thought about it, she wanted to say yes, but she knew she didn’t. Not even a little.

“No,” she said eventually. “I thought I could, but I don’t.”

"Love is a tricky thing,” Bridget continued. “It takes two people. Two people willing to sacrifice for each other. Two people willing to do the work. Two people whose biggest desire lies in the happiness of their partner."

Poppy looked at her and nodded. She wasn't sure what to say. She wanted to feel like that, but that wasn't how she felt about Damien.

"I have a certain gift with love spells and potions," Bridget continued. "I loved my Fergus so fiercely. We gave up so much to be together that even now, though he is gone, I still feel him with me just as clearly as I did when he was next to me. That is the love we are all looking for."

"But how do I know? I know Hannah and Graham didn't like each other at first, but now their love story is fairy tale stuff."

"I cannot answer that for ye, my dear. Only you and yer love can know the answers to those questions." She patted her hand on the table and gave her a sincere smile, "But I can tell ye to trust yerself and the path. Yer love story is coming. Some of us have to move heaven and earth to find our true love, but that is not the case for everyone. Just be open and follow yer heart."

"That's it? Follow my heart?" Poppy scoffed. She had been hoping for some real guidance and not some crappy follow your heart Hallmark card stuff. She was really struggling here.

"I wish there were an easier way, but that's the secret."

"You bring Hannah a Highlander from the 1700’s and I just have to follow my heart. That doesn't seem fair."

"My dear, none of us have the same love story, but I promise ye a happy ending."

Poppy sat there waiting. For what she wasn't sure, but that was not it. There had to be more to it than that.

"Well, my dear, I think ye need to make yer way over to the theater. Ye have a show to put on," she said through her thick Scottish brogue with a glint in her eye.

"But what am I supposed to do about Damien?" she asked, impatience seeping through.

"Follow yer heart, my dear."

"What kind of nonsense is that? Follow my heart," Poppy muttered.

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