I decided around midday to tackle two tasks at once; working out some of the plans for the festival, and getting some lunch. So, I closed up the store and trotted down the street to the Half-Moon Bar and Grill.

  Not only was the food at the Half-Moon some of the best in Haven Hollow, but it was a common gathering place for the supernatural side of town. The owner, Roy, was a Sasquatch, and also a member of the Council, and also my ex-boyfriend. But things were good between us now—we were probably better friends now than we ever had been, no doubt owing to the fact that he’d gone on to meet his soul mate, Fifi, and he seemed about as happy as he could be. Was I sore that he’d found true love? No, I was mostly happy for him. Even if I felt a little envious.

  As to the two of us, there hadn’t been any big break-up, or some fight that had torn us apart. We just hadn’t been right for each other. At eighty-two, Roy was still pretty young for a Sasquatch, but I aged like a human, so even though he looked like he was in his late forties, and I was forty-six, it wouldn’t always be like that. And I was also just vain enough not to want to look like I was out with my grandson in twenty years. Plus, Roy wanted kids, a big family, and Finn was more than enough for me.

  Not to mention the whole Roy and Fifi soul mate thing. The two were literally fated to be together, and no way was I getting in between that. Yet, I still couldn’t hold back my sigh, wondering what it would be like to have someone who was meant for you, the other half of your soul. Bound together by fate by a red heart string. It was a nice dream, but with my dating track record, I wasn’t holding my breath.

  I had Finn. And I had my work. Maybe that would just have to be enough.

  Or, at least, that was what I kept telling myself—especially every time a certain British man’s handsome face made it into my brain.

  Roy was working the bar when I walked in, his shirt sleeves rolled up to reveal heavily muscled arms. He smiled when he saw me, and tossed the white towel he’d been using to polish the shiny oak bar top over one broad shoulder.

  “Poppy.” Roy braced his hands, leaning forward. “What can I do for you?”

  “Hi, Roy.” I tugged my notebook out of my purse. “Two things, really.”

  “Shoot.”

  “Okay... the first one is that I wanted you to get first choice over where you wanted to set up at the festival grounds.”

  “I appreciate that.”

  “You’re welcome,” I answered on a smile. “And two, I was hoping for a club sandwich to go?”

  He laughed, flashing strong white teeth. “Let me punch that in, and I’ll be right with you.”

  Roy sent my order to the kitchen and then leaned on the bar where I pointed out the available spots on my little hand drawn map.

  Roy nodded thoughtfully. “What would you recommend?”

  The question flustered me a bit, but in a good way. It was nice that Roy and I could friends—that the easy affability that had existed between us before we’d ever gotten together was back. I was grateful for that and hoped that one day, Marty and I could get to the same place.

  “Here,” I said, tapping the map with my finger. “It’s high enough ground that it won’t get soggy, no matter the weather. It’s close to some of the games, and it will be within sight of the bonfire when it’s lit, so that should bring in a lot of business for drinks and food.”

  Roy grunted. “Makes sense. Okay, put me down for that spot there.” He reached back with one long arm and snagged my order from the kitchen window, setting the to-go bag on the bar beside me.

  I happily made a note of the location he’d chosen, and slid a few bills onto the oak counter. “Okay, great. Thanks, Roy.”

  “Always nice to see you, Poppy.”

  I tucked my notebook back into my purse, grabbed my lunch and turned to leave, finally feeling like something was going right.

  And that was when I almost walked headlong into Marty.

  We both froze, staring awkwardly at anything but each other, and my heart gave a painful twist.

  I hadn’t seen Marty much since Christmas. He’d asked for some space, and it was all I could do to give it to him. I hated it that I’d hurt him. I’d hurt my best friend, and I missed him more than I let myself admit most of the time. But I had to remain true to myself and the truth was that I wasn’t the right woman for him, even though I wished I could have been.

  Marty’s had been the first friendly face I’d come across when I’d first moved to town. He was always happy to spend time with me, or to help out, and he and Finn got along great. All things which made it even harder to acknowledge the fact that a friendship between us would be a long time coming, if ever.

  There were so many things I would have done differently, now that I had hindsight—I would never have agreed to go on a date with him, and I for sure would never have accepted his marriage proposal. The very thought that I’d done just that made me wilt inside. But, at the moment, I’d just sort of panicked and faced with everyone who was sitting around the table and looking at me eagerly—not to mention the hope in Marty’s eyes... I’d just agreed, even as my heart had screamed that I was making a mistake. And all I’d managed to do was just break his heart anyway.

  I hated that. The guilt sat in my chest like a lead balloon, pressing my lungs flat. I’d hurt one of my favorite people in the world, and even then, there wasn’t anything I could do to fix it.

  He smiled, but it was a small thing, not his usual wide, goofy grin.

  “Hi, Poppy.” Not ‘Pops’, the nickname he almost always called me.

  I swallowed hard enough that it hurt. “Hi, Marty.”

  “Getting lunch?” The skin around his eyes was tight, his face pale.

  I tried to fake a smile, but I was sure it looked horrible. Like a dope, I lifted my paper bag. “Just grabbed it. And now, uh, heading back to work.”

  Marty ducked his head, looking a bit relieved, and wasn’t that a gut punch.

  “Yeah, me too.” He stuffed his hands in his pockets, rolling up onto the balls of his feet. “Well, I guess–”

  The door opened behind Marty, cutting off whatever he was about to say, and Lacey, my new neighbor came walking through the door. She lit up when she caught sight of Marty, making a little happy squeal as she took his arm.

  “Marty! It’s so good to see you!”

  His whole demeanor changed then, relaxing. His smile grew into something genuine, and he was almost the Marty I remembered from my first days in Haven Hollow.

  “Hi, Lacey! I’m glad you decided to try the place out. You’ll see, I wouldn’t steer you wrong. Best burgers in town.”

  “Alright, but I’m trusting you.” She smiled up at him, looking through her lashes. I could see her interest in him and while I should have been happy for him—that he’d clearly attracted the interest of another woman, my chest hurt, every beat of my heart feeling bruised. And that was more for the fact that I felt so awkward around someone who used to make me laugh without even trying.

  Like he’d suddenly remembered that I was still standing there, Marty waved a hand vaguely in my direction. “Oh, hey, Lace. Have you met Poppy yet?”

  Lacey froze over faster than a puddle in December. She gave me a downright unfriendly look. “Yes,” she bit out. “We’ve met.”

  There was a beat or two of silence where I tried to not let my guilt eat me alive, and Marty looked completely lost, before Lacey smiled up at him again.

  “I just need to pop into the lady’s room. Be back in a second.”

  Marty watched her go, still looking puzzled as to the obvious ice between the two of us.

  I took that as my chance. I’d wanted an opportunity to apologize to Lacey for snapping at her the other day, but I hadn’t been able to figure out exactly which house was hers, and knocking on everyone’s door was something I just didn’t have the time (or the interest) to do. But I really did feel bad about it—yes, she was pushy and nosy, but she’d just been trying to be friendly, if in a kind of over-the-top way. It wasn’t like me to bark at someone like I had. Especially someone who was new to town and probably feeling a bit adrift.

  I didn’t know what I would have done if Marty hadn’t come to introduce himself when I first moved to town. The only other person I’d known was the realtor, Ophelia, and she was an actual Night Hag and just as friendly.

  Oh my gosh, was I Lacey’s Ophelia? The thought made me feel sick. I had to make things up to her, immediately.

  “Yeah, I, uh, have to use the restroom too, actually,” I said, heading after Lacey. “Take care, Marty.”

  He gave a little wave as I moved between the table in the center of the bar, heading for the women’s washroom. Maybe I could invite Lacey over for dinner, or introduce her to all the folks in town. She felt human to me, so inviting her to the Black Cat Cocktail Club might not be possible—as all of us got a bit loose-lipped when we were a few cocktails in.

  I’d have to ask Wanda to check to see what Lacey was, if anything at all. She was better feeling out supernaturals than I was.

  I stepped through the swinging door to the ladies’ room, a dozen apologies on my tongue and a plan in my head.

  But the room was empty.

  I stopped, perplexed. Both stall doors were open, but no one was in them, and yet I was sure Lacey had walked in. Yes, I’d watched her! So, how was it possible... There was a window up near the ceiling that was propped open a couple of inches, but that was it.

  Of course, the window was large enough that someone could have crawled through it, and maybe that was exactly what had happened.

  Oh, my goodness, had Lacey crawled out the window to avoid talking to me? I was a monster. And not the usual kind that lived in the town: most of them were actually pretty personable. I was the worst kind of monster: a rude, bad neighbor kind of monster.

  I dropped my head into my hands and groaned.

  Chapter Five

  A middle-aged customer bounced one of my anointed candles on her palm like she was trying to guess its weight, and then lifted it up to her nose to give it an obnoxiously loud sniff.

  I winced, making a mental note to wipe that one down if she decided not to buy it.

  “So, what’s this one do, again?”

  My best customer service smile fixed in place like a shield, I explained to her for the third time in twenty minutes. “It’s a Fortune’s Blessing candle.”

  “And what’s that mean again?”

  “It means that you scratch what you want to attract into the side of the candle.”

  “Scratch it? With what?”

  I shrugged. “A pencil, a pin—whatever will get the job done.”

  “Oh.”

  “Then you burn the candle for an hour each day for a month, and it will bring you whatever it is you’re looking for. Love, money, or health are popular ones.”

  She hummed and sniffed it again. “Smells like flowers.”

  My cheeks were starting to hurt from the forced smile. “Yes, it has jasmine oil in it.”

  The lady turned the candle over in her hands, like she thought the other side would look different. “Do you think my sister-in-law would like it?”

  I blinked, taken aback. “I don’t know. I’ve never met her, but most ladies like it.”

  She scoffed, like I’d failed some kind of test. “Whatever. Fine, I’ll take it.”

  I’d never been so grateful to make a sale in my life (just to get rid of the irritating woman), and I was careful to touch the nose-smudged candle as little as possible while I wrapped it carefully in tissue and popped it into a bag before ringing the customer up.

  “Thank you for coming to Poppy’s Potions, and have a wonderful–”

  The door closed behind her, cutting off my goodbye, and I let out a gusty breath, half-collapsing onto the counter.

  I didn’t know if it was something in the air, or the planets were out of alignment or what, but I’d had nothing but difficult customers for the entire afternoon. People who wanted impossible things, people who touched everything in the store, or moved bottles and candles out of place, and people whose kids ran around screaming (making me nervous that they’d break something).

  A headache started up, pulsing behind my eyes, and all I could do was pinch the bridge of my nose and hope it went away, or I’d have to dip into the medical supply aisle that Wanda and I had worked on together.

  My shelves were looking worryingly bare, but I’d managed to scrape together a few supplies to try and brew some potions while I was at work. One was merrily bubbling away, and I knew I’d need to check on it shortly to keep it from scorching.

  I’d just headed towards the back to do so when the bell over the door jangled, and I had to slap on a smile to greet my latest customer.

  The portly, balding man took a few cautious steps into the shop, looking at the shelves warily, like he thought the vials might leap at him and douse him in perfume if he wasn’t careful.

  “Hello. Can I help you with anything?” Not that I had much stock left to help him with, but I could still try.

  He cleared his throat, obviously still uneasy. “Uh, yeah. What have you got for losing weight?”

  I blinked at him. “Well, I have quite a few potions aimed to help in losing weight. Were you looking for a potion to give you more energy to exercise more? I also have sleep potions to help you make sure you’re getting enough sleep each night?” I didn’t really have anything for making a person feel less hungry, unfortunately.

  “No,” he said, obviously frustrated. “Like, something you rub on your skin, and the extra weight goes away.”

  Um, sure, my potions were magic, but they still had their limits. “I’m sorry, but I don’t have anything like that.”

  An angry flush crawled up his neck and into his cheeks as he flung his arms to the side. “I thought this was supposed to be some magic, hocus pocus shop!”

  “It’s not hocus pocus.”

  The smell of something burning suddenly hit me, and after a terrible flash of the flames from my dream the night before, I realized my potion was scorching. “I’m sorry, if you could just give me–”

  “This is crap,” the man raged. “I knew this place was fake. Nothing but crystals and nonsense.”

  “If you’re looking for help with exercise, Wanda’s Witchery sells gym clothes that will encourage you to work out. Maybe you should consider giving her a visit.” I hated to chase away a customer, especially after a few lean days, but my potions couldn’t do what he wanted them to, and I’d rather he got what he needed elsewhere. Plus, I always liked sending sales Wanda’s way.

  I took a few steps back towards the store room, trying to ease my way out of the conversation so I could get to my potion before it was ruined. But the man’s face turned an alarming shade of red, and a vein started throbbing at his temple.

  “Are you telling me to get out?”

  “No,” I started, wondering what in the heck was in the air today.

  “Because I called you on your… your fraud?”

  “It’s not fraud.”

  He stomped towards the door, bottles rattling on their shelves with every step he took. “Well, we’ll just see what everyone thinks of this! Be prepared for my bad review on Yelp! I’ll be sure to tell everyone about the terrible service here!”

  The door slammed, and the bell hanging over it shrieked and then fell to the floor, bouncing twice before it finally came to a stop.

  I blinked back tears of frustration, as the fire alarm started shrilling.

  ***

  “Is everything alright?”

  I wobbled, the stool under my feet teetering slightly. I’d stood on it so I could wave a towel close to the fire alarm to try and clear the smoke away so it would stop going off. All I needed was the volunteer fire department tromping through my shop full of fragile bottles and candles.

  I’d been in such a hurry to get to my burning potion, which had scorched black to the bottom of my beaker, ruining both, that I hadn’t bothered to lock the door behind my last customer. And with the bell still lying forlorn and forgotten on the floor, I hadn’t heard it when Andre came in.

  Alarmed, Andre grabbed the stool to steady it, and reached up to brace my leg. His hand felt very warm, even through the fabric of jeans, and when he helped me down, the blush in my cheeks wasn’t just for the near miss he’d just witnessed.

  Andre held my shoulder as he looked down at me, and I felt myself swallowing hard.

  “Poppy?” he asked with a smile.

  “Yes?”

  “Is everything alright?” he asked again, this time with a little chuckle.

  I felt my cheeks flush even hotter. “Oh, right. Um, yeah, everything is okay.”

  “You’re sure?”

  He reached out with his free hand, tucking a stray lock of my hair behind my ear.

  “Um. I think so?”

  It took more effort than I was proud to admit to not shiver at the brush of his strong fingers against the delicate shell of my ear. The flush in my cheeks wasn’t going away anytime soon.

  “What did I just walk into?” he continued, not making any motion to release my arm or to back away. I swallowed hard as I tried to remind myself what he’d just asked me.

  “Oh, um, I was just trying to…” I gestured around the back room, still filled with smoke that hung in the air, stinking of burned grass and orange peels. “Air this place out.”

  “What happened?”

  “A potion didn’t go as planned.”

  I finally took a step away from him, mainly because I needed to remember how to breathe and having him so close—well, it made things my body took for granted, less taken for granted.

  A little twinkle came to Andre’s eyes, and he snapped his fingers. A clean gust of wind raced through the room, clearing the smoke and the smell, and a bit of the general gloom that had seemed to be hovering. In its wake, it left an effervescent feeling, like I’d just had a good night’s sleep and a cold drink.

  “What was that?” I asked him, awed.

  “Magician magic,” he answered with a little wink. “Just a little pick me up. Which brings me back to my reason for dropping in.” He put a gentle hand on my back and steered me towards the front of the store.