Page 49 of The Magical Tea Shop

“Sorry. It fell.”

Ivy blinked at her sister.

“Well, flew off, more like. It was the weirdest thing. I was in the back, just there in our shared space, minding my own business, totaling up my own receipts when I glanced up. That shelf—” she waved a hand at it in her way “—was right in my line of sight and the moment my eyes landed on the cookie jar it leaped off, sailed right through the air. No one was anywhere near it. It just committed hari kari and flung itself off the shelf. I swear. I cleaned up the mess. Most of the cookies fell on the counter, above where the jar crashed into smithereens on the floor. But the cookies were all broken and crumbly. It isn’t like you could serve them to customers.”

Ivy’s gut churned. She wasn’t sure if she was more upset about the jar breaking or the cookie disaster. She should be more upset about the jar, but somehow the loss of the cookies made her sad, like her hopes had been dashed. “Did you throw them away?” All that work gone to waste—an omen she should have left well enough alone. Just like every single member of the Hazard Historical Society had cautioned her. It wasn’t meant to be.

She and Jaxon were not meant to be.

Except today, they’d had such fun making sure Alden came out on top. Sacrificing themselves so Alden had the best birthday ever. It was so them. She smiled, remembering their shared moment. As soon as their eyes met, they’d known what the other was thinking. It had been perfect.

Something Holly said made her pause.It isn’t like you could serve them to customers.

Well, no, of course not. She had never meant them to be for customers, but had Holly really thrown them away? Ivy focused in on her sister at the table. Directly in front of Holly was a gallon jug of milk, a glass half full and a pretty little rose-patterned china plate covered in crumbs.

Oh no.

Holly’s mouth curved in a sheepish smile. She shrugged one shoulder. “I ate ’em. Such a shame to let them go to waste. They smelled amazing. I swear, it’s like the jar jumped off the counter to get to me. Only me. Like these amazing cookies were meant for me all this time. I bet if we sold these, business would go through the roof. But you won’t share, will you? Well, it doesn’t matter. I know your secret. Your cookies had all my favorite flavors. Cinnamon, nutmeg—really a lot of nutmeg, which is surprising. Don’t pout at me like that. I already know you won’t share the magic recipe with me.”

Magic?The kettle began to shrill. Ivy jumped, grabbed a hot pad, and jerked it off the burner.What did Holly know?

“I’m sure they arevery special. Probably one of the recipes Mom gave you instead of me.” The edge in her voice was back.

“You got everything else.” The words were out before Ivy could pull them back. But instead of it leading to an argument with Holly denying she was the favored daughter, her sister just rolled her eyes. “Anyway, I was careful not to eat glass. I’m not stupid. I tossed the ones that fell on the floor. I swept up all the mess from your flying cookie jar. Well, most of it. Once I tasted a cookie, I was through cleaning.” Holly smacked her lips. “But I did analyze the flavors.” She grinned. “I think I’ve got it figured. I might even give you a run for your money.” She smirked, “Cardamom, right?”

“Right.” Ivy agreed absently. “Um, you really ate them?”

“Don’t get all huffy. They weren’t any good for anyone else.”

Ivy set about brewing a pot of tea, dumping off the hot water to warm the pot. Giving up on her special tea blend for now, she mixed white tea with hibiscus because she needed to de-stress. She added the loose tea leaves to the pot, pouring boiling water over them. Something about her sister’s statement rang true.

What did it mean, that the cookies were no good for anyone else? She had been thinking about Holly and singing the blessing while she baked them. Did that make them for her sister? What had Ivy been thinking about the first time she baked the cookies? Jaxon, for sure, but also about improving her business.

Just how magic was the magic of Hazard?

It might bear more research to find out. Maybe she needed to control her thoughts when she was baking. Making another batch of cookies could be a science experiment. Kind of like how she blended her teas. She had loved science in school. It had been her favorite. Chemistry class especially, with its trial and error and testing, not to mention the occasional explosion. Really, blending tea took a lot of mixing and taste-testing, and baking could be an experiment. Well, the way she baked. Not the way Holly baked. Holly followed recipes and rules.

Ivy set the teapot on the tablecloth in front of her sister. She gathered rose-patterned cups and saucers to match and sat across from Holly.

Holly reached over the table and clasped her hands before she could pour. “You need to be more careful. Really, please let me know when you’re going on a date. I need to know you get home safely. I waited up the other night until I heard you.”

“I saw your light.”

Holly nodded. “Dating is risky. The world’s a precarious place. I’ll watch out for you.” Holly squeezed her hands before she let go.

“We’re in Hazard. Nothing ever happens in Hazard.” Ivy poured the tea and took a sip of her own. Yes, now calmer, she breathed out and in, that’s what she needed. A spot of tea to calm down.

Holly shoved her cup away. “Obviously, it does. Now there’s brawling in the street. Dina said she’d never seen Pedro so jacked up, and you know how he gets. I mean, he’s pretty hyped all the time, so for Dina to think it was over the top, it really must’ve been crazy.”

Ivy’s head was swimming, so she tuned out her sister. Holly had never been concerned about her before, not like this. Not enough to keep tabs on her for safety’s sake. No, that was a bit of a role reversal.

“I know you want to win the silly bet you talked me into, but is it worth dating crazy people? What were you thinking? Pedro and Kyle?”

“We went to school with Pedro and Kyle. I’ve known them for years.” They’d never been interested in Ivy before. They’d been jocks, and she’d been warming the bleachers. Hmm, she was still like that, but Jaxon actually noticed her in the bleachers. Holly was still rambling.

“It’s just the two of us, with Mom and Dad cruising ’round the world.”

“What about Aunt Lydia?”

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