Page 38 of Oohs, Ahhhs, and Orbs

I nodded in agreement. A languid feeling had swept over me at his kiss and his declaration. I could genuinely say that I was not worried about Kristy or him returning to her. I could sense that Logan was not a liar, that he wouldn’t lie about something so important.

He sat back, opened the top folder, and started scanning the contents, and I went back to the book. There were several potions my grandmother had written down that I wanted to try out.

Chapter

Twenty

BRIDGETTE

It was Monday morning, and I was grinding herbs into a powder that I would later boil and strain to make some new potions. I was lost in my thoughts of the weekend as I worked. Logan and I had spent the entire weekend together. Luckily, he hadn’t been called out for any new cases. It was nice just being together. Both of us were doing our own thing side by side as he studied his cases, and I read through my grandmother’s magic books. When we weren’t working, we were just relaxing on the couch together, watching movies.

We made dinner together Saturday night, and that was a whole new experience for me. As we boiled our pasta, we joked around, laughing and teasing each other. It felt good to have someone to spend time with who wasn’t a family member or my best friend. Not that I didn’t love having their company, but it was a different type. One that I could definitely get used to.

I heard the bell ring in front of the store and called out a greeting. I sat down the pestle I was using to grind the herbs in the mortar, then flexed my fingers that had begun cramping up. I quickly washed my hands and dried them with a towel. Iwalked into the front of the store to see the woman who had accosted me two weeks ago while I was at the first dinner with Logan. She was looking at Mildred, holding her with a grimace on her face. Then she sat Mildred back down with a heavy thunk on the shelf, making me frown. I already didn’t like the woman, but she didn’t need to treat my friends that way.

I watched as she continued around the shop, occasionally picking things up before setting them back down again. She didn’t look like she was enjoying herself the way a customer usually would as they perused the shelves. Logan had told me that if she bothered me, I should let him know, but I figured I could handle her myself. Plus, I was really curious about what she had to say.

I stood at the cash register and just waited to see what she was planning. It didn’t take her long to make her way to the back of the shop where I was standing. As she looked up at me, she feigned surprise. The woman would not be winning any Oscars for her performance.

“Oh! I didn’t know you worked here,” she said.

I just cocked my head as I looked at her and gave her my best customer service smile.

“Yep! That’s me. I work here. Is there anything I can help you with? Marlene, isn’t it? Are you looking for something in particular? Maybe a gift? Perhaps you want to do a spell of your own?” That same grimness she’d shown at the sight of my favorite skull figurine came on her face at my words. Inside, I was laughing. Obviously, the woman was not into witchcraft.

“Oh. I’ve just seen the shop every time I pass by on the street, and decided I would stop in for once. It’s...” She stopped and looked around before bringing her gaze back to mine. “Interesting,” she finished lamely.

“I like to think so,” I chirped brightly. “It’s the only occult shop in town.”

“Yeah,” she said with a slight shudder she couldn’t hide. “Occult. So are you like a witch or something?” she blurted.

“Or something,” I replied. “I have potions if you need one. Do you need a success potion? Maybe a concentration potion? Those are popular with students. Maybe you need one for your or someone else’s health?”

“You have health potions?” Marlene asked, her eyebrows raising.

“If you’re getting a cold, a health potion will knock it right out. Better than echinacea, although I do use some of that in my potion.”

She lifted a hand to her throat. “My throat has been a little scratchy recently.”

I looked behind me at the shelf against the wall where I kept all the potions and plucked a lime green potion up. “This will be the one you’re looking for, then,” I said. “Would you like me to bag it up for you?”

Marlene looked suspiciously at the small glass vial with a cork in it. “Umm, sure,” she mumbled and looked around again as if she was lost for what to say or do next. “Yeah, sure. How do I take the potion? What, exactly, do I do with it?” she asked as I put it in a small bag and handed it over.

I gave her a smile and said, “Pop the cork and chug it back like a shot of tequila.”

“Do I need to take it with food?” she asked.

I smiled. “You can take it with or without food. In the morning or at night, whatever you prefer. It has a delicious flavor. Tastes a little like mint,” I told her.

“Okay.” She looked dubious as she glanced down at the paper bag with the pretty purple tissue sticking out of it. “How much do I owe you?”

I waved a hand. “It’s on the house,” I told her with a bright smile. “See how you like it and come back for more if you do.Tell your friends.” Inside, I was saying, ‘Please, don’t tell your friends! I don’t need Kristy in the store!’ But I was doing my best impression of customer service of the year. I kept waiting for her to finally say what the reason was that she’d come into my store to begin with. And, finally, she didn’t disappoint.

“You know, Kristy and Logan were college sweethearts.”

“Oh?” I asked and just folded my hands together on the glass, waiting for her to continue.

“She’s pregnant!” she blurted out.

---