Page 14 of Justice & Liberty

“Walter,” Sabrina sang, leaning halfway across the counter to leave a smacking kiss on his cheek. “This is my best friend in the whole world, Jaycie Jones. Jaycie, this is my boyfriend Walter.”

He smiled at me, albeit a little awkwardly, and held out anewly dried hand. “Jaycie, huh? It’s, uh, nice to finally meet you, I guess.”

I shook his hand back, and if my smile was a little frozen and disingenuous, well, Sabrina didn’t seem to notice, and that was all I cared about.

“Could you make Jaycie a flat white for me? Oh, and heat her up one of those pain au chocolat. Those are her favorite.”

Impossible to deny that, since well...chocolate croissants. What wasn’t to love? Admittedly, given how tight my jeans were these days, I should maybe love them a little less, but whatever. I had no one to impress.

Meanwhile, Sabrina remembered exactly what I liked from over ten years ago, and that was...it was so nice. The baristas I’d ordered that same exact thing from hundreds of times in LA had never remembered me. They sure wouldn’t have remembered it after over ten years apart, only seeing each other once a year at most.

Walter nodded and set to work with the espresso machine as Sabrina led me over to a table in the corner, pressing me into a chair and then pulling a second one up next to it.

“So,” she said, turning all her attention on me, bright smile on her face. “Are you reopening Maggie’s shop soon?”

I winced and bit my lip. “I hadn’t really thought about it. I mean, how much business did she really do?”

My mother had run what I realized in retrospect had amounted to a witch shop. She sold those ointments and salves that I’d seen recipes for early in the grimoire. The teas she’d added to the book herself, which she sold by the ounce out of apothecary jars. Books about spirituality that ranged from Wicca to Buddhism to things I didn’t know anything at all about. Crystals and goddess statuettes and tarot cards and all the trappings of modern non-standard spirituality.

“The shop gets tons of business,” Sabrina insisted. “Heck, I need like three pounds of that lavender Earl Grey. Thoughhonestly, business here in The Unique Bean has slowed down since the shop has been closed. People come down from Iowa City just for Maggie’s teas, and they’d stop and buy a coffee while they were here.” Then she frowned. “I mean, not that my business is your responsibility. I’m not trying to be passive aggressive or?—”

“I get it,” I assured her, patting her hand. “I don’t feel guilted. That’s actually good to know. I had no idea. I haven’t looked at the books, or—hell, I haven’t even been over there yet. I guess I should, since I own it now. The keys are on Mom’s ring somewhere, I’m sure, and I remember the security codes, unless she’s changed them.”

“But you—you’re staying, right? You said you had moved back. What are you going to do if not run the shop?”

“I was thinking about trying to get a job at Kirkwood. I mean, I can’t teach at the university since I never got my Master’s, but?—”

“Oh please, you could teach anyone,” she dismissed. She always had been my biggest cheerleader, alongside Mom. She’d been the one to convince me to go to school in California, not just by saying UCLA was the best possible school anyone could go to, but by telling me I deserved more than going to the closest state college I could get into.

There was no reason to explain to her how colleges chose staff, because none of that would change her mind. Sabrina was just entirely on my side, without reservations, even when I didn’t really need the support.

It was nice to remember that I wasn’t alone in the world now that Mom was gone. There was Sabrina. Her sister Charlotte, just a year older than us, had always been a good friend too. There was Mom’s friend, September. There had been a few other people in high school, and I couldn’t imagine all of them had left town permanently.

Walter carried over a cup and plate, dropping them off infront of me with pursed lips, his eyes trained on Sabrina. Were they fighting? He sure seemed annoyed. “So, how long is your friend in town for?” he asked her, without even looking at me.

Sabrina, innocent and slightly oblivious as she always was in situations like this, beamed at him. “She’s staying! Isn’t that great?”

For a moment, he just blinked at her. “Staying. Yeah, great. Congratulations, Jaycie. You know, Bree, I could use some help with the dishes if you’ve got time.”

Sabrina frowned at him, watching him turn and leave, every line of his body stiff. Was he angry that she was going to have a friend around, or just mad she was sitting with me instead of working?

After a moment, she turned back to me, sighing. “I guess I better go help him. He really hates doing the dishes.”

“Happens to the best of us,” I offered back, but honestly, I had no idea what the heck I was talking about, because I had no idea whattheywere talking about. It didn’t feel like it was about the dishes, somehow.

The dishes had never been such a loaded subject in my universe.

“It’s so great to see you, though, Jaycie. My number is still the same if you want to call, or I’m usually, you know, here.” She bit her lip, standing from the table and slowly backing toward the kitchen instead of hurrying. “Anytime.”

I smiled and nodded to her, but really, I was confused as hell. Did she need help? Was Walter cooking meth in the back?

No, I’d have been able to smell that.

“That guy is possibly the most useless creature ever born,” a smooth voice said nearby, and I...I knew that voice.

Hottie—err, Hunter, from Mom’s funeral. I turned to look around, and realized I’d missed her sitting there at one of thetables because she’d had an actual newspaper spread up in front of her face. She had pushed it half aside so I could see her now, and she was looking at the kitchen door, shaking her head, pale eyes sharp and assessing.

I sighed, because of course he was useless. “She has the worst taste in men. Like seriously, theworst. I was just wondering if maybe he was cooking meth in the back.”

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