Page 23 of Justice & Liberty

I still wasn’t even sure I wanted to own Tea, Book and Candle, but that didn’t matter anymore. Even if I got a different job for myself and had to hire someone to run the shop, I would. No one was ever closing the shop, not as long as I had a say in it.

I just had to figure out if I could do the things Mom had. Make the tea, and more than that, make it...magical.

I decided to head into the shop next, so I went back and let the cats out of the SUV, grabbing the bag of kibble as I went.

Like we’d always done exactly the same thing, the cats followed me to the front door as I unlocked it, and once it was open, alarm chirping in the back, headed to their own corner, where there was a cat bed that was actually a dog bed, an enormous cat tree taller than me, and food and water bowls set up. I turned off the alarm and put my purchases away, promising myself that I would do the same thing Mom had done, and never set foot back in Lucy Beasley’s damned shop.

Iowa City had one of those enormous superstores these days. I could buy what I needed in bulk and never run out of food again. That and a water filter, since the shop had running water in the bathroom sink, it just needed filtering to be drinkable.

I grabbed the teas I’d set aside for Sabrina and Hunter as I headed back out a moment later. I hadn’t made it over to the coffee shop before it had closed the day before, so I just had to hope they would both be there now. Where else was there to be in South Liberty at this—or really any—time of day? “I’m going to lock the door, so don’t set anything on fire, you two.”

The cats didn’t move, but a little sound like a sneeze came from their corner of the shop. Or, dare I think it, maybe a scoff?

The coffee shop was busy, no surprise, since it was prime on-the-way-to-work time. Most of South Liberty’s residents worked up in Iowa City, so they dropped in for a little commute caffeine, and then headed up I-380 toward the city.

I wasn’t too worried about the wait, though. I didn’t need to get to work, and wasn’t on anything resembling a schedule. There was still a paper note taped to the front door of TBC that said temporarily closed, so no one was going to come banging on the shop door the moment the clock turned over to nine.

Or, there might be, but they could screw off. We were closed, and I had work to do before we could reopen.

Walter was working on the register when I got to the front, and gave me the most unimpressed look I’d ever seen on a human being’s face in my life.

Seriously, what had I ever done to this dude?

“What do you want?”

The customer who’d just ordered her triple redeye mocha with extra whip turned and looked at him, a little shocked and ready to be offended, and when she saw he was talkingto me, her forehead creased in confusion, glancing back and forth between us.

Sabrina’s chipper voice came from behind him, happy as ever, even way too early in the morning for anyone to be in a good mood. She always had been a morning person, the weirdo. “Flat white and a pain au chocolat, silly. Have you forgotten already?”

His jaw clenched, but he looked away and started typing into the register.

“Don’t be silly, Walter, we don’t chargeJaycie,” she said, overenunciating my name for emphasis. She tossed her head in a way I knew was habit designed to get her hair out of her face, even though working the espresso machine as she was at that moment, her hair was tied back so it didn’t get in the way. Also, maybe health code something something. She turned her brown eyes and smile on me, so bright her cheeks dimpled. “How are you doing this morning?”

I ignored Walter, smiling over his shoulder at her. “Good, you?” Then I hefted the giant bag of lavender tea. “Brought the tea you wanted. Mom had the lavender ready to bring over already, even had your name on it.”

She set a to-go cup aside and came up to the front counter, a beatific smile on her face, hand pressed to her heart. “Thank you so much. How much do we owe you for?—”

“Oh please, like you’re going to say you don’t charge me, then I’m going to demand money for tea.” I set the bag on the counter and shoved it across toward her.

She beamed, reaching across and picking up the bag, carrying it like it was a baby.

It was like nothing had changed in our lives, even though technically everything had. We could easily be seventeen again, her working the afternoon in the coffee shop and me heading over to help Mom in TBC, but not until I got a coffee.

Mom had always rolled her eyes and said if we sold tea,maybe I should drink tea instead. I’d never been able to tell her I liked the tea better, I just went into The Unique Bean because I wanted to hang out with Sabrina. Now, especially in the morning, I was as addicted to coffee as most everyone else, but maybe I’d have to start making tea to drink in the shop.

“We should have lunch sometime,” Sabrina told me, leaning forward.

“Sounds good,” I told her. “Lots of restaurants in Iowa City, we can meet up there if you’ve got a day off. Still closed Sundays?”

Walter huffed, motioning behind me. “If you don’t mind, there’s a line?”

And while he was a jerk, he wasn’t wrong. I didn’t want to be the kind of douche who held up people trying to get to work.

Sabrina rolled her eyes and winked at me. “Give me a call later, we’ll make plans. Sunday is good. We’re usually open in the morning, but I can still do lunch.”

My business with the shop mostly concluded, I turned to the tables, scanning them. There was the group of older ladies who hadn’t changed too much since I was in high school—just now they were actually older ladies, and when I’d been in high school, I had only thought they were. There were a handful of people in seats I didn’t recognize at all, which was a bit of a surprise.

Most everyone was hovering around the pickup counter waiting for drinks.

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