Page 99 of Potions and Proposals
“Are you sure you can’t stay for another minute? We’re almost done.” She wondered if he was lying to get out of the rest of the reading; she hadn’t heard the phone ring or vibrate. “Have I said something to upset you?”
“No.” He shook his head, his floppy curls exaggerating his denial. “Just a busy day, and I don’t want to take up any more of your time.” He couldn’t get out of the shop fast enough.
“Don’t forget you and Rosie are helping me with the toffee apple stall tomorrow!” Lucy called out after him, unsure whether he heard her. If he’d been a cartoon, a puff of smoke would have been left in his place as the door closed behind him.
In his absence, she turned over the last card.
“The Hanged Man.” The words escaped her in a sigh. “A sacrifice of the heart? His or another’s?”
As she picked it up, she felt a forced separation: a harsh change that had changed his outlook, changed a deep-seated belief. That made sense, considering he’d drawn the death card first. The draw was coming up full circle.
Tossing it back on the table, she worried she was reading into the cards too much. There were many ways they could be interpreted, but clearly there was more to his story than Emerson was letting on. She considered taking the cards to Grams to get her insight, but maybe she was just being paranoid, wanting to protect her friend. Even if Lucy had the best intentions, Rosie wouldn’t be too happy if she knew she was using cards to get a better insight into their new resident Order member.
The cards stared up at her. If there’s nothing wrong, then why did he run?
Lucy shook away the thought and went to the pantry. She’d feel better once she removed the energy from the deck. Findinga sage stick and standing over the cards, she tried to light it without thinking, but nothing happened. She almost missed the heat stirring in her veins. To distract herself, she tried to summon her water, but it still hadn’t returned. Her breath caught.What if I’ve stripped us of our elements for good?If her water returned, she vowed never to take it for granted, for even a second.
“Pumpkin!” Benedict called from the front of the small shop. Lucy put down the sage stick, gathering up the incriminating cards. “Why does the sign on the door say you’re closed?”
“I was giving Emerson a private reading.”
His eyes narrowed. “How was that? Learn anything new about the perfect professor?”
“Did you come here to ask me about card readings?” Benedict had only just started not to hate Emerson entirely; now wasn’t the time to bring up her suspicions.
“No – I like to be surprised by what fate has in store.” He winked, kissing her cheek. “Speaking of, I went to the library, but Rosie said you were here, and I couldn’t wait to show you.” Like an excited kid, he walked over to the table of half-melted candle samples. Grams let customers light them to make sure they loved the scent before purchasing.
“Want to see a magic trick?” he asked, rubbing his hands together like some cheesy magician.
Lucy stared wide-eyed, watching him run his hand over the table. Tall flames sparked upon each wick. Her hands flew to her mouth.
“Your element is back!” she exclaimed, wrapping her arms around his neck excitedly.
“It’s a bit twitchy,” he said into her hair. “This is the most I can do for now, but it’ll probably take some time. The potion worked. Fuck, it feels good to have it back.” He sighed, and she released him.
“When did – how did—?” she stammered, her mind spinning with a mix of relief and excitement. Benedict couldn’t stop beaming. She didn’t think she’d ever seen him smile so big.
“I went back to the Manor, and one of the porters was trying to light the fireplace in the lobby. I felt this rush of heat, thought I was going to pass out, and the next thing I knew the fire was lit. I always thought you might poison me one day, but with that poison you cured me. You gave me back my fire!” He picked her up and twirled her around, unable to contain his joy. Lucinda thanked the gods for letting the magic work and giving him back what her family had taken. His happiness was infectious.
“What about your water? Anything?” he asked, looking her over as though she was about to spring a leak.
“No sign of it yet, but like yours, I’m sure it’ll just surprise me when I least expect it.” Lucy tried to hide her disappointment so he wouldn’t feel guilty about his excitement.
“Why not give it a try? It’s not been long since my return, and you could just need a little push like I did with the fireplace,” he suggested, picking up one of the small cactus pots and placing it on the reading table.
“I don’t want to force it. I’m sure it’ll find its way back to me in time,” she started to reason, but seeing how eager he was, she figured it couldn’t hurt to try.
Hesitantly, she studied the soil. Benedict’s gaze on her back didn’t help her anxiety. Letting out a slow exhale, she called to her element, but nothing happened. Her shoulders slumped.
He came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist. The love she felt in his touch was as much of a relief as it would have been if her element was back.
“You’re right, I shouldn’t have pushed. Let’s be patient.” He kissed the side of her head as she shook off her worries.
“We should call today a win anyway, since we’re halfway there,” she said, turning around in his arms.
“Still want to marry me?” He lifted her onto the counter.
“A customer might come in!” she squealed.
