Page 15 of Of Poison & Pumpkins
“What the fargin’ iceholes was all that about?”
Ugh, Elias’s refusal to use curse words is absolutely ridiculous. I twirl around to the sight of his broad chest, ready to burst through his suspenders.
“You still don’t cuss? You’re twenty-nine fargin’ years old, Elias, you’re allowed to swear.”
“Aww, how sweet, you remembered my birthday was last week.” He steps closer and places one hand on the wall behind my head.
I gulp, hyperaware of the tingling sensation rippling over my skin. It’s like every inch of my body has turned ultra-alert, but I don’t dare move. Everything involving Elias has always pushed me outside my comfort zone. Like the way he dared me to help him spread ice cream cones all over our principal’s front lawn as a senior prank. If anyone else would’ve asked me to do such an outrageous joke, there’s no chance I would’ve complied. But Elias carries a heart of gold, the type that brings out the best in people, even if that best includes breaking rules. He’s the only one who has ever tried to pull me out of my shell, to encourage me to show my true colors instead of holding back.
“Nah, I don’t even remember your last name,” I lie. “Plus, it’s not like you’d know my birthday.”
“July seventh. Born and raised in Meadowcrest, Indiana. Daughter of Steven and Stefania Pozinne. You’re the older sister of Brooke and little sister of Orion, who once threatened me if I ever talked to you.”
My mind whirls with a thousand questions, but all I can manage is to duck around him and march towards the front door to escort him out. Silently, I wait for the door to swing open for us, then gesture towards the staircase.
He crosses my entire studio in four long strides. I don’t let my gaze drag up his suspenders where they meet his shoulders. I definitely don’t wonder if his short beard is soft or prickly.
“Ask me,” Elias commands, protective eyes spearing through my soul. “Ask me why Orion threatened me not to talk to you.”
“Not interested. Thanks for stopping by. Be sure to send your customers over to Palooza. If they show a receipt from your store, we’ll give them five percent off their entire purchase. Goodnight.”
I close my eyes to distract myself from the way he’s looking at me. Instead, I try to focus on something ordinary, but all that comes to mind is his amazing shop that I hate to love. Every time I’ve walked into Peculiars, I end up wrinkling my nose as the amazing pumpkin spice scent hits me full force. They’ve fully committed to their theme, plastering the walls with mass-produced signs reading cutesy things like "Witch Way to the Pumpkin Patch?" and "Life is Gourd!"
“Sunflower …”
My breath catches. Memories whisp me back in time to the one semester in science lab when we were almost-friends. Elias had given me that nickname, and even though I pretended to hate it, the way he said it would brighten even my darkest of days. Maybe I do owe him a nickname in return.
“Have you been possessed by a ghost? Because you haven’t blinked in a record-breaking amount of time,” he says, then repeats, “Ask why Orion threatened me.”
I’m too afraid to know. Elias must have done something outright monstrous for the likes of my Nerg brother to show any protectiveness towards me.
“Are you going to leave?” I ask.
“Yes, but …” He sighs and runs a hand through his hair. “Will you tell me what that meeting was all about? Maybe I can help. That lady didn’t sound thrilled about her purchase, and I don’t want you on the wrong side of her plan.”
Elias would be the last person to turn me into the council, so maybe having someone know my side-hustle wouldn’t be the worst thing.
“We could be partners in crime,” he jokes. Frustrated he isn’t leaving, I abandon my post at the doorway and move around the studio, preparing for bed. He parades after me. “Just like old times when you helped me swap out the milk cartons for soy milk. I’ll be your assistant, and you can give me a badge that says ‘property of Rynn,’ and I’ll follow whatever dress code you require, even if it means working in the nude. I bet you’ve already imagined me naked, right?”
I roll my eyes, unwilling to give a response, but I’m running out of tasks to do to avoid the conversation. If Elias hasn’t realized by now that I’m not going to answer, then how the hell am I going to kick him out? As I’m about to reach for my toothbrush, Elias wedges himself between me and my sink. “Your brother threatened me because I wanted to ask you out.”
I stare into his dark eyes, utterly flabbergasted. My world turns upside down. He can’t be serious. I rub both hands over my eyes. Maybe I already fell asleep and this is a dream. When I open them again, I catch something moving in my peripheral.
The curtain blows in the breeze, alerting me that my window has been re-opened.
“Shit!” I rush to the living room again.
“Flubbergubbet!” His voice trails immediately behind.
“Damn it”! I raise both hands in the air and quickly glance around.
“Cranky-Beanfarts!”
“You don’t even know why I’m upset!” I yell.
“It doesn’t matter! I will match your intensity for mere support!” he continues loudly. “That’s what an assistant does! Tell me what’s wrong!”
“My can of poisoned paint is gone,” I say, gesturing to the dusty circle on the floor, void of my most valuable possession. “Alexandra must’ve taken it!”
