Page 5 of Of Poison & Pumpkins
I round the corner and almost smack straight into the goliath man. His sheer size was passed down from his father, but we share our mom’s darker eyes and hair. I may always be jealous that the lucky bastard’s skin glows more golden than a tanned demigod.
“Did you already warm up leftovers?” He glares at my cat, still wrapped around my neck. “Or is it finally time to eat Goosie?”
“You can’t eat your little brother.” I let his tail flip onto my lip.
“Bull shit. This little demon oozes through the cracks into the underworld each night and feasts on murderous souls.” Zanther opens my fridge. “What you got in here?”
“Oh, last night I got a fresh delivery of caviar, in case you’d stop by. I always need enough to feed a giant, or a pack of wild wolves … same thing I guess. Of course I got your favorite beer and?—”
He slams it shut. “Cheese is the only thing in there.”
“Guess you’re buying me pizza.” I form the perfect bridge with my arm for Goosie to walk onto Zanther’s shoulder.
At first, Zanther freezes, like he is trapped in ice. Then he squeals, flails his limbs in all directions like a madman, and sends Goosie soaring through the air. The cat’s poor meows echo louder than my brother’s screams. Once they separate to the opposite sides of my room, I bend over in explosive laughter. The look on Zanther’s face is the epitome of sheer horror; even his throat bobs as he plasters himself against the stone wall.
“Not funny! Get that thing out of here.”
“He’s an innocent sweetheart, Zee. How can you not love his little fluffy face?” My voice rises to the always-annoying yet undeniably required baby-talk. “Don’t you have the cutest little nose, my Goosie boy?”
He rubs against me and does a figure-eight between my ankles. With a hand still clutching his heart, Zanther backs into the hallway, but not before his gaze dips to my cot.
“Remember, you only have one more week until I’m forcing you to move in with me.”
“Two,” I counter. “Wait until Halloween.”
Zanther shakes his head then ducks around the corner. “Fine, now let’s go before I spear your cat.” He clinks silverware together in the distance and I follow his racket. “I still think you’re crazy for opening this shop.”
“You’ve only mentioned it two thousand times.”
“Well, someone’s gotta knock sense into—” Zanther drops something, and it clatters to the floor. “Whoops. Listen Eli, your dad isn’t coming back. Whether or not he sees your shop going viral, Noah is not gonna magically show back up in your life. So, you may as well get that wholesome idea out of your head.”
“My dad will come. Trust me. When I win the award, he’ll show.”
Once I beat the other shops in the competition, then all news and local businesses will blast my social media account. Every year the winner announced goes viral. In 2023, a bakery won, and a streaming service picked them up.
“Uh, Eli? There’s a terrifyingly intense woman staring at me through the front window. Shit, she looks pissed,” Zanther pauses. “Oh no, don’t tell me you’ve been dabbling in the Dungeons Dating app again?”
All I can do is smile. “Dabbling? Is that your word of the day?”
“Shut up! I love my calendar. Don’t act like you haven’t dabbled into a few too many dark spaces recently. Should I mention Sarah, Tanya …”
“Shut it.” I wave away his comment in the air, hoping it’ll disappear. “Rynn’s coming in.”
“Who’s Rynn?”
My crush pushes the double doors open wide like a scene from an action movie and storms in. With fire bursting in her hazel eyes, she stomps straight up to me.
I hold out both arms to welcome her into a hug. She jerks to a stop in front of me, caught off guard, and glances at my arms like they’re poisonous octopus tentacles ready to sting.
“What are you doing?” Putting both hands on her hips, she stands solidly in a wide stance. Her adorably serious expression shatters any remaining doubt. I must go on a date with this woman. I’ll convince her, whether I need to run a marathon, take her skydiving, or even eat Goosie … I’ll do it.
Never mind, I can’t eat my cat. That’s ludicrous.
“I’m waiting for you to hug me, obviously.” I nod to both arms, still hovering in the air. It’s a good thing I’m in shape because I’m not lowering them until she steps into my embrace willingly. “If I must sleep like this, I will.”
Rynn shakes her head, and ignores my awkward stubbornness. “I mean, what are you really doing here? In Oakmar, in my town, on the busiest night of the month? Did your grandpa hire you to help him with marketing?”
“My grandpa died,” I say, gaze trained on her, arms steady. “I could sure use a comforting hug.”
