Page 13 of Spellbound & Speechless
Her lips twist. “Sort of. I had some help. It’s okay for you to get some help, too.”
“Again, I’ll try.”
“I don’t expect you to stay here forever.” She lifts her hands. “I don’t even want you to. Just try it out until you find what you want to do. Agreed?”
I nod resolutely. “Agreed.”
“And don’t let a few mess-ups ruin your self-esteem. It’s not that serious.”
Juniper doesn’t realize it’s too late for me. It’s not the mess-ups or anything to do with work. My self-esteem is already in the trash, and there’s no saying I can do anything to get it out.
“Thank you for giving me a chance,” I say. “I hope you don’t regret it.”
“I willneverregret helping you.” She holds my gaze momentarily before leaning back and breaking out a rare smile. “Now, clock out and drink two shots—boss’s orders.”
Chapter 5
Mac
No signof the one I’m looking for, but there she is—the blonde woman from the motel. Aspen. In a town this small, running into her again is inevitable. I expected it to happen at the motel, not at the Moonlit Tavern.
She spends most of the evening stumbling over herself. It’s cute, but it’s nothing like the charming woman I spoke to before. I guess she wasn’t lying about being a local. Apparently, she works here.
No matter how much my wolf wants to, I can’t pay her any attention. I rub my chest to soothe the whining creature. I’m still drawn to her as she dances and sways in the middle of the room. All by herself.
“Let me guess. Aspen caught your eye?” Laurel asks from behind the bar.
The green-haired bartender introduced herself to me first, not vice versa. She’s personable, but I’m low maintenance, so she spent most of the night tending to other patrons. Laurel is probably good at gathering information, given how chatty she is. That could be useful for me.
I nod, swallowing thickly. “I guess so, but I’m not the only one.”
Most people are looking at Aspen, but she doesn’t seem to realize or care.
“Yeah. You should get used to that. That’s just… Aspen. It happens everywhere she goes.”
“You know her well?”
“Sort of.” She tilts her head to the side. “I’m getting to know her again, I think.”
There’s a story there, but it isn’t my place to ask about it. That’s not the kind of information I’m here to collect.
I squash my curiosity and turn back to Laurel. “Interesting.” I lift the beer I’ve been nursing all night.
“She’s a love witch, just so you know.”
“A love witch.” I narrow my eyes. “What does that mean, exactly?”
There’s only one type of witch I know about, and it’snota love witch. It’s something more sinister. These witches have the scent of magic on them, but it’s nowhere near as rotten as the magic I’ve smelled in the past.
Aspen smells like candy and sunshine.
“Exactly what you’re experiencing right now,” Laurel says. “She has… aura, I guess.”
“Right. Aura.” Whatever that means.
Aspen is a love witch. Makes sense. The pull I feel for the near stranger isn’t something I experience often. Of course, there’s a magical explanation for it. It couldn’t be anything else. That doesn’t discourage my wolf’s interest.
Laurel’s words are a warning, but I won’t take it. Not right now. My wolf made up its mind, and I’m along for the ride.
