Page 34 of Of Potions and Honey
Mira shrugged. “Might not be up to your standard.”
“If it wasn’t, I would have let you know.” Yoni shook her head. “Sorry, I don’t need to refill yet, but I’ll come back when I do. Seeing as you’ve made your choice, it seems.”
“Made my choice?”
“To stay.” Yoni fiddled with something in one of her many pockets. “If I’m being honest, the only one who expected you to really go through with this was Kayden, and he’s an eternal optimist.”
“Ouch.” Mira scratched the back of her head, trying to take this as simple bluntness, not an insult. After all, Harper had felt much the same, and that had felt a lot more like a professional assessment. “Well, I did, and I intend to keep going. So feel free to check back in once you’re out of. Pink.”
Yoni ducked her head, not quite meeting Mira’s eyes. “Will do.” Her eyes fell on something to Mira’s left. “Wait, is that worm treatment?”
“What?” Mira turned to look at the shelf in question. “Oh. Yes.”
“Well, then I’ve changed my mind.” Yoni marched past the counter and picked up a bottle. “I’m ordering from an apothecary in Greengrass now, and Marigold hates it. Spits it out any chance she gets.” She put the bottle on the counter. “This is a treat to her.”
“Might be the cataria,” Mira said dryly as she opened the till for change. “Good to know that it’s tasty. It smells awful. Uncle Lochlin even made a note that it will stink, not to worry, cats will love it.”
“Oh, it stinks up the whole kitchen,” Yoni agreed when she pocketed the bottle. “Keeps her healthy though, so I’m dealing with it.” She shoved her hands in her pockets. “Well. Thanks. I’ll be…” Another bob of the head. “Hope the rest of your day is good.”
With an awkward little wave, she ducked out of the door and speed-walked back out onto the street. Past a group of three, who were all coming up the path now. Mira quickly stood up straight, fixed her hair, and put on a smile. Almost like a goodluck charm, she mused when she greeted what would hopefully be customers. Maybe she should write Yoni a thank you card.
Fifteen
Forthefollowingfewweeks, things became a strange kind of blur. Mira spent most of her days in the shop, either out front with customers or in the back trying to expand her stock. Time went by fast, and it took forever at the same time. At night, she diligently logged her numbers. Had bought a brand new ledger, even, though she still kept Uncle Lochlin’s close to compare. Things were looking… Hopeful. A little. She was not operating in the red, at least, but she was also a far cry from making this a living. At the very least, if the shop carried itself and then some, she could stretch her savings a little further. Didn’t have to stress so much about spending her weekends writing to cash another cheque for groceries and a fresh block of ice. Which was good, because by the end of week four, Mira was having her morning tea while working through a full month’s worth of numbers, had slept somewhere around six hours a night the week prior if she was being generous, and after failing to do a simple addition for the third time, she tossed down her pen with a grunt of frustration.
“Oh, sod it! I need a break!”
She ran her hands through her hair, tugging at the roots. She probably badly needed a good hair wash day, too. Her curls were a right mess, but you couldn’t tell with the way she wore them in the shop, and at night she was too tired to spend an hour in the bath trying to fix the problem. She lifted her head and glanced out the window, into a sunny, slightly breezy day. Right now, though, a nice walk sounded much more appealing. Mira put away her ledgers, changed into her sensible boots and a hat, and decided that it would probably be smart to bring some water and a snack. Thusly supplied, she left the house – and her work – for a much needed break.
At first, she wasn’t quite sure where she wanted to go. The forest was probably a solid bet. She’d explored little enough of the fabled Honeywood so far, between settling in, the weather, and then preparing to re-open the potion shop. Maybe today would finally be her chance to see the famous Sweetwater Spring for herself.
She ventured up the street and soon turned onto the path leading into the woods. It was nice in the shade under the trees, with the lush green foliage catching the breeze in a gentle rustle. The ground to both sides of the path was now covered in small white flowers, so dense in some places that they almost looked like fresh snow. Mira squatted next to a patch and pulled out her notebook to take some notes and make a sketch to look them up later, when she found the time to visit the library in Heartfield again. The town hall had a tiny corner stocked with reading material to borrow, but it consisted mostly of a rotation of weekly and monthly magazines and two forlorn-looking shelves of battered novels. A science section was unfortunately nowhere to be found.
With the notebook back in her pocket and a spring in her step, Mira carried on. Oh, she had missed this, and only now did she trulyfeelhow badly she had needed a break. Now she knew whyHarper paid one of the town’s pensioners to man the shop every once in a while. Nobody could work that much without going insane.
A few hundred yards deep into the woods, Mira came to a crossroads of trails, lorded over by a post of weathered wooden signs. Craning her neck, she tried to find the right one. Surely, the spring would be clearly signposted? Of course it was, Kayden had mentioned that to the tourists. But which way had he said to go again? The red bird, or the blueish blob? Mira squinted and got on her toes, but neither made the faded writing next to the symbols more legible.
“What are you doing that for?”
Mira abruptly rocked back on her heels and turned to find Yoni approaching from the way she’d just come herself. She was dressed in what Mira now knew to be her work attire, sturdy shoes, often-mended trousers with large pockets, and a beaten linen hat on her head. She was carrying a basket that was empty except for a trowel, a gardening knife, and a bottle wrapped in a chequered tea towel. Currently, she was looking between Mira and the signs.
“Do you need binoculars or just directions?”
Mira held back a burst of laughter, albeit poorly. “Directions, and a letter to the mayor to refresh the darn signs.”
“Oh, we’ve written those,” Yoni said. “He says the signs are fine.” She indicated the post with her chin. “Where are you going?”
“I was looking for the trail to the spring,” Mira replied. “I think it was something about fruit, but I don’t remember, and I can’t read any of this.”
“Blackberry Bramble.” Yoni pointed at the sign with the blue. “That one.”
“Blackberry?” Mira stared at the blob. It was a little purple. Sort of. “I thought that was a ball.”
“A ball?”
“You know, maybe it leads to some sort of sports field?”
Yoni raised an eyebrow. “That’s what the village green is for, and it’s in the exact opposite direction.”
