Page 31 of Of Potions and Honey
Mira tried not to feel too insulted that it was her uncle’s name, not hers, that might draw people in. Hewasthe one who had made the store successful, she was just trying to build on that. And Harper just wanted what was best for the town.
“Thanks again for putting up the sign.” Mira gave her basket a little shake. “I’ve got to get my shopping done. Lots to do.”
And hopefully she’d stay sane while doing it.
Mira nearly dropped the bottle when she rearranged it for approximately the twentieth time. Cursing, she put it down and took a step away from the shelf, just in case. She’d been fighting her nerves the entire day, labelling the last bottles in the neatest handwriting she could manage with her shaky hands, cleaning the front room of the shop one last time, and finally stocking the shelves. She looked around at the results of all that work. Considering that she had no training, nothing but a handwritten recipe book and a lot of stubborn determination, it looked good. Downright amazing. Compared to the shops she’d been in in Willow Harbour, it was pathetic.
Still, between Uncle Lochlin’s inventory lists and her slowly growing knowledge of the town, she had put together something that could conceivably pass as a decent stock. Multiple types of fertiliser – and a sign that she could produce larger quantities to order – deterrents for all sorts of garden pests, a worm treatment for house cats, an ointment for skin irritation, and a cough syrup. The latter two were the only ones for human use that she was comfortable offering so far. They were still somewhat easy to make, and she’d been able to test both on herself with no side effects. Now, she was working on theheadache remedy, but until she could figure out how to get rid of the strong garlic smell, she refused to inflict that on people.
So her shelves looked a little barren, the bottles spaced out just a bit too much, and the handful of plants she’d scattered around for decoration wouldn’t fool anybody.
“It’s fine.” She pressed her hands to her eyes until she saw stars. Heavens, she was tired. “It’ll be fine.”
“What’s fine?”
Mira flinched so hard her soles lost contact with the floor for a second. She grabbed the edge of the counter when she turned around, only to find Yoni staring at her, a basket full of greenery in hand like she’d just come in from the forest with new herb specimens.
“Sorry. I saw that the lights were on, and the door was open.” She frowned. “Are you open yet?”
“No, that’s tomorrow.” Mira managed to take a deep breath. “I just figured some fresh air wouldn’t hurt while I finish up in here.”
“Hm.” Yoni looked around. “It looks… nice.”
Mira grimaced. “You can be honest, you know.”
Yoni’s brows knit together. “I am. It’s a lot less cluttered than it was when your uncle ran the place.” She came inside now, taking a cursory glance at the shelves nearest the door. “A lot easier to read, too. His handwriting was chicken scratch disguised as letters.”
Now it was Mira’s turn to frown. “His handwriting is-” She remembered the pencil lines in the recipe book and snapped her mouth shut. “…he tried,” she finished after a moment.
Yoni raised an eyebrow. “If that was trying, I wouldn’t want to see his grocery list.” She shrugged. “Then again, if you asked him, he’d hand you the right bottle immediately, so I don’t think it ever mattered.” She shifted the basket to her other hand, a sudden look of discomfort on her face. “Anyway, I just… thoughtI’d drop in. Wish you good luck.” She blinked rapidly. “Maybe I’ll come by tomorrow.”
And with that, she fled the shop, leaving Mira baffled and alone. That was… new. Did Yonicarewhat happened to the shop? More than just wanting her good fertiliser options back?
Well, if she was, she could be showing that by telling people about it. Not that Mira now had a chance to ask her for that favour. She pinched the bridge of her nose. No, it was fine. She had done all she could. Even asked to put up a sign in Golden River’s window, a request which had been predictably denied by the nervous young cashier. Still, it hadn’t hurt to try.
Now there was nothing left to do but wait, and get a good night’s sleep so she’d be awake and alert tomorrow.
Fourteen
Miradraggedherselfoutof bed – or rather, off her mattress – at the crack of dawn, after a combined four hours of sleep, which was probably a charitable estimate. With her stomach in knots and constantly startled out of dozing by thoughts of what she might have forgotten, only to immediately remember that no, she hadn’t, Mira decided to give up and at least get a head start on the day. Which involved twice as much tea as usual, and stronger to boot, because she did not trust herself to put on her customer service face otherwise. Almost too nervous to eat breakfast, she convinced herself that she could stomach a slice of toasted bread with butter, and took both outside on the back porch, to enjoy some peace and quiet before her first proper day as a shop owner would begin.
It was almost a little too chilly still to sit outside, but Mira didn’t mind. Breathing in the crisp morning air, she looked out over her garden. The little corner of it that she had tamed, with its patch of vegetables by the porch and the apple tree near the fence, and the much larger chunk in the back that was still waiting for her to give it some attention. Mira doubted that she’dget to that this year, before autumn slowed everything down and winter blanketed the world. Next year though. She’d make sure that she’d get to it next year.
It was a strange mix of optimism and terror. She’d make sure – how though, that remained to be seen. She’d figure it out, somehow. Hopefully.
Feeling slightly queasy, but mostly alert, she eventually returned inside. She took care to clean herself up, dress in her most professional clothes, and tame her hair as best she could. She’d considered washing it again the night before, but letting it dry overnight in a bonnet would be decidedly worse than what she was dealing with now, so she’d let it be. Now, she strategically applied a dozen pins and a nice ribbon to make herself look presentable.
Finally, she looked at herself in the mirror above the sink – cheeks surprisingly rosy, collar neat, curls all held in place. The last touch – the apron that she’d ordered from a shop in Heartfield, complete with a little potion bottle stitched into the outside of the left pocket. Now she was ready. She looked like shebelongedbehind that counter.
Now it was time to go and prove that she did, in fact, belong there.
She was in the shop half an hour before she would open. For now, she had set tentative times from nine to two, with a half-hour break for lunch at twelve. It was, she had found, approximately the time frame most businesses operated out here – a far cry from the emporium, which had never been open for less than ten consecutive hours barring the weekend, when it closed at four. Even the store here in town was open from eight to four every week day. However, the rest of Emberglen did notoperate on that schedule, so Mira had decided that she wouldn’t, either.
She spent that half hour searching for specks of dust that didn’t exist, straightening shelves that didn’t need straightening, and generally hoping she wouldn’t throw up right in front of the counter.
At nine on the dot, she opened the door and turned the sign. And waited.
It was a nice early summer morning, just slightly breezy. Perfect to go out and get some errands done. Which nobody appeared to be doing, at least not out here. People knew though, Mira was fairly certain. Harper had kept her promise and put the sign in her window. Mayor Lloyd had allowed her to put on one the notice board as well. Anyone who would be interested in potions would know when and where to buy them.
