Lilly pressed her lips together, swallowed the lump in her throat and continued to explore Panthea’s Pantry. She stood in front of a shelf lined with a variety of round cast iron pots. ‘These would be perfect for gumbo,’ she thought.
As she approached a shelf of cookbooks, the curly haired lady came back into the shop. A man wearing a white silk shirt, gold vest and baggy brown pants accompanied her. “Mac, ma chere, it is always a pleasure to see you,” she said as the man gave her a hug.
Stepping away from the embrace, Mac said, “It is always wonderful to see you. Your psychic gifts never cease to amaze me. I am in town this week, and I will be here Friday night for the full moon celebration.”
Jolene smiled and said, “C’est bien! When we are finished here, we’ll walk to Bourbon Street to hear your music.”
“Splendid,” the gentleman drawled. Rings flashed on his fingers as he placed a top hat on his head and sauntered out the door.
Squelching a desire to ask, “Who was that?” Lilly turned to the ladies behind the counter.
Jolene plopped down on the stool next to Sabine, “It is always a pleasure to see Mac, but I’m afraid I have over booked myself for readings today. With Yule approaching, I need to be opening crates of new inventory and stocking the shelves.
Sabine cleared her throat, “Jolene there is someone here to see you about the apartment.”
“Oh, mon oui,” she said looking up at Lilly. “Did you like it?”
“I love it!” Lilly exclaimed.
“C’est, bien, I don’t think I’ve ever heard anyone express such a sentiment over the little place. I am glad you love it. It must be yours.”
“When can I move in?”
“Do you have the first month’s rent?”
“How much is it? The newspaper didn’t say.” Lilly quaked inside, hoping the rent was something her money supply from Alex’s socks would cover for a few months.
“The rent is fifty dollars a month.”
Lilly’s eyes widened, wondering if she had heard her right. “Fifty dollars a month?”
“Yes, fifty dollars. That includes water and electricity. Do you think you can pay that amount each month?”
“Yes, yes, of course, I can,” Lilly said. She dug around in her garbage bag and slipped a fifty-dollar bill from Alex’s sock.
“My name is Jolene, and I suppose if you’re going to be living here, I’ll need to know your name.” Lilly almost blurted her name, but quickly recalled Trudy’s advice to adopt an alias. Seeing her hesitation, Jolene spoke quietly, “It’s okay, we can get to that later.”
Tossing a wayward curl off her forehead, Jolene plopped onto the stool behind the counter. “Sabine, tomorrow I will run the register, you work with the clients. I need to put my attention on the store.”
“Okay, Jo, we can trade places every day until I leave.”
Jolene looked surprised, “Leave?”
Sabine sighed, “Yes, remember? I am going to Gulfport. My baby girl is having a baby in a few weeks.”
“Oh, my stars! When are you leaving, Sabine?”
“We talked about this last month, Jolene. I’m leaving on December first”
“Next week? What am I going to do? I have no one to help me in the shop?”
Lilly, one hand on the door knob, the other clutching her garbage bag of belongings, stopped and turned around. “Jolene, I am looking for a job. I know how to cook. I know a lot about cooking.”
Jolene and Sabine stared at her blankly for a moment. Jolene grabbed the newspaper from behind the counter. “Let’s see if there are any openings for a cook in the paper.”
“No, no, I thought I could work here for you since Sabine is going out of town. Nothing permanent, I understand, but I could pitch in for her. I could help out while she is gone.”
“Yes, I will need assistance, but Sabine is not a cook.”
Embarrassed, Lilly stammered an apology, “I’m sorry; I thought you might need some help in the pantry and I...”
Jolene and Sabine cut Lilly’s explanation short as together they toned a compassionate, “Aww.” Jolene came over and put her arms around Lilly’s shoulders, “My dear this is not a cooking school. Is that what you thought?”
“Seeing the name Panthea’s Pantry, I thought it was a culinary shop or cooking school. I saw all the herbs along the wall, I thought...” A flush crept up her neck and across her cheeks as she blinked back tears.
“Non, non, my dear, you are not the first person to mistake our little shop for a culinary school. Let me assure you we are not chefs.”
Lilly looked up, “What are you? Jolene and Sabine exchanged quick glances. Sabine nodded, and Jolene said firmly, “We are witches.”
Chapter 6
A Witchy Welcome
Jolene opened the door in the back of the shop and invited Lilly into the spacious kitchen of her apartment. The warm room, painted bright yellow, boasted a big window with a view of the fountain in the courtyard. Plants hung high in the window in beaded macramé holders. Lilly sat at the round oak table and yelped when a large house cat pounced onto her lap.
Jolene spun around from the stove, “Meet Topaz he is a long-time member of our family. He didn’t mean to frighten. He is welcoming you.”
Lilly stroked the furry orange and white cat. She whispered in his ear “Hello Topaz; I’m Lilly,” in a voice only the cat could hear. Topaz purred and curled up on her lap.
Jolene busied herself at the stove preparing tea while Lilly stroked Topaz and rested her eyes on the flowing fountain in the courtyard.
A cup of steaming tea and a jar of honey appeared on the table. Lilly breathed in the sweet aroma. She and Jolene sipped tea in comfortable silence for a few
