I fished my ringing phone out of my pocket and tucked it under my ear while I picked the last order.
“Did I catch you at a bad time?” my cousin Jeannine asked.
I carried the box to the counter. “Just finished filling a couple of orders. What’s up?”
“Thank you for taking the time to go to lunch with me and Travis. You guys made a good impression on him.”
I stared out the shop window. “Well, that’s nice to know. You seem like you really like this guy.”
“I really do.” Jeannine hesitated. “But I didn’t stop by Jason’s.”
“Why not?”
“Because I like Travis. What if Jason says or does something stupid?”
I laughed. “If Travis likes you, too, seems as if he’ll put up with a faux pas from your brother. It isn’t like you’re taking him home to meet the parents.”
“That would be a deal breaker, for sure. Can you imagine what my mother would say?”
Unfortunately, I could, and in no scenario would it be nice. “Is your mother’s opinion important to you?”
“I have been avoiding that woman for years, and never more so than since I moved out. I can finally breathe again, and meeting Travis, well, I feel like there’s hope for a normal life.”
“What about your dad?” I ventured.
She didn’t respond right away, probably thinking the same thing I did. Uncle Jerome had checked out from actively participating in family decisions for as long as I’d known him. He went along with whatever Aunt Theresa said or did, which made me sad for Jeannine. Was it better to be orphaned or marginalized? I’d had experience with both. Even though Aunt Theresa and Uncle Jerome had taken me in, they weren’t my parents. When I’d walked away from them, it was more an act of survival than of willful disobedience.
In Jeannine’s continued silence, I pressed on. “I guess things are getting serious with you and Travis, then?”
Her voice was soft when she answered. “They kind of are.”
“I’m happy for you.”
“Yes, well, you’re more open-minded than a lot of people.”
“I’m sure Jason will be happy for you, too,” I said.
“He’ll point out the obstacles we’d be facing, and trust me, I’ve already considered dozens.”
“Then you know what you’re letting yourself in for.” I drew a deep breath. “Jeannine, you deserve to be happy. You know that, right?”
“So do you. It seems as if you found your happily ever with Kyle.”
I wasn’t so sure. “I’m not sure I’m meant for the happily ever after ending. I’m far too independent.”
“Do you need someone to talk to?” she asked, a little too eagerly. “I could drive down after work. We could get dinner. Just the two of us.”
While she and I had discovered a newfound sister-ship, we had a way to go before I shared confidences with her. “I have a lot of work to do tonight. Inventory’s running low at the store and I’ve been distracted with other things, and with keeping up the garden...” I sighed. “Thanks for offering. Maybe later in the week?” Or two, assuming I could transfer the spell to Daria, or cancel it. I checked email on my computer. Nothing from Madeleine yet.
“You’ll let me know?” Jeannine asked. “I thought we could double date, the four of us. What do you think?”
“I’ll check with Kyle,” I said, knowing he wouldn’t be joining me anytime soon. If ever. “I’d better get back to work. Talk soon?”
“I always feel better after talking to you,” Jeannine said. “You really think Jason will be okay with Travis?”
“I do.”
“I’m going to call right now. Before I chicken out again.”
I smiled. “You do that. I’m sure he’ll be happy to hear from you, in any event.”
She disconnected and I leaned on the counter. Ash waltzed under my arms, her tail tickling my nose. I stroked her silky fur and was rewarded with a purr.
“If you need to make more product, I could ask Starr to come in for a couple of hours,” Cassandra said. “Sorry, I couldn’t help but overhear your conversation. The online orders could be the difference between staying in business and closing our doors, so you should get cracking.” She nodded at the row of boxes lined up on the counter.
“As long as you don’t mind, I think I will. After game night Saturday and the trip to the hospital yesterday, I wasn’t able to make as much product as I normally would.”
The bell over the door rang and Starr walked in.
“I was hoping you’d say that, because I already called Starr,” Cassandra said with a sly grin.
I gathered Ash into my arms. “Starr, would you close the boxes and ship them for me?”
“Will do,” she said.
“Let’s go, Ash.” I put her in the carrier, gathered my purse, and left the shop.
As I reached the paved footpath toward home, it started to rain. I hunched over Ash’s carrier and hurried my pace. I reached my street and dislodged my purse from my shoulder to get my key ready, but when I looked up, Nora’s car was in the driveway.
I rushed inside and set my things down, wiping off water. “Nora?”
“Back here,” she called from the workshop.
Ash crawled out of her carrier, did a shake, and raced through the house ahead of me.
“Did you forget something?” I asked as I approached my workroom. Rain streamed down the windows, blurring the world outside.
Nora was pouring votive candles. “I thought you might need some help.”
“You were here Sunday.”
“So I was. Now I’m back. Do you want me to go?”
“Absolutely not. I’m so glad you’re here.” I filled her in on the current state of my relationship, the misuse of one of my products that produced unexpected results for the customer, and the continuing stress of owning the boutique.
“You did have doubts about Kyle before. Sometimes when we’re young, our lack of experience deceives us into believing we
