6. Rule 6 Everyone Needs Some Clari-tea

Rule 6: Everyone Needs Some Clari-tea

Daniel

A djusting the sleeves of my white dress shirt as I exited the men's locker room meant that I wasn't looking where I was going. Which is why it took me by surprise when, what could only be called a small cyclone, knocked into me. Instinctively, my hands shot out and I steadied Zoe before she fell over. This was becoming a habit that I was not complaining about. Today she wore a black tank top and her skin was deliciously warm under my touch. Caressing her upper arms with slow movements of my thumbs, I delighted in the shiver she tried to suppress. I dragged the back of my knuckle down the tattoo on her right arm. It intrigued me. The swirls of color interspersed between the black ink of the skull and serpent was exactly her. She hid her vibrancy well though.

"If you wanted me to hold you again, all you had to do was ask," I said in a low voice.

She wrenched herself from my hold before walking on. "Bite me!" she growled .

I snapped my jaws at her, making her scowl. Fuck, her sassiness turned me on. "Oh, darling, I'd love to!"

The blush that rose to her cheeks as she stomped away had me chuckling. She was so fun to rile up.

"Daniel," Lewis's voice called out as I passed his office.

"Hi. What's up?" I asked as I stepped in.

"Do you mind closing the door behind you?"

Fuck. That was never good. Zoe was his best friend and I'd been taunting her for weeks.

"Uh. Sure." Once I'd closed the door, he gestured for me to take a seat in one of the chairs in front of his desk. I tried to get a read on him. He didn't seem particularly irritated, rather stoic in fact, which was a departure from his usual easy going nature. Where Zoe was the storm, Lewis was the eye of it. The calm before he unleashed her. They were quite the pair.

"It's been three weeks. I wanted to see how you're settling in?"

"Oh." Not what I was expecting even though I really should have. The man was running a business, something I was intimately familiar with. As a fellow businessman, it really should have occurred to me.

"It's going well. There's been an increase in sign ups, although I don't know that I'm ready to add any more classes to my schedule."

"Yeah. Are you managing with the gallery and your classes here?"

"I am. Michael, despite his attitude, is a great manager. We have a project going on at the moment and he's handling the logistics."

"You're fitting in quite well in our little town," he observed, but I didn't miss the skepticism in his voice.

"Hemlock Harbor's a lovely place. Quaint. Quiet," I agreed.

"Indeed. There's not much drama going on around here."

I swallowed, but gave him a bright smile. "My favorite part to be honest. "

"What are your intentions with Zoe?"

The change of subject made my head spin, and I was caught off guard. I didn't even have the brain capacity to be anything but honest.

"I like her," I said simply.

"Why?" he asked, his tone devoid of emotion, not giving me a single clue as to where his head was at.

"Because she's smart and witty and I get the sense that she's loyal. That's not a quality many possess. And I'd be lying if I said I didn't find her sexy as fuck."

Lewis rested his chin on steepled fingers as he stared at me. It was as if he was trying to look into my soul for a lie. But he wouldn't find one here. I shifted in my seat, waiting for him to speak. A bead of sweat trickled down the back of my neck as he narrowed his eyes. He let out a long breath then sat back in his chair.

"She doesn't trust easily, and for good reason," he finally offered.

"Why?" I was endlessly intrigued by her. She was so guarded, but I noticed moments of softness when she thought no one was looking. Laughing with Lewis. Encouraging the women in her classes. The look of pride on her face when the preschoolers finished a lesson.

"That's her story to tell. All I'm saying is if you're serious about her, be patient. And if you hurt her, I'll disembowel you, hide your body where no one could find it, then join the search party."

"I won't hurt her," I said, leaning forward to rest my forearms on my thighs. I looked him straight in the eye as I made the promise.

"I believe you don't want to and that you wouldn't hurt her purposely. But that doesn't matter to her. She's protecting herself. And even if you don't mean to hurt her, I will kill you if you do. She's my sister in every sense of the word. And I protect my family."

I leaned back in the chair, taking a breath. "I respect that. Any tips on how to get her to open up? "

He laughed and I winced. "Oh no, buddy. You're on your own there. I'm enjoying this mess too much to make it easy for you. I'm one hundred percent Team Zoe. Good luck."

He reached for a stack of papers on his desk, essentially dismissing me.

The feet of the chair scraped against the floor when I pushed to stand. "Good talk then," I said. "Thanks."

"You're welcome," he replied. Then, as I reached the doorway of his office, he said, "She likes pistachio ice cream. Shut the door on your way out."

I left the gym that day with a smile and an extra pep in my step.

The bell jingled as I opened the door to Amelia's Apothecary later that afternoon.

"Daniel! Hi! I knew you'd pop in sooner rather than later."

"Hi Amelia. Did you now?" I greeted her with a hug because that's how Amelia rolled.

"Uh huh, saw it in my crystal ball this morning."

I laughed. She was sweetness personified. We'd bonded over how great the coffee was at Gloria's, but she promised me the tea at her shop was the best in town. I missed having a good cuppa. The one thing I detested about Americans was that most of them made tea in the microwave. I shivered in revulsion at the thought. It had taken me a while to hunt down an electric kettle, eventually resorting to ordering one online.

I slid into a comfy chair at one of the tables and picked up a menu that lay there. The shop was empty aside from a teenage girl browsing the potions on display.

"Amelia?" she called out .

"Yes, Callie?"

"You don't have any love potions?"

"No. I don't sell love potions. Those don't actually work. It's an infatuation spell that doesn't last. There's no magic that can make someone love you. Timmy is an idiot. You're better off without him!"

I chuckled to myself. Oh, young love. But I could commiserate with Callie. Unrequited love was a bitch.

"But I love him," she whined.

"No, you don't. You're sixteen. And he's dumber than a bag of rocks. You'd be better off practicing your casting. Go on."

The bell jingled on her exit along with some grumbling.

"I don't know how many times a week I have to give that same speech," she said.

"Being a teenager is rough," I observed.

"Yeah. That's why I'm here to guide them. So, has Ben been bothering you?"

I sighed then ran a hand through my hair, thinking of the local werewolf pack's Alpha. "Not really. The invites keep coming and I continue to ignore them. Just keeping my nose clean and keeping to myself. Although Selena hasn't stopped showing up at the gallery unannounced."

Amelia wrinkled her nose at the mention of the Alpha's daughter.

"Yeah. My sentiment exactly."

"You're teaching classes at Lewis's gym," she said, her gaze boring into mine. I took the opportunity to scan the menu in my hands.

"Yup."

"How's that going?"

I could tell she was talking about more than the classes, but I wasn't going to touch that .

"Good. The interest is there. There are some guys coming in from Springfield on Saturdays," I told her about the town half an hour away.

"That's great," she said. "And Zoe?"

Ah, there it was.

"She hasn't murdered me yet so I'd say good."

She burst out laughing at that. "Yeah. She's a tough cookie, but she's one of the good ones. Don't let her prickly demeanor deter you."

Did everyone in this town know about my crush?

I winked at her. "Wasn't going to. So, what's good here?" I said, nodding to the menu.

"Depends on what you need," she replied.

Once again, I read the menu:

No Anxie-Tea

Matcha Quali-Tea

Chai Creativi-Tea

Peach Part-Tea

Apple Positivi-Tea

Chamomile Clari-Tea

Hibiscus Beau-Tea

"You have any good old Earl Grey?" I asked. "Maybe an English Breakfast?"

She chuckled and patted my hand. "Oh Dan, if you wanted boring tea you'd go home."

I chuckled. "True. Okay how about some Chai Creativi-Tea. I haven't painted anything I've loved in a while."

"I find that hard to believe," she replied, a twinkle in her assessing eyes. She wasn't wrong. The only problem was the subject I'd been sketching and painting these last few weeks wouldn't appreciate me putting those up for viewing .

"Fine. Then a cup of Chamomile Clari-Tea. One can't go wrong with a clear head."

"Good choice," she said, popping up and grabbing the menu from my hand. "I've just finished a batch of scones and there's fresh jam to go with that."

I narrowed my eyes. "Proper scones or the abomination you Americans call scones?"

Amelia rolled her eyes. "Yes, proper British scones, you toenail."

"Clotted cream?" I asked, hope burning like an ember.

"Of course. What kind of monster do you think I am?"

I clutched my heart. "Amelia. You are too good to me."

With a warm plate of scones in front of me and all the clarity I'd ever need, this day felt like it was turning out to be a pretty good one.