Chapter 9

Willow

I walked into my house, utterly embarrassed. I felt so lame for running off… but we hadn't even gone on a date yet. The only thing I had been thinking about the entire walk home was kissing him. In front of my house. It hadn't even been a date.

I was asking him for a large favor, and sure I'd helped him out, but Goddess I felt like I was throwing myself at him. And even if he had asked me out… I wasn't sure he meant it. He'd seemed so unsure. And he hadn't even brought up it again today. He may have regretted the entire thing and decided to just not bring it back up again.

And now we were working on a love potion together.

Tess hadn't stopped cackling since we walked through the door. It was only about 6 pm, not even that late. I leaned back against the door, staring her down as she flitted above me.

"You can stop laughing at any moment, you know. It wasn't that funny."

"Uh, huh. You should have seen you two. So cute, and so very, very awkward."

I shrugged and went into my living room, dropping my bag against the couch. I was caught up on grading papers, which meant I could focus on my book, at least.

"How was your day?"

"Good. I hung out with Slate and Rose today. We worked on the gardens some."

"It's getting cold for that, isn't it?"

"Yeah. We had to go in and warm up several times. Doing it now makes it easier for next spring, and soon it'll be too cold for us to go outside at all. Rose is still probably holing up with her family for winter."

"Are you sure you don't want to?"

"What family? There's a reason I live here, remember? It's fine. I don't mind staying cooped up in this giant house versus my wee tiny hut. And, with the right help, I can always still go out with you."

I nodded, remembering the first winter we almost killed her because we didn't bundle up well enough. Pixies were so tiny that they couldn't handle the cold well, and their wings could freeze and become dangerously brittle.

Happy to have switched the subject, I kept talking about winter plans. Flopping onto the couch, I kicked off my boots and stretched out. A nap sounded amazing, but that was the wine talking more than anything. I had to work most of tomorrow. I really needed to get some work done on my book today. My agent had already emailed asking for an update today.

My phone buzzed in my pocket, and I pulled it out.

Piper: WILLOW! You have not answered me, in defiance of best friend code. I shall be there in 5 minutes.

I paused, looking at Piper's message.

I hadn't answered her?

Oh no. Oh, no. The text about whether or not I wanted to kiss him. I'd been working in the café, and hid my phone from Winston. I'd completely forgotten.

I looked around and realized I didn't care enough to hide. Piper had her own key to my house. She'd come in and find me, regardless. Sniffing out information was one of her superpowers.

I sat my laptop up on my side table, with my notes beside it as I worked on explaining the possibilities for this spell, when my door burst open.

"I'm here! Now spill your guts." Piper closed the door behind her, and I knew she was taking off her coat. Before I could say anything in reply, I saw Tess.

Tess flew straight to Piper and landed on her shoulder, and started talking. I had no doubt about who and what. I shook my head and ignored it.

"Sorry I missed your text, Piper. I was working at the café and Winston walked out right at that moment. I didn't want him to see it, so I put up my phone, and forgot."

"It's been hours!" Piper yelled, landing beside me on the couch. "I'm offended you could forget me so easily."

"There's just been a lot going on…" I tried to say, but she interrupted me.

"Oh yes, lots of time spent with Winston, I hear. Tell. Me. Every. Detail."

"Of what? I learned how to make coffees?" I replied, laughing.

"He walked you home today! He cooked you dinner! Multiple times, according to Tess. And not one kiss?"

"No. Not one."

"You want to kiss him, right? Cause if not… I mean, he is hot. I will totally try. He's even a witch."

I leveled a glare at her. "No."

"Yes! That's what I thought. Though…on that topic. You aren't a witch. Do you think he's old school?"

I sighed. "He may have asked me out… for when we are done with the book."

Piper squealed like a high schooler. "So he isn't! Or at least… not fully."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"I mean, not every date means a man is looking for a commitment. Or woman, for that matter."

Deflating, I leaned back against the couch. "I hadn't thought of that."

"I thought you might not have. Not everyone is as serious as you."

Well, that hit close to home. I'd had a crappy relationship with a woman end badly in college, right after I'd gotten engaged to the man I thought was perfect but found out was cheating on me the entire time.

"I know the history of it, but not the science. Do witches really need to marry witches to have kids?"

Piper sighed. "By everything I've been told, witches are more likely to reproduce more witches if they marry other witches. And since there seem to be fewer witches these days… it might be true. Or it could be something completely unrelated. I haven't much kept up with the nonsense."

"I'd hate to rob him of that chance."

"A child is a child. But magic is a bond that can be hard to replace. I had a friend whose father really didn't deal well with her magic when she was a baby—her witch mother married a human without telling him. So I know it happens. I've never cared that much to look into it. I don't want kids at all."

"Your mother is still after you about that?"

"You have no idea. It's every conversation."

I shrugged. It didn't matter to me. The idea of at least one kid was always something I'd wanted, though. Could we even date, knowing that I could keep him from having magical children?

"Damn." I sighed, and leaned my head into my hands, staring at my computer.

"He asked you out."

"Yeah, but I can't even date him without having this conversation first. Goddess, we're already awkward enough."

"Tess might have mentioned that."

The aforementioned Tess finally flew over to my side and landed beside the laptop.

"Traitor." I muttered at her.

She smiled at me. "You love me. Just use the love spell thing. Then it doesn't matter."

"Excuse me, what?" Piper yelped, leaning over me to look at my screen. I pushed her back away from it.

"Chill. It looks like it's a love potion. Or tea, actually. To find your soulmate. So it wouldn't matter, now would it?"

"Unless you are!"

"Oy, Piper, what are the chances? And what if it means something completely different?"

"You know, they locked up a lot of the love and passion spells. Normal people didn't like the idea of it being used against them. Witches had to come up with a detection spell for love magic—and even then people say we could lie about it. Love is something precious, and it scares people. My mother said the only love spell she ever saw was a passion spell in disguise."

Tess sat down, her legs dangling off the couch. "It wasn't just humans. Even other magical folk, like us, and the elves, worried about it. Some say any love spell is a falsehood. Others swore they were taken in. It was an easy scapegoat too for bad decisions, or when you were worried about repercussions."

"Are you still going to brew it?"

"What?" The change in topic threw me off. Piper was looking intensely at my screen.

"Didn't you guys say something about brewing it?"

"Um, well. He did still propose too… yeah. He's working on the other spell this week."

Piper kicked her shoes off too, and propped her feet on my coffee table. I could faintly smell her rose perfume, and wondered why she was so dressed up on a Monday evening.

"Wait a minute. Where have you been?"

"Had a date. It ended badly."

"Who this time?"

"Well, it was through one of those apps. But he freaked at me about being a witch. I swear, I may go back to the witch only app."

"I'm sorry Piper."

"It's whatever. Just frustrating. Maybe I should be more like you and date a woman."

"Do you like women?"

"There are some hot ones."

"That you want to kiss?"

Piper pulled one of my pillows to her stomach and hugged it, pouting. "Damn it, no, not really. But women seem like they'd be so much better."

"Trust me, it's all over the place there, too. You'll find someone, Piper."

"Yeah, yeah. Let's get back to the topic about your someone and a love potion."

"Thought I had you diverted there."

"Not even a chance, lady."

I chuckled a bit at that. "Thanks for the support. I do like him. He is hot, but more importantly, he's kind and smart and a superb baker. And he saved my life. He's a witch, so he won't be freaked out by what I do. And, even better, he doesn't seem to hate me for it, since I'm not a witch. Winston has been really kind about this whole thing, and just in general. Oh Goddess, plus he's an amazing cook and can make great coffee."

"You know, honestly, I'm surprised the coffee thing wasn't what you lead with."

I grabbed the pillow behind me and threw it at Piper.

"Seriously, darling, you drink so much of it. Food is good too, though?"

"Oh my Goddess, the meal he made me today was delicious. I almost asked for a to-go box."

"I always knew you could be motivated with food."

Tess kicked her feet and looked at me. "Do you like him?"

"Yes. But it might not matter if my being mortal ruins it. None of it matters right now. I have to work on this chapter. Piper? Care to add your thoughts?"

I handed her my notes, and she spent a few minutes perusing it. Tess flew off, saying she was going to nap. Nervously, I tapped my hand on the desk in front of me. Why did I feel so self-conscious about this book? Or this recipe? I'd written them before. I was published for Pete's sake! Why was I so afraid of getting this wrong?

Piper looked up at me and said, "So what happens if you guys brew this… and it works?"

She raised her eyebrows at me, and I rested my head against the back of the couch. I wanted to brew a love potion… for soulmates, with a man I was interested in.

"This is a bad idea."

"Or a very good one." She smiled. "Come on, you need someone in your love life. You've thrown yourself at your career for years. And listen, I've got nothing wrong with that, but having some fun isn't a bad idea."

"I don't do… fun. Not anymore."

"But you could!"

I shook my head. "Listen, at the very least, I guess, if we brew the potion and nothing happens, then from there it's our own choice on whether we do something, right?"

"It is. You could listen or run away. Of course, if it does something, will you be questioning your feelings the whole time?"

"I'm not scared of magic. I've done many things with various witches, including you. This wouldn't do anything but show soulmates—it's not making me fall in love with him."

"You don't know that. What if it's a side effect? Or you read something wrong. Even then, if it shows you are soulmates, will you believe it?"

"Piper… do you not want me to do it?"

"No, that's not what I'm saying. Love is a dangerous area for magic. It's why so many witches refuse to do anything with it. This one looked torn out of another book and hidden in the back, right? What was the reason?"

"The other book was lost? Messed up? It was stolen? Passed down? Who knows? Does it matter?"

Piper shook her head. "Honestly, I'm not sure. I just worry about you. And you are actually starting to like this guy. So I want to make sure you've thought this through, before you go do something you'll question afterwards."

Feeling anxious, I stood up and stretched, then walked over to the window to look outside. My front yard glittered with dew from the streetlight. I missed my flowers in the winter, but the colors on the trees were beautiful. A few leaves fell to the ground as I watched.

"I will look at it from all angles and decide Friday. I'll have a conversation with him first as well. I don't want him to feel pulled into something he doesn't want to do."

Piper came up from behind me, hugging me. "As you will, my dear."

Leaning my head against the glass was calming, as it was cold against my skin. Why couldn't things be simple?

"He may not really like me anyway, and none of this discussion matters."

"He asked you out."

"I dunno. He might have been having a break or something."

Piper pushed me into the window, and walked off, saying, "Have some confidence, chick. You are hot."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever."

I'd had enough talking about it. "What about a movie?"

We decided on watching The Nightmare Before Christmas, and grabbed snacks, some wine, water, and blankets, and settled down on the couch. I still worked on my book some, but it was nice to have background noise and just relax with Piper and, eventually, Tess, after her power nap.

The next day, my classes were full and ready to chatter. I made it through the first one on only one cup of coffee, grabbed quickly from Charlotte because I was running late to my office hour before class.

I deflated into my office chair, tired and ready to take a nap. Tess flapped out to the desk, landing beside my giant pile of books.

"You really should clean up in here, you know."

She picked up half the biscuit I had forgotten about, in a rush to get to class.

"Look, I've just been busy. I'll clean it up after I get the book turned in."

Tess threw her hands up in the air and flew up, spinning. "I hate to break it to you, Willow, but this is about the worst I've ever seen it. And I've lived with you for years."

Looking around, I realized she was right. My office was a right disaster, and I had students coming in 30 minutes for meetings. No naps for me.

"Okay, okay, fine. Can you get small stuff and throw it away?"

So began my cleaning, fueled by the desire to not have students think I was utterly disgusting. With Tess's help, I managed to get all the trash picked up, and most of the non-relevant books re-shelved. Grabbing the extra jacket and some cardigans I'd accidentally left, I cleared the chairs.

There. Clean. Ish. It worked.

Tess clapped just as there was a knock on the door.

"Okay, you know the drill. Out."

"Yeah, yeah. Why your school cares if I'm here or not, I have no idea. I hear everything else you do."

"Student rights. Now shoo."

I opened the door to smile at my student, and Tess took off above our heads, muttering the whole time. She was right, and I could probably have the student agree to her presence, but this had made my dean more comfortable.

Three student meetings later, I pulled out my notes for my next and last class of the day. I centered this one around the Salem Witchcraft Trials. They'd accused witches of so many things—and the real witches had shown how baseless so much of it was. I always thought it interesting that it got as far as it did. Witches had been a part of our lives for as long as history was recorded, even connected to the throne in England. That was probably part of the reason some religious group had gone bonkers against them, but it had fascinated me. It was fun to teach a whole class on it.

Tess came back in through the transom window I'd cracked above my door.

"All done?" she asked.

"Class soon. You coming?"

"Yeah, I like this one. I have to scoot after though. We've got business to take care of tonight."

I nodded, looking around the room. It felt more peaceful in here now that I had cleaned.

"Thanks for the help in here."

"No problem."

Class breezed by, and Tess went off to work. I cleaned up the rest of my office before packing and heading home. I decided to stop by for a sandwich in the café. I didn't feel like cooking, and I had too much work to do. Students had turned in a discussion board over the weekend, and though I'd put it off last night, I wanted them done sooner rather than later.

The café was lit up with the normal Einstein lights in the garden, with peaceful music seeping out through cracked windows. The windows were lit brightly, and I heard quiet chatter as I pushed open the door. Winston was standing at the counter, making coffee and speaking with the customer. I didn't see Charlotte or Lyzzie anywhere. There were five or six people in line. It was a busy night.

It dawned on me that Charlotte had asked for the night off. Winston must be on his own. Deciding on the spur of the moment, I went around the counter and into the kitchen. Winston shot me a confused look, but it cleared into a grateful smile when I came back into the café wearing an apron.

"Thank you," he muttered. His relief was easy to see, and I smiled back up at him.

"Any time. Okay, what do you need me to do?"

"Take orders? Make what you can, and I'll help till we catch up. Then I need to get some more things out."

"Done."

The next hour passed peacefully, and we worked well together behind the counter. I noticed he smelled like cinnamon and bread anytime he walked past me. Heavenly, especially when you added in watching his arms flex as he carried heavy trays.

It might be possible I was lost to this already.

Or not. Shaking my head, I tried to also shake some sense back into my brain. I could be logical about this, no matter what my apparently raging, neglected hormones thought on the topic. Winston turned, as I did, and we collided. Thankfully, neither of us were carrying anything.

His empty hands landed on my waist.

And I felt sparks fly up and down my body. Looking up, I saw his own eyes seem to gleam, the amber nearly like liquid fire.

"Sorry!" I stepped backwards, unsure of what I wanted. Or really, really sure what I had wanted, and not sure I could trust myself, to be more accurate.

"No, no, my fault. Okay, I think the rush has gone. Do you need to go home?"

I thought about all the grading I'd been determined to do. And about Winston here working alone.

"I can grade in the back? And then if you need me, I'm around? Plus, I could help close that way."

"That'd be wonderful. Wait, did you ever even get what you came in for?"

My stomach picked that moment to gurgle loudly.

Winston's smile lit up his whole face. "What do you want? I'll get it and bring it back to you. You can go set up."

Could a man say something nicer to me?

"Sandwich of some sort, and coffee?"

"Done."

"Thanks!" I said as I walked to the back. I dropped into the seat, realizing how tired I was. I didn't spend this much time on my feet in one spot normally.

Winston, wonderful Winston, brought me food and coffee. Both smelled like the best thing I'd ever had in the world. I couldn't even remember what I ate for lunch. Quite possibly, I thought, I hadn't eaten. I did that a lot when I got busy.

The next couple of hours passed smoothly as I worked on grading my students' discussion boards. Overall, I was pleased with how they did, though many were still forgetting to back up their arguments with information from the text. There was a last second rush before closing, Winston asked for my help again, and I bounced back into retail mode.

It was a nice break from the monotony of reading the same things over and over. Many of the people coming in were students looking for that last coffee to study on before the café closed. Thinking about that, I had the idea that Winston might benefit from staying open later on weekends, and certainly during the whole week of finals.

When the last customer left, Winston leaned back against the shelf of supplies and sighed dramatically.

"I never would have made it without you," he said, smiling.

"Ah, sure you would have. Most are patient. Need help cleaning up?"

"Nope. Here, take a cinnamon scone for dessert, and get out of here."

"You sure?"

I took the cinnamon scone anyway.

"Yep. Get!"

I laughed, walking through the back door and grabbing my stuff. As I left, waving and switching the sign to closed, I realized that this was certainly a life I could get used to.