Sarah was not surprised. Gardens generally looked nicer after a bit of attention, but if it made Meg happy, then who was she to judge? And there were plenty of herbalists out there that had not a lick of magic in them who were true healers.
“I’m always impressed by anyone who can be a healer,” Sarah said. She finished packing up the first aid kit and returned it to the shelf. “Doc’s been teaching me a bit, but I don’t know if I could ever be as good as she is. Or as my gran was, from all I hear.”
“Oh, honey. You’re an excellent student, don’t be talking yourself down. Your gran would be so proud of you, and of how far you’ve come in just a few months.” Doc reached out and put her hand on Sarah’s shoulder, a small, sad smile on her face.
“Where’s your gran?” Meg asked.
“She died last winter. Cancer,” Sarah answered, washing her hands. She rummaged under the sink for the cleaner and a rag. “I hadn’t seen her since I was a kid. She and my mom had a fight about something, and Mom never forgave her, I guess.” Sarah shrugged, but the acid mix of emotions stirred in her stomach again. Regret at never being brave enough to defy her mother until Gran was dead. Anger and frustration with her mother for being so close-minded and controlling. Guilt at feeling glad to be away from both her mother and New York City, and at not being a better daughter.
“Holding a grudge only hurts the grudge holder,” Meg shook her head sadly. “And I guess it hurts the grudge holder’s daughter, too.” Meg stepped forward for a quick hug.
“That’s very wise, Meg,” Doc said.“And you knew her Gran. Sarah is Rosie’s granddaughter.”
“And my mom was her daughter-in-law, but I think your point still applies. I don’t think Mom came out of the whole thing unscathed, either.” Sarah sighed, then shook her head so as not to get lost in memories.
Doc shooed both women in front of her and toward the door like she was herding ducks. “Maybe we can continue this out front, where I’m sure Gabe could use our help.”
“Oh!” Meg jumped, then scurried out to the front. Doc just laughed quietly and shook her head.
“That girl is sweet. A bit easily led, but sweet,” Doc said. “I suppose I can teach her a bit about the teas and what have you.”
“I kind of wonder about this coven, though. With Meg around so much, how are we going to deal with our…” Sarah groped for a subtle way to say Spirit customers that needed magical help but her imagination failed her.
“Our work with the spirit folk? We’ll manage,” Doc shrugged. “It’s a bit of a lull right now, thankfully. I’m hoping that we have a few weeks at least, between Gabe’s adventures and whatever it was that he saw coming next. He tried to get a clearer vision, but I guess that seeing what could be and what will be are two entirely different things.” Doc started pulling supplies down from the shelf and Sarah joined her at the work bench, curious to see what today’s special blend of tea would be. Doc started with the green tea she favored for blending. The sweet herbal smell floated through the back room and Sarah took a deep breath to pull the sensation into her body. The barest fizz of the magic inherent in the tea plants soothed her as much as the familiar scent of the tea.
“Yeah. He was explaining it to me a little,” Sarah nodded. “I guess the more branches there are between now and the possible future event, the fuzzier it is for him. He can see the past much more clearly, but only little bits of it, like a short internet video or something.”
“Yes,” Doc nodded, measuring the tea into her large mixing bowl with practiced movements. “Also, he’s still adjusting to being able to call his visions on command instead of whenever the power leaks out of him and takes control. He’s been practicing every day, though. I think he’ll get the hang of it sooner rather than later.”
The mint’s bright sharpness swelled, then started blending with the softer green tea as Doc scooped that into her bowl.
“Yeah. He’s a great kid. Young man, excuse me,” Sarah grinned. Doc added a large scoop of bright yellow lemon peel and the sunny citrus smell added its note to the chorus of scents. Sebastian will enjoy this when he stops by. He always stopped by the door when he came in and took a deep breath, scenting the day’s blend and finding some peace in the moment. Sarah had noticed it soon after she started working there, and it made her smile every time, even when she was having a terrible day.
Doc mixed the batch with her fingers, carefully sifting through the new blend and making sure she was satisfied with the proportions. She didn’t use recipes for these, going more by instinct, and Sarah herself was beginning to get a feel for it, as well.
“Ready?” Doc flicked her eyes to Sarah for a moment, then to the door out to the front of the shop to make sure they were undisturbed, and they both held their hands over the bowl, casting the enchantment they always infused into their teas. Good health, and now after everything the Village had survived over the past few months, they also threw in a mild protection charm.
After the spells were cast, Doc rolled her shoulders and gestured to the large tea canister they would use for the day.
“You okay?” Sarah asked. She scooped the new blend into the canister and tidied up the workspace.
“Yeah. I think I must have gone down harder than I thought, though. I’m feeling it a bit,” Doc said. “You mind if I get some office work done for now? You can call me if you need anything, but sitting down for a bit and taking it easy feels like a good idea.”
“No problem at all,” Sarah said. She picked up the canister and headed to the front. “You take care of yourself. I’ll bring you a cup in a bit. And a snack when the food gets here.”
“Oh, good. There’s supposed to be a purslane and tomato salad today. Sounds just right.” Doc winked and headed back to the office, while Sarah bumped the door to the front open with her hip.
3
“Hey Doc, what’s up?” Sarah mumbled into the phone. It wasn’t so early that a phone call would spark concern, but Sarah was still in bed anyway. She didn’t need to work till that afternoon and sleeping in was one of the perks of no longer having a nine-to-five office job, she felt. In the kitchen she heard Sebastian puttering around quietly, and the smell of coffee drifted through the cracked-open bedroom door. Bless that man.
“Hey honey, I’m sorry to ask this of you, but I’m feeling really run down today. I think the fall the other day pushed my stress levels just far enough that I caught a summer bug of some kind. Could you take over running the shop today?” Doc did sound rough.
“Sure, don’t worry about it. Anything I can do for you?” Sarah asked, sitting up. Sebastian appeared, toeing the door open and carrying two steaming mugs.
“Oh no. I’m going to have some tea and rest. I’m sure it’ll pass quickly enough,” Doc answered. “I just figure that nobody wants a sick boss in a tea shop. You can handle anything that comes up, but if you need to call, I’ll be here.”
“Okay. Get some rest,” Sarah said. “Don’t worry about work, I’ve got it.”
“I know you do. Thanks.” The call ended and Sarah took a long sip of her coffee. Sebastian sank onto the edge of the bed with his own cup balanced on his knee and smiled at her. She took a moment to look at him over the rim of her mug and really enjoy the view. Sebastian was not tall, but still had a few inches on her, which she found she liked, and was fit from all the work he put in at the Village apartments. Sarah remembered that he also just started working out with Doc and another friend of hers at the martial arts gym Doc belonged to, driven by a need to protect those around him in any way he could. Sarah wondered if maybe she should join them, as well.
Sebastian’s shaggy sandy brown hair had turned almost blonde over the past month with all the time he was spending outside and it needed a trim, and his whiskey brown eyes were one of Sarah’s favorite things, now that she’s found him. He crinkled up those eyes into a grin now, fully aware of what she was doing. She wrinkled her nose and stuck her tongue out at him, and he laughed.
“G
ood morning to you, too, sunshine. I don’t mind you staring,” he said before leaning forward and kissing her cheek.
“Morning. Thanks for this, I’m going to need it,” Sarah answered and gestured with her coffee cup. “Looks like I have to get up sooner than I expected. Doc’s not feeling real well, so she’s taking a sick day.”
Sebastian’s eyes lost their smile. “Seriously? Doc’s never sick. It’s unheard of.”
“I know,” Sarah nodded and put her mug down to swing out of bed. “But she got creamed by a dude on a bike the other day and landed pretty hard I guess. Got all scraped up and some bruises. She figures that something got past her normally iron-hard constitution during all that.”
“I suppose that’s possible. She knows how to take a fall, though. That woman is amazing, but all the stress we’ve been under the past few months, I guess I’m not completely shocked, just… I’m surprised because it’s so unusual for her to get run down. Does she need anything? I’ll take her some soup for lunch. Ma will love a chance to heal the healer,” Seb’s eyes twinkled at the thought of the matriarch of his favorite pho place. “Doc took some tea over for Ma’s granddaughter when she had that terrible morning sickness and Ma’s remedy wasn’t helping. It’s not like we could tell Ma not to stress out about it because Doc cheated. Ma runs that pho shop like it’s a hospital half the time.”
“Anti-morning sickness spell. I’ll have to remember she has one, just in case,” Sarah winked. Sebastian’s eyes got huge for a second, and Sarah had to laugh. “Seb, deep breath. Neither of us is there yet.”
Sebastian swallowed and looked like he was going to say something, then changed his mind. Sarah just laughed and let him stew while she pulled out her clothes for the day and wandered into the bathroom. Once she was clean and ready to face the world, she came back out to find him sitting at the table, the oven was heated up and something smelling delicious.
“Baking some eggs for breakfast. If you’re going to be running the madhouse today, you’ll need your strength,” he said.
“Thanks. I hope she’s okay. I’m going to worry all day,” Sarah said. “And I’m not going to lie, I’m a bit bummed. We were going to stick around late to have a lesson this evening. We’ve been working on theories of levitation and stuff. She figures I could be ready to try it myself in the next few weeks.”
“Just no more ice water down my neck, okay?” Sebastian groaned. “That wasn’t funny when she did that, even if I was in the pool already. So cold!”
“You deserved at least a little cold water bomb, being such a pest that month that she had to start chasing you out of the shop. A little cold water while you’re in the pool isn’t a big price to pay,” Sarah grinned at him. “Besides, that’s not what we were talking about in the lessons. I shouldn’t be so selfish, anyway. Doc getting well is more important than me monopolizing her time because I want to learn a new trick.”
“Doc wouldn’t teach you if she didn’t want to. Besides, she loves you like family and wants to see you succeed.” Sebastian got up and bustled around the kitchen, pulling the eggs out of the oven and setting out plates.
“Succeed at what, though? I mean, I want to learn how to use my magic, and live up to Gran’s legacy, but besides that…” Sarah shrugged. “I’ve learned so much from all of you, and from Gran’s journals, and… and just from living away from Mom’s control. I guess I feel like wanting too much more is greedy, you know?” She huffed a breathy laugh and shrugged again. This must be what Gabe is feeling, too. Maybe they should chat. Sebastian put a plate in front of her and refilled her coffee cup.
“Wanting to have a plan for your life isn’t greedy or selfish. And you’re one of the least selfish people I know, anyway,” Sebastian said, resuming his seat. “What would you do, if you could do anything?”
“I have no idea,” Sarah said. “I guess that’s part of the problem. I mean, I have a degree in business administration and I was an executive assistant-slash-office manager because that’s what Mom arranged for me. So that’s what I know how to do, not that I was super talented at it or anything.”
“You didn’t like that life much, huh? I can’t see you in a power suit, stuck behind a desk,” Sebastian leaned back in his seat and tipped his head at her, thinking. “I can’t actually imagine you anywhere but the Apothecary or in your garden, honestly. You look so natural in that back room, cleaning up one of the kids after they take a spill in their spirit form, or fussing over Kai or Gabe after their adventures.”
Sarah scoffed. “Adventures? Is that what we’re calling being kidnapped and beaten up now? Also, seriously, how is that our new normal?” Sarah shuddered, thinking over the injuries she’d had to nurse her friends through since she got here. Her mother’s worries were turning out to be less wild speculation than she thought back in January. It seemed that every few months one of them was getting attacked or kidnapped or both.
“I agree. It’s not normal,” Seb shook his head slowly and frowned. “There’s something going on. Mr. Young seems to think this excitement is part of a cycle that kicks in once too many spirits live in the same place. He’s not calm about it, but he’s not very surprised. I guess he’s seen it before.”
“Oh yeah? Think it’s going to get worse or something?” Sarah asked.
Sebastian took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “I’m not sure. But with Gabe’s odd warning last month, and then considering everything that’s happened so far…”. He shrugged. Then he looked up and beamed at her. “It’s a good thing we’ve got people like you around to help us out.”
Sarah ducked her head and knew she was blushing. “I just like to be able to give back, you know. Everyone’s been so good to me here, it feels good to be able to help, even if it’s cleaning up a scraped knee or whatever.”
“Or helping Kai with his physical therapy? Or fussing over Gabe to be careful of himself that week after…”. Sebastian shuddered.
“Or telling you to take it easy and be careful of yourself that week after…?” Sarah raised her eyebrow at him. Sebastian had gone to rescue Gabe when the seer had been kidnapped recently. The Hunter who took him wanted Gabe’s visions to help him destroy any spirits he could track down, and when Gabe fought back, he was beaten and drugged. When Seb finally got to him, the boy was a mess of bruises, and Sebastian protected them both from being shot by drawing on more power than he’d even known he had. Which, in turn, had left him wrung out for days after.
Sarah had fussed over both of them, insisting that they both stay in her house to rest where she could keep an eye on them, and was honestly sadder to see Gabe move back to his own place than she’d expected. Sebastian, of course, stayed over more often than not anyway these days.
“Yeah, like that,” Sebastian ducked his own head and ran fingers through his hair to sweep it off his face. “You’re neither greedy nor selfish, sweetheart. Don’t forget how much you do for all of us. You deserve to have a life that leaves you feeling content.” He reached over and took her empty plate before he stood up. Sarah watched him clear the table and tidy up the breakfast dishes. The garden that she could glimpse out the window over the sink was full of sunshine and the rainbow flash of a hummingbird zipped past, heading for the bright red plastic flowers of her feeder.
“I’ll think about it,” Sarah said. She stood and brought her cup over to the sink to hand it to Sebastian. He just smiled and leaned over, keeping his soapy hands over the sink, and kissed her temple.
“As long as I get to be part of your life, I won’t complain either way.”
4
“I got this,” Gabe cut in front of Sarah at the counter, still tying his apron around his hips. Sarah just nodded and scurried back to the kitchen where the small-plate food orders were stacking up. It was one of those days when everyone seemed to wake up and decide to go for a cup of tea and a cookie, all at once, and the shop had been hopping since they opened.
“Maybe it’s a full moon,” Sarah muttered.
�
��Oh, no. It’s waning gibbous right now,” Meg chirped. “Full moon was last week.” She snagged a couple of plates and bounced back into the dining room to deliver them. Sarah just took a deep breath and shook her head.
The three worked steadily for several hours until things slowed down enough for Sarah to take a moment and close her eyes. When she opened them again, she looked around to find Gabe wiping down a table that had just been emptied.
“So, Gabe, what’re you doing here, anyway? You’re not scheduled today, not that I’m complaining even a little. You’ve been a hero, swooping in and saving our butts like this,” Sarah picked up the tray of dirty dishes and waited for him to give the surface a final swipe.
“Seb called me before I even got out of bed,” Gabe grinned and followed Sarah back to the kitchen. “He said Doc’s out sick and you might need an extra set of hands. I don’t think he expected the teapocalypse this morning, though.”
Sarah laughed and started loading the dishes into the washer. “No, neither did I. I’m glad you’re—”
A faint thumping from the back room startled them both, then the chime of the back doorbell. She and Gabe exchanged glances and he nodded to the back.
“Go ahead, I’ll keep Meg out front while you deal with it.” He snagged his tray back and ducked out to the front again. They both knew that aside from the deliveries which came early in the morning and again at about 2 in the afternoon, the only reason anyone came to the back door was if a spirit needed some sort of first aid.
Doc wasn’t technically a doctor, but she was a witch and an herbalist, and she was the best alternative to a human hospital or clinic when there was a chance that their secrets were at risk. Sarah unhooked the curtain that hung over the door and let it drape down to obscure the back room, just in case Meg did come into the kitchen. The door was only bolted, so she opened it quickly to reveal Ellie leaning on the frame looking pale. She was slumped and her whole body seemed to sag where she braced against the door frame, and even though she was bundled up, she was shivering. Considering it was the middle of summer, that was not the best of signs.
Brewing Trouble Page 2