"I have an idea," Marley said. "Why don't we ask Aunt Hyacinth to magic you an outfit?"
I barked a short laugh. "So I can show up in a hot pink kaftan? I thought you wanted me to look good tonight.”
Marley laughed. "You have a point. Okay, go back and look in your closet. Didn't Linnea choose a dress for you from the Pointy Hat? You should wear that."
"But then it looks like I'm interested in him,” I said.
Marley cocked her head. “But he already thinks it’s a date, doesn’t he?“
I shrugged. "I don’t see why he should. It wasn’t presented that way.”
"You should still wear the dress," she said. "It's nice to look your best. Besides, you never know. You may actually like him. He's cute, right?"
"He's an elf," I said. "Of course he's cute. It's stamped into their DNA."
I marched to my bedroom and retrieved the dress from my closet. By the time I’d slipped the dress over my head, I heard a knock at the door. Well, at least he was punctual. That was already a point in his favor.
"I'll be right there," I called. From upstairs, I heard PP3’s growl reverberate through the cottage. Not again. He'd been so territorial since our move to Starry Hollow. Not that I should be surprised. The whole experience had been an upheaval for all three of us. PP3 chose to cope by treating most visitors like suspected terrorists.
I came downstairs to see Ben seated on the couch in the living room. Marley stood in the kitchen doorway, with a struggling PP3 in her arms.
"He won't settle," Marley said.
“That's okay," I said. "Ben and I are headed straight out anyway, aren't we?"
He stood and smiled at me. "Whatever you wish. You look lovely, by the way. That’s a very pretty dress."
Behind him, I saw Marley smirk.
"Thank you," I said. "I like your…bowtie." It reminded me of the bowties Aster’s four-year-old sons had worn the first time I’d met them. Ben was already in the cute category. The bowtie only served to keep him there.
We left the cottage and I immediately noticed his car—a yellow convertible. While I liked convertibles in theory, the reality was that the blast of air turned my hair into Spanish moss. I’d need an industrial-strength hairbrush to get the knots out by the time we arrived at our destination.
Ben sensed my hesitation. "Is there a problem?"
"I hate to be a spoilsport," I began, "but is there any way we can ride with the top up?"
He flashed me a look of surprise. "You don't want to take advantage of the convertible?"
"I don't have the luxury of thick hair like my Rose-Muldoon cousins.” The simple truth was that my hair was thin, although I had a lot of it. That translated into a serious case of flyaway hair whenever the slightest breeze came along.
He looked so disappointed, I felt sorry for him. "It's no problem. The top goes up with the push of a button. I just assumed that you’d like the top down. Most girls do."
“Most girls with luxurious manes.” Unfortunately, I didn't fall into that category.
As we drove into town, Ben took the time to mention places in passing. He showed me several art galleries, Willow Park, and a row of colorful houses called the Painted Pixies before he pulled into the parking lot of Elixir.
"I hope you like cocktails,” he said. “This place is famous for them."
"I've been wanting to come here," I said. "Marley and I pass it on our walk to and from school. And I know Florian likes it here."
"It's a pretty cool place," he said. "Especially coming from the human world. You won't have seen anything like it, I suspect.”
I couldn't imagine what would be so different about a cocktail bar in a paranormal town, but I was willing to keep an open mind. The moment we stepped through the door, I understood.
"Great popcorn balls of fire," I said.
"Pretty sweet, huh?”
He wasn't kidding. The place was amazing. Everywhere I looked, my eyes were met with bottles of glowing liquid. They were suspended from the ceiling, attached to the walls, even built into the flooring beneath our feet. It was like standing in the middle of a giant lava lamp.
"It's disorienting," I said, trying to maintain my balance.
"You'll get used to it," he said with a smile. "Do you want to look at a drinks menu or would you like me to choose the first round?"
"I actually think I'll let you," I said. It was unlike me, but I felt like I could stand there all night and not make a decision. The list was sure to be overwhelming—far more intense than the coffee options at the Caffeinated Cauldron.
"There’s a table over there," he said, pointing. "Go ahead and sit down and I’ll get us drinks."
I nodded and threaded my way through the crush of bodies to reach the available table. It was definitely a popular choice for a night out. I sat alone at the small table, drinking in the scene. I noticed fairies chatting with elves and some guy that looked like an enormous bull but wore human clothes. Weird. Marley would know what he was, not that I’d bring her to a place like this simply to act as a reference guide.
Because the place was crowded, it didn't surprise me that Ben took a while at the bar. As I surveyed the room, a crisp linen suit stepped into my line of sight and I glanced up into the chiseled face of my boss.
"Good evening, Miss Rose," he said. "What a surprise. Are you drinking alone this evening?"
I inclined my head toward the bar. "No, I'm here with a new friend."
His brow lifted almost imperceptibly. “And who, might I ask, is the lucky gentleman?"
"Well, I don't know how lucky he is," I said. "He's certainly not getting lucky tonight, not with me anyway."
Alec stared at me. "You don't need to explain yourself to me, Miss Rose. What you do outside of work is your business."
"His name is Ben Witherspoon," I told him. "He owns Snips-n-Clips."
Alec nodded. "Yes, I’m familiar with the place, although I have my grooming done elsewhere."
Of course he did. Alec Hale was far too polished for Snips-n-Clips.
"It isn't polite to keep a lady waiting this long," Alec said. "What would you like to drink?"
"You don't have to do that," I said. “Ben’s in that crowd somewhere. I'm sure he's having a hard time getting the bartender's attention." A nice guy like Ben could end up waiting a long time. He probably let all the women cut in front of him. He seemed like that kind of guy.
"Have you ever had a Breezeburst?" Alec asked. "I have a feeling it’s something you would enjoy."
"Everything sounds good in Starry Hollow," I said. "Makes it difficult to choose."
Without another word, he disappeared into the crowd. I already knew he was stealthy—what I didn't realize was how quickly he moved. He was back in less than a minute, holding a drink in each hand. He set a colorful glass in front of me.
"My treat," he said.
I studied the bright liquid. It reminded me of layers of Jell-O. The red, green, and orange stripes of the drink were bright and cheerful. I hoped they tasted as good as they looked. I took a hesitant sip.
"Sweet baby Elvis," I said, my taste buds luxuriating in the afterglow. "That’s the most amazing thing I’ve ever put in my mouth.”
Alec smiled softly. "I thought you might like it." He took a sip of his own drink. Some kind of martini. Very masculine yet refined.
At that moment, Ben emerged from the crowd, holding two glasses. He’d clearly had the same thought as Alec because one was a Breezeburst. When he saw the glass in my hand, his face fell. His gaze darted to Alec and his shoulders slumped in defeat. I felt awash with guilt for accepting the drink from Alec. I should have waited.
“Ben,” I called cheerfully. "Come and sit down. Your legs are probably tired from all the standing around the bar."
Reluctantly, he joined me at the table and gave Alec a nod.
"Ben Witherspoon, this is my boss, Alec Hale."
Ben offered his hand. "I know who you are. I’m a huge fan of your work."
"I do read the paper, albeit not regularly," Ben said. "But that's not the work I mean."
I glanced from Ben to Alec. "What does he mean?"
Ben gaped at me. "You don't know?"
I took a long sip of my cocktail. Dear angels in heaven, it truly was incredible. "I really don't know. Will someone please tell me?"
"Mr. Hale is a writer," Ben said.
I shook my head in confusion. "Yes, I know. He’s the editor-in-chief of the paper."
"No, you don't understand," Ben said. "A novelist. He writes books. He’s very well known in the paranormal world."
I scrutinized Alec. "You write books? What kind of books?"
"Books that people like to read, apparently," Ben said. "He's a bestseller. I would love it if you’d sign my copies. I have a whole collection at home."
I was gobsmacked. Alec shifted uncomfortably.
"If you bring them by the office one day this week, I would be more than happy to sign them for you," Alec said in a clipped tone. He didn't sound particularly enthusiastic. Not that Alec sounded enthusiastic about anything. He had that whole vampire ‘been there, sucked that’ attitude.
I finished my first drink and Ben slid a second one across the table to me. "You might not want to drink those too fast. They'll hit you hard."
"If there's one thing I'm good at, it's handling my liquor," I said.
"Well, I'll let you two get acquainted," Alec said. "I didn't mean to intrude.”
“You're not intruding," I said. "Pull up a chair. Ben doesn't mind. He's just showing me one of the coolest places in town. Right, Ben?" My head suddenly began to spin. Ben was right. The drink was having more of an effect than I realized.
Ben begrudgingly pulled over a chair. "The more, the merrier."
An attractive woman with long, dark hair rested her hand on Alec’s arm. "There you are, Alec. I wondered where you wandered off to. Come back to the table. Portia is telling the most hilarious story about her trip to Elf Haven.”
"In a moment," Alec said, gently removing her hand from his arm. He looked at me with such intensity, my entire body tingled. "Enjoy your evening, Miss Rose."
"Thanks for the drink," I said, and squelched a burp before I completely embarrassed myself.
I watched as he disappeared into the crowd with the dark-haired woman. I wondered whether she was his girlfriend. He hadn't mentioned anyone special in the office. Then again, he didn't often discuss personal matters.
Ben snapped his fingers in front of my face. “Ember, are you listening?"
I squeezed my eyes closed and opened them again. "Sorry. Must be the drink."
"Why does he call you Miss Rose if he's your boss and you call him Alec?" Ben asked.
The cocktails had loosened my lips. "My daughter thinks it's because he's making an effort to keep me at arm’s length. If he doesn't use my first name, then he’s managing to maintain distance from me."
"I guess he doesn't like to befriend his employees," Ben mused. “It’s tough to be a boss like that. Not that I would know. My relationship with Robina is as personal as it is professional."
"Tell me more about that," I said. "You mentioned at your shop that she’s like a mother to you. How did you two meet?"
"She’d just moved to town," Ben said. "I own an apartment building, and she became one of my tenants. We became friendly because I live on the top floor and we’d bump into each other all the time. She told me later that she worried I wouldn’t rent to her because of her criminal history."
I took another sip of my drink. "But you rented to her anyway?"
Ben nodded. "Everyone deserves a second chance," he said. "She served her time. There was no need to punish her further. I felt it was my civic duty to help get her started on the path to rehabilitation."
"That's very noble of you," I said.
"More selfish than noble, really," he said. "She had this motherly quality from the moment we met. I really warmed to her. And she makes a mean cup of tea."
"Would you mind if I ask what her crime was? The sheriff said it was serious, but no one said what it was."
"She used fairy magic to divert funds from senior citizens in Blue Moon Valley," Ben revealed.
"That's horrible," I said. Robina seemed like such a nice woman. I couldn’t imagine her doing something so awful to innocent people. Then again, it was hard to really and truly know someone’s character. It was always on the news—neighbors and family members expressing disbelief over the actions of a person they thought they knew well.
"She’s very sorry for what she did," Ben said. "I know she wishes she could take it all back. She's not that fairy anymore."
"I guess not, without her wings," I said. I clamped my hand over my mouth. "Sorry, that was a little rude."
“She’s still a fairy at heart," Ben said. "You can take her wings and her wand, but the fairy still lives inside her."
"So they took her wand away, too?” I asked. "Can't she just get another one?"
Ben shook his head. "She's on a ‘no wand’ list. If she goes into any wand shop in a paranormal town, her name will come up as someone who’s banned from practicing magic."
“Is that why she had to have her fairy friend help with the magic in the shop?”
Ben nodded mutely.
"Wow," I breathed. "That's hardcore."
"The paranormal world takes magical crimes very seriously," Ben said.
"What about the kind of magic that's turning bachelors into frogs?" I asked. "Is that a serious crime?"
Ben appeared thoughtful. "I don't know about serious, but it's definitely a crime."
I thought of poor Florian, trapped inside an amphibian’s body. I wondered whether he was uncomfortable, wherever he was.
"What are you thinking about?" Ben asked.
I gave a quick shake of my head. "Just taking it all in. This new life is pretty weird, if I'm being honest." I suddenly became acutely aware of my full bladder. "Can you point me to the restroom?"
Ben gestured to the back of the bar. "There’s an alcove back there with both restrooms."
"No finishing my drink while I'm gone," I said, wagging a finger at him. I was definitely buzzed.
"I'm happy to get you another one while you're gone," Ben said. "Unless you'd like to try something else."
"I think if I have another one of anything, you'll end up carrying me out over your shoulder," I said. "That's probably not what you want."
He chuckled. "My upper body strength isn't what it should be." He flexed a puny muscle. "Elf genes, you see. Not much I can do about those."
I smiled. "I'll be back as quickly as I can."
I maneuvered my way through the crowd to the alcove, bumping into a few bodies along the way and muttering apologies. Alec emerged from the men's room just as I entered the alcove.
"How about that?" I said. "It didn't occur to me that vampires would need to pee."
He gave me an amused look. "We drink and eat," he said. "The waste needs to go somewhere."
"I guess if you can make babies, then you can urinate," I said, and my cheeks burned. That alcohol was hitting me hard. I needed to stop talking.
Alec moved closer to me. “Apologies. What's this about making babies?" His voice was soft and inviting. I hoped I was able to shield my thoughts successfully while drunk. I had a feeling I was doing a poor job of it.
"You're doing fine," he said, his breath warm on the curve of my neck. "And might I add, you look particularly lovely tonight. You should wear that dress to the office."
I looked up and gazed into his green eyes. They were absolutely mesmerizing. "When will you call me Ember?"
"Why? Do you dislike being called Miss Rose? I like to think it’s respectful.“
My heart beat rapidly inside my chest. His lips were only inches from mine.
"A rose by any other name smells as sweet," I said. "But I guess you know that, being a secret aut
hor and all."
He grinned. "I'm not a secret author. Simply because you don't know something doesn't make it a secret."
"I want to read something of yours," I said, and pressed my palms flat against his chest. "I want to glimpse your soul." Then I laughed. "Wait a minute. You don't have a soul, silly. You’re a vampire."
In the dim light, I saw the points of his fangs appear. "I am. And you should not forget it." He gripped my hands and gently pushed them away, although I realized that he had not let go. We were still holding hands when Ben appeared in the alcove.
"I only came to check on you," he said, his gaze flitting from Alec to me. “I was worried that you were too drunk to find your way back."
"She is fully conscious, as you can see," Alec said, stepping back. "I'll leave you to your evening."
He disappeared before I could say anything else. I slipped into the bathroom to pee and felt guilty for making Ben wait in the alcove. When I emerged from the bathroom, he was slouched against the wall, his gaze pinned to the floor.
"It's hard to compete with a guy like that,” he said. “His suit costs more than my mortgage.”
“First, you’re acting as a new friend and showing me around,” I said. “There’s no competition. Second, Alec’s my boss. There’s no way I'm getting involved with him. This job is a big opportunity for me and I wouldn’t want to do anything to jeopardize it."
Ben remained sullen. “But he’s so perfect. He could have any woman in this bar.” He paused. “He probably has.”
“I don’t know about that,” I said. “He’s not much of a player from what I’ve seen. He keeps to himself.”
Ben smiled. “Except when he comes to Elixir.”
“I guess so. To be honest, I’m also a little afraid of him," I admitted. "I know you must be used to vampires, but I'm still adjusting to the idea. I see his fangs every time he looks at me."
"Is that so?" Ben asked.
"Of course," I said. "Like I said, he's a vampire."
Ben gave me a funny look. "Just so you know, you don't always see a vampire's fangs."
"No, you don’t. It probably depends on their teeth and the shape of their mouth."
Ben laughed, his sullen mood lifted. "Okay, let's go with that." He slipped an arm across my shoulders. "Come on, Miss Rose. You’ve had enough to drink. Let me take you home."
Magic & Mystery: Starry Hollow Witches, Book 2 Page 11