by Sam Cheever
He nodded, casting what appeared to be a fond glance toward Mr. Slimy.
I shook my head. How anybody could be fond of a frog was beyond me.
Although, I realized as I bounced down the steps to the first floor, that I’d formed some sort of attachment that went beyond disgust. I almost dreaded the day Madeline managed to find a way to extract her nephew. I was going to miss him.
Unlocking the door that separated the book store from the artifact library behind me, I blinked in surprise.
Had I just had a Freudian moment? Was I going to miss the witch? Or the frog?
I shrugged, shoving the question aside for another time. I figured it would be an easy choice.
I mean, one of them just peed on me.
My friend Lea was standing in front of the door with something large and red balanced on her hands. She was holding it out in front of her like an offering, a wide smile on her pretty round face. “We have apples!”
My mouth fell open. “That’s an apple? I thought it was a giant ball or something.”
I wandered toward her, my gaze locked on the enormous, shiny fruit.
She was just about dancing with excitement. “Fairies!” she squealed happily.
Lea ran an herbalist shop next door and she had a giant greenhouse out behind her shop. The greenhouse had recently had a large influx of Fae when the Quilleran clan had burned their homes in the Enchanted Forest…long story…to the ground.
Everyone knows that one of the side benefits of having Fairies was that, if you’re on good terms with them, they blessed your garden.
What I’m not sure many people knew, including me, was exactly how blessed it became.
I lifted an awed look to Lea’s overjoyed face. “I didn’t even know you had apple trees.”
“I didn’t,” she exclaimed happily. “Until a couple of weeks ago. They’re already five feet tall.” She gave in and did the little happy dance she’d been trying not to do. “I can’t believe these apples. And you should taste them. Sweet, crisp and perfect.” She rolled the apple around on top of her hand so I could see its perfect skin.
“That’s amazing!” I agreed, laughing. “And I’m more than a little jealous right now.”
Her expression softened. “This is for you. Queen Sindra insisted. I’m to provide as many of these and the peaches she’s currently nurturing as you’d like. To thank you for saving her daughter.”
I took the apple she handed me and barely kept from doing a little happy dance of my own. “Sweet Caroline,” I said, licking my lips.
The front door opened again and a strange-looking creature with fire-red hair, a pale face covered in freckles, and large pointed ears stepped into my shop.
I would have expelled her immediately if I could have. Not because she was dangerous. But because she looked even crankier than usual and I was on an apple high. I didn’t want her to bring me down.
Lea turned to my city Sprite and gave her an impulsive hug. “Good morning, Sebille.”
Sebille narrowed her iridescent green gaze suspiciously. “Have you been licking your frog again?”
Lea giggled. “Wally doesn’t have any psychedelic grease. He’s a bullfrog.”
Sebille rolled her eyes, a fairly regular habit with her. “Stop smiling you two, it’s annoying.” She shuffled over to the counter to plunk her enormous, ugly bag on the shelf beneath.
Lea and I scanned her strange garb, which currently included black, red and white striped knee socks that ended in shiny red “wicked witch of the west” shoes, and a dark green dress with tight sleeves that hooked over each of her thumbs and skimmed the tops of her strange socks.
She’d plaited her long hair into two braids that separated around her oversized ears.
I decided to take the bull by the…erm…braids. What can I tell you? Once you’ve been peed on by a frog, you really have nothing left to lose. “What’s got your granny panties in a twist today?” I asked my assistant.
She glared through the bangs she’d been recently growing out. They hung into her eyes more often than not and gave her a bad-tempered imp look. “I’m being evicted.”
Lea and I shared a horrified look, probably both thinking the same thing.
What if she wants to move in with one of us?
Lea poked my arm and I shook my head. “Nope, not happening. I’m already babysitting a smart-mouthed witch ghost and a frog that jams himself into the sink drain and then pees on my face.”
Lea frowned, seemingly trying to untangle the imagery I’d just spewed in her direction, then shook her head. “I’ve got you beat. I have five…maybe seven…” She cocked her head. “I keep losing count. I have hundreds of Fae in my garden. I’m Fae’d out.”
A forceful sigh yanked our attention back toward Evicta the Homeless Sprite. “You’re both heartless shrews.”
Lea shrugged and I nodded. If keeping my space grouchy Sprite free made me a shrew, then I’d happily wear the badge.
“Why’d you get evicted?” I asked Sebille, walking over to place my head-sized apple on the counter. I needed to take it upstairs where I could happily hoard it until it was totally consumed. But I needed to make sure Sebille’s search for a new home took her in the right direction.
Namely, any direction but mine.
She gave the apple a cursory look, no doubt used to giant apples since she was a Sprite. “I might have over-vaped and turned one of Devard’s best customers…temporarily…into a slug.”
Devard was the owner of the vapery across the street.
When Sebille saw the horror on our faces, she held up her hands. “Just for a blip. The guy hardly even had time to slime a path to the door before he was back again. Besides, he didn’t even know he was a slug until that stupid woman with the frizzy hair started screaming like a Banshee.”
I frowned. “You mean the Banshee who lives across the street?”
“Yeah,” Sebille agreed, warming to her complaints. “What’s with all that screaming anyway? Don’t those weirdos have anything better to do?”
Lea and I shared a look.
Sebille had taken an apartment over the vapery and she spent most of her free time creating and then sucking special vapes made with…unique…herbs. She was known, on occasion, to share her special concoctions with others. Those occasions were generally problematic.
I’m pretty sure I’d climbed the fire escape on the side of the building the one time I’d tried Sebille’s special vape. There are rumors that I’d tried to ride a large crow, insisting it was my own personal dragon.
Shredded crow-psyche aside, I’d almost died that night.
Yeah. You heard that right. I just made it about me.
That crow should have known better than to stick around when I hit the roof. He should have seen the madness in my eyes and disembarked toot suite! The fact that he hung around, cawing at me as if he were laughing at my attempts to saddle him, made him just as much to blame for what happened as I was.
And no, I didn’t hurt the crow. Except for his pride.
I’m pretty sure those feathers on his head will grow back.
Lea suddenly decided she had to go. “Um…I’ll see you ladies later.”
The door was slamming shut behind her as my gaze found Sebille’s. “It shouldn’t be hard to find another place,” I told my assistant.
She shrugged. “Not one I can afford. My place is really cheap.” She gave me a slightly hostile look, as if the salary I was paying her was part of the conspiracy to see her homeless.
I bit back a defensive retort and patted her on the shoulder. “We’ll find you a great place. But right now, I have something I need to do upstairs.” I grabbed my apple and headed toward the stairs.
“Naida?”
I stopped in the doorway. “Yes?”
She fidgeted with the stapler and calculator, her gaze avoiding mine. “Do you think I could sleep here just until I find a place?”
My heart broke a little at the sight of her. She was so embarrassed to
ask. And despite my cocky response to the news she’d been evicted, I knew I couldn’t let her hit the streets.
I swallowed the enormous lump in my throat and nodded. “Sure. But maybe it won’t come to that. There have to be a ton of cute studio apartments in Enchanted.”
She grimaced, nodding. “Thanks.”
I spun on my heel and made my way back up the stairs, my step a lot heavier than it had been before. Lifting my chin, I squared my shoulders. I’d find Sebille a place to live if it was the last thing I did.
But, in the meantime, Sebille’s snarky comment to Lea had inspired me.
And I had a frog to grease.
Check out the entire series here: https://samcheever.com/books/#enchanting
Also by Sam Cheever
If you enjoyed Tea & Croakies, you might also enjoy these other fun mystery series by Sam. To find out more, visit the BOOKS page at www.samcheever.com:
Reluctant Familiar Paranormal Mysteries
Yesterday’s Paranormal Mysteries
Gainfully Employed Mysteries
Silver Hills Cozy Mysteries
Country Cousin Mysteries
About the Author
USA Today and WSJ Bestselling Author Sam Cheever writes contemporary and paranormal mystery and suspense, creating stories that draw you in and keep you eagerly turning pages. Known for writing great characters, snappy dialogue, and unique and exhilarating stories, Sam is the award-winning author of 80+ books.
To learn more about Sam and her work, visit her at one of her online hotspots:
www.samcheever.com
[email protected]