Jenna frowns and says, "Sorry, I’ve got a batch of turtles that I’m wrapping. I need to get them ready for when the store opens."
"Oh, what a shame," says mom. "Next time ok, we will let you know the plans later. We will be back in a while." She waves and pops out of the store.
Dad stops and says, “Are we right for stock today, Jenna. I’m going to take the day with Ruby if you’re ok with that.” He puts his arm around me and hugs me hard. “We’ve missed her so much, and we have so much to plan. We are going to revitalize this store, get us a few more tourists in.”
A panicked look appears in her eye before it clears, and she smiles blandly at my dad. "That’s fine, Mr. Miller. I think we are ok for most things. Enjoy your day with your daughter.” Dad waves goodbye and drags me out of the shop.
"I don’t like her Dad,” I say the minute the door has closed, and we are away from the store. Mom is waiting for us, and she threads her arm through mine.
"Tell us what happened with her sister," mom demands.
"I found her with her hands on Kady and Kadir. They were noisy, and she was not happy. She left bruises on Kady. She was also very rude to me when I went to check-in. Didn’t even look at me. We do not want someone like her working for us. The kids were so happy when she left; apparently, she was mean to them all the time. " I tell them fiercely, defending my actions.
They just look at each other and laugh. "She was a bit of a sourpuss," says mom. Dad laughs, "A bit? She kept coming to Regan with all these ideas for the Manor. Valet service was one that we actually decided to try. No children allowed, was one that got shot down instantly. Don’t know what she thought, considering the twins live there." He says, shaking his head.
We walk into the Buttered Biscuit. I can smell the coffee brewing and the fresh, flaky baked goods sitting in the display cabinet, My stomach rumbles. The bakery/coffee shop is a fantastic place to have breakfast, lunch, or morning tea. Anytime really.
I wave to Beatrix Shadowsoul behind the counter, and she waves back with a huge grin. "Grab a seat, and I’ll be with you shortly.” We take a seat and have a look at the menu. Beatrix comes bustling over to us with her arms wide open, and I stand up and return her hug.
"Well, thank the goddess. Seeing you is a balm to my soul and gives me hope that Paige will return from Paris soon," she gushes. "Breakfast is on the house today, what can I get you?"
We place our orders, and she returns to the kitchen. We chat quietly about everything that is going on in town. We talk about some of my ideas for the store and how we can revitalize the town. A steady stream of older locals come in for their morning coffees or pastries.
I wave hello to Taylor Crimson, the town sheriff and an old high school friend.
"Ruby Miller!" He says as he comes over to the table. "You are a sight for sore eyes. I take it this means that the spell worked?" He asks, turning to my mom.
She nods, "Yes, have you learned anything from our discussion the other day?"
"Not yet, Prue, but I have a few feelers out. We will get to the bottom of this,” he says, shaking his head.
“Taylor, have you met the woman that is working in the shop with Dad?” I inquire.
"Jenna Hart? Yeah, she and her sister are regulars over at the Hamster." The Laughing Hamster is the local tavern and quite a popular place for young people, or it used to be.
"I thought all the young people in town were leaving." I turn to mom.
"Yes, but it’s all the out-of-towners that are here working, that hang out there." She tells me.
I turn back to Taylor. "Don’t you think it's weird that all the young people are leaving? Can you tell if Jenna and her sister are supes?”
He frowns at me, shrugging his shoulders. "They don’t smell like a vamp, fae or shifter, but witches don’t have a smell either so they may be human, or they may be witches. Who knows?" He turns to mom, looking unconcerned. "Will you keep working on the spell for the whole town?"
"Like I explained, the spell we did for the girls had some possible consequences. With so many young people leaving, we can’t use that same spell. I’m hoping once a few more of the girls return, we can do a different spell requiring the whole coven, including the husbands and other children. That should be strong enough to break the blanket spell over the town." she explains to him.
"Great, then I will concentrate on the who’s, not the what’s. I hope to see you around Ruby." He winks at me and grabs his coffee off the counter and walks out of the bakery. I watch him walk away, the tight fit of his uniform a delicious sight. I look up as the door closes. Mom and dad are watching me— mom with a sly smile on her face.
"Have you seen Maddock since you’ve been back, maybe he can help with your shop fit?" she asks, taking a sip of her coffee, hiding her smile behind the cup.
"Mom, just no. I am not a starry-eyed sixteen-year-old. And yes, I saw him on the way to the manor yesterday, he did not look happy to see me."
"Yeah, he was so disappointed when you didn’t come back into town to help Regan when Susan left. He is such a loyal friend. He moved into the Manor to help with the twins for a few weeks. Just until Regan came to his senses and realized, he was better off without the bitch," Dad tells me.
"I went around one day and found them both passed out on the couch, each with a twin in their arms. They were terrors at three, and the only time we found peace was when they were asleep." Mom chuckles. "He had food and drool smeared all over his shirt, and was drooling in his sleep he was so tired. He is such a good man; he’s going to make someone a great husband one day." She pats my hand, and I panic, waving Beatrix over to change the subject.
"Is Gerald still doing all the cabinet making in the town?" I ask her.
She shakes her head. "No, he has slowed down now and is only doing the paperwork. Bram has taken over," she tells me. Bram and Paige are her children and friends of mine. Paige is in Paris attending a pâtissier college, and Bram was apprenticing with his dad when I left.
I pull a pen out of my handbag and write my number on a napkin. “Can you ask him to give me a call, I’m going to need some work done at the shop, and possibly out at the cottage.”
She pats my hand, smiles, and says, “Will do love. So glad you are home, Ruby.”
Sometime later, we walk back up the street towards the candy store. Looking around the main road, a feeling of sadness descends. The sun is shining high in the sky, the temperature is pleasant. Usually, the sidewalk would be teeming with visitors and locals, but today there aren’t many people around at all. I wave to Jandar, who’s riding one of his horses down the main street, and I can see a few non-locals browsing the storefronts. The lights in the jewelry store are off. I turn to dad.
"Why is the light off in Pretty Pieces? There isn’t any jewelry in the window either! Is Marie ok?"
A look of sadness crosses his face. "She isn’t sick, so much as she has no inspiration or motivation. She has had depression for the last few months. We are hoping that if and when Temperance comes home, she might snap out of it."
I stop suddenly, anger running through my body. “You know what," I exclaim. "Enough is enough! I am going to organize the store and the cottage, and if they haven’t started to show their faces in town by then, I will start making phone calls. I’m sure none of them realize how bad it has become. Temperance adores her mother. No way would she not return if she knew Marie was like that. Someone has a lot to answer for with that spell, and I know ten women who will happily dole out justice.”
We walk up to the cars parked in front. Next door to the candy store is an ice cream shop. Through the window, I can see Lucille Crane arguing with a young woman inside. The voices escalate in volume, and just as we all step towards the entrance, the door flies open, and the woman comes stomping out, flipping Lucille the bird. We rush inside. Lucille is slumped into one of the booths, the tears flowing down her face. Mom runs up to her and throws her arms around her.
"Whatever was that about Lucil
le?" Dad demands. "What did she do? Shall I call the sheriff?"
The sobs lessen, and Lucille blows her nose on a napkin from the table. "That was Sheree, she’s been working for me for a couple of weeks, but there is something about her. She’s not polite to the customers, she’s constantly late, isn’t interested in learning to make the recipes, and every time Maddock comes in, she bats her eyelashes and pushes out her chest. I was telling her she needed to be nicer to the customers and to leave Maddock alone because he was spoken for, and she started yelling at me."
My heart drops at the news that Maddock has a girlfriend, but I ignore it and watch mom and dad console Lucille. “I’m so tired, I don’t want to do this on my own anymore,” she tells mom.
"What about Melody Shelly?" I suggest. "She must be about sixteen, so she must still be in town. Maybe she needs a job, to earn some extra cash. I know she’s not helping Denise, because she gets allergies from the fragrances at the chandlery, much to her disappointment."
Lucille’s face brightens instantly. "What a great idea Ruby, I never even thought of Melly. I’ll ring Denise and ask now." She bustles out the back leaving us in her haste to sort out her problems. I turn to mom and dad.
"Tatiana will be the first person I call. Her mother needs her." And after a brief moment. “And so does her best friend."
Chapter Six
Ruby
That night I’m sitting in the bar at the Manor, enjoying a cocktail made by the bartender. Well, I should be enjoying it, but it tastes a little funny. I eye the bartender sideways, again not someone I know. The bar is quiet this evening, and it’s no wonder if the drinks all taste like mine. Pushing it to the side, I open the notebook I was jotting down ideas in. I’ve got all sorts of ideas for the spell candy, and I want to make sure I get the spells right. Lost in thought, I jolt in surprise when a tiny little body launches themselves into my lap.
"Aunt Ruby, it's bedtime, I need you to read me a story," Kady says, wrapping her little arms around my neck. I close my notebook and put the pen down on top.
"Well, of course, you can have a story, Princess Kady." I pick her up, carrying her up to her room. There I find her brother in bed already and Sugar well and truly comfortable at the foot of it.
"Hmmmmm." I say, “I see how it is, traitor." She blinks at me and then continues washing her fur.
"Aunt Wuby! I knew you would come. Can you read the story about Sean, the Seal?" He hands me a book and pats the bed next to him. Sitting down, I pull Kady down next to me. It's squishy in the bed with the three of us, but they are freshly out of the bath; their hair is washed, and they have that fantastic fresh child smell.
I take a deep breath of Kadir’s hair, and he looks at me strangely. “Did you sniff me Aunt Wuby?"
I chuckle sheepishly, nodding my head. “Hush now,” I tell him and start the story. By the time I’m finished, they are both out like lights, and Kadir is snoring lightly. I pick Kady up and tuck her into her bed, and as I leave, switch on the lamp between their beds. Turning off the overhead light, I close the door slightly.
Their living area is separate from the rest of the manor, and Regan is still dealing with Manor business. The kids have an intercom in case they wake and need him, but I decide to wait until he returns. I go to take out my notebook and shit! I realize I’ve left it down in the bar. Running downstairs quickly, I find it’s there, but it's open, and the pen is sitting on the side. I’m sure I closed it and left the pen on top. Looking around, I see no one but the bartender. He is polishing glass behind the bar. Picking up my stuff, I head back up to Regan’s place. Maybe the wind blew it, but as I turn around to check, I see none of the windows are open. I head back upstairs to wait for Regan.
A gentle shaking wakes me from where I’ve fallen asleep on the couch. A little drool sliding down my cheek is cold and wet. Reaching up, I wipe at it with the back of my hand. Slurping a little as I sit up.
"Real classy sis." Regan is watching me with laughter in his eyes from where he sits on the other couch. Dark shadows under his eyes and a look of exhaustion on his face.
"What’s wrong, Regan? You look like shit." he blows out a deep breath, his head falling back onto the couch.
"Don’t sugar coat it or anything," he says sarcastically. "Even with the lack of visitors, I’m still short-staffed. Julie upset a lot of my staff members, and they quit and left town before I realized what was happening. The valet is Julie's brother, and the bartender Zach is a friend of hers. I have one housekeeper, and one receptionist left, and they are also friends of Julies and live off the island. I have no night staff and because of this no room service to offer. Mom has been running the kitchen while trying to wrangle the twins. It’s not an easy job. And the icing on the cake is, I just got a call from the mayor. Lucas says the council has had an application from a company wanting to build a new hotel here in Morbank. I just feel like everything has been so hard since Susan left, I could do with a break." The look of defeat on his face is heartbreaking.
“Well, Dad’s retiring now; I’m sure he will help out here for a while. Also, it’s summer— what about putting up a notice at the Buttered Biscuit and on the town Facebook page? I’m sure there are a whole heap of teenagers needing summer jobs. That gives us a couple of months to get the young adults to return to town. Also, maybe you can advertise in some of the realms. There may be some supes who want a change of pace. They can come in and out of the portal if they don’t want to move into town."
The look of hope on his face is priceless. “Why didn’t I think about those things?"
"Sometimes, when you get bogged down by your problems, a fresh perspective helps." I smile at him and stand up off the couch. "Alright, I need to go to bed. I’m meeting Bram at the store in the morning to go over the changes I want made." Regan stands up with me.
"Great, he’s coming out to the cottage in the afternoon to do some work out here too. I’ve got the glazier coming to do some magic on the windows in the sunroom, and I saw the Pinterest pics you sent me for the bathroom, so I'll get that done too. It will be finished before you know it."
"Awesome," I say to him. "Is there any way we can add a spare bedroom to the back? I want somewhere for the twins to be able to sleep when they come visit me."
The smile he gives me lights up his face. "They will be thrilled. We will work it out somehow."
I give him a kiss on the cheek and head to my bedroom. I do my pre-bed routine and climb into the soft sheets of my bed. So much to do tomorrow, but today has been exhausting, and before I know it, I’m out like a light.
The next day I meet Bram at the store. After a hug and a quick catch up on our lives, I explain to him what I want done. We discuss walls being torn down, new fixtures and shelving being added. I show him where I want the candy kitchen to be located. All the while I’m doing this, Jenna alternates between throwing dirty looks at me and fluttering her eyes and flirting with Bram. It’s weird. I want to know what her problem is. As soon as I can find a reason to get rid of her, she will be gone too.
"Jenna, why don’t you take a couple of days off," I suggest to her, the scowl on her face increases. "The shop is going to be closed for a week while we get all these changes made, you may as well take the time too." Then I have an idea. "Unless you want to keep working? Regan is a little short-staffed out at the Manor I can make a call and see if he can use you."
Her eyes light up, and a devious look crosses her face. I need to watch this girl closely. "That would be great Ruby, we really need the money now that Julie's not working," she says, and a stab of guilt hits me. But then I remember the marks on Kady, and I get over it.
“Great, why don’t you take the rest of the day off. I’ll get Regan to call you with your times.”
She grabs her purse and with a wave and a wink to Bram saunters out the door. I look up at where the missing doorbell used to hang, missing the sound. Bram notices my look.
"She got rid of it! Claimed the ringing gave her a headache. Yo
ur dad felt sorry for her, so he never said anything." I purse my lips in annoyance.
"Well, that’s one of the first things to go back." I say to him with a wink, "It may encourage her to quit, and I won’t have to figure a way to get her to leave."
He laughs. "Well, good luck to you. I’m heading out to the Manor now to see Regan and see what work needs to be done with the cottage. I’ll pull in Dad and his magic to help us so we can get these jobs done as soon as possible. You may want to talk to Joshua about getting some beer barrels to use for display. Probably new ones, as used ones will smell like beer, and that won’t go well with the smells in here," he says, wrinkling his nose.
I laugh and nod, “I thought I might go to the Hamster tonight for a drink. Is he there most nights?"
Bram nods, "Yes, either he or his partner will be there."
I raise my eyebrows in question. “Partner? He’s in a relationship?" Joshua was a real player in high school. He had many boyfriends and girlfriends, no one he was serious about.
"Yeah, Galan is an elf that Joshua met when he went to the fairy realm about importing fairy wine to sell through the pub. He and Joshua have been together ever since. Josh is smitten."
"Wow! I can’t wait to meet the man that Josh is into. He must be something special to get him to settle down. Is he right for him? "
"Just you wait,” he says to me, "I’m completely hetero, but even I think the man is pretty. It must be an elf thing. They’ve all got that ethereal quality, and yes, he seems equally smitten." He goes to leave, but I remember something else.
"Oh hey, listen—the other thing I want is a wrought iron tree in the corner over there." Pointing to where I want it. "Sort of, a nod to the coven. I want holes drilled into it, and I’ll use it for the lollipops to be displayed on. I think the kids will get a kick out of it." He looks a little uncomfortable and fidgets a bit.
Candy Conniptions (Arbor Vitae Coven Book 1) Page 5