by Martha Carr
How is she so laid-back about all this is? And why does she keep folding those page corners? It took a lot of willpower not to ask either of those questions, so she focused on finishing her text and sent it. “What are you doing the rest of the day?”
Nickie shrugged even as she kept reading. “Chuck wants to have lunch. I might practice for a little after that, then we’ll head over to Gruene Hall.”
“Oh, my god. I totally forgot. That’s your show tonight.”
Peering at Laura over the top of her book, Nickie wiggled her eyebrows. “That’s my show. I got you a ticket, so you should come. It’s gonna be a blast. Might be good for you. Forget about work or the Gorafrex or energy cores for a while.”
“I’ll be there.” Doesn’t mean I can’t spend my time before the show thinking about energy cores…
6
Emily had been in a kitchen in some way or another since she was old enough to work. Granted, she’d been sixteen, and that first job had been as a dishwasher at Applebee’s. Even then, she’d only taken breaks when the manager pulled her aside and told her she legally had to make Emily sit down or leave the kitchen for at least ten minutes.
Since she’d gotten the commis chef gig at Meadowlark Tavern, though, she couldn’t remember the last time she’d had a break. There weren’t any managers around to make sure their minimum-wage employees followed Texas State law. Emily ran with the big dogs now—almost—and the chefs at Meadowlark took their breaks at their own peril. Chef Ansler told her when he’d hired her, “If you think you can slip out for five, maybe ten minutes without anyone noticing, go for it. But if you neglect your station and anything on the line slows down ‘cause you’re not there, you’re done.”
Naturally, Emily never left her station. I can take breaks when I have my own restaurant. ‘Til then, it’s head down and get to work. I can do this. She took the giant plastic container of mushroom soup on tonight’s menu into the walk-in, and the second she stepped back out, Chef Ansler shouted, “Hadstrom!”
“Yes, Chef.”
“How’s the mushroom bisque coming?”
“Just put it away, Chef.”
“Good. Go take a break.”
Emily paused on her way back to her station and stared at the Head Chef of Meadowlark Tavern. He mentioned something to Chef Alyssa, the sauté chef, then met Emily’s gaze.
“Ten minutes, Hadstrom.” He jerked his thumb toward the back door. “I don’t wanna see you in my kitchen ‘til they’re up.”
“Yes, Chef.” She unbuttoned her chef’s coat and hung it in the staff room just off the kitchen, then she grabbed her cell phone from her locker and headed out the back door. Either he’s getting ready to sack me for something I have no clue I did…or he’s likes what I’m doing enough to make me take a break. With a snort, she went and sat on the median curb on the other side of the back lot beneath two dogwoods. “Jeeze. Eleven o’clock and this hot already.” She unlocked her phone and pulled up a text from Laura.
‘Found the other energy cores. There’s one at Thinkery. We’re going tomorrow.’
Emily gawked at her phone. “Are you freakin’ kidding me?”
“Bad news?”
She jerked her head up. John stood in front of her in the shade.
Emily grinned. “More like my sister being a serious downer.”
“Which one? Wait. Lemme guess.” He pointed at her. “Laura.”
“Okay, well when I described my sisters to you as Austin’s new Queen of Blues and the serious archaeologist, it’s pretty much a no-brainer which one.” She puffed out a chuckle. “I should also add that Laura can be fun when she loosens up. She’s not all business all the time. Just most of the time. And hi.”
“Hi.” John smiled, then that smile went to a baffled frown. “Wait. You didn’t describe her as the new Queen of Blues. You said Nickie was a blues rock musician.”
“She is.” Emily laughed and stood from the curb. “Most people put two and two together.”
“Your last name’s Hadstrom?”
“Yep.”
“And Nickie Hadstrom is your sister?”
“Okay, time to pick your jaw off the floor.”
John grabbed his hair with both hands and laughed in disbelief. “Holy crap. That’s amazing! Is she as badass in real as she is onstage?”
“Mm…sometimes.” Emily shrugged and couldn’t hide another smile. “Most of the time, she’s just…out there. I mean, she’s definitely cool. She just kinda does her own thing. Little bit of spacey, little bit of weird thrown in. Honestly, Nickie’s pretty much a female version of our dad.” She choked back another laugh.
“Oh, my god. Because your dad’s Greg Hadstrom, right?”
“Yeah, that’s what happens with siblings.”
John laughed. “Sorry. I’ve never met a famous person before.”
“It’s okay.” Emily leaned toward him and whispered. “You still haven’t.”
“Ha, ha. Very funny.” He threw his arms up, then shot her a sideways glance. “You think I could meet her?”
“She’s got a boyfriend, John.”
“What? No, not like—” He chuckled and ran a hand through his hair. With a nervous lick of his lips, he glanced at Emily and sighed. “That’s not what I meant.”
“Just a fan, then, huh?”
He spread his arms. “Purely fan-style.”
Emily smirked. “What are you doing tonight?”
“Uh…” John glanced at Meadowlark Tavern’s back door. “Working.”
“Well, yeah. But when do you get off?”
“Probably seven. Maybe seven-thirty.”
“Okay.” Emily took a deep breath and headed toward the door. “You’ll probably miss the opener, unless you get cut early. But I’m pretty sure I can get you in.”
“What, tonight?” He stopped in the middle of the lot and stared at her.
When she turned around and saw his wide, dumbstruck eyes, she laughed. “Yeah. Tonight. Gruene Hall.”
“I think you just became my favorite person.” He hurried to catch up with her.
“Besides Nickie Hadstrom, right?” Emily pulled the back door open, stepped through, and held it open for him until he pushed against it himself and walked inside behind her.
“Yeah, but I don’t know her. I know you.” They turned the corner into the staff room. “I like knowing you.”
“John, are you flirting with me or just brown-nosing ‘cause I said I could get you into the show tonight?”
He paused at his locker, blinked, and turned to her with a shrug. “Both?” Her laugh made him grin. “Yeah, I’m gonna go with both.”
“Well, okay.” Emily grabbed her chef’s coat from the hook and slipped it on. “I know we’re about to open for lunch, and you’ll probably still be busy by the time I get outta here. So…” She nodded toward the staff list tacked to the wall. “My number’s up there. Lemme know when you’re on your way.”
He grinned. “Totally.”
“Cool.” She headed out of the staff room.
“Hey, Emily.”
She looked at him over her shoulder. “Yeah?”
“Is this a date?”
“Only if you don’t go crazy-fanboy and ignore me the whole time.”
“Fair enough.”
Grinning, she turned around and went to her station. Okay, that was totally unplanned. And it’s not technically a rebound if I wasn’t really that upset about breaking up with Jeremy less than two weeks ago, right? She shrugged and stopped in front of her station as a sous chef, at least for now. Laura’s totally gonna have something to say about that too.
Beside her at the potager station, Chef Martino jerked his chin up and shot her a sideways glance. “What are you so slap-happy about?”
Emily wrinkled her nose and shook her head. “I’m not slap-happy.” She couldn’t help glancing back at the staff room, though, as John headed through the kitchen with his server’s apron tied around his waist. He turned to walk bac
kward a few steps and throw horns at her with both hands. She snorted and shook her head, but the grin didn’t go away.
“Oh, I get it.” Chef Martino chuckled as he chopped some green onions. “Whatever it is, don’t let Chef Ansler see it.”
Emily frowned at her former mentor. “It’s none of his business.”
“Everything in this kitchen is his business. He’ll make things hell for both of you, so I’d act like you don’t even know the guy’s name.”
“That’s ridiculous.”
Chef Martino shrugged. “My advice. Your call.”
“Okay, well, thank you very much.” Emily rolled her eyes, and the man chuckled without looking up. She grabbed another huge plastic storage container and got to work on the second soup option. I’ve never let a guy get between me and a kitchen. If Jeremy couldn’t change my mind, John definitely won’t. Okay, focus, Em. Remember what happened last time you let your wishful thinking run wild on the line?
She glanced at the copper legacy ring on her thumb; fortunately, there was no flash of magic. She still hadn’t learned how to use it instead of her wand. Still, even while she grabbed a tomato and her Shun chef’s knife, she couldn’t wipe the smile off her face.
Maybe I should start taking more breaks.
7
Nickie sipped her beer on Cedar Door’s crowded back patio. The weather app on her phone showed Austin had already reached the standard hundred-and-one degrees of a classic summer day. Despite the misters blowing clouds of cool water over everyone on the patio, sweat dripped down her forehead. We should’ve just gotten takeout and gone to his place. At least he has AC. And my house just has magic…
“Hey, babe.” Chuck peered around her shoulder and grinned.
“Finally.”
He gave her a quick kiss, then slipped onto the stool beside her at the bar. “Sorry I’m late. Dave just kept…” He mimed a yacking mouth with his hand and rolled his eyes. “Like he still doesn’t get it that this was technically a business meeting and not me coming over to hang out and shoot the shit.”
Nickie chuckled. “That meeting was today, huh?”
“Yeah. I told you that last night.” A small frown creased his brow, then Chuck pulled his shirt away from his chest and shook it. “Man. You know, it’d be really nice if being a native made you a little immune to the heat. Right? Like I think we deserve that. We’re still here. By choice.” He spread his arms and threw his head back at the sky—with the patio ceiling between them. “How ‘bout a little break?”
“If you can wait it out long enough for a beer, I think you’ll be okay.” Her boyfriend-turned-manager lowered his head to shoot her an amused glance, and Nickie winked. “Next time, though, maybe we eat in when it’s this hot out.”
“Yeah, but I didn’t wanna make you drive all the way across town just for lunch…”
“I drive all the way across town just to sit on your couch and binge-watch Netflix.” Nickie raised an eyebrow. “And it’s only, like, fifteen minutes.”
Chuck snorted shook his head. “Okay, you win. Next time, I’ll make you drive to me.”
“Oh, you’ll make me, huh?”
“Well, yeah. If going out for lunch is off the table and you still wanna see this gorgeous face…”
Nickie barked out a laugh, grabbed his face with both hands and pulled him in for a long kiss. It wasn’t as long as she wanted, though. Another laugh escaped her, and she had to pull away to wipe her mouth and nose with the back of her hand. “You are so sweaty.”
Chuck wiggled his eyebrows. “So are you.”
The bartender slid toward them behind the bar and nodded. “What can I getcha?”
“That, please.” Chuck pointed at Nickie’s beer. “And we’re eating, too.”
“Yup.” The bartender slid another menu and rolled silverware in front of Chuck, then set down a cold beer with the lid popped off in about three seconds.
“Thank you—and… he’s already gone.” Chuck raised his beer at the bartender’s back, then lifted it again toward Nickie. “To sweaty lunches before a sweaty show.” She laughed and tapped her beer against his. “You’re still gonna do that, right?”
Nickie shot him a playful frown. “Duh. I did check the weather for tonight, actually. Down to seventy-two, I think, by the time I go on. So yeah, I’ll dress accordingly.”
“You always do.” They took long pulls of their beers, and Chuck sighed. “Okay. So. Wanna hear the news?”
She raised her eyebrows. “About what?”
“About what? Babe. I just came from Dave’s…”
“Oh. Right.” She nodded. “Right. Sorry. Yeah, I totally wanna hear all about it.”
He set his beer down on the bar, propped one elbow up on it, too, and spun his stool to face her head-on. “Nickie, are you okay?”
“What?” Her smile widened, but it felt a little forced. “Of course I’m okay. Why wouldn’t I be?”
“I have absolutely no idea. Which is why I’m asking.” Chuck studied her face, and the tiny frown of concern reappeared. “You’ve just been a little off the last couple days.” Nickie glanced down at her hand around the beer bottle resting on her thigh. “Like just a little more…spacey than normal. And don’t get me wrong.” He dipped his head toward her to grab her attention, and Nickie’s gaze flickered up to meet his. “I love spacey Nickie Hadstrom. Like, more than anything.” She pressed her lips together through her smirk. “But it seems like there’s something else going on.”
“I don’t know…” Nickie took a deep breath and sighed.
“Are you nervous about the show?”
“What?”
Chuck shrugged. “I mean, it’s been a while since you played there, and you had a lot less going on the last time. If you’re nervous, I totally get it.”
“Yeah, maybe that’s it.” Nickie tipped her beer back for a few swigs.
And now I have to lie to him again. Can’t tell my human boyfriend that Laura unleashed a witch-killing monster and now we have to go shut down the escape pod it’s apparently trying to power up again. ‘Cause that would mean telling him I’m a witch.
She put her beer down and realized she’d downed all of it.
Blinking, Chuck nodded at the empty bottle. “Sure looks like it.”
She snorted. “You caught me.” Okay, might as well tie a little bit of truth to the lie. “I don’t know, babe. Things have just been a little weird lately. And Laura’s got this…project she’s working on. I think it’s for one of her classes, but she wants me and Emily to come with her tomorrow to look for some antique somewhere or something.”
“Again?” Chuck raised an eyebrow. “I mean, I get that she’s super into her work, but so are you. And yeah, I know. If you have the time to go with her, you will, because that’s the kinda person you are. One of the perks of not having to work a nine-to-five. I’m right there with you.” He grabbed her hand on the bar and gave it a little squeeze. “But if doing Laura a favor is messing with you like this, it’s okay to tell her no sometimes.”
“I know that.” She squeezed his fingers in reply. “But…well, she’s my sister.”
“Yeah. You know, I think the only time I’ve ever wished I wasn’t an only child is when you and your sisters say it like that. Like it just…explains why you make certain decisions.”
“It kinda does.” Doesn’t explain why I’m using her as a scapegoat right now. That’s not super awesome.
“Hey, what if I came with you guys tomorrow? Hopefully, I still make things a little more fun when I’m around.” He chuckled.
“Oh…no, Chuck. You don’t have to do that—”
“I totally will. I have no problem being in antique stores or wherever you’re going. And your sisters love me. I think.”
Nickie laughed and shook her head. “They do. It’s just…I think maybe Laura planned the whole thing for just the three of us? And she’s been really picky about how things get done. Like yesterday, she ripped me a new one because I hu
ng up one of her shirts on the wrong-colored hanger.”
“Woah. I mean, I know she’s super organized, but that’s intense.”
“It wasn’t about the hanger, though. Not really.” Nickie shook her head, half at Laura’s quirks and half at herself for how much deeper she was digging this hole. At least the hanger part’s true. “When she gets focused on something or has some problem to work out, she tends to blow everything else outta proportion.” She shrugged with an almost-playful grimace.
“Huh. So you think me being there would set her off?”
Oh, thank god that worked. “Yeah. Sorry, babe. But she said she’s coming to the show tonight. You could ask her. See if she’s open to it.” And she would definitely tell him no.
“No, that’s okay.” Chuck smiled and scratched the back of his blond head. “You know, I think I’ve only seen her freak out once or twice, but it left enough of an impression for me to know better. And if she’s coming to watch you tonight, I want us to be able to focus on how incredibly magical you are onstage.” Despite the heat and both of them dripping with sweat, he cupped her cheek and leaned toward her. “Because you really are.”
“Thank you.” He has no clue how literal that sentence was.
He kissed her, then pulled away and laughed. “I know. Sorry. Super sweaty.”
“Yeah.” Nickie licked her lips this time and grinned. “I like it.”
“There she is!” Chuck’s bright-blue eyes sparkled when he smiled back at her. “You make that kinda weirdness really sexy, you know that?”
“Damn right I do.” Okay, no more lying. Let’s move past it. “Chuck, I promise I’m not taking any of this onstage with me. I’m goin’ up there to play tonight.”
“Hey, I know that. You’re a pro.” He winked at her and took a long drink of his beer before wiping his sweat-beaded forehead on his arm. “Whew.”
“Okay.” Nickie propped both elbows on the bar and wiggled her eyebrows. “So tell me how your meeting with Dave went.”
“Oh, the meeting…” He eyed her sideways. “You know, I got kinda worried when you didn’t ask right away.”