“Yep, it happened to me too when I was about your age. Steven Ghastler. I had the biggest crush on him, but then he left me for Rosey Winters. I was devastated.” I shrugged. “But that happens to most people at some point in their life, and when it does, you have to ask yourself if he was ever worth it in the first place.” Ria’s brow pinched together so I continued. “Because any dude who’s chasing pretty faces is probably a shallow dimwit who’s not worth your time.”
Ria gaped, before she muffled a laugh.
I grinned and winked at her.
She eyed the potion again and swallowed hard. After a moment, she bit her lip, then slid the tiny vial across the counter to me. “On second thought, I don’t need the potion. I’m going to the party as myself.”
My smile grew as I picked up the vial. “Have fun!” Nodding toward her friends, I added, “With a crew like that, it should be a good time regardless. Remember, it’s all what you make of it.”
Ria’s back straightened, a new light entering her eyes before she gathered her friends, hooking her arms through theirs. “You’re right. It’s what we make of it.”
Her friends’ mouths slackened when they saw the potion sitting idly in my hands, but then they caught sight of Ria’s determined expression.
“You’re not buying it?” the blond one asked.
Ria shook her head. “Nope. I don’t need it.”
They shrugged, then let out a string of giggles when they showed her the rings on the counter that told fortunes. The blond girl had put one on. It said she’d find love tonight.
Ria joined in their laughing, before they put the rings back and hurried out the front door.
I straightened the rings, then tossed the unpurchased potion into the box for items that would need re-shelving.
Across the store, the lone man in the shop picked up a glass charm in the shape of a toad. All of the charms on that shelf cast protective wards around valuables when activated.
“Those are perfect for guarding family heirlooms or precious items.” Tessa slid toward him. A pink stain filled her cheeks. “Would you like a demonstration?”
His lips curved. “If you don’t mind.”
Tessa’s smile grew, her eyes sparkling—her telltale excitement obvious as I returned to dusting the shelf.
After Tessa finished her demonstration, she curled her finger at the big guy and had him following her down every aisle. She was more than happy to oblige every time he asked her to show him what our various trinkets, potions, and enchantments did.
I tried to hide my cringe. While demonstrations were needed at times to sell a product, they also cost money. There goes six hundred dollars down the drain, I thought when Tessa picked up an elixir.
Tessa glanced in my direction and hastily put the packet down.
It was only then I realized I was scowling in her direction, but that elixir took three weeks to fully prepare and cost sixty dollars per packet in raw materials alone.
“Perhaps I won’t show you that one.” Tessa’s bright white teeth flashed in a smile. “You’ll just have to trust me that it heals all imperfections and blemishes on your skin for a minimum of two weeks.”
“You don’t need to convince me.” The man smirked. “If your looks are any indication of what it can do.”
Oh gods. Gag.
But Tessa’s lashes descended over her cheeks as she flushed.
I held back an eye roll.
“Now if you’re looking for tasty snacks, we have an entire aisle of scrumptious low-calorie products.” Tessa led him around the corner near the back of the store. When he turned down the grocery aisle, the collar on his leather jacket inched downward. A dark flash of ink appeared.
I caught a peek of a tattoo in the shape of a . . . constellation? I couldn’t be sure, but the weird star pattern also had spikes around it with triangles. They looked like arrows.
But just as quickly as the tattoo appeared, his collar lifted, hiding it again.
My heart rate increased as a sense of uneasiness coursed through me. Slipping quietly to the next shelf, I pretended to dust again as I opened my senses and let my magic wash subtly toward him, hoping I’d get a sense of his aura. But just as a small stream of my magic made contact with his, a hot zap jolted me.
I squeaked at the unexpected flash of heat and dropped the feather duster. It fell to the floor making a noisy clatter, but neither Star Tattoo Guy nor Tessa so much as looked in my direction. They were too enamored with each other.
What the hell? My magic is seriously messed up right now. It was the second time in the past forty-eight hours that my magic had reacted that way. Maybe I’m coming down with something.
I hastily crouched down, groping for the feather duster, just as my cell phone rang. I grabbed the duster and whipped my phone out, expecting to see an incoming call from my delivery driver. But the name that flashed on the screen made me pause.
Carlos.
My phone rang again as Carlos’s picture continued to stare back at me. His deep-bronze skin, dark hair, and wide smile looked so familiar, and yet not at the same time. When did we last speak? Two years ago? We’d kept in touch for a year after his move halfway around the world, but as most relationships go when long distance becomes a factor, the time and commitment proved too tough to navigate. We’d never technically broken up. Our relationship had more fizzled out.
So why was he calling me?
Before I could decide if I wanted to answer or not, his call went to voicemail.
Tessa continued dazzling Star Tattoo Guy, completely in her element. I debated opening my voicemail to see if my ex had left a message, but my phone rang again.
My heart leaped, but instead of Carlos calling again, our accountant’s name flashed across the screen. I quickly swiped my finger across it.
Greyson’s loud voice boomed through the phone before I’d even said hello. “Tala, you there? Did I reach you at an okay time? Was hoping to go through this quarter’s numbers with you quickly, if you have a minute? I have to get this filed with the SFA today, and I’ve come across a discrepancy that you can probably clear up.”
Ugh. I’d nearly forgotten. Today was quarterly tax filing day at the Supernatural Financial Assembly—every business owner’s favorite day. At least it wasn’t the annual one. Those were even worse since they required in-person filing to ensure nobody was trying to impersonate someone else’s business or magically alter their information. It certainly wouldn’t be the first time a crafty sorcerer had tried to pull a fast one on the SFA.
“Sure, Greyson. What do you need?” I eyed Tessa as she spoke with Star Tattoo Guy. He held up a potion used to preserve one’s dreams so they could be re-lived when awake. That one was very popular with supernaturals who’d recently lost loved ones.
Except Star Tattoo Guy seemed more interested in studying Tessa’s slim fingers and swelling cleavage. I held back a scoff. Men.
A ding came from my phone. I pulled it away to see that a new text had arrived—from Carlos. My lips parted.
“Tala? You still there?” Greyson’s question snapped my attention to our conversation.
I brought my phone back to my ear. “Yes, sorry. What did you say?”
“Can you run through last month’s financials with me on the fae lands imports? My numbers aren’t jiving. I must have hit a key and accidentally deleted a column, but I’m not sure which one.”
“Sure, let me get to my computer.” I skirted behind the register to the door leading to the office.
Once inside, I flipped open my laptop. The news popped up since I kept up to date on supernatural news online. It was good for business as it kept me sharp with current affairs that could affect supplies and distributors. The latest stories flashed bright pictures, highlighting the fluctuation in the stock market, indicating the companies owned by supernaturals. Below that, an opinion piece had the provocative title, Is magically altering your body good for your marriage? And a story in the community section at the bottom reported that the immensely magical New Hampshire millionaire who’d disappeared a few weeks ago was still nowhere to be found.