* * *
Most of my supplies were rather dusty. It’d been a while since I’d made a salve, even though Jessa probably imagined that I made them every other day. I wish. If I’d had somewhere other than the house my grandparents had left me, maybe I would have. But without that other option, I preferred this place maintained its pleasant scent. Some of the potions I’d concocted smelled downright awful.
After wiping down everything, I put my dried herbs and infused herb oil into a saucepan to simmer. Being in the kitchen and working on the salve freed my mind. The worries of the day no longer plagued me as much.
The lovely scent of herbs wafted through the kitchen. If I needed to make one batch for Mr. Sexy, I might as well double the ingredients to make some for my own uses. It never hurt to have this stuff on hand.
The rattling of a hamster wheel drew my attention to Pat. The pet store hadn’t been sure whether he was a boy or girl, so I’d opted for an androgynous name. I thought of him as a boy, but I couldn’t tell with his long hair. Besides, the one time I had held him, he bit my finger. We kept a comfortable distance now, except for when I needed to clean the cage.
Since I was a witch, I guess that made Pat my hamster familiar. I smirked, shaking my head.
The herbs would need to sit for half an hour before I could do anything else. A mischievous thought snuck into my head. Huh, since Ethan would be back in town, I could make a love potion. He could be on his knees declaring his love and devotion while I basked in satisfaction and victory. Maybe that wasn’t such a good idea. Knowing Jessa, she might encourage me to do it, but I wasn’t about to risk my already shaky, non-existent relationship with Ethan.
The more I tried to shove the thought out of my mind, the more alluring making the love potion became. It had been a while since I’d created one. Besides, I didn’t have to use it. I could sell it to Jessa for the store, or keep it aside in case Greg became too much of a jerk this holiday season. Maybe if he showed me a little more love, he’d act better. Then again, that might make him worse.
Magic could react unpredictably. The saying, Be careful what you wish for, strongly applied here.
I could work on two things at once. The love potion would be easier. It only required a few ingredients, an incantation, and focusing my energy. The healing salve made me more nervous. More things could go wrong. If the love potion didn’t turn out right, the person might be a jerk or not fall for it. If the healing salve went wrong, it could—
La, la, la.... Not thinking that way. I mixed the melted beeswax into saucepan with the herbs and oil, forcing my power into the patch to try to heighten the healing potency. Then I removed it from the heat and strained it through cheesecloth into jars.
With the salve nearly done, I turned my attention to the love potion. Taking a few deep breaths, I cleared my mind of the stress I’d felt crafting the healing salve and everything else that had gone on today. The idea of seeing Ethan tomorrow frazzled me, but instead of letting it do that, I imagined what it’d be like to have a real relationship with him. When he was with my brother, he laughed and joked around. His eyes sparkled, and his face lit up. They were more like siblings than Nolan and I, and we were blood.
Clenching my fists, I forced the negativity away. Stop it. Calm down and breathe.
Taking another deep breath of the delightful herbs, I blew it out, redirecting my thoughts again to Ethan. He was the last person I should be thinking about when doing a love potion.
I lit a pink candle made of beeswax, then set about mixing sultry herbs and spices. Cinnamon, rosemary, lavender, cloves. I chanted the incantation I’d found in my grandmother’s grimoire. Within moments, the love potion was ready. I just needed to pour it into a jar, then I’d be done.
Glancing at the clock, I grinned. This hadn’t taken quite as long as I’d thought, and my kitchen smelled amazing. Maybe Jessa was right. I should flex my magical prowess more often.
I set the healing salves to one side, the jars still too warm for a lid. The pot in my hand, I carefully carried it over to the final waiting jar for the love potion. My doorbell chiming made me jerk, and a splash of the love potion landed in one of the salves.
I blinked at the mess.
Oh, my goodness. This was horrible. Now I couldn’t sell it to Jessa even if I wanted to, which I didn’t. But what if I used my own potion and fell in love with someone? Though it wasn’t like I’d be taking it in close proximity to someone else. If I was injured, I’d be holing up, not out on the town.
However, who the heck was at the door? No one should be here right now. If they found out I was a witch making potions in my kitchen. Greg...oh no. That bastard couldn’t be here.
I poured the love potion into the waiting jar. Whoever it was would wait until I could hide everything. However, the doorbell didn’t ring again. With the potion and salves tucked away in the cupboard, I cracked open the door. No one was there.
On the porch, a dozen roses sat in a vase, and the rumbling of an engine drew my attention to a We Do Flowers van driving away. Greg. Had to be. No one else would be this extravagant, and yet part of me couldn’t care less about receiving a dozen roses. What I wanted was affection and someone to care about me, not someone always going out of their way to impress me.
Maybe I should just be grateful. This Christmas season was my first with a boyfriend in my life. I picked up the vase, sniffing the fragrant flowers. If these had only arrived a little sooner, I could’ve used some of the rose petals for the love potion. I shook my head. That would be wrong on so many levels.
My cell phone’s alarm buzzed, and I set the roses on the kitchen counter. If I wanted to be at Jessa’s shop on time, I’d need to get going.
The note from the roses dropped onto the counter.
Babe,
Something came up at the office. I’ll be here later than expected. Let’s reschedule for tomorrow.
Greg
Disappointment fluttered in my stomach, but maybe this was just as well. It wasn’t like I needed more on my plate right now. But what if this was the beginning of our relationship’s downward spiral? Something came up at the office? That had to be the ultimate I’m-having-an-affair excuse. At least, it was in the movies.
I grabbed the non-contaminated healing salve, tightened the lid on it, and headed to Jessa’s shop. When I got there, Jessa was leaning against the counter, her perky boobs on display for Mr. Sexy as she talked with him. “Here she is now,” Jessa said, her gaze sliding over Mr. Sexy’s chest, as he turned his attention to me.
I smiled and held up a paper bag. “Here’s the healing salve. I wrote out some instructions to go with it. They’re in the bag. I hope your friend feels better soon. If he isn’t improving within a day or so, you should talk him into going to the doctor.”
Mr. Sexy nodded, but he didn’t answer. Instead, he peeked into the bag and cocked an eyebrow. “That’s all of it?”
I opened my mouth to say something, but Jessa beat me to it. Yet again. If she’d wanted to be the star of the show, she should’ve made the salve.
“With salves, you rub it on the wound and it acts as a protective layer. Your friend leaves it on, and it works its...magic, if you will.” She glanced between him and me. Jessa had too much fun playing the role of the sexy witch out in the open, but I didn’t really like that idea. If people knew our powers weren’t fake, what would they do to us? Would there be a modern day Salem Witch Trials, like in ye olden times?
A shiver raced through me, and I turned my attention away from the man staring straight at me, curiosity burning in his gaze.
“Got it. I’ll show him the instructions and tell him what you said. Can I have your number, in case he has any questions?” Mr. Sexy flashed me his winning smile. There was no doubt in my mind that he wanted my number, not Jessa’s, or Eternally Magick’s since he had to know what that was. Besides, a quick Google search could find it.
“Just call the shop, but I’m sure everything will be fine.??
? I waved at Jessa. “Gotta go. I’ll see you later.”
Mr. Sexy caught my wrist and pulled me toward him. It took everything inside me not to react. “You sure I can’t have your number?”
My jaw dropped open, and I sputtered, unable to form any words. Being this close to him set my body on fine. Power radiated down my arm from his touch, caressing my body. I groaned, unable to resist his musky wild masculinity.
The look of hurt in Jessa’s eyes snapped me back to reality.
“I have a boyfriend. Sorry.” Jerking free from his grip, I ran outside without looking back, afraid of what I’d see.