by Deanna Chase
“G’night, Jacob,” Faith said, waving her fingers at him. “Thanks for the advice. I really appreciate it.”
“Sure, Faith. It was my pleasure,” he said.
“Don’t keep encouraging her,” Yvette whispered as she slipped her arm through his and tugged him toward the door.
“Why? You don’t think the spa is a good idea?” he asked her.
“It’s not that. Not at all. It’s just that you’ll never get rid of her now, and the next thing you know, she’ll be asking advice on which scents to buy.”
“I heard that,” Faith called out good naturedly. “And you’re wrong. I already have a handle on fragrances.”
“That’s something at least,” Yvette called over her shoulder, her eyes glinting with mischief.
Jacob watched the sisterly exchange with amusement and a little bit of envy. He hadn’t had siblings while growing up. He had two step-brothers now, but they only saw each other during rare family events and had never had the opportunity to form the bond the Townsend family obviously had with each other. It made his chest ache just a little with what he’d so clearly missed out on.
“Goodnight, Jacob. I’m glad you could come tonight,” Lin said as he pushed himself up off the couch. The older man held his hand out. “It was a pleasure getting to know you better.”
“You too, sir,” Jacob said, clasping the other man’s hand with both of his. “You have a lovely home and family.” He tipped his head to Clair. “Sorry if I’ve overstayed my welcome.”
“Of course not, son,” Lin said. “I’m not that old. Besides, I’m still waiting for my son-in-law to drop off some paperwork I’ve been waiting for in regard to the orchard.”
Yvette stiffened. Her tone turned icy as she said, “Son-in-law? Please tell me you aren’t talking about Isaac.”
Lin winced. “Sorry, Yvette. Ex son-in-law. Isaac still does the bookkeeping for the farm. I needed some forms for a meeting tomorrow. He’s supposed to drop them by after his dinner.”
“You need a new bookkeeper, Dad,” Faith said. All of her earlier amusement had vanished, and she was now giving her father a disapproving look. “He can’t keep coming around here. It’s not fair to Yvette.”
Lin turned to Yvette, worry in his expression. “Is that what you want me to do, Rusty? I know we talked about this and—”
“It’s fine,” Yvette said, cutting him off. “Of course I don’t want you to fire Isaac because our relationship didn’t work out. Just… maybe give me a heads up when I might be running into him.”
“Are you sure?” Lin asked her.
“Of course I am,” she said, but her clenched fists and her tight jaw made it clear she wasn’t nearly as Zen with the situation as she was trying to portray. “I just need some time to get used to it, and it would help if you stopped saying son-in-law.”
“It won’t happen again,” Lin said with a resolute nod.
“Okay then. Good night,” she said. “Dad, make sure you don’t work too hard.”
Lin muttered some sort of half-hearted agreement as Yvette tugged Jacob out the front door. Her movements were stiff, and she was muttering something about someone being a jackass under her breath.
“Are you referring to your ex or just men in general?” Jacob asked, trying to lighten the mood a little as the door behind them clicked closed.
She let out a startled huff of laughter. “You know, I’m honestly not sure. In what world is it fair that he got half the value of my bookstore and he gets to keep my family, too? And what did I get? A house I used to love, but now can’t stand to live in, and a new business partner who—” She glanced up at him and grimaced. “Sorry. This isn’t a rant about you.”
“Sounds like it might be a little bit about me, but it’s okay. I completely understand.”
She stopped in the middle of the porch and turned to face him. Her eyes searched his as she asked, “Do you really?”
He nodded, feeling the familiar anger he’d suppressed deep in his gut. It made him want to tear down everything and everyone who’d walked all over him, used him for their own gains. “I wasn’t married, but I was engaged. And let’s just say my fiancée walked away with everything she wanted, including my best man.”
Yvette’s mouth dropped open in shock as she stared up at him.
His mouth went dry as he heard his words ringing in his ears. Why had he just told her that? He hadn’t told anyone about Sienna and Brian. Not even his lawyer who was working out the dissolution of the business they’d started as well as the division of the beach house Jacob had purchased for them. He just hadn’t been able to say the words before.
“That’s awful,” Yvette said, lightly placing a hand on his arm. “I’m sorry. That’s really messed up.”
“Yeah, well, so is marrying the woman you claim is your best friend then running off with another man and thinking nothing has changed other than who you live with.” A lock of her hair had fallen from the impromptu bun. He brushed it off her cheek and tucked it behind her ear. “I’m willing to bet Isaac is so self-involved he has no idea how much it hurts you to see him at all, let alone see him with his new partner, or when he’s pretending he’s still part of your family.”
Silver moonlight poked through the coastal clouds and illuminated her pretty face. A small contemplative frown had claimed her lips as she stared up at him. “You know, I think you’re right. I mean, he realizes he hurt me. He’s apologized more times than I can count. But he wants—and to be honest everyone else wants—for me to just get over it. Everyone keeps telling me to move on and let him be happy in his life. And I want to. I really do. We really were best friends. I understand he didn’t intentionally try to cause me pain, but the truth is it still hurts. I can’t rush the healing no matter how much I want to.”
“I know,” he said, softly caressing her cheek.
The sound of a car door slamming startled both of them. Yvette jumped back then peered into the darkness. “Isaac, is that you?”
“It’s me,” he barked as he stepped out of the shadows. “I’m just here to see Lin.”
“Exactly how long were you sitting there watching us?” Yvette asked, her hands on her hips and her eyes narrowed to slits. It had to have been since they before they exited the house, otherwise she would’ve heard his car as he drove up the lane.
“I wasn’t watching you,” he said. “I was gathering the paperwork that spilled into the floorboard of my car. But if I had been, I’d tell you that you’re making a huge mistake rushing into whatever this is with your business partner. Really, Yvette? You can’t honestly think that’s a good idea.”
Yvette gaped at him and shook her head in disbelief.
Jacob took a step forward, purposely invading Isaac’s personal space. “I’m fairly positive that it’s no longer any of your business what Yvette does. Maybe you should keep your opinions to yourself, huh, buddy?”
“Of course it’s my business. I’m her husband,” Isaac said, backing away and moving to the side to distance himself from the taller man.
“Ex-husband!” Yvette shouted. “Ex-husband, Isaac. We’ve both signed the paperwork. It’s been mailed in. You don’t get to act like I belong to you just because the divorce decree hasn’t come in the mail yet. Stop acting like you have a say in anything or anyone I do.”
“Anyone?” Isaac shot back, his eyes flashing with anger. “Come on, Yvette. Don’t be crass. You know full well I’m only looking out for you.”
What a condescending piece of work, Jacob thought. Was this guy serious? Jacob’s muscles involuntarily flexed, and it was all he could do to hold himself back from decking the guy. If Jacob had been younger, he might have. But with age came at least a little bit of wisdom. Violence wasn’t going to do anything but escalate the situation. Besides, Yvette was already handling things pretty well.
Yvette moved across the yard and stopped right in front of Isaac. Her body was trembling with what Jacob assumed was anger when she leaned in and said,
“Do not ever tell me what to do again. I’m not yours to look out for, and I do not appreciate your condescending tone. You gave up any rights to have an opinion about what I do the day you served me with divorce papers.”
“Yvette,” Isaac said, reaching out to touch her shoulder.
She jerked away. “Don’t touch me. I’m done here.” Yvette turned to Jacob. “Ready?”
“Absolutely,” he said, mildly surprised when she walked over to his truck. Without a word, he opened the passenger door for her and then couldn’t help himself as he sent Isaac a self-satisfied smile as he made his way back to the driver’s side.
“Sorry,” she said, shaking her head as soon as he took his place behind the wheel. “I’m so angry right now, I don’t think I should be driving.”
“No problem.” He cranked the engine and eased the truck down the long driveway that led to the main road.
Yvette pulled the visor down and let out an annoyed huff. “He’s just standing there on the porch watching us leave.”
“Of course he is.” Jacob smiled at her. “He’s jealous.”
She rolled her eyes. “Yeah, I thought that too at first, but now I just think his ego is bruised. I mean, come on, he’s clearly in love with another man.”
“It’s not just ego. I’m telling you, he’s definitely jealous. It’s obvious.”
She turned in her seat, giving Jacob her full attention. “You really think so?”
“Yvette, he obviously loved you if he married you. That probably didn’t change just because he realized he’s gay. The man is definitely jealous. Whether he admits it or not, he hates seeing you with another man.”
“Hmm.” She tapped one red-painted finger nail against her lips. Then she smiled and said, “Good. Let him suffer a little.”
He laughed. “That’s the spirit.”
Chapter Eight
Considering her blow up with Isaac the night before, Yvette had slept surprisingly well. Jacob had managed to calm her down and had even been a complete gentleman when he’d dropped her off at home. He’d offered to pick her up and take her to work, but she’d declined, preferring to not put him out in any way.
Instead, she dressed warmly in jeans and a sweater and pulled on her fur-lined boots. Then she topped her outfit with a red wool jacket, gray gloves, and a matching scarf and freed her bike from the garage. The morning was overcast and cold with a slight drizzle, but nothing she couldn’t handle. The cold air stung her cheeks as she rode through the streets of Keating Hollow, and even though it was gray and drizzly, she couldn’t help but admire her quaint town.
Twinkle lights lit the lampposts, and most of the storefronts were still decorated with fake snow and holiday greetings. She knew by the end of the week, all of it would be gone, replaced by displays for the New Year Witch’s festival. Soon after, everything would be decorated with red and pink hearts and snippets of poems suitable for Valentine’s Day. The realization made Yvette groan.
The residents of Keating Hollow loved Valentine’s Day. There was no escaping it. It would be everywhere. Miss Maple would start serving heart shaped cupcakes complete with love spell chocolate hearts, the brewery would roll out Clay’s signature Love Potion Brew, and the restaurants would start advertising their special Valentine’s Day dinner menus and taking reservations within days. Usually they booked up within the hour and had waiting lists dozens of people deep. Meanwhile, Yvette would fill her front windows with romances, stock the store with plenty of roses, eat a vat of chocolate caramels, and count down the days until February fifteenth.
It was still early, and with the exception of Incantation Café, most of the businesses on Main Street weren’t even open yet. Yvette wasn’t expecting anyone to already be at the store, but when she parked her bike out front she noticed two things: Jacob’s truck was already there, and the front window was animated.
She let out a small gasp as she turned her attention to the window. The books she’d placed there the day before were all suspended and slowing rocking back and forth as if they were caught in a slight breeze. Below, on the bay windowsill where she’d created a small village and added cute felted witches, werewolves, and vampires, the creatures were paired up and dancing in the street.
“It just needs the twinkle lights and a harvest moon, and the window will be complete,” Jacob said from behind her.
She jumped, startled by his voice. “How long have you been there?”
“Just a minute.” He held up a bag that had Incantation Café scrawled across the front. “I got us some scones to go with our coffee.”
She eyed the bag. “There’s no way you have coffee cups in there.”
He grinned. “Nope, but I do have espresso grounds to go with the fancy new machine that showed up after you left yesterday. Brinn left a note with the parcel on the counter for us, and I found it this morning.”
“That was fast,” she said, both impressed and mildly annoyed once again that he’d ordered the machine without even asking her. But she took a deep breath and put that out of her mind. They’d already come to terms with the bookstore café. It was time to let it go. “Did you do this?” she asked as she waved at the window display.
“Yes,” he said, watching her closely. He was obviously gauging her reaction as he added, “I saw it this morning and thought it could use something. What do you think?”
“It’s perfect!” She grinned up at him. “Yesterday I was thinking I needed an air witch to give it that something special, but you’d left for the day and… well, there wasn’t time to call my sister, and Brinn’s talents aren’t quite elegant enough for what I’d imagined. What was that you were saying about the moon and twinkle lights?” She peered back into the window.
“The display is great during the day, but if you give it some candlelight, then when it gets dark out, it’s going to be really fantastic. You’re a fire witch, right? Are you up for it?”
“Say no more.” Yvette strode into the store. After rummaging through her window display supplies, she found a package of small white birthday candles and a round piece of wood she’d once used for the base of a miniature Yule tree. She returned to the window and handed them to Jacob. “Make the wood float in the left-hand corner above the town and place the candles so they’re hovering in the windows of the buildings.”
“Got it.” Jacob tossed the supplies in the air. The candles lined up in front of him as if they were waiting for instructions while the piece of wood bobbed off to the side. He snapped his fingers and each candle went exactly where it was supposed to go, while the faux moon glided into place as if it had read Yvette’s mind instead of Jacob’s.
Yvette first focused on the moon. She envisioned embers glowing from the inside and just like that, the wood piece glowed orange. “Perfect.”
“Is the fire trapped inside?” Jacob asked as he admired her handiwork.
“Yes, but it’s a magical flame, so it’s contained. No chance of the wood going up in flames.” She turned her attention to the candles. Holding her hand up to her mouth in a loose fist, she blew a bit of air into the window. A tiny light flew from her lips and zoomed around to each of the candles, lighting the wicks as if a firefly had done all the work. She turned to Jacob. “What do you think?”
He chuckled. “You really do have a fire lit inside of you.”
“That’s what you get when you hang with a fire witch.” She winked then picked up the bag from Incantation Café that he’d left on a nearby shelf. “Tell me there’s a bear claw in here.”
“Does magic make you hungry?”
“Always,” she said, peeking into the bag. “Oh, my goodness!” She pulled out a cookie that was shaped just like the store front of the bookstore. It had the words Hollow Books piped across the top and a red door that was just like the shop’s entryway. “I can’t believe they already started working on stuff for us. Did Hanna do this?”
“Yep. Go ahead, try it,” he said as he moved to the far counter where he’d already set
up the espresso machine.
Yvette took a small bite, and as soon as the gingerbread hit her mouth, the spices exploded over her tongue, causing her to let out a moan of pleasure.
“That was my reaction,” Jacob said as he worked the espresso machine like an expert.
“I can’t believe how good these are,” Yvette said and took another, larger bite. She was so engrossed in the cookie, she barely even noticed when Jacob set a latte in front of her. She gave him a nod and washed the rest of the cookie down with a healthy gulp of the latte. She had to admit, it was good. Excellent in fact. “You were right,” she conceded. “A bookstore café is exactly what we needed. Between these cookies and whatever else they come up with and fresh coffee, we’re going to be a huge hit with the book browsing crowd.”
He raised his own latte in acknowledgement then said, “You’re the one who came up with custom pastries. You deserve all the credit for that. Completely inspired, my new friend.”
But Yvette shook her head. “This is all Hanna. All I did was request something fun for the store.” She set her latte on the counter and bit down on her lower lip. “There is something I need to tell you.”
He guided her to a nearby overstuffed couch and waved for her to take a seat. When she was settled, he sat down next to her. He had a faint, pleasant, woodsy scent that made her wonder if he’d gotten a place out in the redwoods. “Shoot. I’m all ears.”
“Well, I made a blunder. A pretty big one. And I would’ve told you sooner, but I discovered it yesterday after you’d left, and dinner didn’t seem like the best time to bring it up.”
“Okay,” he said as he furrowed his brow, concentrating on her. “How big of a blunder are we talking here?”
“It depends on your definition of big,” she said.
“So it does. Why don’t you just tell me whatever it is, and we’ll go from there.” He had his arms crossed over his chest and was all business now as he watched her, stone-faced.
She had the urge to scoot back or clear her throat, but she did neither. Instead she swallowed her anxiety and blurted, “I massively over-ordered books that aren’t returnable… and after I paid the invoices yesterday, our current cash on hand is dangerously low.”
