Frosting Disaster

by Zoe Arden

  "I wanted to see my girlfriend," he snapped. "Sorry to inconvenience you."

  "No, I didn't mean it like that."

  "You had enough time to talk to Damon."

  I looked to my family for help but they all turned conveniently away, pretending to be interested in the cookie cases. Eleanor wiped at the same spot on the counter with a rag, over and over and over again. Her eyes crept from the counter to me and back to the counter.

  "Look," I whispered, stepping closer to him so that my hands were touching his chest. The only thing worse than fighting with Colt was fighting with him in front of my family.

  The velvety smooth feel of his suit made my fingertips tingle. I could smell his aftershave—a mixture of seafoam and green grass. The bakery was empty of customers now that Natalie was gone but Eleanor was right—we'd be swamped soon for the lunch rush. I only had a few minutes of precious quiet time and I wanted to make them count.

  "I'm sorry," I said simply and leaned forward to kiss him quickly on the lips but not too quickly. His mouth was moist and hot and after a moment, I felt him give over.

  His shoulders relaxed slightly and he let out a heavy breath. "Ava," he muttered, shaking his head. A small smile kissed the corners of his mouth. "Sorry if I overreacted."

  "No, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have snapped at you like that. I just..." I shrugged. "Damon told me his mom is coming to Heavenly Haven." I caught the look in his eyes as he took that in. I could tell he wasn't any happier with the news than I was.

  "Renee Tellinger is coming here?" he asked. I nodded. "Did he say why?"

  "To meet Damon's new girlfriend. Betsey LaGrange."

  Colt relaxed even more at the mention of Betsey.

  "They're still dating?" he asked. I nodded. He looked toward my family and smiled. "You can all stop pretending not to listen," he said.

  My dad chuckled and turned around, a smile on his face. He liked Colt. They weren't exactly friends but almost. I was glad they got along but sometimes it weirded me out a little. They actually went golfing together sometimes and it always left me wondering what they talked about on those eighteen-hole golf courses.

  "I doubt very much that Renee Tellinger is coming just to meet Betsey," Colt said.

  "That's what I said." I smiled. It was nice to know Colt and I were on the same page.

  "That's the kind of thing Dean Lampton will want to know," Colt said. "Maybe even Otis Winken." He let out a low hum. "Then again, it seems like lately everything we tell Otis leaks out somehow. There are no secrets in the mayor's office. They either go to the press or people like Natalie Vargas and Lottie Mudget." His brow crinkled. I found him irresistible when he put on his thinking face like he was doing now. "Might be better just to tell Dean. We don't need everyone knowing COMHA's business."

  He shot my aunts a look that said, "Don't you mention this either." They shot him back a haughty look that said, "Of course not." I knew Colt's look was mostly for Trixie. Eleanor was the wife of a sheriff and knew how to keep a secret. Trixie was no gossip but she did like to talk. Sometimes, she talked a little too much.

  "Since when does Dean care about Renee Tellinger?" I asked, drawing his attention back to me.

  "Since her and that little group she runs have been following COMHA agents all over the place trying to get proof of the paranormal."

  "MAPP is following you?" Eleanor asked, her normally mild voice rising with concern. Following COMHA was kind of a big deal. It was like following the FBI or Secret Service.

  "For about two weeks now. They keep tailing agents trying to snap photographs or get videos of us using magic. Hasn't happened yet, though, and I doubt it will. We're not stupid at COMHA, despite what Renee and her cronies might think."

  "Someone ought to follow her so she can see what it feels like," I said.

  He eyed me suspiciously. "You're not planning to actually do that, are you?" I realized too late that I had opened my big, silly mouth again and put my foot in it.

  "No, of course not. I don't even want to see Renee when she gets here."

  Colt was still looking at me like he wasn't sure whether to believe me. "Promise me you won't do anything stupid. Or dangerous."

  "When have I ever done anything dangerous?" I asked.

  My aunts and dad let out a laugh. Colt joined them.

  "More like when don't you do something dangerous," Colt said.

  I felt heat creep up my neck and color my face.

  "Just promise me you'll stay away from Renee."

  "I promise," I said.

  "Promise what?" he asked, his warm breath blowing against my skin.

  "To stay out of Renee's way."

  "Good enough."

  Colt kissed me just as the first of our lunch traffic swarmed through the door. He told me he'd see me later then made a mad dash for the exit. He barely made it without getting crushed as a bevy of Sweetland Cove sweet tooths arrived. When Colt was finally out of sight, I let out a sigh and uncrossed my fingers. After all, what Colt didn't know wouldn't hurt him.

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  CHAPTER

  THREE

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  The smell of freshly roasted coffee drifted across the air to my nose. I inhaled it deeply as I leaned against the counter at Coffee Cove, a staple of life in downtown Sweetland. Anyone who lived here visited the shop frequently, and anyone who was visiting no doubt found their way here eventually as their nostrils first inhaled and then gripped onto the aromas filtering out through the shop's front doors.

  I was glad to escape the bakery for a bit. The ovens had been running all day and the heat had started to get to me. I hadn't slept well the night before; I'd dreamt of Renee. In my dream, she'd arrived on Heavenly Haven by cupcake—a very large, apparently waterproof cupcake—which she'd started to eat on her way over from the mainland. She'd stormed into the bakery and demanded to know all of our secret recipes, including my extracts. Extracts were the hardest part of baking, I told her, in an attempt to explain that even if I gave her the recipes they would do her no good. Instead of yelling, she'd tried to take a bite out of me.

  I'd woken up covered in sweat with my feline familiar, Snowball, snuggled up against my feet. Snowball had raised one droopy eyelid to make sure I was all right and gone back to sleep.

  I sniffed the air again and felt my brain wake up. The line at the counter thinned and Lucy Lockwood, my best friend, came over to chat. Her younger sister, Megan, hovered nearby. Megan worked in Mayor Winken's office as an aide and was frequently dispatched to Coffee Cove to bring back refreshments. She looked at her Witchmobile phone and tapped her foot impatiently.

  "When will my drinks be ready?" Megan asked Lucy.

  "Whenever Red's done making them," Lucy said and shot a look back over her shoulder at a teenage boy busy running the espresso machine.

  Megan sighed loudly. "Why don't you help him?"

  "I'm taking my break," Lucy said and turned back toward me.

  Megan's mouth dropped open in surprised irritation and she went to complain to Melbourne, co-owner of Coffee Cove and Aunt Trixie's vampire boyfriend. He and Trixie had been dating for a little while now but sometimes I thought they were too different to be compatible. Melbourne was serious and introverted. Trixie was outgoing and goofy. I supposed that opposites attracted and all that but still, sometimes it seemed like they were at opposite ends of the rainbow. I had a theory that Trixie was putting something in the blood brownies she made for him besides blood. Something that made his eyes droop languidly whenever her name was mentioned and put a dopey smile on his face each time he saw her.

  "So, Renee's coming to the island, huh?" Lucy asked. I hadn't had a chance to tell her about Damon's news from yesterday yet.

  "How did you know that?"

  She shrugged. "Everyone knows."

  "Of course they do," I said irritably. Stupid Natalie. "Listen, you mind if we don't
talk about Renee or Damon just now? I'm annoyed with both of them."

  "Sure."

  Red slid a drink across the counter to Lucy, who handed it to me. "Another one of my creations. I call it Hawaiian Heat. What do you think?"

  I took a sip and my eyes popped out of my head. "It's hot," I said. "I mean, really hot. Is there cayenne pepper in this?"

  "Yep," she said proudly. "About a tablespoon of it. Helps to keep you awake. Great for the metabolism, too." She tilted her head to the side. Her black hair fell below her shoulders. She had it tied back right now but several strands had come loose. She pulled them back and rejoined them with her low ponytail. "Do you think it should be hotter?"

  "No," I said, my throat still burning. "It's perfect as is." I set the drink aside and pulled my water bottle from my bag.

  Megan came stomping over to us with Melbourne in tow. "Your boss says to get back to work," she said snidely to her sister. They were frequently at each other's throats, though mostly it was all done with love.

  Lucy looked at Melbourne with raised eyebrows.

  "That's not entirely accurate," Melbourne said, his speech slow and deliberate.

  Some people thought that Melbourne was a little stiff, I just thought it came from years of living life as one of the undead. I wasn't quite sure just how old he was but I was pretty sure he'd been born in a time when propriety and manners were the most important things about a person. Maybe that was one of the reasons he and Trixie got along so well, now that I thought about it. She brought out a side in him that he'd never known, and he managed to keep her from getting into trouble.

  "I said when her break was over, she would get back to work," Melbourne said now.

  "Same thing," Megan said with a wave of her hand. "They're waiting for these coffees at the mayor's office. Think I like getting coffee for everyone all the time? No, but I have to do the gopher work first before I can get the really good jobs. Like mayor."

  Lucy giggled. "You? Mayor?"

  "Not right away," Megan said. "But one day."

  "You're nineteen."

  "I won't always be," Megan said defensively. "Anyway, Ava's only two years older than me and she owns a bakery."

  "I own it with my aunts," I corrected. "I've only got a stake in it because they gave me my mom's share."

  My mother had died when I was just a baby. That had actually been one of the main points of contention between me and Damon. His father was a witch hunter who had killed my mom and tried to kill me. My dad had killed Damon's father to save my life. I hadn't even been a year old yet, and Damon had only been five or so. Neither of us remembered those events, though Damon did remember his father's funeral. Our relationship had been doomed from the start.

  "If you won't make my sister get back to work, I'll find William and he'll make her," Megan said, referring to Melbourne's co-owner.

  "Good," Melbourne said. "He's at the beach. If you see him, tell him we're running low on toilet paper."

  "If I get back to work," Lucy said suddenly, a mischievous gleam in her eye, "will you tell us what you know about the mayor's ball? Like which bakery is going to cater it?"

  I shot Lucy a grin. Leave it to her to think of bribing her own sister for information.

  Megan's face immediately colored.

  "I'm not at liberty to discuss that but I can tell you it's either going to be Mystic Cupcake or Sweets n' Treats."

  "Well, duh," said Lucy, the skin around her nose crinkling. "Those are the only two bakeries in Sweetland. Otis isn't going to use a Mistmoor bakery for his ball. He's mayor of Sweetland Cove, not the whole island." She shook her head.

  "I don't know anything," Megan said, sealing her lips.

  "What if I threw in some free coffee for you?" Melbourne asked.

  Megan shot him a look and "hmphed" him.

  His grin only stretched. "For life."

  Megan's eyes opened wider. "Free coffee for life?" There was a sudden sparkle in her eye that hadn't been there a moment before. "Does that include lattes?"

  Melbourne looked at me and Lucy and winked. "You bet. But for lattes, you'll need to do a little extra other than just supply us with information."

  She eyes him suspiciously. "Like what?"

  "You'll need to put in a good word for Mystic with Otis. He likes you. He'll listen."

  Megan blushed slightly. "Otis is mayor. I'm only an aide."

  "Otis is the youngest mayor this town has ever had," Lucy said, trying to help Melbourne. "What is he, twenty-five? Twenty-six?"

  "Twenty-five, I think," Megan muttered, her face turning redder and redder.

  "You'll be twenty soon," Lucy said. "It's not so far-fetched. Why don't you bat your lashes at him a little? Tell him that Mystic is the only place for cake catering."

  "I don't know..." Megan said. "That doesn't seem fair. And anyway, there's a leak at the office." Her cheeks brightened to a crisp apple red at the mention of the leak, and she cast her eyes down toward the floor. "I wouldn't want that sort of thing getting out. That behavior, I mean. People might get the wrong impression."

  "Yes, but Sweets n' Treats isn't nearly as good as Mystic Cupcake and you know that," Lucy said, scowling now.

  "Guys..." I said, feeling every eye in Coffee Cove turn toward us. Although there were silencing charms around every table so that people could have private discussions, there was no silencing charm around the counter where we were standing. Everyone could hear every word we were saying.

  Red cleared his throat from behind the counter. "Um, your drinks are ready, Megan." No one paid him any attention. Megan was gearing up for a fight.

  "Well, that's your opinion. I'm pretty sure Wilma and Polly would disagree with you."

  "Guys..." I tried again as the door to Coffee Cove opened and new customers entered.

  Wilma Trueheart was the owner of Sweets n' Treats. Polly Peacock was her niece. They'd been open in Sweetland for less than a year and had had some real ups and downs in their business, especially since Polly was released from prison. It had been one of COMHA's, and particularly Dean Lampton's, most controversial decisions in Heavenly Haven's history.

  "Well, Wilma and Polly can suck a toad!" Lucy screamed.

  "Guys!" I yelled, my own cheeks running toward red. Wilma and Polly were standing in front of the door staring at us. No, Polly was scowling. Wilma was staring. Lucy's face went ashen when she saw them and Megan let out a soft "eek."

  Wilma stepped toward me and her lips began to curve up in a soft, cocky smile. "Scared of us?"

  I shook my head no even though that wasn't entirely true. Not that they were better bakers—I wasn't crazy enough to think that—but Polly Peacock unsettled me. Yes, I'd resolved to let go of the things between us in the past but it wasn't easy.

  "No," I replied. "Lucy's temper may have gotten the best of her just now but she's right about some things."

  "So, you think you're better than us?" Polly snarled and several customers got panicked looks. No one wanted to see Polly angry. Even stripped of her magical powers, people were still scared of her.

  Wilma held up one hand and stopped Polly as she moved forward. She held her other hand out toward me. I looked at Lucy, who shrugged, then I shook Wilma's hand.

  "May the best bakery win," Wilma said.

  * * *

  CHAPTER

  FOUR

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  By the next day, word had gotten around about the "fight" between me, Wilma, and Polly. People continued to ask me about it as I packaged up their cupcakes and cookies. Even a couple of tourists asked about it. Apparently, they'd heard me and some "hooligans" had brawled at the coffee shop and wanted to know if they should be worried. I told them they'd be safe as long as they kept a frozen turkey leg in their purse. Frozen turkey legs were great for beating people away; they were hard as a rock and easy to swing. The tourists couldn't tell whether I was joking�
�I was—and wandered away before I could say anything else to confuse or upset them.

  After that, I spent the rest of the morning hiding in the back room. Aunt Eleanor finally told me to get out and go for a walk and they would handle the lunch rush alone today. I readily agreed. Fresh sea air and sunshine sounded like just the thing I needed to stop kicking myself; I should have stopped Lucy from mouthing off like that at Coffee Cove the other day. She was a great friend—the best, really—but she had a big mouth sometimes. Then again, so did I. I was just a lot better at choosing when to use it. Usually.

  I reminded myself that just a few days ago I hadn't been all that successful in keeping my mouth shut. Damon and I hadn't spoken since our argument. Not that we were on the best of terms these days but still, I had hoped we might be able to at least be friends. I was pretty sure he had hoped the same thing, that was probably why he'd warned me about his mom coming. I'd been a goof for not seeing that before. He was trying to make up for dumping me.

  I let out a sigh as I looked out at the ocean from Sweetland Beach and kicked off my shoes. The sand squished between my toes, hot and grainy. I dipped them into the salty cold water and washed them off, then squished the sand between them again. It was a soothing ritual for me.

  "Why is everything so complicated?" I muttered to myself and heard my father's voice answer back in my head. It's not how complicated things get; it's how you handle the complication that matters. I smiled, thinking the voice was spot on.

  A giant wave rolled across the ocean, wetting the bottom of my capris. I jumped out of the water and my light golden hair fell into my eyes. If you'd never met me or my aunts before, you'd have known instantly that we were related by the color of our hair. We all shared the same flaxen strands with gold highlights. My father used to say that my hair was pure sunshine and sometimes, when the light struck it just right, I thought he was right.