Amber (Jewels Cafe Book 1)

by Mia Harlan

  “Just like that,” Zoe agrees. “See that kid?”

  Amber and I both turn to look. The kid’s more like a teen, probably old enough to go to Stone Hill High, but only just. Fifteen? Sixteen, maybe? His sweater’s hood is pulled up over his eyes, almost like he thinks that somehow keeps him from getting caught for ditching class. Clearly, it’s worked so far.

  “Isn’t this cafe new?” he asks in a thick Irish accent when he reaches us.

  “It is,” Amber tells him, while I inhale sharply. I’m curious about the kid, but can’t tell if he’s human or supe. Maybe he’s not really a kid at all, but actually a leprechaun?

  “Wait, what happened to yer door?” The leprechaun kid asks.

  “Nothing.” Zoe flicks her wrist and the leprechaun’s attention shifts to her. “Door’s fine.”

  “No, it’s not.” He glances back at the door and shakes his head. “Well, I stand corrected.”

  “Have you been here before?” Zoe asks.

  “No, why?” the leprechaun kid asks suspiciously.

  “Never passed by the window? Maybe glanced inside the cafe?”

  “Definitely not.” His eyes narrow suspiciously, but Amber interrupts.

  “Great! Can I offer you a pumpkin spice latte? On the house, of course!”

  Chapter 11

  AMBER

  I glance down the street before we head inside Jewels Cafe. I’m not even sure who it is I’m searching for. Wes? Julian? And do I even want to see either guy?

  Wes just up and left, without even saying goodbye, and Julian started this whole thing. He cast a spell on me, a spell that keeps breaking my heart, over and over again. A spell that makes me sick to my stomach each time I remember it’s there.

  “I don’t really like pumpkin spice,” the kid says, startling me out of my thoughts. “Can I have a hot chocolate instead?”

  “Of course you can.” I fake a smile and get started on his drink.

  While I work, Chase and Zoe try to keep him occupied with small talk, but any mention of school earns them disinterested shrugs. When the drink is ready, I slide the to-go cup across the counter. “Don’t forget to tell all your friends that Jewels Cafe is just down the street from school, okay?”

  He nods and heads for the door. But right before he’s gone, he pauses. He looks over his shoulder, and calls, “But I don’t go to Stone Hill High.”

  Which means the one new customer we’ve had in weeks just got a free drink, and I still have no way of bringing in more.

  I groan in frustration, and my chameleon magic decides to transform me into the bouncer.

  “Not this again,” I cry.

  What is it with that bouncer? I’m pretty fed up with looking like him, even when I don’t have to walk around and feel his junk flopping all over the place. For one thing, he’s so much taller than me that each shift causes vertigo. And for another, if I was going to shift in front of Chase, why couldn’t I have at least gone with the fairy?

  “Why didn’t you tell me you were a chameleon?” Zoe gasps. “This whole time, you let me show off my magic, when you could do that?”

  “She’s amazing, isn’t she?” Chase adds, and the way he’s looking at me makes my cheeks flush.

  “Whoa, that’s so much cooler!” Zoe cries, and I realize what’s happening a second before my giant bouncer hand grazes my long, silky beard. A beard made of very familiar red hair.

  “As if this day couldn’t get any worse.” I groan and cover my bouncer face with my bouncer hands, only to groan louder when my long beard grazes my bare arms.

  “But it can get a whole lot better,” Zoe says cheerfully.

  The door chimes in agreement.

  I quickly uncover my eyes and shift back to my own body in my excitement. Because standing in the door is a brand new customer.

  “Welcome to Jewels Cafe!” I greet him. Which of course reminds me that the last person I used that phrase on was... Minerva. Which makes me think of Julian again. Which makes my heart hurt.

  “Can I get an iced Mood Tea to go, please?” the troll asks after examining the menu.

  I take his credit card and try to let the fact that we have an actual paying customer cheer me up. It doesn’t work.

  When I make the troll’s tea, it takes on a navy hue... blue, like the sadness I feel.

  I try to tell myself that everything will be fine, but I don’t really believe it. Even if I somehow manage to make Jewels Cafe a success, so what? Once Julian breaks the spell, how can we possibly still work together? Do we just go back to the way we were?

  Do I pretend like nothing happened? Watch him date Minerva? Marry her?

  The troll’s drink turns a dark green with jealousy, and I drop it on the counter with a plop. It changes to clear the instant I let go, and the troll hesitates as he reaches for it. I’d be worried, too.

  But the moment his large, hairy fingers touch the cup, it glows a happy pink. Guess the troll is having a particularly great day. Unlike me.

  “I’ve missed Mood Tea so much!” Zoe squeals. “Can I have one too? I can pour it myself.”

  At my nod, she rounds the bar, grabs a clear plastic cup and follows my instructions. Her drink turns a magical silver, filled with excitement, and Zoe grins at me. Then she whispers her next words in my ear, so only I can hear, “And you have nothing to be jealous about, Amber. I’d never make a move on Chase!”

  “That wasn’t why the tea turned green.” I sigh. “It’s... it’s complicated.”

  “Do you want to talk about it?” Zoe asks. “My coven meeting isn’t until six, so I still have some time.”

  “Thanks, Zoe. But maybe another time?” I give her a genuine smile, because I really do appreciate the offer. Then I turn to the bunny shifter. “How about you, Chase? What will it be?”

  “Surprise me.” He winks.

  “Wouldn’t say that if I were you,” I tease. “You know I’d just make you something carrot flavored.”

  The minute the words are out of my mouth I remember that with Chase, carrot has a whole other meaning. My cheeks instantly heat, but it’s only partially from embarrassment. I can’t help thinking about our heated kiss, and my thighs clench at the thought of a carrot ride.

  “Carrot flavored, huh?” Chase asks, his mind joining mine in the gutter, and I feel a wave of heat.

  “You could always make a carrot frappe,” Zoe suggests, reminding us that we’re not alone. “Or a carrot-cino?”

  “Are those actual drinks?” Chase asks.

  “I made them up.” Zoe laughs. Her tea glows bright orange with curiosity and she asks, “How much do I owe you?”

  “I should be asking you the same thing.” At her confused look, which is reflected in her dark gray tea, I add, “For the door?”

  “Oh, Boss Man already paid for it.” Zoe grins and holds up her now pink drink. “But I accept drink tips. Especially when I can get half my coven to hold this drink for me before they realize it’s picking up on their mood.”

  “Tell me how it goes?” I ask as Zoe heads for the door.

  “Of course,” she says with a wave.

  I turn to Chase. “I could probably figure out how to make a carrot-cino. If you want me to.”

  It honestly sounds kind of disgusting to me, but since shifters inherit characteristics from their animals, Chase might actually like it.

  “If it’s got caffeine, I’m in.” He grins, and I realize he’s waiting for me to make one.

  “I haven’t got any carrots,” I say. I wait for Chase to make some joke filled with innuendo—I can think of several—but he doesn’t take the bait.

  “Then I’ll just take an Americano,” he says softly.

  “Coming right up. When’s your birthday?”

  “February 13th. Why?”

  “The day before Valentine’s Day?” I ask. Then I realize that Chase will be a distant memory by the time cupid’s holiday rolls around, and quickly rush to explain. “All the Jewels mugs have different colored
stones on them, and I wanted to grab you one to match your birthstone. Amethyst.”

  “I didn’t know that was my birthstone,” Chase tells me as I grab the mug with a purple stone to make his coffee. “What’s yours? It’s not Amber, is it?”

  I shake my head. “Amber’s not a birthstone. My birthday is May 27th, so it’s an emerald. But I always drink out of the amber mug.”

  I hand Chase his Americano and put away his dirty mug just as the door chimes.

  I look up, my mind immediately conjuring up images of Julian or Wes, but instead it’s another customer.

  I make the fairy a pumpkin spice latte, half afraid it’ll be spelled, too. But Julian only brought out the one spoon, not the whole jar, and he wouldn’t have put it back on the shelf if it was.

  Still, I watch the fairy carefully as she takes the first sip.

  “This is great.” She smiles happily. That’s it. That’s the extent of her reaction.

  Then she makes eye contact with Chase on her way out and my heart nearly stops. And takes a few seconds to start again when absolutely nothing happens.

  After that, we get a steady stream of customers. When it becomes too much, Chase joins me behind the counter, and I give him a rundown of the cash register. He takes orders and hands me empty mugs while I prepare the drinks. And, oh boy, there are a lot of drinks. Because apparently now that the cursed pebble is gone, everyone and their grandmother wants to check out Jewels Cafe.

  Surprisingly, despite the sign out front, pumpkin spice is not our top seller. Most of our customers want iced drinks, since it’s surprisingly warm out, or drinks of the magical variety. They chat over cups of Kaye's Brews with foreign accents and watch their Story Tea in wonder as princesses rescue dragons and live happily ever after.

  “One Mood Tea, extra sugar, for here,” Chase says, grabbing a glass.

  The drink turns a light purple as I rush to pass it to Chase. I smile at him happily, and Chase’s eyes darken.

  “You sure you want me to take that, sweetheart?” he drawls, sending shivers down my spine.

  The glass instantly turns a bright red in my hand. When I pass it to Chase, it maintains its aroused hue. Which is the worst possible timing when the line stretches practically to the door.

  Chase and I both realize that fact as he passes the mug to the grinning customer and takes the next order. “Angel Coffee, heavy on the cloud!”

  “Got it!” I make a quick detour by the back room to make the cotton candy and grab a tray with a hook to hang it from. Chase pours the coffee, and I put the drink together with the cotton candy hanging over the mug. I hand it to the young girl who ordered it, and she watches in awe as it melts into the coffee.

  Suddenly, I wish Julian was here to share this moment. And that he hadn’t done what he did. And that Wes would come back. And that Chase was here to stay.

  “You alright?” the bunny shifter asks, picking up on my mood even without the tea to give it away.

  “Fine.” I give him my best fake smile and return to making drinks.

  After that, late afternoon quickly turns into evening as we rush around, making drinks. When there’s finally a lull between customers and the cafe empties out, I worry about another cursed pebble. But then a man in a suit walks past the cafe, and I start to relax.

  “Thanks for helping out when it got busy,” I tell Chase.

  “Nowhere I'd rather be, sweetheart.”

  “Don't do that!”

  “Do what? Make myself an Americano?” Chase looks up from the machine.

  “No. Say stuff like that.” I focus intently on the towel I'm using to wipe down the counter. “We shouldn't get attached. You know that.”

  “Would it really be the worst thing in the world?”

  “Yes, it would.” I dump the towel in the sink and turn to face him. “Any moment now, Julian will be back with that spellbook and this...” I gesture between us. “This will be over.”

  A lump forms in my throat, and I have to fight back tears. Every moment I spend with Chase feels so right. Too right. I don't know how I'll ever be able to let go. Spell or no spell.

  If I were holding a cup of Mood Tea, I bet it would turn a blue so dark the glass would shatter, right along with my heart.

  “Do chameleons have mates?” Chase suddenly asks.

  “No. We’re not like other shifters,” I tell him.

  “Bunnies aren’t either,” Chase surprises me by saying. “I didn’t know we could have mates. Not until I met you.”

  “The spell.” My heart sinks.

  Chase shrugs. “Back home if we like someone, we go about it the old-fashioned way...” he pauses for a few seconds while my brain cycles through every naughty interpretation, “we take them dancing.”

  “Dancing?” I ask in surprise.

  “There isn't much else to do in our community. We don't have televisions, or computers, or books...”

  “You don't have books?” I gape at him.

  “A lot of things are forbidden back home. It’s the main reason I left.”

  “I’m sorry, Chase.”

  “It’s alright, sweetheart.” Chase smiles warmly. He looks like he’s going to say something else, but he stops himself. He regards me for several long seconds, and finally asks, “Do you like dancing?”

  “What kind of dancing?” I ask as my mind suddenly conjures images of us doing the horizontal type.

  I become aware of how good Chase looks with his muscular arm resting casually on the counter. My eyes caress his large bicep and drift to his chest. I long to pull up the hem of his shirt and explore every one of his hard muscles.

  “Definitely not the kind of dancing you’re thinking, sweetheart,” Chase whispers, his voice gruff but his tone teasing. “Did you forget what I said about my carrot?”

  “What?” I ask breathlessly as heat travels down to my panties.

  “You don’t get my carrot until our second date.” Chase takes a step back, and my eyes widen in surprise.

  “Who says I'd let your carrot anywhere near me?” I demand. Though, who am I kidding? I want his carrot as much as I want the rest of him.

  Chase gives me a cocky grin. “Go dancing with me? Tonight?”

  “Tonight?”

  “Or tomorrow. Or the next day. Whenever you’re free.”

  “I don’t think...”

  “Please, Amber? Give us a shot?” He takes my hands in his. “I don't need you to be my mate. I just want to spend time with you. Dance with you. Get to know you. The real you. See if we can make this work.”

  “What about the spell?”

  “Who cares about the spell?” Chase squeezes my hands tight, like he’s worried that if he lets go, I might disappear. “If it never happened, and we met here at the cafe, we would have still hit it off. I know we would have. Maybe not this fast, but—”

  “Even if we had... what if you change your mind once the spell’s gone?”

  “I won’t,” Chase says resolutely. “Do you really think you can just forget me... forget this?”

  “Of course not! But what if...”

  “No what ifs.” He cups my face with both hands. The cafe door chimes, signaling a customer, but all my attention is focused on Chase. “I’m sticking around, sweetheart. Spell or no spell.”

  “I am too,” a familiar voice adds, and my heart leaps.

  “You’re back!” I spin around to face Wes.

  The bear shifter’s wearing the same outfit from before, but he somehow looks even better than I remember. His t-shirt stretches across his broad shoulders, emphasizing his muscular chest, and even his gray sweatpants somehow look sexy.

  “I’m so sorry I left, Ambear,” he says, his golden brown eyes locking on mine as he rounds the counter.

  He squeezes past Chase and towers over me, setting my broken heart racing. Because even though he’s here now, he still walked away. “You didn’t say goodbye, Wes.”

  “I know, little bear.” His words are laced with regret. �
�I made a huge mistake. Could you ever forgive me?”

  His eyes plead with mine, but it’s not that easy. Once the spell’s broken, Wes will find his true mate, and then there’ll be no room left in his life for me.

  “Why are you back, Wes?” I ask.

  “I... I couldn’t stop thinking about you, Ambear. And I don’t know what will happen once Julian breaks the spell. But I want to spend whatever time we have left together.” He takes my hands in his. “Please, little bear?”

  Chapter 12

  JULIAN

  I ruined everything!

  I slam the Book of Spells shut and drop it on the table with a thud. It’s no way to treat a library book. Especially not an ancient spellbook. I could get banned from Spell Library for mistreating books, and there’ll probably be a fine, but it doesn’t fucking matter.

  Nothing matters. Because I ruined the one thing in life that did.

  Six years. That’s how long I’ve loved Amber. How long I’ve waited for her. Longed for her.

  Six years, and I ruined it all because I was afraid of losing her.

  Six fucking years.

  I slam my forehead against the now closed spellbook. Maybe I want to get kicked out. I probably deserve it. But the librarian’s somewhere in the human portion of the library, while I’m alone in this dingy, warded basement that makes up the supe section.

  Which is why I slam my forehead against that book, again... and then once more for good measure.

  Why? Why did I have to cast that spell? Why did I let my fear of losing Jewels Cafe get to me? Why did I think the worst possible outcome was having to sell to that developer?

  I was so terrified that Amber and I would go our separate ways. That we’d move to different cities, drift apart. That she’d meet some other guy, marry him, forget about me. That I’d never get to see her again.

  But now? Now things are so much worse. Because now, Amber hates me. And I deserve all the hate she has to give. Because I spelled her, and now there’s no going back.

  “Julian? Are you in here?” a familiar voice hisses from the other end of the supe section, and heels click against the hardwood floor.