As we walked to the bakery, fall finally hit the city. The first autumn leaves were turning and a brisk wind picked up. I held my arms open to the breeze, happy to welcome my favorite season after an unseasonably hot few weeks.
Joey’s was a great spot for a late night espresso and a pastry. It also had the best cheesecake in town, and I should know. I spent my freshman year—and my freshman fifteen—scouting for the best slice. Other places had a better atmosphere, were a little closer, or offered a better selection, but Joey’s had the best taste. Anyone could drown a slice of creamy goodness in berries and syrup. It takes a true genius to make plain cheesecake that keeps its firmness when cut and silkily melts in your mouth. Mario is that genius. Of course, the cannoli rock too.
The brightly lit shop offered a warm place to study and caffeinate, as well as a great place to sober up if you had a bit too much fun. We were there too early in the night for the sobering crowd and too early in the term for the studiers. Instead, a few police officers sat at a table, a carafe of coffee between them, while three bakers worked behind the counter. The man rolling out pie crust waved as we opened the door.
“Hey, guys,” he called to us. “It’s about time you came in.”
“Marco, my man, my buddy, my pal,” I called back. “I’m in serious need of a hookup.”
“Jeez, Liza. We’re here for cannoli, not crack.” Felix eyed the cops, wondering if my wording had piqued their interest.
“Whatever. Marco knows what I need.” I winked at the older man. He’d owned Joey’s since before we were born, the grandson of the original namesake.
Darcy and Felix placed their orders: two cappuccinos, one raspberry cream cannoli, one pistachio covered. I was the odd woman out with my coconut hot chocolate, amaretto ricotta cannoli, and a maple bacon doughnut. I know it sounds disgusting, but it isn’t. Without a doubt, those doughnuts are the only reason I passed my chemistry final last year. They’re amazing.
Felix grabbed our regular table, a Formica-topped booth in the window. The laminated top is chipped in the front corner and will catch a sweater or jacket if you move too quickly. We sit there every time we go to Joey’s. The street light in the parking lot adds a glow to that spot after ten o’clock, almost like a spotlight in the otherwise dim bakery. During the day the overhead fluorescents click and hum, but after dark, they dim them and let the lights in the bakery cases and the kitchen carry most of the burden.
As we sat in our humble booth, we watched out the store window, looking from behind large, red, white, and green letters painted on the glass. The night was clear and brisk with a few leaves and a plastic bag blowing across the small parking lot. The police car was the only thing blocking my vision of the street from where I sat. As I looked at the car, I saw our reflection in the car’s windshield. I looked more closely, staring at myself. Something looked weird. It was definitely me, but there was a subtle difference that I couldn’t put my finger on in the image peering back at me. There was a blue light surrounding my image, but I figured that was from the streetlight. Then, as I looked harder, the image in the windshield started to ripple, like it was a reflection on the water’s surface. I turned away, trying to clear my head.
“You okay?” Darcy asked, cappuccino foam on her lip.
“Yeah, I’m fine. I just thought I saw something.”
Felix perked up, leaning toward the window. “It wasn’t a rat, was it? I almost stepped on one coming out of Thompson Hall last night. Gross.”
“No, not a rat. Just a weird reflection.”
Content with the answer, Darcy and Felix discussed their history course. I continued to stare out the window trying to make out whatever I had just seen.
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Table of Contents
The Cupcake Witch
Chapter 1: Julie
Chapter 2: Horatio
Chapter 3: Julie
Chapter 4: Horatio
Chapter 5: Julie
Chapter 6: Horatio
Chapter 7: Julie
Chapter 8: Horatio
Chapter 9: Julie
Chapter 10: Horatio
Chapter 11: Julie
Chapter 12: Horatio
Chapter 13: Julie
Chapter 14: Julie
Chapter 15: Horatio
Chapter 16: Julie
Chapter 17: Julie
Chapter 18: Horatio
Chapter 19: Julie
Epilogue
Thank You
About the Author
About The Witching Hour Collection
Sneak Peek: Playing with Magic by Carrie L. Wells
Table of Contents
The Cupcake Witch: The Witching Hour Collection (The Chancellor Fairy Tales Book 2) Page 10
