by Jea Hawkins
Crystal paused the video and turned to Emma. “I was thinking, what if we made song and chant CDs that we could sell here? I bet Lark would be willing to provide the music for a royalty split. She’s trying to make it in the music industry, but it’s hard. No one wants another Lindsey Stirling-type act. But she and I are a package deal if that makes sense. We work really well together, and we have the same creative vibe.”
“I can see that.” Emma rested her chin on her hand as she leaned forward. “You’ve got a kind of Fleetwood Mac thing going on here, in a way, except with violin instead of the usual rock band instruments. And I bet some added instrumentals would sound good, too.”
“That’s something Lark and I discussed once we saw how popular the video was. We were thinking her brother would probably be willing to make a few more videos, too. We could use them to give people a sort of preview of what to expect and to publicize the CDs on YouTube. I mean, we wouldn’t just sell physical CDs. We’d set up MP3 downloads, too. Lark and her brother know all about this stuff. Since we’re all working on trying to use our talents to make a living, I know Lark would agree to split royalties with me, fifty-fifty. Her brother wouldn’t require payment. This would be a great way to build his portfolio of production work. So, what do you think?”
Emma knew it was a chancy proposition. Even with CDs, MP3s, and videos, trying to sell something was not easy. Especially in a niche market. It took dedication and perseverance, and the kind of time Emma wasn’t sure they had.
“I love the idea,” she finally said, “but I’m afraid they might take too long to get enough traction to sell by the time we need it, you know? And goodness knows we need to increase our profits ASAP. How do we earn anything if most people buy MP3s these days?”
“Well, if the store is list as the producer or label, or whatever, then we would receive the profit from MP3s. We can just use our LLC name as the label. I mean…” Crystal shrugged. “I don’t know the specifics of putting MP3s online through the different music services, but Lark can help us with that. It would be a team effort. And it’s not like I expect to become some sort of internet sensation, but if this can help bring the store back to making a profit, it’s worth trying. You wanted something unique. This is what we have to work with. Don’t you think we should at least give it a shot?”
“I think so, yeah,” Emma agreed. After all, she was the one who had pointed out that Crystal deserved to be heard by other people. “It’s not the only thing we should do, but it’s a good idea. But, seriously, I need to know how you got half-a-million likes on one video. That’s pretty insane.”
Crystal shook her head. “I really don’t know. But the comments are all complimentary, too, which is saying something considering how many internet trolls are out there.”
“They’re complimentary because you’re amazing.” Emma leaned across the counter and caressed Crystal’s face before closing her eyes and pressing her lips to her girlfriend’s. The kiss was slow and sweet, a meeting of softness on both sides. Emma wanted to savor it and she deepened the kiss, tasting Crystal’s mouth with her tongue.
Crystal let out a little moan and reached up to tangle her fingers in Emma’s hair. “Mmm, let’s make love,” she whispered, her lips still brushing against Emma’s. “Right here, right now.”
“Let me just close up the shop.”
“I’ll do it.” Crystal stepped away from her, strode to the front door, and locked it. She flipped the sign from “Open” to “Closed,” drew the shade over the window in the door, and then returned to the back room.
Emma was already standing, purse in hand, ready to go home. But Crystal took her by the hand and led her back to the sofa.
“Slow down, cowgirl,” Emma said with a chuckle. “We’re going to be home in ten minutes.”
“No, I want to do this here.”
Make love? Here in the store? Emma stared at her as Crystal tugged her closer to the sofa. Having sex in a public place – yet again – wasn’t exactly on her list of things to for the day, if ever.
“Why?” Emma asked. Crystal turned her around and pushed her back so she was sitting, looking up at the slender blonde. She let her purse slide down her shoulder, along her arm, and thud to the floor.
“Because if sex can reinvigorate our relationship, then maybe it can do the same for the store. You know it’s a life-affirming act, so let’s do this.” Crystal straddled Emma’s legs and then sank down to sit on her lap. When her hands went to Emma’s face again and her lips crushed down over hers, Emma knew she wasn’t going to question the idea again.
Her girlfriend’s hands were firm on her face, holding her steady for Crystal’s kiss. Emma curled her fingers into the belt loops on Crystal’s denim shorts as heat surged through her. The valley in Sedona had been the first time she ever had sex in a public place, so she supposed this would be her second.
And, really, there was something thrilling about it. Of all the ways she could have stepped out of her comfort zone, out of that box of safety and security she had built around herself, this was probably the most exciting one.
Besides, this was their place and the door was locked. The only other person who had the key was the landlord, who lived far away in Florida. There was just the two of them in this place, the dream they had built together.
With long, slow kisses and desperate touches, Emma and Crystal found their way out of their clothes and to a place where they were no longer concerned about the bottom line. There was only desire between them now.
Emma didn’t realize it was possible to do so much on a sofa, but she learned quickly that there were ways to maximize the space for the two of them. Sure, she would have preferred her queen size bed or even that wide open valley out in Arizona, but she stopped caring after the first orgasm.
Crystal’s touch elicited wave after wave of ecstasy from her until Emma wasn’t sure she was even bothering to control her shouts of passion anymore.
When they were done and Crystal was curled up atop her, Emma ran her fingers through her long blonde hair. The heat emanating from her girlfriend’s body warmed her even more nicely than stretching out in a ray of sunshine. She felt happy and satisfied.
And maybe Crystal was right. Maybe something about this act of love would help them find the answer to their problem.
Chapter 19
“So, how’s it going?” Avery asked as she handed Emma some mock-ups to look at. “What’s business like?”
“No big change. Unfortunately, it’s going to take more than just doing things the way we’ve always done them to get back to profits that will pay our bills.” Emma laid the white poster boards side by side on the coffee table in front of the sofa – the sofa she had made love on only the night before – and scrutinized them.
It hadn’t taken Avery long after the dinner party to hook them up with a website designer at her firm and come up with some branding concepts for them. The mockups for the website and social media integrated the writing and colors from the lovely sign Emma had commissioned for the shop a few years ago.
Avery looked all business in her matching skirt and blazer, and Emma supposed that was to be expected since it was a weekday. That and Emma was now her client, as well as her friend. She appreciated that Avery was keeping it strictly professional, from her attire to the presentation.
As Emma looked over the boards, she picked the one she thought resonated most with the style she wanted to cultivate. It had more greens, purples, and golds to it, and a lightly floral motif.
“That one,” she said, pointing at it. “It’s gorgeous.”
“You have a good eye. That’s the one I would have chosen, too.” Avery gathered the boards and put them back in her bag. “We can get an actual website mocked up for you by the end of next week and set up social media accounts. Then we can run you and Crystal through some training, so you know how to manage them. What about a domain name – do you just want to go with the name of the shop?”
“I think
so. It’s the most logical choice,” Emma said.
Avery rose to her feet and tossed her hair. Although she was blonde like Crystal, her hair was perfectly straight and shoulder-length. Without batting an eyelash, she said, “So you two managed to get back together easily enough.”
“Oh, I guess.” How could she possibly say it had been anything but easy?
“You guess? Are you telling me you weren’t there?” Avery shifted her weight into one leg, thrusting out her hip as she pulled her cell phone out of her purse. Her thumb moved over the screen, swiping through whatever she had opened to look at.
Emma narrowed her eyes. Avery seemed to be affecting an air of nonchalance intentionally, instead of being her usual, breezy self. “Why does it matter?”
“Waverly, of course. She’s the one who wants to know. As far as I’m concerned, it’s enough that you two are together again. I don’t question it.” Avery rolled her eyes with the admission and added, “But you know my sister. She wants details on how everything went down, no pun intended.”
Oh yes, Emma knew very well. Waverly was their coven’s worrier, but also the one who wanted to know everything that was going on. Sometimes it was best to keep things from her, though, to alleviate her worry. It was very easy for her to become overwhelmed by the emotions she felt from other people and the only thing that helped her shield from them was music. It was the reason Waverly found solace in dance.
Unfortunately, she had also been afraid to take her considerable talents somewhere else, such as New York City. She might have made a name for herself as a ballerina if not for the empathy and its unwelcome partner, anxiety. Instead, Waverly taught dance to younger students. She was good at it, but she could have been so much more.
“What if I tell you the truth and you tell her what you think is best?” Emma asked. It seemed like the best compromise. No one knew Waverly as well as Avery did.
“That works for me.” Avery was the exact opposite of her sister. Not a busybody, not curious about what everyone else was doing or feeling, but inquisitive in a different way. Avery didn’t connect with people on an emotional level, but an intellectual one. She wanted to know about their reasons for what they did, not the feelings behind it.
When they were teenagers, Avery always seemed calm, cool, and collected. Everyone in their school had wanted her. Her easygoing, no bullshit demeanor coupled with her all-American girl-next-door good looks made her very popular. But those who didn’t know her could make the mistake of thinking her icy when, in fact, she was just logical. The air witch was everyone’s favorite person in the coven for the most part. They couldn’t go to her for hugs, but they could rely on her in other ways.
Emma rubbed her palms down over the legs of her jeans and titled her head. “I guess, to make a long story short, the road trip worked. Crystal and I managed to reconnect out there in the desert. It wasn’t all sunshine and roses. We screamed at each other a couple of times.”
“But if I know you, you held a lot of anger inside when you found out she cheated on you. I’m sure you needed to yell at her,” Avery guessed.
“We both needed to, yeah. I know this comes as a huge surprise, but I’ve got my flaws.”
When Avery didn’t take the opening to make a joke, except to quirk an eyebrow at her, Emma continued.
“There was a lot for us to get out, a lot we both held inside for at least a year. I’m guiltier of that than she is. Once we got it all out of us, we felt free from the negativity. We buried it.” She didn’t add “literally” because it really didn’t matter to specify. It had been an act of sympathetic magick, using an item for focus, and one was never supposed to talk about spellwork once it was done.
“I’m glad to hear that. It sounds like you really released it. I guess since we had a dark moon while you were there, it was perfect timing.”
Emma couldn’t help but laugh at Avery’s statement. “Yes, it was perfect for banishing all that negativity. So tell Waverly whatever you think she needs or wants to hear. We worked everything out, forgave each other, and agreed to leave the past where it belongs. We’re still working on our present, of course. I need to keep working on actually communicating my emotional needs to Crystal. It’s something I’m not good at.”
“Something we share in common,” Avery agreed with a smile. “Those water and fire witches seem just fine with showing us how they feel. Heck, they wear their heart on their sleeve. But earth and air, not so much. We’re just not the ‘I need a hug’ types.”
“No, not so much.”
Avery angled her body toward the door and said, “Well, if you figure out how to communicate feelings better, tell me the secret to it. If I ever meet the right woman, I’m going to have to figure out how to be a good girlfriend. Meanwhile, I should get back to the office. I have a twelve o’clock meeting.”
“You have a meeting scheduled at noon? Don’t you ever stop to eat?” Emma followed her to the front door, glad to see there were at least a couple of customers in the shop today. Then her gaze dropped to Avery’s slim figure. Maybe she was so thin because she was always on the go. That was certainly a possibility, and not a healthy one, at that. Still, Emma tried to refrain from judging.
Now it was Avery’s turn to let out a little laugh as she picked up on the concern in Emma’s tone. “I do eat six healthy, small meals a day, so don’t worry about me. I even go to the gym. Now, I’ll get my guy on this work for you right away and update you with an ETA on the website. See you later.” Avery kissed her on the cheek, opened the door, and then strode down the sidewalk to her car. Emma folded her arms and watched her for a moment. As with Waverly, she also wondered why Avery had stuck around in little old Ashland.
Avery could have taken a high-powered marketing job anywhere, like L.A. or New York, or even Chicago if she wanted to be close to home. Why not use her talents to spread her wings and fly?
With a sigh, Emma supposed she should be grateful her friends had stayed in the area. And Omaha was certainly nothing to sneeze at. It was a thriving, vibrant city full of modern industry and culture. From their Silicon Prairie tech companies to Warren Buffett to their beloved Huskers, this was home sweet home.
So maybe they weren’t missing anything by staying right here in the Midwest, rather than relocating to a bustling coastal city after all.
Emma turned back toward the shop and assisted her customers until Crystal arrived to give her a lunch break. With a kiss, Emma thanked her and walked into the back room to get the sandwich she had brought to work. It was too nice to stay inside, so she wandered through the back door that led to the paved alley just behind the building.
She took several more steps, away from the dumpster and their pile of recyclables, and gazed out at the land that stretched in front of her.
At first, all she noticed was the building behind hers, beyond the dirt lot that separated the two of them. But then…
Her feet brought her closer to that dirt lot on the opposite side of the alley and she stood there. It was nothing more than a unimproved sandlot with weeds poking through the earth. Emma furrowed her brow and entered the square plot, her feet crunching on the mix of sand and tiny pebbles. No one used this area. It was sandwiched between the back of her shop and the back of another business. She stopped in the center and dug her heel in.
Even though she expected to find an old foundation or pavement under the sand, she didn’t. It was dirt beneath there. Real dirt. The kind that didn’t just have some random weeds growing out of it with shallow roots, but that could actually be cultivated by someone experienced and attentive.
She crouched and brushed her hand around one of the weeds. Yup, deep roots. Not something that would just fall away with a breeze or something rubbing lightly against it. Still crouching there, Emma lifted her gaze and noticed a tight cluster of green in one corner. She realized it was the northwest side of the lot and what she saw made her heartbeat pick up.
Rising to her feet, she approached it with hesi
tant steps. What if she was wrong?
No, she wasn’t wrong. She knew her plants, both by sight and energy. It was a wild, untended rosebush, thriving in the northwest corner.
North. Earth. West. Water.
Emma lowered her hand to caress one of the flowers. It was the purest red she had ever seen and her mouth suddenly went dry.
The roses they had found in their yard when they moved in together all those years ago – the ones that had died – were white. At the time, she felt it was more appropriate than red for them. The white roses had signified their youth and the purity of their love, the idea that they were worthy of one another.
Of course they had wilted, Emma realized. Because they needed to get past those youthful ideas, change and grow in their relationship.
She knelt before the red roses and took a deep breath. This was the symbol she needed, what she needed to tell her she was on the right track. This wasn’t just a sign of their love, but their lives together.
Now she knew what they had to do to make everything right.
Chapter 20
Crystal stared at Emma, hands on her hips. “You think we can get that thing up here, just the two of us? What part of ‘that’s crazy’ didn’t you understand when I said it the first time?”
Emma looked up at her from the bottom of the stairs and stopped shoving at the mattress. “I think if we try, yes, we can get it up there. Stop making snarky remarks and get to work. Where’s your can-do spirit?”
“I can-don’t when it comes to tugging that big ass thing upstairs. It was hard enough to get it out of the house. Mattresses aren’t light, Em. They’re heavy and bendy. Let’s wait.”
