Brandon stopped the vehicle on a paved street, where people were eating and drinking, music was pouring out of buildings, and the crisp air was filled with laughter and the smell of delicious foods.
“Welcome to Sycamore Falls.”
Chapter 3
I PROMISE HE HAS MANNERS
It was a little past ten at night and the town was still alive, celebrating the last day before the work week started. In Green Creek, some people worked the entire week, and some had the weekends off. Here, it looked like almost everyone was enjoying their weekend.
Allie gawked at the wide street with shops on both sides, restaurants with tables outside, and people having fun. The townspeople were a mix of those with and without magic, which was common in cities with new magic, and she felt a wave of relief settle over her pounding heart. There was a small chance that she could meet another Witch.
“Come this way,” Brandon said as he walked down the vibrant street. Allie followed him, taking in the clothing boutiques, book shops, flower stores, beauty salons, and other enterprises lining the street. “This is Maple Street,” Brandon told her. “It’s the main street in town where you’ll find most businesses, and the market is at the other end of it. Some business owners prefer to keep to narrower streets, but everything you need is here.”
“Seems like it,” Allie said, delight sneaking into her voice.
“I live on the other side of the river, earmarked for residences and farms. But most business owners reside on the top floor of the townhomes here.”
The buildings were separated from the sidewalk by small gardens lined with low, white fences. Brandon entered the footpath of one of these spaces, and Allie noticed the wooden sign hanging above the entrance read “Dom’s Sweets.” A bakery?
The porch light went on as Brandon approached the door, but the place was dark inside, and the “Closed” sign hung in the window. Allie stayed behind on the sidewalk while Brandon knocked hard enough to rattle the door off its hinges.
“Hey! Hey, D! Open up!” he shouted.
“I think the bakery is closed,” Allie dared. She put her bag on the sidewalk and hugged herself as shiver after shiver traveled through her bones, carried by the cold night wind through the thin material of her summer dress.
“It’s fine. Don’t just stand there, come here,” Brandon urged her. She did what she was told, and when she reached the space next to Brandon, she saw the “Help Wanted. Room Included” sign in the window.
Oh.
“Let’s meet your future boss.” Brandon grinned.
A boss, right. Sam used to have a boss, and he always complained about him. But this was Sam, and after everything Allie had learned about him, she considered he might have been at fault. Nevertheless, Brandon was using unorthodox means for her to apply for this job. Who would want to hire some stranger in the middle of the night, when the business was clearly closed?
“I can wait until tomorrow,” she voiced her concerns. In a town as big as Sycamore Falls seemed to be, she would for sure find an inn, or maybe even a hotel.
“D, wake up!” Brandon shouted louder, ignoring her.
The top floor lit up. And in two long, shallow breaths, a faint light went on inside the bakery as well. Allie didn’t know what to expect,whoto expect, and her heart galloped with anticipation.
A tall figure strolled from the back of the bakery to the door where she and Brandon had been waiting. A man, she realized as he came closer. He unlocked the door and stepped into the porch light.
Dominic had been fast asleep when his room’s walls shook with heavy pounding and his friend’s voice pierced his blissful silence. What a friend, he thought, if Brandon had nothing better to do than wake him up before a working day. The people of Sycamore Falls prolonged their days with the coming of fall. Why, exactly, he didn’t understand, since the sun was setting earlier, and the weather was cooler. Yet his neighbors engaged in late-night walks, movie nights, late dinners, and other events that came alive only when the leaves started to turn, as if the moon shone brighter this season than the rest of the year.
There was indeed something about fall nights in Sycamore Falls, and it was Dom’s favorite time of the year in this town, but he didn’t like it enough to sacrifice his sleep for it. Running a bakery meant he was up before dawn to warm up the ovens, prepare the doughs, fillings, breads, and pastries of the day, clean the space, check his orders, and perform many other tasks.
Dominic had a hard time admitting it, but the truth was, he needed help. Desperately. He was used to being on his own, something that came with his other, secret job. And he had come here because of that: to fulfill his mission, then go back to the Order and start his next. Dominic had been here for threelong, unsuccessful months, and after the first one, he thought he might like to stay even after his mission ended.
It wasn’t the first time he’d made a home out of a mission, but it was the first time doing so in his hometown. He had loved growing up in Sycamore Falls, and when his mission led him here, it felt like an opportunity for him to...set roots, maybe? He had gotten used to being on the road, traveling from one assignment to the next, but it was time to settle. Get a job, be part of a community, and all that. How hard could it be?
Damn hard.
Because the people of Sycamore Falls collectively decided they needed bread with everything, always had a sweet tooth, and had established the bakery as their favorite gathering place in town. Things he didn’t know when he bought the place. But he worked hard to keep the business going and not raise any suspicions while completing his mission. Which took fucking forever.
Dominic enjoyed his peace and alone time and made sure everybody was aware of that. He considered ignoring Brandon, but couldn’t dismiss the urgency in his voice. Begrudgingly, he went downstairs and opened the door to find Brandon and a stranger—a Witch, he noticed by her bright red hair—crowding his doorstep.
He swept his eyes over the Witch’s long legs and bare arms. She wore thin leather flats and a flimsy green dress that did nothing against the chill night. Rich red hair framed a freckled, round face and brushed her waist in lush, wild curls.
“What?” Dominic barked at Brandon, his voice heavy with sleep. The Witch flinched and took half a step back. Her big brown eyes went wide, and her rosy mouth parted.
