“Maybe your little witch has spellbound everyone, because things are certainly heating up.”
Santiago walked toward the exit.
“You coming to the council meeting tomorrow night?”
“Wouldn’t miss it for the world,” she said, hiding her pack of cigarettes under a dead potted plant. She caught up to him. “Now tell me more about your Lauren Green. I want to have all the details before I meet her.”
He frowned.
“Meet her where?”
“Greta said Ms. Green was at city hall earlier. She’s going to attend the council meeting. Seems she’s got an agenda item she wants to discuss.”
An image of people yelling, fighting, chairs being thrown, people being dragged by the hair out of the burning building… Santiago shook his head. He vowed right then and there to do whatever he needed to do to keep her from the council meeting tomorrow. Even if it meant handcuffing her to his bed.
CHAPTER 13
“Well,aren’t you a good-looking addition to this place,” Lauren said, with a raised brow, looking Saige’s new employee up and down as he greeted her at the front door. “And got the nerve to blush and have dimples too!”
“Please stop harassing my new employee,” Saige said. “He’s too good a worker for me to lose.”
“I’m not going anywhere Ms. Saige, and not just because of my agreement with the sheriff. I like working for you and Nandece.”
“I hope you’re including him in your social media posts.”
Saige smiled. “I will be now. If you’re okay with it, Clyde.”
“Anything to help. If business is good, I’m hoping it’ll be enough to keep me on after my time of service is done.”
“I know you didn’t come here under the best circumstances Clyde, but you do good work. You ground this place in a way that I can’t seem to, even with Nandece’s influence.”
“You definitely give the place a less woo-woo vibe,” Lauren said, and immediately felt like kicking herself when a look of hurt flittered across Saige’s face. “From a purely marketing perspective it feels inclusive to all stations of folks, not just the ones who are entrenched in a natural, more spiritual wayof living. All folks will find you and love you, I know, without believing they’re walking into a witch’s soul trap,” she smiled.
She walked over to Saige and wrapped her in a reassuring hug.
She liked Saige and she hated hurting the people she cared about.
“I love your woo…just for the record.”
Saige pulled away smiling. “We should look into trademarking that phrase, eh coach? BecauseI love your wootoo.”
“May the spirits of prosperity sprinkle divine intention on it and make it so,” Lauren said, lifting her arm and rubbing her fingers together as if sprinkling fairy dust.
Saige looped her arm around Lauren’s and navigated her toward the hip-high pine worktable. “I’ve completed the last assignment you gave me. With Clyde here, I’ve been able to spend more time on making products. I’ve also listed some price changes and wanted to talk it through because I don’t think my regular folks will buy my products if I increase too much.”
“Let’s look at the market analysis. I think you’ll be surprised. Also, for the people who’ve been ordering with you, you can maybe run some special subscription deals.”
As they talked, Saige dressed two white candles and gave her a small satchel of “peace” herbs for Lauren to burn in her new home.
“The new moon is in two days, a good time to focus your energy on releasing and ending; making space for that which is good to come.”
In some ways it already felt like life was already sending her in this direction. Placing a little intention behind it could only make the changes more powerful.
“Thank you, Saige, you’re a hidden treasure that’s on the brink of being discovered. I feel it in my bones.” She gatheredher things because she had more stops to make. “I’m off to the library before it closes,” she said, heading out. “Be at the council meeting tomorrow.”
“Why?”
“Business planning can’t just be contained within the walls of your business. Look out for Saige, Clyde. I have a feeling you’re also gonna experience great things working here.”
