Though Redd and I both stayed busy, we always found time for each other.
I had been in desperate need of a boost when Redd appeared–he probably sensed my growing discomfort.
“So.” Redd leaned against the work counter. “If I’m seeing this right, it looks like you’re about done. Which means that you’re ready for the shop re-opening tomorrow.”
I sighed heavily. It felt as though there was still so much to do. My mental list was never ending. “Maybe.”
“Relax. Breathe. You’re ready. You can do this.” He stepped behind me to massage the tension from my shoulders. “Now, eat your pastries and drink your tea. I’ll help you finish up your inventory, and then let’s get out of here.”
I smiled. I would never grow tired of this. Of having my favorite person by my side. Forever.
“Deal.”
My hands shook violently and a drop of sweat slid down my forehead as I stood at my counter in Fiella’s Finds, preparing to officially open for the first time in months. There was an impressive crowd of folk gathering in the town square. I took slow, deep breaths.
Inhale, hold.
Exhale, hold.
I was nervous. Annoyingly, disgustingly nervous. I fought off the claws of panic as hard as I could, shoving them away with as much force as I could muster.
Redd sidled up next to me, gripping my hand and squeezing it tightly. “Breathe, Fi. You’re ready. You know you’re ready.”
I exhaled harshly, clinging to his hand like a lifeline. “I am. Iamready. I don’t know why I’m so scared. I’ve run this shop for years; this should be a breeze.”
Redd nodded encouragingly. “You’ll slip back into the rhythm. It will be as easy as breathing. I believe in you.”
I squeezed his hand gratefully before letting go and stepping back. I fluffed my hair, straightened my overalls with a tug, and plastered what I hoped was a convincing smile onto my face. “Okay. Let’s do this. You can let them in.”
Redd smiled gently. “Yes, ma’am.” He walked to the front door, turned the lock, and tossed it open wide. He held his arms out in acome on ingesture.
“Hey, move! Move! Me first!” I heard a voice shouting from a distance. My panicked smile morphed into a real one, my eyes pinching at the corners. Kizzi. My best friend was elbowing through the crowd, shoving past folk twice her size until she made it to the very front. She grinned at me as she strolled into Fiella’s Finds, huffing and puffing. “Hey, Fi. Fancy seeing you here.”
I laughed, rolling my eyes. “You didn’t have to pummel my other customers, Kiz. There are plenty of trinkets to go around.”
“I know, I know, but I wanted to be the first customer to shop in the new and improved Fiella’s Finds. I deserve it, after all.” She grabbed the first thing she could reach off the nearest shelf. It was a small, glossy black sphere on a wooden stand. She hardly glanced at it.
Kizzi strolled to the counter, bounty in hand, as other customers began to flood into the shop.Oohsandaahscould be heard from all around.
“I’ll take this… thing, please. Whatever it is,” Kizzi declared. She stuck her hand out, dropping two silver coins onto the countertop. I shoved them back at her immediately.
“I don’t want your silvers! Just take it. Consider it my payment for your witchy services or consider it a thank you gift. I don’t care. Just take it,” I begged.
“Nope! You pay for your tonics; I pay for my trinkets. That’s how it works. We support each other.” She stepped back before I could reach out and shove the coins down the front of her smock.
“Fine,” I grumbled, already making plans for how I would pay her back for all she had done for me. “You know I love you, right?”
“Of course!” she chirped before whirling around and slipping out the front door. “Moons!”
“Suns!” I shouted, though I wasn’t sure she could hear me through the murmur of the crowd.
A line formed at the counter, folk excitedly purchasing their wares. A mild scuffle broke out in the sculpture section of the shop. A witch used her magic to pull the last wooden critter from a mothman’s grasp. It landed delicately in her waiting hands. She chuckled, shrugging with false innocence. The mothman grumbled angrily but moved on, consoling himself with an ancient tome. A tall vampire with a broken fang watched the spectacle, his eyebrows raised and his jaw dropped in astonishment.Redd’s Pa. I chuckled to myself.
It seemed that the folk of Moonvale had missed their trinkets.
Slowly but surely, the crowd worked its way through the shop, everyone finding a trinket that suited their fancy.
Redd’s parents purchased a flowing tapestry that depicted a snowy landscape.
