“Yeah.”
Some of Wanda’s good humor evaporated as she really took me in. The ticklish feel of her fingers all over my aura was back, and this time I put up with it. She wasn’t trying to be irritating. Not really. She was just naturally nosy and concerned.
“Is it really bothering you that much?”
I shrugged, not meeting her eyes. The truth was that this alchemist stuffdidbother me. I wasn’t as bad at adapting to change as some of the witches I’d met, but I wasn’t great at it either. I thought I was getting a handle on this new power level, only to learn that I’d only been going through the magical equivalent of puberty. The too-powerful elixirs I’d been making were me tripping over my big, clumsy puppy paws before I grew into them. Now I was a big dog, and I had no idea what to do with myself.
Wanda seized my chin with her usual lack of consideration for personal boundaries. I could have yanked my face down andaway, but I didn’t want to. Not really. Wanda was my best friend. If I was going to tell anyone my troubles, it would be this pushy witch. And that was mostly because she’d force me. Wanda had a way about her…
Her expression softened when she caught sight of my face. “It’s bothering you. Why?”
I shrugged again. I felt like I’d been doing that a lot lately. Throwing my hands up in frustration and confusion as the world continued to take drastic turns all around me. I felt slow—like I couldn’t keep up. I was falling behind where my abilities were concerned and I was worried it might cost the people I loved.
“You know the reason,” she insisted. “Talk to me, Poppy, or I swear I will hex you.”
It was an empty threat. Wanda never cursed me, even when she threatened to. I knew she had the power, just not the spite to throw a spell my way. It was her way of smacking me upside the head and telling me to stop being a dummy. She was like a masochistic therapist.
“I just feel like… like I don’t know who I am anymore,” I confessed, sinking down into the chair I kept behind the counter. I rarely sat in it, too busy bustling around the store helping my customers or restocking products or sweeping or dusting or… the list went on. But today was an unusually slow day, and I’d been spending too much time alone with my thoughts.
“You’re Poppy,” Wanda said, letting go of me easily. “You’re Finn’s mom and my best friend.That’swho you are. Don’t worry about the rest of it.”
A small, warm feeling blossomed in my chest at the easy way she said what she just had. Wanda had changed a lot since coming to the Hollow, and not all of it was due to her relationship with Lorcan. I liked to think I’d sanded off some of her rough edges too. In this case, though, she was underselling the problem.
“That’s what I’m scared of. This alchemy thing is... well, it’sdangerous,Wanda. I set something on fire without meaning to. What if I do it again, this time at home? I could hurt Finn or Andre. I’d never forgive myself if that happened or if I burned our house down.”
Wanda rolled her eyes. “If you burn down your house, you can live in mine. No one in this Hollow is going to let you or your son live on the street, Poppy. Honestly, you’d have your pick of monsters to stay with—everyone loves you here. You know that. You’ve more than earned our support. You’re like the Giving Tree, Poppy.”
The corners of my eyes burned, and I blinked the tears back furiously. I didn’t want to cry in front of Wanda. She’d gotten past the point where she’d tease me for it, but I still didn’t relish the thought. The witches and their stoicism were beginning to rub off on me.
“There’s a simpler solution, you know?”
“There is?” She nodded. “What is it?” I asked, trying and failing to hide a sniffle.
She shrugged like the answer was obvious. “You get a separate space to brew your potions. If you have an accident, onlyyouget hurt. I’d like to avoid that personally, but I can’t stop you if you want to experiment.”
“Hmm.” It wasn’t a half bad idea.
“And on that note, I was actually coming over here to talk to you about my newest customers.” I gave her a quizzical look. “They wanted my opinion of you before they visited your store. I told them I’d bring you over.”
“Oh.” I thought it strange that Wanda was making such a fuss about her customers. Usually, she couldn’t be bothered with them at best and wanted to hex them at worst.
She nodded. “I wasn’t just waltzing over for the hell of it.”
“This time,” I said with a laugh. But the words came out half-strangled and a bit sad, instead of amused.
Wanda flicked my ear. It stung, but earned her an actual laugh. She’d certainly mellowed if I only got a thump on the head for my sass. There was a time when any backtalk would have earned anyone else an itching hex. Wanda watched my face, losing the battle with her own smile.
“There, that’s the Poppy I know. Come on over. I’ve got something that will help your anxiety.”
I gave her a look. “I don’t think I should be drinking on the job. Maybe tonight.”
Wanda aimed a dirty look down her nose. “If I wanted to ply you with alcohol, I’d throw a party. What I have isbetter.”
“Better than a party?” She nodded. “And what’s that?”
“A solution to your problem.”
“I’m not in the mood to try on outfits, Wanda. I’ve got stuff that needs to be done here.”
