Aggie picked up the teapot and put a tea strainer on top of a small purple teacup with a crooked gold handle, and poured the tea into it, all the leaves and petals collecting in the strainer. She took it off the top of the cup and pushed it toward Soraya.
She lifted it and took a sip, the spiced, floral notes a shock to her senses.
She let it wash over her as she sat and drank it in silence. Did she feel more beautiful, or did she just want to? Did she feel more confident, or was that just wishful thinking?
“Magic is all about taking the energy around you, the deep desires of your soul, the beautiful, sparkling crackle of desire, and making it into something you can touch, something you can hold,” Aggie said, like she could read Soraya’s thoughts. “It’s about taking hold of feelings and transforming them into something that serves you.”
Soraya’s phone buzzed, letting her know her delivery was on the way. She took pleasure in her last few sips of tea, then she went to rinse the cup.
“Oh, don’t worry about that,” Aggie said. “I’ll clean up.”
“Thanks, Aggie. For everything.”
She carried her purse out to the curb and waited until the delivery arrived. She showed her ID, then took the wine bottle and other bags, and as best she could, she walked to the stairwell door and managed to wrench it open.
In her infinite freedom, she’d gotten a whole bunch of things David and the boys would never eat, along with a ten-pound bag of flour because she had burned through what she had baking for the apothecary. An enjoyable aspect of the job, as was learning how to make drinks, along with her newfound permission to do the special tea blends.
She was trying to embrace and enjoy the novelty of living by herself too. It was different. It was something she had never experienced, and the ability to please herself was fun, even if she would have traded it immediately to have the boys back.
Not that she had a choice. All her texts went unanswered, as did her phone calls.
Even after everything. But then, knowing David like she did, he was doubling down. How could he admit he had done wrong after all that? After the way he had looked her in the eye and tried to blameher?
Bracing her arm against the apartment door as she dug in her purse for her keys, she lost her grip on the bag and grabbed the top of it quickly, growling when it tore and the bag of flour and her bell peppers, cilantro, and noodles all went crashing to the floor. The door across the hall opened, and it was like a Pavlovian response. Her whole body took notice.
She was starving, then, but not for a sweet treat.
She turned, pushing her hair out of her face as she tried to smile. “Just a minor grocery accident.”
They had a date. But she hadn’t talked to him since, really. They had made a plan to have dinner in three days, and she didn’t know if it was weird to see her date before the date, or if that was only seeing the bride before a wedding.
She felt warm suddenly. Flushed.
Aroused.
The tea.
No. There was no way that tea was this powerful. Or maybe it was, when combined with Declan’s raw masculine beauty.
“Let me help you,” he said.
“Oh, thank you.”
He bent down, and the scent of his cologne made her stomach swoop. He smelled amazing. Unfamiliar. It was like having a crush. Something she could barely remember because she’d been with David for so long, and their relationship hadn’t felt like that since before they were married.
He scooped up all the items and stood. He was close. So close. She curled her fingers into fists, dug her nails into her palms. “I’ll just ... unlock the door.”
He was going to come into her house. Before the date. Because he was holding her groceries, and not for any other reason. It wasn’t for any other reason.
She swallowed hard. Then she fitted her key into the lock and turned it, pushing the door open. “Come in,” she said.
He did, walking through the living room and into the kitchen, putting the groceries on the table.
“That was my fault. I trusted the paper bag too much.”
“Thwarted by too much trust.” He smiled, and she tried to ignore how hard her heart was beating. He was dangerously attractive. There was an interesting energy around him. He was authoritative, comfortable with himself, and if she would’ve been asked what she thought he did, owning a store that specialized in tabletop games wouldn’t have been her answer. He didn’t have a geeky vibe to him at all. He was tall andmuscular, broad chested. His dark hair was long, pushed back out of his face. He wore glasses, which did make him look slightly studious, but it was kind of Clark Kent–ish in nature.
Like the glasses were a costume, and if he tore his shirt open, it would reveal the superhero underneath.
