Two minutes passed.Then five.Maybe this was a sign she shouldn’t pretend to be interested in a spell just to grill the woman about Mercer.The moment she sent the message, she’d felt a twinge of guilt that had only been growing.It was the reminder of all the Smooth Expressions employees who were counting on her that made her actually show up to this meeting.A decision she was starting to regret.
The line outside Mixie’s was growing, and Lissa’s patience was waning.Shoving her hands in her pocket, she kicked a stone down the sidewalk.
“Do you have something against rocks in general, or did that one have it coming?”
Lissa whipped her head up at the soft voice, and her eyes meandered over the woman approaching her.Red curls far more vibrant than any screen could accurately portray bounced against her shoulders with each hesitant step.Interesting.She would have guessed from the video that the Elixir Enchantress would be far more self-assured than this.Maybe getting information out of the witch would be easier than anticipated.
“It was personal,” she replied as the woman came to a stop less than a foot away, clutching a notebook to her chest.“That rock mouthed off one too many times.”
The witch laughed, a small twinkling sound like a wind chime, innocent and adorable.
“I’m Ria,” she said, thrusting out one hand.“Any chance you’re Lissa?”
“I am,” Lissa replied, shaking Ria’s hand and lingering for a beat too long.Her skin was just so soft it was hard to let go.She could only imagine how her own rough, calloused hands felt in contrast.
“I didn’t realize this place was so popular,” Ria remarked, glancing at the handful of tables inside, each one occupied.“I was hoping for somewhere a little quieter.”
“Not a problem,” Lissa assured.“Follow me.”She led Ria down the side path Daria had shown her only yesterday.“Ta-da!”She stepped aside to reveal the secret patio.
Ria’s eyes widened with each step, and a tiny gasp escaped.“It’s beautiful,” she murmured, moving farther into the space.
“A friend told me about it.They keep it on the down low, but we’re good to be back here.”Lissa pulled out a chair at the first table, pausing when she noticed her name on a piece of paper next to a plate of scones and a take-out cup.Daria texted her that morning to say she had been more than happy to pay a visit to Chase and confirm it was okay for them to use the hidden patio today, but Lissa didn’t expect her friend to go this far.
“Pssst,” someone hissed at her, and she whirled around to see Daria peeking out from the back door of the cafe.
“What are you doing here?”she mouthed, tossing a quick glance over her shoulder to confirm Ria was still firmly entranced by the various flowers.
Mischief glistened in Daria’s eyes as she made two circles with her hands and rubbed them together.
Oh, dear lord.
“She’s hot,” Daria whispered, fanning herself dramatically.
Lissa took a few steps toward the cafe and flipped her friend off.“It’s not a date.”
“Yet,” Daria said with a wink, then slammed the door shut.
The click of the lock turning kept Lissa from pursuing the conversation.Not that it would do any good.When Daria got into matchmaker mode, her target would have better luck stopping a tsunami.
I knew I liked her for a reason, her vagina piped up.She has her priorities straight.That is one sexy witch!
Show some class, her brain argued.We are not trying to seduce the information from her.
Sighing, Lissa turned back to the Elixir Enchantress.The sooner she got answers to her questions, the sooner she could get back to her studio.Or her bed.Although by this point neither was likely to bring her any joy today.
“You didn’t tell me Mixie was a witch,” Ria said, running her hands through the vines as if they were speaking to her.
Lissa briefly wondered how it would feel to have those hands caress her with the same gentleness, but she quickly shook off that thought before her libido could take charge.Even if by some insane coincidence Ria was interested in women, Lissa wasn’t about to hook up with the person who might be responsible for her current predicament—regardless of how attractive she was.
“What do you mean?”Lissa asked, taking a seat and snatching up a scone.
Ria swung her arms wide to indicate the patio.“I mean, whoever designed this space is either a witch, or they have a very eclectic taste in plants.Most of these are used in potions or rituals and not sold at any of the shops around here.They had to come from someone’s personal garden.”
“Huh,” Lissa replied through a mouthful of pastry.“That’s cool, I guess.I only recognized the verbena.”
“Yeah, that’s a somewhat common one.But this guy,” she pointed to a flower with droopy purple petals.“This is comfrey.Its leaves are great for healing potions if you know how to neutralize the harmful alkaloids.”She moved over to a planter along the edge of the patio.“And this one isdatura innoxia, also known as moonflower.I think it’s illegal to own in Oregon, but many witches use it for full moon rituals.It can be very…” Ria’s face flushed, nearly matching the shade of her curls as she backed away from the plant.
“Very what?”Lissa asked, suddenly finding herself more interested in botany than she thought possible.
