Page 14 of The Blue Moon Café & 24-Hour Occult Emporium

The jackalopes nodded.

Talula chucked the head of lettuce down the basement stairs. Eagerly, the jackalopes hopped to it. Talula closed the basement door behind them. Her mind whirred. There was a decent chance that the jackalope in the café didn’t have antlers. But if it did, Talula was screwed. She would have to call her mom to do a memory spell on Dahlia. Or worse, she’d have to remove all memories of the café from Dahlia’s mind. Including memories of Talula.

That thought sent icy fear through her heart. But determination set in. Talula wasn’t going to let that happen. Even if it meant more lying. She opened the Employees Only door. Dahlia was on the floor, peering beneath the crystals display by the front of the shop.

“Honestly,” Talula said—because the best lies were a little true—“I know what it is.”

Dahlia looked up. “What do you mean?”

“It’s a rabbit.” Talula crossed her fingers under her apron. “I found it in the basement earlier, and it must have found a way up here.”

Technically only a little not true.

“A bunny? Cute!” Dahlia cocked her head at Talula. “But why didn’t you just tell me that?”

“Because…” Talula scrambled. “It’s a huge health code violation, and I didn’t want you to have to lie for me. In case the health inspector puts you on the spot.”

“You thought a rabbit in your café would force me to perjure myself?”

“I watch too much Law & Order,” Talula joked lamely. She scanned the café for a hint of jackalope. “Where did you hear it last?”

Dahlia pointed underneath the crystals display. “Under there.”

Talula tracked the likeliest path the jackalope could have taken—under the shelves, behind the glass display case of amulets—and there! She saw the twitch of a tail in the costume/ceremonial garb section. The jackalope blended in with the dark wood and scraggly twigs of the nearby witches’ brooms. But it was impossible to see if it had antlers. The brooms camouflaged it.

Creeping forward, Talula took off her apron and held it out like a net. She lunged.

But so did Dahlia.

With a yelp, Talula’s legs tangled with Dahlia’s, and they both went down, hitting the hardwood floor with a loud whooomph!

At least, Talula thought she hit the floor, but her landing was soft. And smelled really, really good. With a jolt, Talula realized she was sprawled on top of Dahlia, chest smashed against Dahlia’s back, her face smooshed into the curve of Dahlia’s shoulder. Was she technically kissing Dahlia’s neck? Oh my god.

Talula yanked her mouth away and braced her arms on the floor. She started to lift herself off. “I’m so sorry—”

“Shhh!” Dahlia reached behind herself and gripped the back of Talula’s thigh, keeping her in place. “Don’t move. Listen.”

But Talula could only hear the roar in her heart, sure that Dahlia could feel the telltale pulse pounding from Talula’s chest through Dahlia’s spine. Five minutes ago, there was a nice sturdy café counter between them, keeping Talula’s bottomless crush at bay. But now heat sliced through Talula, and it took everything she had in her to stay still.

At that moment, Dahlia turned her head to look over her shoulder at Talula. Dahlia’s face in profile at this angle was an assassination. Her hair a spray of loose black spirals caught between Talula’s forearms, long lashes casting shadows on the floor, soft mouth parted in concentration.

Jackalopes be damned. Talula desperately needed to get off of Dahlia. Euphemism notwithstanding. But Dahlia’s palm was still burning into Talula’s leg, keeping her right where she wanted her. (Another wave of heat burned through Talula’s core at that thought.)

“There,” Dahlia breathed. “I hear it. It’s somewhere behind us. Can you look, slowly?”

Swallowing, Talula raised her torso just slightly and turned. Yes. Under one of the overstuffed chairs, she saw a bit of paw. She still couldn’t tell if it had antlers. “I see it.”

“Okay, on the count of three,” Dahlia said, loosening her grip on Talula. “One, two, three—”

Talula launched herself at the jackalope, and Dahlia jumped up after her. Talula managed to snatch its back leg. “I got it!”

But almost as soon as she caught it, the jackalope blasted out from under the chair. Straight to Dahlia, waiting on the other side.

“Whoa!” Dahlia cried.

Panicked, Talula scrambled to her feet. Did she see—?

“Hey, little bunny.” Dahlia gently pet the jackalope’s fluffy antlerless head. The rodent, seemingly tired out, cuddled into her lap. “She’s so sweet!”