A Spell for Trouble Read online

  “I thought I told you to never set foot in my store again. Was I not clear?”

  Alex’s jaw dropped. Her tiny aunt had pressed Randy Bennett against the wall like a giant bug on a pin. Everyone in the shop was watching. Pepper’s eyes widened as her mouth almost comically fell open.

  “I was just leaving, Lidia. I promise. I’m not making trouble.”

  “I don’t like you,” she scowled. “And I don’t want you in my shop.”

  The jars on the shelves clinked together softly. Athena jumped up from her bed and cocked her head at the clattering glass. Alex braced herself against the wall. Were they experiencing a small earthquake? Did North Carolina have earthquakes?

  “I know; I understand.” Bennett wriggled in her strong grip. “But I’m in bad shape, Lidia, okay? I need a little help. A little good luck. For old time’s sake.”

  Alex could have sworn the windows were rattling. She looked at Minka, who shook her head as if to say Keep quiet. Alex chewed her lower lip. The air in the shop thickened, as if a storm was gathering. Two women in the shop huddled close together in alarm, but Pepper reached into her messenger and stealthily removed a notepad and pen. Athena stood directly beside Alex, her hair raised and her body on high alert.

  “Good luck?” Lidia seethed. “You’ll have good luck over my dead body.”

  Bennett’s eyes enlarged as she somehow lifted him off his feet so that his toes were barely touching the floor. “Don’t do this. Please. You think I’d set foot in here if I wasn’t desperate?”

  Alex held her breath. The three other customers in the shop each stared at Lidia. Minka covered her face and observed the drama from between her fingers. She was the one who had waited on Bennett. Now Alex understood the risk she’d taken.

  Alex silently implored her aunt to stop. Please. Just let him go.

  “Come on, Lidia,” he said softly, his voice tinged with meaning. “Haven’t you punished me enough?”

  His plea hung in the hot air. Suddenly, Lidia dropped him. She stepped back, watching as he crumbled to the floor. “You got what you wanted. Now get out of here.” She turned away.

  He climbed to his feet, smoothing the lapels of his suit jacket. “Hey. I paid for those.” He pointed to the spilled tea leaves.

  Lidia shot him a deadly glare, and Alex feared she was about to physically launch him out onto the sidewalk. Instead, she paused to collect herself and walked calmly into the back room. When she emerged, she was holding a different bag of tea leaves. “Here.” She flung it at his feet. “Don’t come back.”

  She set her hands on her hips and watched him as he fumbled to collect his purchases. He left without a backward glance.

  Once he was gone, the tropical air in the shop cooled. Pepper’s fingers flew across her notebook. Lidia smiled brilliantly. “I’m so sorry about that, everyone. Long story. Water under the bridge and all that.” She smoothed a hand down her long, shiny black hair. “I feel like some lavender-and-hops tea. May I get some for anyone else? Complimentary, of course.”

  One customer meekly raised her hand. Another followed. Pepper put away her notepad and slipped quietly out of the shop. Alex was still huddled by the cough syrups. Her aunt’s anger couldn’t possibly have shaken the shelves and windows—that was irrational thinking. They must have experienced a tiny earthquake. She’d have to check the news.

  “Minka? Can you make some Calm Down tea, please?” Lidia hummed to herself as she swept the spilled tea into a dustpan.

  “Sure.” Minka seemed grateful to have escaped the skirmish and Lidia’s anger. Alex had never seen her move so quickly. “I’m sorry, Mom,” she whispered. “I know I should’ve told him to leave, but he was so pathetic—”

  Lidia emptied the dustpan into the trash. “It’s over. He won’t come back.”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  Sensing that the threat had passed, Athena relaxed her posture and turned her head to check on Alex. “I’m okay, Athena,” she assured her with a pat on the back. The dog returned to her pillow.

  Once Lidia had left the floor and gone into the back room, Alex tiptoed to Minka’s side. “Um, what just happened there?”

  Her cousin was holding back tears as she scooped tea leaves into a teapot. “It’s all my fault. I shouldn’t have waited on him. Mom’s told me a hundred times.” She wiped at her eye with the back of her hand. “Sorry. I hate it when she gets like that.”

  Alex agreed that Lidia’s anger was terrifying. “You know, I think I’m going to step out for some fresh air. Is there a place around here to get some coffee?”

  “Coffee O’Clock. It’s right around the corner.” Minka reached under the counter and found her handbag. “Can you grab one for me, too? I can run the shop while you’re gone; it’s fine.” She pressed some bills into Alex’s palm.

  “No problem. What would you like?”

  Minka gave her an order twice before Alex gave up and made her write it down. Skinny half-caf latte with stevia syrup and a dusting of cinnamon on top.

  “Oh, and a biscuit,” she added with a laugh. “They have the best biscuits in town. Strawberries and blueberries are in season—see if they have any freshly baked biscuits with either of those, please.”

  Alex smiled as she tucked the slip into her pocket and called Athena to join her. Minka didn’t keep anything simple.

  Chapter Three

  The May morning was clear, but the breeze off the water was chilly. Alex spotted whitecaps in the distance, and her long hair whipped her cheeks.

  “Athena, sit.” The dog sat and lifted her nose in the air to catch scents as they passed. Alex paused to pull her hair back, weaving it into a quick, messy braid.

  “She’s lovely.”

  The male voice at her back startled Alex. She turned around to see a handsome man grinning at her.

  “Sorry if I surprised you.”

  “No worries,” Alex replied, and then grinned. It was hard not to smile back at a man with deep dimples accenting both cheeks.

  He stood about six inches above her five-foot-five frame, with short blond hair and smiling blue eyes. His shoulders were broad, and even beneath his light-blue hoodie she could make out his muscular arms.

  He gestured to Athena. “Is she friendly?”

  Alex patted her dog on the back. “She’s a trained attack dog,” she said sweetly, enjoying the way his eyebrows jumped in surprise. “But she won’t bite unless I tell her to. Her name’s Athena.”

  “I’ll be on my best behavior,” he said, and reached down to scratch Athena under the jaw. “My name’s Jack. Jack Frazier.”

  “I’m Alex … and I’m late. We’re on a coffee run, and I should probably get going.”

  His face brightened. “I am, too. Want to walk together?”

  Alex couldn’t think of a reason why they shouldn’t go together and tugged gently on Athena’s restraint. “Sure.”

  When they reached the shop, Alex attached Athena’s leash to a bike rack a few steps away from the front door. “Athena, stay.” The dog flopped to the ground and looked happily at Alex, her ears pricked up at the sky.

  The door to the historic brick-front building was glass and trimmed in bright teal, as were the two large picture windows on either side. The sidewalk outside was fragrant with the scents of buttered biscuits and coffee beans. Inside, Alex admired the hardwood floors, which shone like amber honey. As they neared the end of the line, Jack said, “This is my first time here. What’s good?”

  “I actually have no idea,” she replied. “I’m not from here.”

  “Me neither. Where are you from?”

  “Originally from Connecticut—that’s where my father’s family is from—but I’ve been living in New York City.” When Jack laughed, Alex said, “What’s so funny?”

  “I’m from New York City, too. I grew up in Rochester, but I’ve spent most of my adult life in the city.”

  “Get out of town.” Alex grinned. What were the odds?

  “I swear i
t,” he said. “There’s a lot of us heading South, you know. Better weather. Better cost of living. Slower pace of life … Are you a transplant?”

  She shook her head. “Just visiting family. My mother was born here, though she spent more time up North than not. You?”

  “I’m here with family, too,” he said. “But here to stay.” When he unzipped his sweat shirt, she noticed he was wearing a NYPD T-shirt.

  She gestured toward his chest, which she noticed looked lean and hard with muscle. “You’re a policeman?” When he nodded, she couldn’t help but bite her bottom lip and try not to laugh. “Well, you’re not going to believe this, but my dad was also in law enforcement. He was a police detective in New Britain.”

  “You’re right, I don’t believe it,” he said with a laugh.

  “It’s true! So, what are you going to order?”

  “I’m going to try a bagel.”

  “Such a New Yorker. Which kind?”

  “I’m a plain-bagel-with-butter kind of guy.”

  “No nonsense. I like that.”

  “Next,” came a shout from the counter.

  Alex approached and placed her order. The barista, a young man wearing a UNC Wilmington baseball cap, added the name Minka to the cardboard cup without even asking, then told her they were sold out of biscuits. Best for her to come before nine AM if she wanted one.

  Jack ordered a black coffee and bagel and joined her at the end of the counter. “Wow, I guess biscuits are popular around here.”

  “It is the South.”

  He laughed. “That’s true. So how are you spending your time while you visit your family?”

  “Believe it or not, I’m working. Over at Botanika. On Main Street?”

  His forehead creased as he tried to place the name. “I don’t think I’ve seen it.”

  “It’s an herbal apothecary. But we sell all sorts of things. Lotions, shower gels, teas. You should come by sometime. It’s nice.”

  “Maybe I will. My mom loves tea.”

  He was going to buy a gift for his mother? How sweet. Her order was up before she had the opportunity to reply. She gathered a warm cup in each hand and gave Jack a smile, noting with some relief that he didn’t wear a wedding band. “Well, maybe I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  He nodded his head. “Looking forward to it.”

  * * *

  When Alex returned to the shop, she delivered Minka her coffee and found her aunt waiting for her.

  “I promised I’d show you how to make perfume. Are you ready now?”

  Nervous at the thought of crossing her aunt, Alex tried not to look it. “Of course, Ciocia Lidia.”

  The back room of Botanika was bright and filled with all sizes of amber bottles and glass beakers. Lidia kept her work space tidy and organized. There were soaps curing on baker’s racks in one corner beside the gallons of olive, coconut, and other oils that she used to make them. She used only natural colorants, like purple Brazilian clay, turmeric, and liquid chlorophyll, and yet Lidia’s soaps were brilliantly bright. Lye was kept under lock and key, as were the essential oils, some of which were caustic.

  “Alex, I’m sorry you had to see all of that earlier,” Lidia began. “I have a bit of a temper. People in Bellamy Bay know it well, but it can be alarming.” Her lips lifted into a wry smile. “It’s another Sobieski trait, I’m afraid. We feel a deep love for our friends and family, but betrayal—well. We never forget those who hurt us.”

  Alex had a hundred questions about that comment. How had Randy Bennett betrayed her aunt? What had he done to get himself banished from Botanika, and why had he still returned?

  “Loyalty is a double-edged sword,” Lidia continued, “but I love my girls, Kamila and Minka and you, Alex. I love my friends and my customers. I love you all fiercely. Even if I could change myself, I’m not sure I would.”

  She took Alex’s hand in her own as if to reassure a child. “You lifted him up,” Alex said, laughing a little. “He must be twice your size.”

  Lidia’s smile was pained. “I was angry, that’s all. Real strength would have been resisting that rage.” She gave Alex’s hand a gentle squeeze before dropping it. “Well. Next time, I’ll work on compassion.” Lidia sighed. “Let’s make perfume.”

  She led Alex to a corner, where she had organized delicate glass bottles into a row on the soapstone counter. As they put on gloves and protective eyewear, Lidia gave Alex a lesson on the science of scent.

  “In any good perfume, there are different notes,” she explained. “Top notes are what you smell first, but they disappear quickly. Never buy a fragrance based on top notes.” She snapped her glove in place. “Then you smell middle notes for a bit, but eventually these will fade away to reveal the bottom notes.” She smiled. “The bottom notes are the key to holding the perfume together, but you don’t even sense them for hours.”

  She explained that scents could be assigned colors and matched together the same way shades could be combined to create a harmonious painting. “Today, we’re going to mix fresh green and purple floral scents to create an intoxicating fragrance. I call it Violet. It makes a woman irresistible.”

  Alex clapped her hands together. “I can’t wait.”

  Lidia had memorized her recipe. Alex watched in awe as she worked down the line of glass bottles. A drop here, ten drops there, all of them falling into a large beaker of perfume base. She instructed Alex and watched patiently while Alex added a few of the notes herself.

  “When did you realize that you wanted to do this work, Ciocia?”

  “I’ve always done it,” her aunt replied. “For as long as I can remember, I’ve loved the healing energy of plants. My path was always clear.”

  What must that be like, to feel like a life path was clear? Two weeks ago she’d been working in New York, and today she was making perfume in North Carolina. Tomorrow—who knew? “I seem to have wandered off my path,” she said.

  Lidia offered a reassuring smile. “Sometimes people say that when they’re moving in the wrong direction and self-correct.”

  When they were finished, Lidia stopped to swirl their creation. “You can smell the notes blooming. Here.” She held the jar out to Alex. “First, close your eyes.”

  Alex did as she was told and waited. Inhaled. The colors of the fragrance swirled behind her eyelids.

  “Can you pick out the notes? There are no wrong answers. It’s like tasting wine.”

  But to Alex, the notes were distinct. “The top notes are clear and bright. Fresh and green. Grass—cucumbers, maybe? It makes me think of fresh buds on trees.” She recognized Violet as the scent Bennett had just purchased for his someone special, but of course she didn’t mention that.

  “Violet leaves,” Lidia agreed. “What else?”

  Alex closed her eyes and waited for the top notes to clear. A sweet herbaceous scent revealed itself. “Lavender?” She shook her head in wonder. “Ciocia Lidia, it’s lovely. Really.”

  Lidia capped the jar and moved it to one side. “You probably can’t find the base notes yet, but they’re violet blossom and juicy sweet raspberry. Don’t worry, eventually it will all come naturally to you.” She wrapped an arm around Alex’s waist and pulled her closer. “It’s good that you’re here, Alex. I know you don’t see it yet, but Bellamy Bay is a nice place to heal. It’s because we’re so close to the water.”

  Alex nodded. “I’m glad I came.”

  She loved New York, but Bellamy Bay was refreshingly quiet. As if reading her mind, Lidia said, “You can go ahead and relax, moja droga.” My dear. “Let your guard down. This isn’t like the city.” She planted a kiss on her cheek. “It’s peaceful as a garden here.”

  Chapter Four

  The next morning at Botanika brought a steady stream of activity. From the minute they flipped the lights on, customers began browsing. Their first customer was a mother looking for something for her sick son. After a few more customers came and went, Minka nudged Alex. “Have you noticed? They’re al
l buying cough syrup.”

  “Maybe it’s the change of seasons? A spring cold?” Alex said, thinking of Pepper’s complaints. “Doesn’t anyone go to the doctor’s office in Bellamy Bay?”

  “A few.” Minka grinned. “The ones who don’t believe in Mom’s voodoo, as some say.”

  Alex chuckled at that. “I’ll brew some more of that peppermint tea with sweet orange and hand it out. That’s good for congestion.”

  “We’re running low, so you may have to cut some more mint.”

  Alex brought bundles of dried peppermint from the back room, pulled on some gloves, and began chopping the leaves.

  She’d only been half joking with Minka about the town doctor. Alex did feel at times like Lidia and Minka were serving in that role, giving people the comfort they needed. And so far, Alex loved the feeling she got from helping people, too. She had to admit, working in risk management had never felt this good.

  But ruminating on what had happened in New York wasn’t productive, and Alex was desperate for distractions. Working helped. Drinking wine and gossiping with her cousins was fun. And the dashing Jack Frazier certainly took her mind off her failures, but she hadn’t seen him that day.

  The knife slipped. “Ouch.” Alex yanked her left hand away and brought her finger to her mouth. She tasted blood. Athena leapt off her pillow and trotted over to nudge Alex’s elbow. “It’s okay, girl.”

  “You all right?” Minka was at her side in a flash, urging her hand out of her mouth. “Let me guess, your left hand wandered while you were cutting with your right?”

  Alex winced and sucked a breath. The cut stung. “I wasn’t paying attention. My own fault.” She shook her hand as if to shake off the pain. Blood droplets spattered.

  Minka winced. “Let me see.”

  Alex tried to relax while Minka took her injured hand in both of her own. Carefully, Minka removed the glove, peeling it off to prevent more blood from spilling. Then she leaned closer, peering at the cut and whispering something softly.

  “What did you say?” Alex asked.