Page 16 of Love Potion No. 69

“Ofcourseit matters. I’m over here, butt-ass naked, telling you I love you, so you liking me definitely matters.”

I giggle, my heart rate slowing back down after spiking in the face of his declaration. “Fine, I like you. But?—”

“No buts. Unless we’re still talking about my butt, or your butt, both of which are fantastic.”

Another laugh escapes me. “Dammit, Quinton, be serious!”

He gets up and closes the distance between us, and my traitorous eyes scan his body as he approaches. Honestly, it’s unfair. Men like him shouldn’t be allowed to exist. “We can figure this out, Sprite.”

“Stop calling me Sprite.” I shove my feet into my shoes, trying mightily to keep my eyes to myself and failing miserably.

“I will helicopter my dick in your face if you don’t look up here,” he threatens, his tone full of amusement.

My cheeks heat as I meet his eyes, and my heart flops over at the adoration I see there. “I really want this to be real. I do. But how can we be sure?” I ask.

“We can’t,” he says matter-of-factly. “But does it matter?”

“Yes!” I say.

“Why?”

I close my eyes. “Can you please put some clothes on?”

He chuckles. “I’d rather you take yours back off, sweetheart.

I shrug my jacket on. “I need to go.”

“We’re not finished. You know that, right?” His voice is gentle.

“I know.” But I need out of here. I need to clear my head, and breathe, and think, and I can’t do that with Quinton around. He muddles me.

So I leave him there, naked, holding my heart in his hands.

Clementine

“YOU DID WHAT?” Mom stares at me, open-mouthed, while Willow and Magnolia remain carefully neutral.

“I made the love potion,” I repeat, then push the bottle across the wooden counter towards her. “Smell it.”

Mom raises an eyebrow. “I didn’t know you kept working at it.”

I squirm, self-conscious. “I didn’t want it to just…disappear.”

Mom’s lips tip up as she glances to the front of the shop. It’s almost five o’clock, so it’s nearly time to close and the shop is empty. After leaving Quinton at the hotel, I’d headed straight to my greenhouse and spent hours working to successfully recreate the potion. And I’d done it, over and over again, as easy as you please. I had fifteen bottles already. As if I’d not spent five years working to get here, struggling and failing so much that I only started counting the combinations last year.

With every successful batch, I wanted to call Quinton, to turn and share my success with him. He was the only one I wanted to tell. Not Mom, not Magnolia, not any of my sisters. But I couldn’t. Besides the whole love-potion-made-me-do-it aspect, there was also the part where he still wanted to buy the Elysian Blossom seeds for his company’s use. Which, of course, I couldn’t let happen.You know what to do, Mom had said.

So, yeah, I’d gotten the space from Quinton that I said I wanted. But I was no closer to clarity. In fact, the only thing I was certain of was that I couldn’t get rid of an incessant ache in my chest, no matter what I did.

And that’s why I was at the shop. I’d texted Mags to come after school, and Willow was already here. I’d rather have everyone around to show them the potion at once, but Aspen’s out of town and Juniper and Jasmine are on a culinary road trip of some kind, and Hazel…well, Hazel’s never here.

My heart beats faster as Mom slides the bottle close, then pulls the stopper out. Immediately the flowery scent fills the air, hints of hibiscus and lavender weaving in with eucalyptus and the particular scent of Elysian Blossom. Mom’s bright blue eyes widen as she leans down to inhale. “It smells just like I remember,” she says in wonder. “Clementine, you did it! I’m so proud of you!”

“Congratulations, little one,” Willow says, her voice warm.

“That’s amazing, Clementine,” Magnolia gushes, pulling me into a fierce hug and seeming to conveniently forget all the shit she gave me just a few days ago.

I accept the hug and smile sadly. I’d wanted this for so long—had put every other dream and goal on hold so that I could finally make this one happen—and now that it’s here, all I want to do is curl into a ball and cry.