Page 18 of Love Potion No. 69

Clementine

And I’ll give you a bottle of the essence. For your family.

The tiniest ember of hope begins to flare.

I’ll be there. Give me however long it takes to walk there.

Clementine

I’m sending a rideshare your way.

I didn’t think there were any here?

Clementine

There are.

I don’t bother with another text, because it doesn’t matter. I toss the to-go box into the trash and throw on my suit pants and dried out shoes, then put on the shirt I’d worn earlier today. I’d really not thought this visit through, because all I have is my suit and three shirts. But I’ll deal with that later. For now, I just need to get downstairs.

An SUV pulls up a few minutes later, and the old man driving it grins as I climb into the back. “Seems you’re wanted by the Rowan women.”

My heart pounds, and my body tingles at the prospect of holding Clementine in my arms again. “Just one. Clementine.”

The man smiles and pulls onto the street. “Ah. The baby of the bunch. Sweet girl.” He lowers his voice to a whisper. “I like her the best—but don’t tell her mama.”

I don’t quite know what to make of that, so I promise not to say anything. We ride in silence to the shop, and when I try to pay him, he waves me off.

“First ride’s on me,” he says.

I thank him and climb out, then head inside. Immediately, my eyes find Clementine’s and my heart leaps into my throat. She’s sitting at what appears to be an old soda fountain, the wooden counter gleaming from years of use, the wall behind her covered with a giant cabinet of various sized drawers. She fights a smile, and her cheeks go pink with a blush that I know is probably on her chest, as well. I make my way to the woman who is everything I have ever wanted.

It’s only when I get to her that I bother noticing the women around her. Willow is on one side of Clementine, studying me even more intently than she did this morning, and the teacher from the classroom Clementine was in is on the other. Behind the counter is a woman even smaller than Clementine, and she smiles up at me as she pours four cups of tea.

“Hi,” Clementine says, her voice almost shy as I take her hands.

I lean in to brush a kiss on her cheek, catching her particular citrus scent as I do. “Hi, gorgeous.”

She clears her throat and straightens, pulling away as she glances at the woman behind the counter. “This is my mom, Daphne. You met Willow this morning, and this is Magnolia.”

“Nice to meet you both,” I say.

Daphne sets all four cups onto the counter, and nods at Clementine.

“Tea?” Clementine asks, taking one and handing it to me.

I accept, then take a deep inhale to place the ingredients. It’s incredibly similar to the love potion, but there’s something else in there. Cherry? Whatever it is, it’s interesting. I take a sip. “This is very good,” I say to Daphne. “Yours?”

Her eyes light up. “Yes. Thank you.”

I nod, then take another drink, feeling as though I’m an animal in an exhibit. “So…” I start, completely unsure of what to do next.

And then I feel it.

“Oh,” Clementine says, setting the cup down and putting a hand to her stomach. “Oh, no.”

“You, too?” I ask, managing to get my own tea on the counter before gripping it to stay upright. “What was in here?” I ask Daphne.

She and Willow don’t seem at all affected, but I don’t expect them to be. I know exactly what’s going on. Gritting my teeth through the nausea roiling through me, I manage, “Whose idea was this?”