Page 14 of Kiss and Spell
“Something wicked this way comes,” Gwen said in a singsong voice.
“You can only use that joke when it’s October or Halloween,” Ursula playfully countered.
“Haven’t you heard? Halloween is a state of mind,” Gwen said. Ursula pointed to the glass case, but Gwen waved her hand. “Don’t worry. Ms. Niesha called ahead and put in your order. Your croissants are being warmed up.”
“You’re an angel.” Ursula sauntered up to the counter, noticing the heart-covered laminated menu. Smitten wasn’t coming; it was already here. “Oh, this looks fancy.”
Gwen gestured with her chin. “Check out the Smitten menu.”
Ursula studied the offerings. It was a pastry paradise. Her inner baking competition judge shouted with glee.
“Éclairs. Cream puffs. Smoothies. Oh my. What should I order today?” Ursula said. What drink would an enchantress want? She looked over the menu and tapped the top drink option. “I’ll have a Love Potion Number Ten, please.”
Gwen pouted. “Order that next time. I made you something special. Voilà!”
She placed the finished treat on the counter and slid it over to Ursula. Her senses tingled. The lovely tan drink smelled like autumn spices, heavy with a mixture of cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves. It was topped with a dollop of whipped cream and a generous sprinkle of dark orange pumpkin spice. This drink would be pinned on a kitchen witch’s Pinterest page. Ursula licked her lips, then remembered what month it was. It was March. Her senses went into high alert. She looked at her younger half-sister with a raised brow. What’s up with this?
Gwen answered the unasked question. “I was feeling like autumn.”
“Did you even have pumpkin spice seasoning in the pantry?” Ursula asked.
Gwen’s eyes lowered to the countertop. “I picked it up. I wanted to make your favorite drink. It’s made with love.”
Oh no. She said “favorite” as if she was trying to distract her from something else. Ursula grabbed the drink, and a vision shimmered in her mind. Gwen in her pink and green froggy pajamas hustling through the aisles of a fancy grocery store, dropping jars of cinnamon and pumpkin spice into her basket, her hair wrapped under a silk headscarf. “Just tell her straight. Don’t waffle. Be the boss like Dad said. Be kind. Be clear,” she mumbled to herself. “Bad news goes down better with pumpkin spice.”
Ursula blinked back to see Gwen now giving her a big, wide smile. It seemed forced.
“This latte was made with lies!” Ursula hissed.
A nearby patron glanced over to the counter, a smirk on their face. Ursula studied Gwen. Something serious was going down in the Grove. She whispered the words from the vision. “Don’t you remember? Bad news goes down better with pumpkin spice. Also, I didn’t know you still have those froggy pajamas.”
Ursula scooped up the drink.
Gwen’s lips parted in surprise. “Beckett!” she trilled. “Watch the counter.”
Beckett, one of the college workers busing tables, gave a thumbs-up. She dragged Ursula into the manager’s office and shut the door. The office was spacious, with a desk and a bulletin board filled with a collection of payment invoices, scheduling sheets, and possible menu ideas. It was controlled chaos.
“Give me the bad news,” Ursula said.
Her face fell a fraction. “I wasn’t expecting to do it like this, but… Lincoln Walker asked me to cater for him. He wants to rent out the entire bistro for his birthday party.”
“Oh, okay.” That wasn’t the news she was expecting, but fine. She clutched the pumpkin spice latte with both hands. Lincoln’s birthday was next month, but Ursula had completely pushed that date out of her mind, doing her best to move forward.
Ursula’s phone buzzed repeatedly in her purse, but she ignored it. With her luck, that call would be the universe letting her know that an asteroid was coming to destroy her apartment. The hits kept coming.
“So, this is a latte spiced with guilt.” Ursula took a sip of the drink, and her taste buds rejoiced at being transported to a pumpkin paradise. “That is good.”
Gwen pressed her hands together. “I haven’t responded to his email. I wanted to break the news to you before I… decided.”
She worked her bottom lip between her teeth. Ursula shook her head. My sweet Gwendolyn. She had the same tell since she was in first grade, once conflicted between which costume to wear for Halloween. She didn’t know whether she wanted to be an astronaut or a cheerleader, so she dressed up as a cheerleading astronaut.
“Business is business. Family is family. I can’t assume that family will understand business,” Gwen said a little stiffly.
Ursula narrowed her eyes at that all-too-familiar phrase. Her stomach tensed. “Dad called you, didn’t he.”
Gwen looked away. “I might have asked for his advice.”
Ursula rolled her tongue in her mouth. Dad just couldn’t leave things alone. He thought he knew best for everyone in the family, and he wasn’t shy about telling them his opinions. The man gave her a subscription to JobMeetsHunter, a career and business website, as a holiday gift. He was always buzzing in Gwen’s ear, saying that the bistro business was just something “she needed to get out of her system so she can start her real life.” Now that the bistro was showing a profit, he expected Gwen to grow it into the next major fast-casual chain. He wanted a Night Sky on every corner in every town, but Gwen seemed more interested in nurturing her workspace than in replicating her business.