Charms and Chocolate Chips: A Magical Bakery Mystery by Bailey Cates Page A

In fact, usually you don’t actually interview for jobs.”
    Another shrug. “Things change.”
    I raised my eyebrows. “Cookie? Is everything okay?”
    “Sure,” she said, and pushed past me. “See you later.” The heels of her boots clicked down the sidewalk with purpose.
    Bewildered, I went inside. Lucy stood on a stepstool and wrote on the menu blackboard. Two women sat in the library, chatting over crumb-filled plates, and a man sat at a table in the far corner, pounding on his laptop as if it were trying to escape.
    “You’re back!” Lucy called when she saw me. She’d donned a hemp apron in a muted orange that matched her blouse.
    I smiled and approached. “Good heavens. Everything is positively gleaming.”
    “It gave me something to do while you were gone. How did things go?” Lucy asked, climbing down.
    “It was . . . interesting. Mildly informative.”
    Lucy looked amused. “And how is Steven?”
    “Interesting as well. But not as interesting as Declan.”
    She raised one eyebrow but didn’t comment.
    Looking at where she’d been writing on the menu, I saw that she’d lowered the price on the Healthwise Breakfast Muffins we’d recently added to the menu. They were chock-full of carrots, bananas, oats, nuts, honey, and coconut, not to mention a plethora of spices.
    She followed my gaze. “I thought if we charged less, more people might try them. Or maybe change the name? They’re so delicious, but sometimes people have to be convinced to eat things that are good for them.”
    “Good idea. Let’s see how the price change works, and if you think of a better name, I’m all for it,” I said, then nodded toward the kitchen.
    She followed me as I put Mungo in the office.
    “What the heck is going on with Cookie?” I asked over my shoulder. “She barely spoke to me on her way out. I know she’s upset about her love life, but she’s been acting kind of weird for a while.”
    Lucy nodded. “I don’t even know that she’s that upset about Brandon. You know how well she takes moving on to someone new. Practically insists on it. But she skipped the last spellbook club meeting. I think it’s the first one she’s missed.”
    “And didn’t she seem kind of prickly at the Imbolc celebration last night?”
    She shrugged. “Sometimes Cookie can be a little sensitive.”
    “Meaning?”
    A few moments of hesitation, then my aunt looked me in the eye. “Sometimes she feels like the rest of us judge her. Jaida, mostly, because she thinks Cookie is willing to ignore the Rule of Three, but the rest of us as well. And now you.”
    “Me? Did I say something that sounded judgmental?”
    “Not that I know of. But you’re . . . Well, she might feel like a lightwitch would be a little . . . holier than thou.”
    My lips parted in surprise. “That’s ridiculous.”
    “Of course it is. And perhaps I’m wrong. But I’ve watched how she looks at you since Samhain.”
    Oh, for crying in a bucket.
    I changed the subject. “Did Quinn come by?”
    She looked amused. “He did. Picked up the origami—and a slab of sour cream coffee cake for the road.”
    “Was he angry that Wren and Mimsey weren’t here?”
    “More like relieved that he didn’t have to field any more questions from you, I think.”
    I gave her a look.
    She grinned. “He said he wanted to check for fingerprints on Wren’s door anyway. Said he was going to pick up a lab tech and head over there.”
    “Speaking of the Carmichael Clan, have you heard anything from them?”
    Lucy nodded. “Mimsey called. Jaida and Bianca helped to set personal wards on Wren. Detective Quinn got there when we were on the phone, and they had just finished setting a protective perimeter around her whole apartment building.”
    “Wow. Sounds like overkill.”
    “Can you really overprotect someone?” she asked.
    “Yeah. I guess you’re right.” I touched the metal circle Steve had given me, tucked under my T-shirt on the chain around my