things, but it still made Tess feel a little guilty for being snappish. She shook her head. “No, that’s okay. There’s not all that much left to do for them. Why don’t you take a break and go and get lunch. I’ll watch the shop till you’re finished, and we can do the Sanderson order this afternoon, okay?”
Bette shrugged. “Sure. I think I’m going to run down to that new café on Seventh. Want me to bring you back anything? They have killer veggie wraps.”
“No, thanks. I had a big breakfast.”
“I see. So you’re back to taunting me about the secrets of your debauchery last night. Well, no matter. I’m a big girl. I can take it.” She wriggled her eyebrows at Tess as she grabbed her coat and opened the front door. “But if I die of curiosity over my avocado-and-tomato sandwich, I hope you know who’s to blame.”
Tess laughed and shooed her out the door. “Get lost, you little drama queen. I’ll see you in forty-five minutes.”
Bette called out a cheerful good-bye and disappeared into the world above, leaving Tess in peace and quiet. Which, she soon learned, was not all it’s cracked up to be.
She found that if she had something engaging to do, like bookkeeping, which required all her concentration and considerable cursing, she could go almost forty-two seconds in between thoughts of Rafael De Santos. If she tried to get by with just placing orders, filling orders, or organizing the shelves, she topped out at around fifteen. Which meant she had all her bookkeeping done twenty-five minutes after Bette left and was going crazy after another five.
When the shop door jingled for the first time that afternoon, it caught her once again staring into space like an idiot, with a dust rag in one hand and the other itching to touch Rafael De Santos one more time. Swearing at herself, Tess turned toward the entrance, glad of the distraction and more than a little curious. The apothecary did a good, steady business, but it wasn’t the sort of store that drew crowds, and the five customers who piled into the shop at the same time definitely constituted a crowd.
“Hi,” she said to the room at large, offering them all a smile. “Can I help you with … Missy? ”
One of the women, a petite, curvy thing with auburn hair and dark sunglasses, laughed as she furled a black umbrella. “You’re very sweet to offer, but if you want to help us with anyone, let it be Ava. We’ve been trying to find a way to deal with her for years, but no luck. Personally, I think Ava is beyond help.”
Tess looked from the redhead to the slim, elegant woman in the tailored pantsuit and back toward the only face she recognized. “Missy? What are you doing here?”
The petite blonde smiled and hurried over to give her a hug and a kiss on the cheek. “You got me so curious last night that I had to come out to see your shop. I hope you don’t mind. Especially since I told a few friends about it this morning, and they insisted on coming to see you and your shop for themselves.”
Tess’s eyes widened, and she shifted uncomfortably. “Um, just so I understand, what exactly about last night did you tell your friends about?”
Missy grinned and winked at her. “Why, that you own an herb-and-tea shop and give a mean tarot reading, of course. What else would I tell them?”
Those big, innocent brown eyes gazed back at Tess, twinkling so brightly that she instantly stopped wondering how this woman went about managing a man like Graham Winters. She clearly had the power to wrap him around her little finger without breaking a sweat. He probably thought his wife was sweet and innocent and malleable, too.
She snorted.
“I hope you’re not too busy for us?” Missy asked.
Tess looked pointedly around the small shop, empty except for her and Missy’s friends. “Well, I think I can squeeze out a few minutes for you in between pressing nothings.”
“Good. Then let me introduce you to my friends.”
Missy smiled and
Bette shrugged. “Sure. I think I’m going to run down to that new café on Seventh. Want me to bring you back anything? They have killer veggie wraps.”
“No, thanks. I had a big breakfast.”
“I see. So you’re back to taunting me about the secrets of your debauchery last night. Well, no matter. I’m a big girl. I can take it.” She wriggled her eyebrows at Tess as she grabbed her coat and opened the front door. “But if I die of curiosity over my avocado-and-tomato sandwich, I hope you know who’s to blame.”
Tess laughed and shooed her out the door. “Get lost, you little drama queen. I’ll see you in forty-five minutes.”
Bette called out a cheerful good-bye and disappeared into the world above, leaving Tess in peace and quiet. Which, she soon learned, was not all it’s cracked up to be.
She found that if she had something engaging to do, like bookkeeping, which required all her concentration and considerable cursing, she could go almost forty-two seconds in between thoughts of Rafael De Santos. If she tried to get by with just placing orders, filling orders, or organizing the shelves, she topped out at around fifteen. Which meant she had all her bookkeeping done twenty-five minutes after Bette left and was going crazy after another five.
When the shop door jingled for the first time that afternoon, it caught her once again staring into space like an idiot, with a dust rag in one hand and the other itching to touch Rafael De Santos one more time. Swearing at herself, Tess turned toward the entrance, glad of the distraction and more than a little curious. The apothecary did a good, steady business, but it wasn’t the sort of store that drew crowds, and the five customers who piled into the shop at the same time definitely constituted a crowd.
“Hi,” she said to the room at large, offering them all a smile. “Can I help you with … Missy? ”
One of the women, a petite, curvy thing with auburn hair and dark sunglasses, laughed as she furled a black umbrella. “You’re very sweet to offer, but if you want to help us with anyone, let it be Ava. We’ve been trying to find a way to deal with her for years, but no luck. Personally, I think Ava is beyond help.”
Tess looked from the redhead to the slim, elegant woman in the tailored pantsuit and back toward the only face she recognized. “Missy? What are you doing here?”
The petite blonde smiled and hurried over to give her a hug and a kiss on the cheek. “You got me so curious last night that I had to come out to see your shop. I hope you don’t mind. Especially since I told a few friends about it this morning, and they insisted on coming to see you and your shop for themselves.”
Tess’s eyes widened, and she shifted uncomfortably. “Um, just so I understand, what exactly about last night did you tell your friends about?”
Missy grinned and winked at her. “Why, that you own an herb-and-tea shop and give a mean tarot reading, of course. What else would I tell them?”
Those big, innocent brown eyes gazed back at Tess, twinkling so brightly that she instantly stopped wondering how this woman went about managing a man like Graham Winters. She clearly had the power to wrap him around her little finger without breaking a sweat. He probably thought his wife was sweet and innocent and malleable, too.
She snorted.
“I hope you’re not too busy for us?” Missy asked.
Tess looked pointedly around the small shop, empty except for her and Missy’s friends. “Well, I think I can squeeze out a few minutes for you in between pressing nothings.”
“Good. Then let me introduce you to my friends.”
Missy smiled and
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