I sigh and pull my most recent read out of my bag. The book isn’t even mine; it’s from the town’s public library and Magnolia left it behind in my shop by accident. I contacted her once I found it and realized she’d forgotten it, but she insisted she was done with it. She told me to give it a try, then return it when I’d finished.
I totally blame her, her hunks, and the novel for putting silly ideas of romance into my mind. I stare wonderingly at the book’s cover, ‘Love Blooms’, and then shake my head as if to clear it.
No, that’s just not my path.
I shove the text back into my bag, ignoring the slight tingles I get touching the cover, as I decide that I’m not brave enough to read a romance novel out in public, but I’m not quick enough. Julian, who is clearing tables nearby, catches my eye and raises his eyebrow at my book. I’m sure I’m blushing from the way my body suddenly gets hot and the back of my neck tingles.
“How’s work?” Julian asks.
“Busy. It’s been a crazy morning. I’ve been looking forward to this drink!” I smile and take a sip.
“You should give it a go, you know,” he says.
“Huh? The latte?” I frown.
“No. The book.” He grins at me. “I hear it’s a real page-turner.”
“Oh...right...yeah. I’ll check it out later. Things to do before that...” I trail off lamely, convinced that my face is now on fire. Even the stroppy unicorn hater has turned around and is eyeing our exchange with interest. Kill me now.
“You won’t regret it.” Julian gives me a final wink before returning to the counter.
Maybe I will read the ridiculous book, but if I do, it will be from the privacy of my own home. No way am I bold enough to read this book in public. I don’t even know what possessed me to pull it out in the first place. I’m going to blame Magnolia for this too.
I finish my drink, using the cute little spoon to scoop all the goodness out of the bottom, and then prepare to head back to work. For a fleeting moment I have the strangest sensation of being watched intently, but when I look around there’s no-one staring at me. I shrug it off and leave the cafe. Maybe if it’s a quiet afternoon, I could start the book back in my shop. I should be safe there.
Chapter Two
On my way back to the shop, I decide to take a detour to the Silver Springs Public Library. It always makes me chuckle that its initials are like ‘spell’. I could do with checking out some herbal remedy books. With tourist season coming up, people often stop by looking for sunburn remedies and hangover cures, and I need a decent supply of magic-free items for the general public. I want to tweak some of the recipes I used last year.
“Hi Violet,” I call to the librarian as I pass the desk. She seems busy checking out some books for an OAP, a long line of pensioners stretching out behind. She looks up and gives me a friendly smile and a brief wave, before getting back to work.
I head straight for the section I need, having spent plenty of time here since I moved, and it doesn’t take me long to locate some books which look promising.
Checking the time, I decide I can open the shop a little later, and carry my small stack over to a desk. I take a seat and begin to flip through the first book, ‘Goddess Garden Remedies’. It promises some interesting use for clematis petals, and it’s a good read, but it doesn’t seem to have what I’m looking for. I flick through a couple more books, snapping pictures on my phone of anything that seems useful: newly discovered lemon verbena properties; five unexpected uses for coconut oil; what to do with peony seeds. I find exactly what I’m looking for to help with the sunburn, rosemary, but I can’t find anything for the hangovers.
“Is everything okay, Jasmine?” a voice asks as I sigh. I look up to see Violet approaching me with a soft smile, concern etched across her face.
“Yeah, I just can’t find what I’m looking for.”
“Can I help?” She cants her head to the side, inquiring. “That’s what we librarians are here for, you know.”
“Okay, so I’m looking to work on a natural remedy hangover cure for humans,” I explain. “I’m looking at ingredients but nothing seems to fit.”
“I think I saw a book for that,” she says, heading to a nearby shelf and picking up a large, brown hardcover tome. She flips through it and pauses. “How about the age-old cure of swallowing a whole egg?”
I pull a face and try not to gag at that.
“No? Hmmm, okay then.” She sets the book aside and grabs another one. “Says here that in France they drink thick, hot onion soup to cure a hangover.”
“But I don’t run a diner,” I point out.
She flips to another page. “In Russia, you’d probably be recommended heavily salted cucumber juice and black bread soaked in water, whereas a glass of heavy cream would be the solution in Norway.”
I blink at her as she sets the book down in front of me.
“This book has a bunch of other cures from around the world, if you’d like to take a look.”
“I’m impressed, but those solutions aren’t quite what I had in mind.”
“Hmmm, okay.” She flips to another page. “Guess you’re not interested in rubbing a lemon into the armpit of your drinking arm?”
“What? Who the hell would do that?”
“Puerto Ricans.”
“I think I’ll come back to this,” I say, getting to my feet and backing away slowly.
“Oh!” Violet pouts. “But you haven’t heard about the Outer Mongolians yet!”
“Okay,” I sigh warily. “Shoot.”
“They drink a pickled sheep’s eye in a glass of tomato juice!” She giggles, and this time I can’t help the gagging sound that escapes my lips.
“Please stop,” I beg.
“Well there’s always hair of the dog.” She skims briefly over the page. “In Switzerland, they rely on a hot shot of brandy with a hint of peppermint in it. Believe it or not, it’s actually the mint that’s the cure.”
“Mint?”
“Yeah, says here the stuff is practically magical with all the things it can do. I remember seeing a book on mint and its healing properties if you want me to track it down for you…”
Inspiration sparks, and my face lights up.
“Thanks, Violet! You’ve just given me a brilliant idea!” I race off, then remember the books I’ve left sprawled all over the table, and hastily come back. I shoot Violet a sheepish apology and begin to gather up the books I left.
“Leave those, dear. Nole and I can put them back,” she tells me, making me smile. She may no longer be undercover, posing as an OAP, but old habits die hard and the term of endearment still slips out, aging her slightly. I thank her quickly for her help, before racing out of the library, eager to start concocting herbal hangover cures. I know just the thing!
***
The shop is blissfully quiet after my hectic morning, and I relish the balance between the two. If it was this dead all day, I’d be climbing the walls by now. I’m itching to get going with making the remedies, but I force myself to spend an hour pottering and doing random jobs. There’s a strange atmosphere in here, so I start by cleansing the space with an aromatherapy and crystal water blend, which I keep in a small spray bottle. I’m not mad keen on the smell of sage, and I know it upsets the breathing patterns of some of my clients, so I tend not to use it. Incense can be overpowering too, so I prefer to smudge with palo santo wood. Today though, I was drawn to Willow’s spray. The woman is a blending wizard! I love every scent combo she makes, and I’m forever sending my clients over to her shop when they ask what the lovely smell is. I let the soothing scent settle around the room while I use my tingsha bells to cleanse the huge variety of crystals that I sell too.