Page 9 of Bewitched & Bewildered (Witches of Starbrook #1)

Chapter 9

Juniper

Our shop is quiet the next day. Too quiet. I pop a piece of chocolate into my mouth as I peer at the cauldron, waiting for the simmering potion to change colors.

Working with Laurel is a good plan—in theory. In practice, my youngest sister is a pain when she’s bored. I lose track of the pointless questions she’s asked, and the music blaring in the shop gives me a headache. This is what I get for telling her she can pick the playlist.

Her taste isn’t terrible, but I prefer The Cocteau Twins, and she likes Rainbow Kitten Surprise. If I have to listen to Devil Like Me one more time…

After hours of listening to the racket, I have to put a stop to it.

“Can you turn that down?”

I can barely hear my cooking show over the din. I may be terrible in the kitchen, but nothing relaxes me more than a baking show.

“What?” Laurel asks without lifting her head.

“Your music! ”

She ignores me, and I tromp to the speakers, unplugging them from the wall.

“Hey!” She frowns at me.

Finally, I get her attention.

“I’m working over here,” I mutter as I stomp to my cauldron in the back of the shop.

Having lost her distraction, Laurel follows me. I drop three bay leaves into the cauldron and dip my wooden spoon back in.

“Whatcha making?” She stands a foot away.

Laurel knows better than to stick her face into my potions. She was only ten years old when she first singed off her eyebrows.

“A shapeshifting potion,” I say.

“For what reason?” Her eyes bulge out of her head. “There’s no way someone requested this.”

“You’re right,” I mutter. I must stir exactly twenty times—no more, no less. At this rate, Laurel is going to make me lose count. “This is for me.”

“What could you possibly need a shapeshifting potion for?”

I ignore her as I count. Ten… nine… eight.

Laurel crosses her arms. Her hip pops out as she waits.

When I’m at a stopping point, I lift my head. “I’m going undercover to check on his shop. I need to see what he’s doing right.”

It can’t be the prices. Our prices are the same. I can only think of his spell-casting services, but that can’t be it, either. My potions are as good. I’ll fight over that fact.

She squints. “You’re going to waste your lunch snooping on that guy?”

“No. I’m snooping on his shop . It’s different. ”

“Uh-huh…”

I turn off the burner and ladle the potion into a cup. “Bottle up the rest of this while I’m gone. You never know when someone will request it.”

“Sure, sure.”

I swirl the bottled potion and waltz away, waiting for it to cool enough. The potion will work when it’s hot, but I’ve scalded my throat from impatience.

“Don’t be gone too long,” Laurel says. “I don’t know what to do if this place comes back to life!”

I offer her a soft smile. “You’ll do fine. Just take their orders and send them on their way.”

“What if they have questions?”

“Answer them. You’re a smart witch. I’m not worried.”

The only thing in the way of Laurel’s success is her confidence. The more time I spend with her, the more I trust her instincts as a witch.

“Right.” She nods. “I’ll just… answer them. That easy.”

It will be good for Laurel to have a bit of responsibility—and even though she’s acting like it’s an impossible hurdle, I believe in her.

The shop will be in one piece when I return.

I drink the potion and wait for it to come into effect. The changes are subtle—blonde hair, brown eyes, and a few facial changes. He won’t be able to recognize me, but it’s not enough of a transformation that the potion is painful.

Growing a few inches is another story—and yes, I’ve tested that potion. It’s not worth the height.

I wrinkle my nose as it shrinks and turns pointier. There’s a floor-length mirror in the shop for reasons like this. I look at my reflection. My mole is gone, my hair is platinum, and… I barely recognize myself .

It should fool Ozan without a problem.

“I’ll be back in fifteen minutes,” I tell Laurel.

Before she can question me further, I scramble out of the shop.

No one looks my way as I walk down the street, turning the corner to find Oz’s apothecary. Sure enough, it may not be as packed as ours was yesterday, but several people are inside.

My jaw clenches as I enter. I can’t meet his gaze looking like this—lucky for me, he doesn’t bother glancing in my direction.

What is he doing right? We should have advertised our opening better, extended the sale, or…

I don’t know. I busy myself looking at a stack of spell books and listening in on him with the other customer.

“I completed your spell last night,” he says. “Remember, I can’t guarantee results, but this should give you a leg up with the promotion.”

“Oh, bless you.” The customer is a stranger to me. She offers him a warm smile. “I’ll tell you how the talk with my boss goes.”

“Please do. I would love to hear about your results. Remember to leave a testimonial online.”

Gods. It sounds like he is doing online marketing. Will he leave any corner unturned?

The woman pauses, looking Ozan up and down. “You know, I have a niece about your age?—”

I snort. I can see where this is going.

Finally, he glances in my direction.

I freeze, expecting him to say something or recognize me. It doesn’t happen, and a moment later, his attention moves back to the customer .

“I’m going to stop you there.” Ozan chuckles. “That’s very kind of you, but I’m not looking.”

He’s not looking. Why the hell is he sending me red roses?

The rest of the interaction is short and generic, but he may beat us in customer service. Ozan is charming to everyone except me.

“Can I help you?”

He finally speaks to me, and I nearly drop the book I’m holding.

“Um…um…”

I don’t see the book's title until it falls to the floor.

Sex Magic: Use Your Pleasure To…

Oh, my god.

His expression is perfectly calm and polite. He doesn’t meet my gaze with judgment, shock, or that smirk he sometimes wears. Because he thinks I’m someone else—thank the goddess.

He bends over to pick up the book and holds it out.

“No,” I say, carefully pitching my voice higher. I take the book. “I’m just browsing.” With shaking hands, I slip it back on the shelf.

“Are you sure? That’s a fun read. Very informative.”

“Oh?” I blink. “Do you use… that?”

My mind drifts. I’ve never explored sex magic, and it sounds like Ozan has. A picture enters my mind without permission. His hand on his?—

I shake my head, pushing it away.

“Occasionally.” He shrugs. “It’s not my preferred way to charge a spell, but sometimes it works best.”

I can’t believe I’m having this talk with him…

And I can’t believe how good he is at his job. He’s sold me on this book within minutes .

There’s a reason I specialize in potions. They don’t require me to summon energy. The ingredients do the work for me. It’s analytical, precise, and careful. I follow my rules, read my books, and?—

It’s the opposite of sex magic, which is purely energetic. It’s intention.

I shake my head, letting out a flustered laugh. “Thank you. I’ll keep that in mind.”

OZAN

I know it’s Juniper the moment she enters the shop. She carries herself differently than other people. Her posture is straight, and her hips sway. While her hair is a different color, I know the exact spot it hits in the middle of her back.

Her coming in disguise is weird enough, but it’s in character. Juniper is a strange woman. Holding a book about sex magic in broad daylight has to be the most surprising thing she’s done yet.

“Do you need help with anything else?” I ask.

I don’t want to move on from the book, but she wants to. It’s for the best that we do. My mind could wander if I let it—to touching her, to sparks flying between us.

“Not—not with that!”

I lift a brow and fight off a smile. “With what?”

She shakes her head.

I can’t believe Juniper Hawthorne is flustered by me—or anyone. I’ve never seen her so bashful in all my years of knowing her. Her cheeks are as red as a rose, and her fingers twitch at her sides.

“Not with a book.” She exhales slowly. “Can you tell me about your potions?”

“I sure can. Right this way.” I lead her to the other side of the shop. “What are you looking for? A shapeshifting potion?”

Her footsteps stop. “What?”

“We’re having a special on them,” I say. “But I have anything you could want. Good luck, attraction, money drawing, something that stops your hair from going gray.” I touch the front of my hair, where I have several gray streaks.

“I hope you’re not planning on using that.”

“What?” I blink.

“The potion… on your gray hairs. They make you look distinguished.”

And shapeshifting makes Juniper bold.

I tilt my head to the side. “You think so?”

“I do.” She clears her throat. “Tell me about the good luck potion. Do you brew them in-house?”

“I don’t. I only put the finest potions and products on these shelves, which means outsourcing when necessary. They’re made by a talented witch in Augusta. I can give you her card if you want to look into her before buying.”

“That would be helpful…” She trails off.

Juniper is a talented potion maker herself. She has no reason to contact the other witch—and it’s one leg up she has on our little one-sided competition.

“I’ll find her card.” I turn away and wander behind the counter, ruffling around.

To my surprise, she stays close, standing at the counter as I look.

“If you can’t find it,” she says, “it’s fine. ”

“Oh, I’m going to find it.”

I lift a folder and open it, rifling around the papers and cards. I have information for those who grow my herbs, make my candles, and…

Ah. There it is.

I turn to Juniper with the card between my fingers. “You can contact her over email or phone—whatever is best.”

“Great.” She snatches the card from me and looks away as she slips it into her wallet. “Thank you.”

“You know,” I say, “not that you asked my opinion, but you look better with dark hair.”

It’s not the sort of thing I would usually tell someone. Considering she’s trying to trick me, I’ll make an exception.

She freezes. The look on her face is worth it. Blood rushes to her cheeks, and she swallows thickly.

“I don’t know what you?—”

“You do.”

“I’m sorry. Do I know you?” Her voice drops to the usual low, sensual timbre. Her eyes lift to meet mine.

I cock my head to the side, waiting for her to give up the act.

Even in disguise, Juniper is stubborn. Her hands move to her hips, and she meets me with a set jaw.

“Juniper,” I say. “I know it’s you.”

“How?” Her voice raises, and the flush moves from her face to her chest. One thing she can’t hide is her tendency to blush. I love the way the warmth spreads over her skin.

“Because you are ridiculously obvious,” I say.

“I was being so nice!”

“But you weren’t acting like a normal customer. You were way too flustered about that book.”

“I wasn’t?— ”

Admitting I knew it was her before even seeing the book is not an option—and not something I can put into words. I barely know her. We weren’t even close in our younger years, but…

Her mannerisms are ingrained in my mind. I know how she puts her hands on her plush hips and how she squints whenever she looks at me. More than anything, her adorable, round, pink cheeks give her away.

“You were flustered,” I say. “I would have thought you hadn’t heard of sex magic before, with how nervous you were.”

“I’m done with this conversation.”

“That’s fine. You started it. I guess you can end it.”

“You are so immature!” She groans. “You’re still the same person you were when we were young. This is why I can’t stand you.”

“Then why do you keep coming back?” I lift a brow.

It’s not my intention, but the words silence her. Her lips part, and she blinks, her chest heaving as moments pass.

“I’m trying to figure out what you’re doing right,” she says.

“And? What is it?”

“I don’t know. It looks like dumb luck to me.”

“You’re right. Keep coming around; some of my luck might rub off on you.”

I haven’t felt lucky in a long time. Before I came to Starbrook, my life took a turn toward misfortune. I don’t know if that’s still the case, but I no longer care about living a fabulous, lucky life.

I want to find little pockets of happiness. That’s what my life is now.

Seeing Juniper throw her hands in the air and turn away doesn’t make me happy, but it gives me a chuckle .

“I’m not coming back!” she yells.

Heads turn in her direction.

“Aw, why not? I’ll miss you!”

The chimes on the door jingle as she takes her leave.

I don’t know why or how, but this is closer to happiness. I’m smiling long after she’s gone.