Page 23

D aisy

For the first time since that odd potion arrived in Fields’ Herbals , Daisy felt free of its burden.

Sometimes, she realized, all that it took was a busy day and tonic brewing to get rid of the stress that easily rested against her shoulders.

In the end, magic was the thing Daisy cherished most, and it got her through everything that dared to overpower her.

When Gary passed, Daisy dove into her studies, fine tuning her ability in order to effectively take over the shop.

Even then, as the curse and the culprit behind it remained over her head like a storm cloud, Daisy could only feel the warm sunlight and could only see the approaching rainbow.

She finished another batch of minor ache and sore tonics, using a plastic funnel to pour the clear liquid into different sized vials.

With labels already made, all she needed to do was stick them on and they’d be ready for the shelves.

Carrying a tray full of wobbling bottles, their corks already tightly wedged into the openings, Daisy reentered the storefront.

The early afternoon crowd made its way downtown the moment Daisy and Tessa opened after the animal center’s adoption event in the courtyard.

An entire day’s worth of business had already swept through the shop.

Tessa was in the middle of sweeping leaves and such out the front door when a familiar figure stepped around her, careful not to get in the way of her cleaning.

Carrying a large bouquet of daisies, Ethan slipped inside Fields’ Herbals , a charismatic smile spreading across his face.

Daisy glanced over her shoulder from one of the aisles, almost dropping the entire tray when she realized who it was. Tessa, like the supportive friend she was, slipped behind her, taking the wobbling tray from her hands.

“But -” Daisy was in the middle of saying.

Tessa yanked the tonics from her hands. “You know,” she murmured, “I think these tonics aren’t labeled right!”

Daisy frowned. “But I -”

Leaning in close, Tessa lowered her voice to a whisper. “Talk to him!”

“Have you forgotten about the spell ?” Daisy hissed back.

“Just admit you’re using the spell as a reason to avoid real attachments to someone who actually likes you!”

Daisy’s eyes went wide, her jaw falling slack. “I never said I -”

“Oh, look!” Tessa exclaimed, looking over at Ethan who waited beside the counter with a sheepish smile.

“A customer!” She was already backing into the storeroom, the vials wobbling as she carried the tray.

“Too bad I’ve got my hands full!” Glancing in Ethan’s direction, she gave him a quick wink before disappearing into the back room.

Daisy, fully aware of her feverishly visible blushing, crept around the counter, finally facing him.

The moment her eyes met his own, Daisy’s heartbeat slammed against her chest. How was it that a person could grow more beautiful with each passing day?

Daisy was enamored with him, as if it was the first time she was ever laying eyes upon him.

Ethan was dressed in a simple button down and navy dress pants, the tie already lost and the first few buttons undone.

Chestnut colored hair poked out from his shirt, curly and soft.

It must have been an important day at the office - Ethan’s hair had the remnants of gel within it, though the strands fought the product and fell across his face dramatically.

Daisy was brought back to their first date and the kiss that followed, how perfect it was and how it was more than she’d ever imagined it to be.

Now, as Ethan stood in front of her with a beautiful bouquet of flowers, Daisy stammered and grew flustered, the potion and curse she fought so hard to forget swimming back to the forefront of her mind instantly.

Perhaps Ethan’s eagerness had everything to do with it.

Despite the spell having a few good outcomes, Daisy grew overwhelmed with the idea of Ethan’s feelings being nothing more than a figment of her imagination, a desire that was felt by her, and her alone.

“Daisies,” she finally said, reaching to take the bouquet from his hands.

Ethan blushed, rubbing the back of his neck nervously. “Maybe it’s a bit cliche,” he murmured. “But -”

“It isn’t that at all.” Daisy held them beneath her nose, inhaling deeply as the light floral scent washed over her.

As if the flowers had a spell of their own, a wave of calm energy passed through her, the joy of seeing Ethan finally coming back.

“They would look beautiful on the counter, wouldn’t they?

” She was already snatching an empty vase to display them in, entirely unaware of how Ethan watched her.

“Yes,” he whispered. “Beautiful.”

Daisy’s face grew beet red as she poured some water into the vase.

Clearing her throat, she glanced up to see a genuine smile slipping over his face as he leaned over the counter.

The closeness sent a chill down her spine.

The musty and earthy cologne he wore filled her senses as he leaned in closer.

“What are you doing tomorrow?”

She gazed up at him. “Tomorrow?”

“There’s a showing of Casablanca at the drive-in theater,” he explained with a shrug.

“I used to force my kids to watch it when they wanted nothing to do with black and white movies. I figured you’d like to see it,” Ethan paused, pulling himself away as he gulped loudly, “with me. On a date. Another date, if you wanted.”

Daisy held back her laugh. His sheepishness was perhaps the most charming thing about him.

It was as if he didn’t realize what sort of hold it had over her, how drawn to him she already was.

When he grew nervous and anxious over asking her out a second time, Daisy was already knee deep, saying yes before he had a chance to truly ask.

“Well, I -” Daisy stopped herself halfway.

Despite leaving her for an hour or two, the burden of the potion came back to her, comfortably resting itself against her shoulders.

Perhaps Ethan had nothing to do with the spell.

Maybe his interest was as true as she yearned for it to be.

All of it, however, still hung in the air.

How could she continuously go forward with him, if it soon became realized that his feelings weren’t real at all?

Any mistake that could’ve come from the potion, like Old Lady Witherford’s fall off the ladder, would be hardly a blight when compared to forcing another to fall in love with someone.

It felt far too cruel. Someone like Ethan, who’d already had to deal with his ex-wife cheating on him and deserting the children, deserved something true and real, with the person he truly wanted.

Daisy watched his face, the hope and expectation lingering in his eyes still.

She breathed deeply, ignoring the pain that began to burrow within her chest.

“Ethan,” Daisy began, her voice smaller than she expected it to be, “I would love to go on another date with you.”

He breathed out as if he had been holding his breath. “Well, that’s a relief,” he said with a loud laugh. “How about we -”

“But,” she interjected, her heart shattering the moment she did, “I don’t think we can schedule anything just yet.”

Ethan tilted his head, pulling back from the counter ever so slightly. “Oh,” he said. “I-I hope you don’t feel like I was forcing it down your throat all of a sudden. The drive-in will always be there, and -”

“No, no,” she murmured, reaching to grab a hold of his hand.

Instantly, she was shocked by his warmth, even though the air conditioner hummed loudly overhead.

Daisy ran her thumb over his knuckles, feeling the grooves and calluses along his palm.

Beneath her touch, Ethan grew incredibly still, his fingers twitching as though he held himself back from holding her hand.

“If I asked you to wait,” Daisy whispered, “would you?”

Ethan’s face softened. Though the disappointment did not dare to leave his gaze, a sweet smile tugged at his lips.

“Daisy,” he said gently, “If you and I are moving faster than you are ready for -” He stopped himself, looking away as he gathered his thoughts.

“I know people say that time heals all wounds, but I’ve found that not all the time in the world can erase the deepest of scars.

If…if you aren’t ready to date after losing Gary, then I need you to know how fine that is. ”

She opened her mouth to speak, but he tightened his fingers around her hand.

“And for the record,” Ethan continued, a teasing smirk appearing on his face, “I’d wait as long as you’d ask.” He lifted his shoulders. “It’s as simple as that for me.”

Daisy’s heart softened more than she ever thought capable. “I don’t want you to think I’m not ready,” she finally said. “I know what I want, Ethan.”

His face flushed.

“But there’s something that I need to do first. Something that requires my full attention, and when you and I go on that second date,” Daisy paused, unable to meet his gaze as her smile grew, “I don’t plan on having my attention pulled anywhere other than towards you .”

Ethan grinned. Pulling his hand away, he glanced down at his watch before tilting his head. “I’ve gotta get back to the office,” he murmured. When he looked back at her, the smile couldn’t leave his face. “So I’ll see you soon, won’t I?”

“You will,” Daisy whispered.

As Ethan began to leave the shop, he took one more look over his shoulder at her, his gaze holding onto her figure a moment longer than she expected, before he slipped out and disappeared down the street. Daisy sighed, her heart struggling to return to its normal pattern.

“He brought you daisies, ” Tessa exclaimed the moment the door stopped swinging, stepping out into the storefront, “And invites you to the most adorably cliche date at the drive-in, and you say no ?” She shook her head as she placed the tray of vials on the counter. “Have I taught you nothing?”

“Look,” Daisy started, “I can’t be sure what Ethan feels. Till then -”

“Well, it’s obvious to everyone in this town besides you, Daisy.”

Daisy’s brow shot up. “I’m just trying to cover my bases.”

Tessa shook her head, though she didn’t continue to argue. “All I’m saying,” she blurted, raising her hands defensively, “is that you’re on the brink of ruining it before it has the chance to begin. That’s all.”

Daisy sighed as she leaned over the counter, running her hands all along the tops of the vials and listening to them clatter against each other.

The last thing she wanted was to ruin what she already had, but once they were rid of the spell, and the feelings Ethan had were whisked away, wouldn’t she suffer less heartache with the distance?

Daisy shook her head at her own thoughts.

Ring! Ring!

The bell above the front door clapped a few times as Susy entered Fields’ Herbals . Dressed in a denim overall dress with a bright yellow tee underneath, Susy skipped into the store with her backpack dragging against the floor. Instead of her classic pigtails, Susy wore a pair of french braids.

“Ready for an afternoon off?” Susy asked in a sing-songy voice as she steered herself around the counter.

Daisy snatched onto her things and gave Susy free reign behind the counter. “As ready as we’ll ever be,” she muttered, the distaste of what she and Tessa were about to do bringing a swirling sensation to her stomach.

As Tessa and Daisy left the storefront behind, going towards the rest of the shops running along main street, a sudden chill seemed to grow all around them.

“When was the last time you saw Sebastian Crowe?” Tessa asked.

Daisy sighed. “About a month ago,” she muttered.

“I heard from Old Lady Witherford that he got out of his most recent relationship and the next thing I knew, he was stalking the store nonstop. It wasn’t like he ever came in or dared to follow me home, but just seeing him after everything was just… ” Daisy shuttered. “You know.”

“I’ll never forget the day he laid his slimy hands on you.”

Daisy pressed her lips together. The months after Gary passed were the hardest she’d ever endured.

Not only was she reeling over her husband’s death, but there was also the baby in her belly that perished from the stress.

Daisy felt more alone than she ever had, but then Sebastian was there, and he allowed her to lean on him more than anyone else.

Daisy missed the comfort of those days, right until the moment he swooped in for a kiss, ruining the friendship she relied so heavily upon.

“Isn’t it crazy how a single moment like that manages to change an entire relationship?” Daisy murmured, her mind lingering in the past. “And to think, after all this time, he still believes himself to be the perfect partner for me. After everything.”

Tessa grabbed a hold of her hand as they drew nearer to Sebastian’s mechanic shop.

All the hope and desire she felt around Ethan disappeared as if it never existed in the first place.

Sebastian managed to bring a dark side of Daisy to the surface, one that was full of pain and despair, one that she never wished to come face to face with again.

But the next thing she knew, they were suddenly in front of his shop.

The front garage was pulled open, and Sebastian’s tall, lanky figure could be seen from across the street, where they steadily approached from.

He pulled himself out of the car he was working on, the work suit he wore smudged with oil and grease.

Sebastian turned, swiping a rag over his hands, and his eyes landed on Daisy within an instant.

He only stared for a second before taking off, whipping out of his garage and slipping around the back of the building.

There were a few more streets behind his shop, including a plaza and a wide parking lot.

Beyond that was the approaching tree line.

A forest crept into Willowbrook from behind main street, a place for an easy escape for someone that happened to be guilty of something.

Daisy clenched her hands into small fists. “Let’s go!”

The pair of witches shot across the street before following in Sebastian’s footsteps, the dark woods eagerly ready to swallow them up whole.