Page 3 of Magical Melee

My cheeks flushed instantly when I realized what I’d uttered as the older woman brought over our tea.

She gracefully set a purple teacup in front of me and a yellow one in front of Skye.

“I don’t usually go about eavesdropping, but you’re not crazy. Frank probably did wink at you.”

My eyes widened in shock as Skye snickered.

“Pardon?” I asked.

“You’re strong, resilient, beautiful, and have great taste in tea. Frank appreciates that.” She chuckled. “And he’s not shy.”

I snuck a look in Frank’s direction, and the damn dog did it again.

“Well, umm…thankyouor Frank, I suppose.” I smiled. “I never really thought of myself that way. Oh, and you have a little.” I pointed at my tooth. “Lipstick.”

“Ah, dagnabbit. I always get more on my pearly whites than on my lips. It’s like once you hit a hundred, the lips disappear.”

“I have the same problem,” I explained to her. “Did you say one hundred?”

She eyed me and slowly nodded. “An assurer, I see.”

I cocked my head, but she smiled and continued about our order. “Enjoy your tea. If you need anything else, Stella is my name, and tea is my game.” She turned, grabbed a paper napkin from a nearby bar, and shuffled back behind the counter, tugging on her purple poncho.

Skye’s eyes were huge. “Do you think she’s actually over a hundred?”

Shaking my head, I whispered. “There’s no way.”

“I just love this village.” Skye picked up her cup and blew away the steam. “I’m glad I managed to convince my hubby to watch our twins and that you didn’t devise some lame excuse to brush me off.”

I smiled and breathed in the magical aromas drifting over me. Vanilla, cinnamon, orange, and something spicy coated my senses as I closed my eyes and inhaled the tea.

“So, what do you say? Do you love this town or what?” Her brows raised as I blinked my eyes open.

“It feels worlds away.” I nodded, still enjoying the scent tickling my senses.

Judging by the steam from the tea, I’d burn my tongue if I tried to taste it.

Skye’s eyes stayed focused out the window as I thought about how much Alex hated the very idea of me ever coming here. It didn’t fit the image he had for his family. We were above all that touristy stuff.

Insert eye roll.

But I wasn’t. I loved it all. I had a spoon collection for crying out loud. My shelves were filled with every destination t-shirt I could find. And my cupboard had a mug from every city I’d been to.

Until I had to pack it all away because my scoundrel of a husband decided to cheat on me.

Totally over it.

I blew a dark, auburn stray hair out of my eye and stared at my best friend.

“You were right. I needed the weekend away. I’ve just been so tense with everything for months that it’s hard to believe it’s over.”

Sky returned her attention to me and let out a deep sigh. “Have you figured out where you’re going once the house closes?”

“Living in a sea of boxes with all of Alex’s crap filling them up has been less than ideal. Can you believe he hired the movers to pack for him weeks ago but specifically told them not to come pick them up until closing day? He secretly enjoys torturing me, so he’s living in an empty house just to annoy me while I trip over his boxes. But I managed to pack what little I wanted to keep and put it in storage until I settle down.” I cleared my throat. “But anyway, I signed up to stay at some B&B for a couple of weeks after the house closes until I get my head on straight.”

“That’s a smart idea.” She nodded, taking a sip of her tea. “Mmm…so good.”

She set her cup down and pushed her lips into a smile. “I’m going to miss having you across the street from me.” She leaned closer to the table and lowered her voice. “You know, I think that dog really is staring at you.”