Page 8

Lydia

Once Wanda had departed, claiming she had business that was taking her elsewhere, I followed Poppy into her back room, which felt barely larger than a postage stamp compared to the spacious area I reserved for inventory.

Still, she kept it neat, with potion bottles and ingredients organized and out of the way. The place was suspiciously clean, except for a pile of colored pencils and assorted markers in one corner. She caught me looking at the mess and flushed an adorable shade of pink.

“Sorry about that. Finn and Ouire have been working on art lessons. Some of the magic lessons he’s learning might require basic sketching. He doesn’t have to be Van Gogh or anything, but apparently, art has magic in it, too.”

“Makes sense,” I said, leaning against the wall instead of taking the undersized chair in the corner. “I’ve always thought there was something magical about art.”

She looked up at me. “Oh?”

I nodded. “I tried to go to art school when I was younger, but I gave up halfway through and switched my major. Being forced to learn a certain way wasn’t for me. I wanted to keep enjoying the process of creating, you know?”

Except I hadn’t. I’d met Rodney and settled down. I’d stopped doing anything that made me happy for fear he’d mock it or otherwise steal my joy.

Poppy cast a cautious glance up at me through her lashes. She reminded me a little of a small, blonde doll. She had dimples, for Pete’s sake. I’d never met someone whose insides matched their outward appearance so perfectly. She was bright, shining from the soul outward. I felt grimy in comparison, covered as I was by the evidence of Indigo’s sins.

“Really?”

I nodded. “It’s been years, but I might be able to help your son with the very basic stuff if you or he want me to.”

“Oh,” she started and seemed taken aback.

“I get it; we’re related, but that doesn’t make us family,” I offered. “I have plenty of relatives I only see once or twice a decade when there’s a reunion. That’s actually how I ended up with Indigo. I mean, I met her briefly, the accident happened, and then...”

I splayed my fingers, mimicking an explosion. I was trying hard not to think about watching Indigo fall apart in front of me. I tried to keep the revulsion off my face but failed. Poppy sat down in the empty chair, considering me.

“Do you want tea or something? You look like you want to puke.”

I nodded, swallowing back the urge to be sick. “Tea sounds great. Do you have peppermint?”

Poppy nodded in a businesslike manner and began rummaging through the stacks until she found a box of bagged tea stashed in a back corner. “And as far as I’m concerned,” she said as she started to sort through the tea bags, “we are family.” Then she looked up at me and smiled. “And I’m sure Finn would love to take you up on your offer.” Then she bustled off and returned a few minutes later with a steaming cup. The tea hadn’t steeped long enough, but I didn’t care the moment the mix hit my lips.

She’d added something to the weak tea, I was pretty sure. It tasted like rose, which clashed oddly with the sharper taste of mint. It tingled going down, but definitely tasted good. I paused, lifting an eyebrow.

“Was that magic?” I asked.

Poppy’s smile was hesitant yet genuine. “Mine. It’s a modified form of Tranquility Oil. I’ve been experimenting with anti-anxiety brews for a while. The world just keeps getting darker and darker, you know? It’s easy to get scared. I wanted it to work like a mild form of medication, without all the nasty side effects, but it’s been too strong for most people. It’s more like a sedative when humans take it. Which, I mean, is great if we need to do magical surgery or something, but I really don’t want it to come to that, you know?”

Poppy’s smile had slipped, and worry had crept into her eyes. The happy-go-lucky persona wasn’t a mask, per se, but she was definitely being worn down by stress, I was pretty sure. It was stifling her light.

She jumped when I grabbed her hand and gave it a little squeeze. I lifted my cup to her in salute. “Well, I’m grateful, whatever the reason. I was about to have a nervous breakdown on my front stoop. You just saved me a hell of a lot of embarrassment. I like playing into the eccentric bookshop owner thing sometimes, but I don’t want it to be that authentic.”

Poppy let out a surprised laugh, stifling the sound with her hand as though surprised at herself. It made me smile. At least someone was happy to be around me.

“So, what’s going on?” she asked.

So, I told her. And then I further told her that I needed advice before I accidentally did worse than summon small tongues of flame. Stress was a part of life. Causing wildfires because of it was not. I told her as much.

“Was it Indigo’s magic that’s affecting you?” she asked after a moment. “Is that what freaked you out and made your fire come to the surface?”

That was a nice way of putting it. And oh, if only. At least then I’d have a reason to descend into an unending pit of doubt. Not being able to trust yourself not to burn down the town was a legitimate reason to freak out. Angsting over being ghosted was not.

I fiddled with the tea bag before taking another sip of the infused tea. Forget love potions. I’d pay Poppy a fortune for this stuff. The utter clarity and calm were incredible.

It was the only thing that allowed me to blurt out the truth instead of a convenient lie.

“No. I think the magic was a side effect of my mood. The stuff I inherited from Indigo is unstable. It makes casting or brewing things tricky because I don’t know what’s me, what’s her, and what’s bleeding over from the things she absorbed from other monsters. I know better than to get into a tizzy, though. It can only end badly, but I just...”

I sank lower in my chair. It was just so embarrassing to admit.

“You just?” Poppy encouraged me.

“I guess you could say I’m having a bit of an identity crisis.”

“Because of Indigo?”

“Not only because of her—I just…” God, was I really going to bring up my romantic life (or lack thereof) with someone I really didn’t know? “I should have known better than to date a playboy on top of everything else going on in my life.”

Understanding dawned on Poppy’s face, quickly followed by sympathy. “Oh. Angelo?”

I nodded. “Yep.”

“Did he… erm... step out on you?”

I shook my head with a soft, disbelieving laugh. I couldn’t believe I was about to admit this aloud, but... “No, I don’t think he did. Not really.”

She frowned. “Then?”

“He didn’t show up for a date he swore he was excited for. And when he finally staggered home, he smelled like a liquor store.” I shook my head. “I’m sorry I’m even bringing this up. It must sound so… stupid to you.”

She laughed at that. “No, I’ve had my share of man trouble, too.”

“You have?” I asked, surprised because as far as I knew, she had scored a pretty amazing man who only had eyes for her. I couldn’t remember his name at the moment, though.

“Yeah. Before Andre, I had all kinds of up and downs with Roy and Marty.”

“You dated Roy?” I asked, surprised. “The sasquatch?”

She nodded. “Sure did.”

“And Marty…” I started. “Is that why he left town?” As far as I knew, Marty had left Haven Hollow to pursue other, bigger things in a different Hollow.

“I hope not,” Poppy frowned. “But getting back to you and Angelo… it isn’t necessarily about you, Lydia.”

That confused me. “What do you mean?”

She shrugged. “Just that I’ve known Angelo for a while now. He acts... different around you.”

I took a long draft of the tea before muttering, “Yeah, he hasn’t tried to take my pants off.”

“Exactly,” Poppy said with a nod and a laugh. “Call me crazy, but I think that means he wants more than sex.”

“Then why—?” I began.

“Maybe you should ask him,” she said gently.

“I don’t know,” I answered.

“Well, look at the facts,” she considered. “And they are that Angelo came home covered in booze. Maybe that means he went on a bender. Maybe it was a family thing. Or maybe you’re right and he was kidnapped, soaked in booze, and seduced by a harem of girls with triple G breasts.”

My laugh sounded creaky, even to my own ears, but it was still something. I felt better sitting here and talking about it. Poppy wasn’t judging me, telling me I was stupid for thinking an incubus could stay faithful.

“Now there’s an image that will haunt my nightmares.”

Poppy’s smile was soft and a little sad. “The point is, I think you’re freaking out a little prematurely. Talk to him. See what happened. Trust your gut if you think he’s lying and break it off. But don’t throw in the towel to avoid being broken up with. I think he should at least get to say something before you go.”

I glanced sideways at her. I thought I could finally see why Wanda fussed over Poppy so much. Wanda was a pessimist, just like me. You needed a ray of sunshine in your life so you didn’t go mad dwelling on every problem piling up outside your door.

“I think you missed your calling as a therapist,” I said, finishing the potion-laced-tea. “This helped me. Thank you. I don’t feel like I’m about to explode anymore. That’s progress.”

Poppy beamed. “That’s great. At least something turned out right for you today.”

I pushed off from the wall after a moment of thought. “Thanks for the tea and the talk. I should probably get back to my shop. I’m technically opening late, and I don’t want to keep you from your business either.”

Poppy stood as well, catching my hand before I could make a hasty retreat. “Would you like to… visit sometime? I mean, we are family.”

I nodded. “The reason I haven’t visited so far is just because… well, there’s a lot of crap going on with Indigo and the stuff she was involved in and I wouldn’t want to make you a target.”

“Main Street is pretty public. I don’t think anyone would try anything in broad daylight.”

I shook my head as I realized she was still holding onto me and it felt strangely… comforting. “I think it’s best if I don’t involve you. Murrain managed to reach Indigo through all her spells and the physical barrier of my shop. And that was when she literally… exploded. I would never want to expose you or your kid to that.”

The color drained from her expression. Her next swallow sounded strained. “I understand and I appreciate you looking out for us. And… well, I’m sorry you’re having to deal with everything you are.”

“Thank you,” I said and then turned to leave, but she held on stubbornly, taking a step forward as I did. Her eyes were huge when I turned back to look at her.

“Are you talking to anyone, Lydia, about what happened with Indigo? A therapist?”

The laugh that bubbled out of me sounded hysterical. “Who would I talk to? Angelo is usually my go-to, but he doesn’t really understand everything I’m going through. That’s probably because I’m mostly human, and he’s not.”

“I’m human,” she said quietly. “And we could at least talk. Over the phone.”

My heart squeezed painfully. When I drew my hand back this time, she let me.

“Are you sure?” I asked, my throat tight. “It’s… dark stuff. Pretty depressing.”

“I would be happy to help,” she countered. “Promise me you’ll talk to someone.”

By the end of her impassioned speech, she was nearly nose-to-nose with me. I wasn’t sure if I should be alarmed or charmed by her sudden and intense interest in my well-being. I usually took in strays, not the other way around.

“I’ll… think about it. Thanks, Poppy.”

“You’re welcome, Lydia.”