Page 22 of Of Poison & Pumpkins (Of Witches & Men #3)

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

Rynn

A fter a tense ride home the next afternoon, Elias rolls his car behind my shop. He takes up two spots, because, apparently, he can.

“Are you going to re-park?” I ask, looking into the side mirror or honestly, anywhere other than his eyes.

“She can speak!” Elias says sarcastically as he steps out of the car. “That’s the first thing you’ve said to me all day.”

How am I supposed to have a normal conversation with him when all I want is to confess my feelings?

With a sigh, I grab my backpack and exit.

Sunshine splashes on my forehead and the birds chirp a welcome home song.

Behind Blake Street, there’s not a shred of evidence from the apocalyptic storm last night, only a soft breeze that wafts his cologne towards me—a refreshing scent I can’t describe but that feels like a blanket on my soul.

I breathe Elias in, possibly for the last time, as I have no intention of torturing myself by spending more time together.

I’ll have to figure out my problem alone.

We’ll go back to shop owner rivals: that’s a role I can manage.

In my store, doing my job, I won’t have to spend my days wondering when and how Elias will kiss me next or what other skills he’s mastered.

Once I focus on my routine, like inserting numbers into our spreadsheet, ordering more inventory, and changing the display in the bay window, I’ll be distracted enough to erase his smile from my mind.

There are too many tasks to complete to imagine how his hands would feel running up my thigh.

Our little adventure at Hooves of Love was a one-time thing. After my shift, I’ll let Elias know he needs to find a different place to sleep. I’d been na?ve to invite him in the first place.

As the back door opens of its own will, an orange ball of fur catapults onto the street. Goosie, acting as deprived and lonesome as ever, rubs his face against Elias’s shin, circling him crazily. It’s a miracle that he doesn’t trip.

“Goosie!” Elias lifts him over his head to the skies. “How dare you leave your youngens!” He shoves his face into Goosie’s fur, then looks at me. “Take a picture of us.”

“Now?”

“Yes, now. Because I can tell you’ve shunned me for all eternity, so when you next swipe your pictures, you’ll see us, the adorable pair that you hate to love, then feel obligated to message me.”

He’s wrong, but I snap a picture anyways.

“I know you can’t stand the sight of my adorableness, but I need to put together a bookshelf for Kurt later and could use your help.”

I cross my arms. “I’m super busy.”

“But you loves puzzles. You’ll want to take charge for what thingy goes in what hole ,” he says, gesturing obscenely.

I roll my lips in, refusing to smile.

“Get it?” He nudges my side. “Thingy? Hole? Oh man, you’ll miss my jokes by lunchtime, Sunflower. You’ll be begging me to return to your side.”

“Rynn Dynn-a-Lynn is that you?” Tinsley hollers down the hallway.

“Yeah, one second.” I nod to Elias. “Uh, thanks for the ride.”

A puff of lavender greets me as I march into Palooza. Expecting Elias to follow, I wait for him to accidentally knock something over, whether it be the purple pots for the petunias or the purple antique typewriter.

“You got a large package while you were gone.” Tinsley points to the door where a giant box leans, forming a slanted ramp against the wall.

Normally, I’d haul it away immediately so it wouldn’t block any customer’s path, but the store is empty, dead, a dusty vase holding nothing but my failed hopes and dreams. There’s no point in pulling a muscle to lug that thing to the back when we clearly won’t make another sale for the rest of eternity.

I groan, cover my face with my hands, and lean my ass onto the register counter.

“Any luck on your voyage to the magical realm of unicorns?” Tinsley winks suggestively.

I spread my fingers so she can see my glare and roll my eyes. “No. Alexandra is also cursed. So now we don’t even know who took the paint.”

We watch Elias, who is now at the front, singlehandedly moving the massive package.

As I admire the flex of his muscles with each tug, Tinz slides next to me, bumping my hip with hers.

“Have you noticed the way that man looks at you? Hot tamale, Rynn! Every time you glance his way, his face lights up like he’s discovered a land of treasure.

And every time your back is turned from him, there’s a dark hunger in his eyes. ”

“You’re …”

“Don’t you accuse me of lying, missy.”

“Fine,” I whisper and clamp my hand over her mouth. “We might’ve kissed a little.”

Her eyes widen, but she takes the hint and doesn’t let a squeak slip out.

It’s obvious she wants every detail, that she has a hundred questions, and will be planning a sleepover with three bottles of wine soon.

But I’ll have nothing to tell her because that physical connection with Elias, as intense as it was, can only be a one-time thing.

I refuse to open myself up to something that won’t last.

“He’s been acting weird,” I whisper.

“How? Like he’s-in-love-with-you-weird or he-buried-a-body-weird?”

“Uh, this is Kurt’s order. I think they delivered it to the wrong address,” Elias yells over to us from a squatted position. “Sorry, we’ll get this out of your way ASAP, but I don’t think I can carry it alone.”

“What is it? A ninety-inch tv?” Tinsley asks.

“It’s gotta be longer than seven feet,” I say.

“That’s what she said,” Elias mumbles, chuckling to himself.

I shake my head and continue our chat at the lowest volume possible.

“He’s not himself today. It’s like something got under his skin.

I don’t know what it is. Usually, he’s peppy, in that endearing way, ya know?

” I pause, watch him grunt in frustration at the heavy box, then continue, “A switch flipped in him. He’s still trying to joke around, but it’s like he’s only half-present, distracted or worried. ”

When Tinsley stays quiet for too long, I turn to face her. The look on her face is not something I’ve had to interpret before.

“You like him. So much.” She tries not to smile.

“Nope.” I crack my knuckles. “So, has Palooza been this empty the whole time I was gone?” I ask.

She cringes.

“Crap. Well maybe it’s good timing because I need you to help me find a raven’s nest. One that might have holly berries inside.”

Her lips make her typical thinking expression, like she’s calculating the sum of ‘what do you get when you multiply three clocks by fifteen cappuccinos?’

“I have a couple of ideas,” she says seriously. “I’ll go tomorrow, but you need to watch Maya because she would slow me down on a hike.”

“That’s fine. Text me when to pick her up.”

“Oh! I almost forgot. I think your ex has been sleeping in the back alley. At least, I’m pretty sure it’s Parker, or is it Porter?”

“Damn it! Now I have to deal with that, too.”

“What are we swearing about, ladies?” Elias crosses his arms and leans on the counter next to me.

The proximity sends sparks up my body. Why did Porter never create this reaction in me? It’s so raw, so natural, almost animalistic the way my body wants Elias. It’s as if biology has won this round and I’m at its mercy to play by her rules.

“Bet you can’t guess what’s in the box? Did you know that the length of a couple’s longevity together can be determined by how well they assemble a piece of furniture?”

“No, Elias. Do tell me more,” Tinz says.

“Research shows that the percentage of steps a couple can accomplish in a furniture assembly without arguing predicts the number of years of happiness and pure bliss they will have together.” He twists towards me faster than a rabbit on an energy drink.

“Wanna help me put together this bookshelf later, Sunflower?”

The tiny, barely audible gasp that pops from Tinsley’s lips proves she wasn’t aware of his nickname for me.

I may have more explaining to do. I scoot across the counter until I’m behind the register’s computer and regrettably update our website’s home page with a notification of ‘Closed Until Further Notice.’ There’s no chance I’ll win the prize now.

At this point, the best I can hope for is to not be arrested. I can’t spend a lifetime behind bars.

Suddenly, my hearing fades out and I get tunnel vision.

Hot and cold flashes overtake my body. My head spins, and I gasp to catch my breath as a clamp latches onto my chest so tightly, I double over.

It feels like my heart is being squeezed.

Strange sounds reach me through the pounding in my ears, but I can’t look at the source because I’m sliding down to the floor.

Accepting the inability to function, I curl into a ball.

“Woah, Rynnlee? Rynnlee!” Elias’s voice hits me, but it sounds like he’s underwater, fuzzy and far away. “Rynnlee, babe, look at me. Right here. That’s right. Good girl. I’m right here, look at my eyes.”

Everything sounds muffled. Just breathe. Keep breathing.

“I think … panic attack?”

“ … happened before?”

“ … once … family …”

“Okay, I’ve got you. That’s right, lean on me and let’s breathe together. Good. In. Good. And out ... in … and out. One more time.”

Something cold is held to my lips. Neck tilts back.

Water in my mouth. Water on my tongue. Water down my throat.

I don’t take my eyes off Elias’s the entire time.

His look of concern is the last thing I need.

Wish he’d leave, but Elias isn’t the type to abandon ship. So, I stay, wrapped in his comfort.

Minutes or hours pass of him holding me in his strong arms on the floor, slightly swaying me like a hammock in the autumn breeze. Not once does he pressure me to stand or move.

“Elias?”

“Sunflower?”

“My leg is asleep.”

He repositions us so my back is resting against his chest, my ass in his lap. I can’t help but place my hands on his legs.

“Better?” he asks, no judgment in his voice.

“I think I’m overwhelmed.”