Page 24 of Sweets and Sycamores

I WILL HELP YOU

Allie quickly changed into another sweater and let her hair down before she left the bakery with Mia. Dominic was absorbed by the book, and when Allie called for Ekko, the dragon faked sleeping on the floor by Dominic’s feet.

The fall day was the coldest Allie had experienced so far in Sycamore Falls, no sun in sight, thick, dark clouds covering the sky. The biting wind moved the tree branches that lined the streets, rustling leaves filling the otherwise quiet area.

“Is everything okay?” Allie threw Mia a confused look, so she clarified, “Dom almost ripped my door off its hinges this morning looking for a book. I assumed you might know why.” Mia smiled weakly.

“I don’t know about the book, but…” Allie considered for a moment.

Dominic might have told Mia about her power struggles.

He seemed like a man who would not share what wasn’t his, but would he make an exception for his sister?

“Did he tell you anything about my power?” Mia shook her head, so Allie took a deep breath and told Mia about her embarrassingly late manifestation and the way she still struggled with her power.

“That’s tough.” Mia rested a hand on Allie’s arm.

“And you really need to get back to the coven before Hallows Eve? Will they kick you out if you don’t get your power under control by then?

” Allie nodded, though hearing someone else say it out loud sounded unreasonable.

“Can’t you join another coven? They sound… mean.” Both of them chuckled.

“My mom was a Silverbark. It’s tradition to follow in your family’s footsteps as a Witch, especially since we don’t have much of that. The coven becomes your family, and this way, you are not alone. I guess it’s a bit pathetic,” she said, moving some curls behind her ears.

“There is nothing pathetic about not wanting to be alone,” Mia said in a strong tone that reminded Allie of Dominic. The first resemblance she’d noticed between the two.

They walked in silence to the end of Maple Street opposite the market.

Rogelio’s was buzzing with people talking and laughing around their plates and glasses.

A hand flew up from one of the tables by the window, a grinning woman with bright blue eyes and strawberry blonde short hair hovering over her shoulders motioning them over.

“That’s Harper. She’s the funny one,” Mia explained. “Tina, her fiancée, is the wise one.”

“Which one are you?”

“I guess you’ll have to stick around long enough to find out,” Mia challenged her. If Allie had to guess now, she would pick “witty.”

Allie followed Mia to the table, keeping two steps behind her.

“Mia!” The blonde threw her arms around Mia’s neck.

“We saw each other last week, Harper,” Mia laughed.

She leaned down to hug the tall, brown-eyed brunette in the wheelchair.

“Hi, Tina.” She gave her a peck on the cheek, then straightened and said, “Girls, this is Allie. She’s working with my brother at the bakery.

Allie, this is Harper”—she pointed to the grinning blonde—“and Tina.”

“Nice to meet you,” Allie said with a smile. Tina and Harper smiled back, widely and warmly, their eyes barely moving over her red curls. The three of them sat down and ordered the famous butternut squash pasta and a pitcher of lavender lemonade.

“So, Allie,” Tina said and clasped her hands over the table, “how is it living with our town’s most eligible bachelor?” She wiggled her brows, and Allie felt her cheeks warm at the insinuation.

“We’re just working together.” She nervously played with her napkin, the memory of Dominic’s hands splayed on her back and abdomen flashing to the center of her mind.

Allie changed the subject before she heated from the inside out.

“I’m really grateful to him for taking me in.

Brandon, too,” Allie rushed the words, and Mia found something interesting under the table at the mention of Brandon’s name.

“If it weren’t for them, I’m not sure where I would have ended up. ”

“They are great guys,” Harper said, and Allie noticed the look she exchanged with Tina before they glanced at Mia. Allie was missing some pieces and was curious to learn more about the meaning behind those looks.

“How long are you staying in Sycamore Falls?” Harper asked, sipping her lemonade.

“Just until Hallows Eve.” Allie was thankful they didn’t ask for other details, even though she had made up her mind not to lie in case anyone asked.

Everyone knew she was a Witch, so there was no point in keeping her power a secret.

However, she would not willingly advertise to the entire town her lack of control and that she was under a strict time limit from her coven to get the hang of it.

For now, it was enough that Mia and Dominic knew about it.

But she would tell the truth if questioned about it because the people living here deserved to know, and she wanted to show them Witches could choose to be different.

Even more so after Tina had shared that the reason for her injury was the tornado a year ago, which wouldn’t have happened if that Witch hadn’t broken the spell on the sycamores. She said it would be years of recovery, but she and Harper were both hopeful and taking it one day at a time.

The four of them spent the rest of lunch talking about Harper and Tina’s wedding next week.

Allie learned the ceremony was outdoors with a tent party afterward, both happening at Brandon’s Riverbend Farm.

She put Harper’s nerves at ease, assuring her the bakery would be ready with everything they had ordered.

They cracked jokes and laughed about the silliest things until Mia snorted her lemonade, and Allie wished it would be like this with her coven sisters, too.

Experiencing this closeness made her all the more aware of how much she wanted this in her life.

Maybe things would change once she mastered her fire.

Lydia would accept her, and all the others would fall in line.

“Do you think Brandon would mind if we wanted to have the wedding on the other side of the farm?” Harper asked around a mouthful of pasta.

“Yes,” Mia and Tina answered together.

“He already flipped when we told him we wanted to change the lights, Harps,” Tina said in a sweet voice, squeezing Harper’s hand.

“But the other ones were really small!” she pouted.

Mia withdrew from the conversation and became preoccupied with some invisible lint on her sleeves.

Interesting.

They parted ways outside the restaurant, the brides-to-be getting into the car to cross the bridge over to the residential area.

“Thank you for letting me tag along,” Allie told Mia on their way back. “Harper and Tina seem really nice.”

“They are. We grew up together, as with most people in this town, but the three of us have always been really close. They were my first friends when I came here, and the only ones who didn’t treat me differently because I was adopted.”

Allie stopped in her tracks. Her chest filled with conflicting feelings, but she was happy that she had earned Mia’s trust enough for her to share that.

“If you ever want to talk about it, I’m here to listen,” Allie said, continuing her stroll.

“Not much to talk about. I lost my parents when I was five. Dom’s parents were their closest friends, and they took me in, as my parents had stated in their will.

” Mia smiled softly, and Allie didn’t press her on the subject.

She was thankful for this piece of trust Mia showed her, and she didn’t want to upset her friend by prying.

Friend.

They were becoming friends. A warmth filled Allie’s chest at the thought. Someone befriended her because she was herself, not because she was a Witch, or her mother’s daughter, or Sam’s fi—nothing. In Sycamore Falls, she was just Allie, and Mia was her friend.

“Can I stop by the bookstore to pick up another book? I sort of turned the other one into ash.”

“Sure,” Mia chuckled, and Allie saw the sparkle of gratitude in her brown eyes that she didn’t question her more about her family.

Dominic paced in front of the bookstore entrance, wearing a path in the dry grass.

He wore his black jeans and a brown leather jacket that stretched over the muscles on his arms, hands in his pockets.

His hair was loose, the dark chestnut strands tickling the collar of his deep green turtleneck sweater.

“What’s up, Dom?” He paused his pacing at the sound of his sister’s voice, and his emerald green eyes snapped up.

“Allie.”

Dominic said her name like a statement, like something that was precious.

Allie’s heart melted like butter into a puddle at her feet, hearing her name the way she loved it from the powerful Mage’s lips.

She didn’t think it would make any difference what he called her, but the swirl of butterflies she felt in her stomach disagreed.

“I need to talk to you.”

Allie saw Mia’s grin grow the size of a banana before she said, “Go. I’ll look for another book and bring it to the bakery tomorrow.”

“What book?” Dominic asked.

“Another book on Witchcraft.” He looked at Allie like her words made absolutely no sense. “The other one burned, remember?”

“You don’t need that anymore. I will help you,” he declared in that boss-like voice.

Mia giggled. Loudly.

“I’ll see you later, Allie.” She squeezed her arm, and Allie thanked her again for inviting her to lunch.

Alone with the mountain of a broody man, Allie put her hands on her hips. Then dropped them. Then crossed them across her chest.

“So, what did you want to talk to me about?” she asked.

“Not here. Let’s go.” Dominic picked up a blanket that Allie hadn’t noticed was by her boss’s feet.

She followed him down the familiar path through town to the forest clearing she used for practice. The same place he’d found her that week, almost burning alive from her own power.