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“She brought me one of her amazing apple pies when I moved in—I’m at number 2 Crooked Lane, just down the road from her house— your house now—you know?

” He smiled, clearly caught in a happy memory.

“I wasn’t in the best mood—I’d been kicked out of my Tribe for being only half-Orc, which wasn’t good enough for the new chieftain who had just been installed.

So I was in full self-pity mode when she knocked.

I growled at her and told her to leave me alone. ”

“You did? And what did she do?” I asked, though inside I was wondering what his other half was. (Was he part human? Did that make us compatible? No—I really had to stop thinking this way, I scolded myself.)

“She told me not to be silly and to come out and say hello to my new neighbor.” His grin widened.

“She never took any nonsense from anyone. Once she made my acquaintance, she sat me down and fed me a slice of pie.” He shook his head.

“I’ll never forget how delicious it was.

I still miss that pie of hers—nobody else’s even comes close.

Not even Celia at The Lost Lamb can make it just the way she did. I know because I asked her to try.”

“I think I found the recipe for it in her, uh, cookbook,” I said.

I was reluctant to mention that the cookbook was actually a Grimoire for some reason.

It sounded so witchy. And though it was becoming clear that my Grandma had indeed been a witch with magic powers, that still didn’t quite fit my image of her.

“You found her recipe?” Rath exclaimed. “Really?”

“Really.” I smiled at him. “I’ve been wanting to try and make it myself. That’s why I was on the spice aisle in the grocery store—I have everything I need to make it except for cinnamon.”

“We can definitely get you some cinnamon,” he said eagerly. “Are you a baker, like she was?”

I nodded, smiling.

“Well, I mean I doubt I’m as good as she was, but I’m not bad.”

“I would love to taste that pie again.” Rath got a wistful look on his face. “I have dreams about it.”

“There are a lot of spices in the recipe,” I remarked. “And a few ingredients from her greenhouse, too I think. Speaking of that—have you been the one watering her plants all this time? They’re in really good shape considering that my Grandma has been gone five years.”

Rath shook his head.

“No, I haven’t messed with them. But before your Grandma faded, she asked me to help her design a watering system for them.

I think maybe she knew she was going.” He looked sad.

“Anyway, I built it and set it up and then I wrote a remote program for her that runs from my computer, so that the different plants could get the right moisture levels. I’m glad to hear it’s working so well. ”

“It really is,” I said. “But you built the watering system and programmed it too? That’s really impressive.”

“Nah…” He shook his head. “It was a fun project though— a lot more fun than hooking up Wi-Fi and troubleshooting problems for people who don’t know what an Internet browser is or how to turn on their computer. A lot of magical folk aren’t very Internet savy,” he added.

“Speaking of Wi-Fi…I don’t know what I’m going to do if I can’t get it in my Grandma’s house,” I said. “Like I told you, I work remotely and I have a couple of gigs right now that I need to finish.”

“Tell you what…” Rath leaned across the table.

“I’ll give you my Wi-Fi password—we’re close enough and the signal’s strong enough that you should be able to connect with no problem.

But if you do have a problem, you can always come work at my place if you want.

No pressure or anything though—only if you want to,” he added.

“I mean, my tables and chairs will be way too big for you, but the couch is really comfortable if you just want to bring your laptop and hang out.”

“Thank you—that’s very generous of you,” I said, feeling my cheeks get hot again as I imagined the two of us on the couch together. Kissing…touching…maybe doing more than touching…

I gave myself a mental kick. What was wrong with me?

“Oh, I’m not doing it out of the generosity of my heart,” Rath remarked, grinning. “I’m hoping that if you decide to make your Grandma’s apple pie, you’ll save me a piece.”

“I’ll bake you a whole pie if you want,” I said, smiling back.

“I just need to finish these gigs so I can get paid. I don’t know how the utilities and water are still on, but I don’t want to let them lapse.

I need to keep the lights on—and the heat too—especially since it’s going to be Winter soon. ”

“No, it won’t.” Rath frowned. “It won’t be Winter again until December.

And don’t worry about the lights and power—they’re run by a magical conduit buried in the ground under the house.

Your Grandma tapped into a deep well of magical power when she built Morris, so the utilities are self-sustaining. ”

“Wait—you mean I don’t have to pay for lights or water or electricity or any of that?” I asked, hardly able to believe my ears.

Rath shook his head.

“Nope. So that should be one worry off your plate.”

“It is—that’s amazing!” I was thankful for my Grandmother’s generous will all over again. But his other words stuck in my mind. “Um…what did you mean when you said it wouldn’t be Winter again until December? Isn’t it almost December here?”

He frowned.

“No…it’s February. Why, is it somehow a different date in the human world?”

“No, it’s February there, too,” I said. “But if it’s February here in Hidden Hollow, then why does it feel like Fall instead of Winter? Aren’t we somewhere in New England? I mean, that’s what it seems like.”

“Yes, Hidden Hollow is located in the Berkshires. And it feels like Fall because of the magical barrier around this town,” Rath explained.

“It’s kind of a bubble—a big, invisible, magic dome that keeps the world out—including the weather.

If you stepped outside the barrier, you’d probably be in a snowstorm right now. But in here, it’s different.”

“So…the magic bubble keeps it this temperature and season all the time?” I asked, confused.

He shook his head.

“Not exactly. See, we held a vote and almost everyone agreed that their favorite time was Fall—the peak of the leaf season, specifically. So the Council of Magic Users decided to make it Fall pretty much all year round.”

“Really? Fall all year?” It sounded wonderful to me—I was in love with the weather in my new town—especially after enduring the sweltering heat of Central Florida for so long.

“ Almost all year,” Rath said. “Except for the month of May, when it’s Spring for a whole month. And the Month of August, when it’s Summer. And then in December it’s Winter with lots of fluffy white snow but never any sleet. Then when January comes around, we’re back to Fall.”

“That sounds perfect!” I exclaimed. “I love Fall weather and I never get it back where I live—or lived before—in Central Florida.”

“Florida? Whew —you’ll sweat your balls off down there,” he remarked, shaking his head. “Give me Hidden Hollow any day.”

I was beginning to agree with him. Just then the waitress came back.

“Got the check for you,” she remarked. “Unless you want anything else?”

Rath looked at me and I shook my head. The huge cinnamon roll and the two cups of coffee I’d drunk had filled me up nicely.

“Nothing else, thanks Goldie. I’ll get that.” He looked at the check and then fished out a handful of coins from his pocket. He laid down a large gold coin almost twice the size of a silver dollar and two smaller silver ones.

“Be right back with the change,” Goldie said, scooping the coins into her palm.

Rath shook his head.

“Nah—keep it.”

“Thanks, big guy.” She smiled up at him affectionately and then nodded at me. “You’re the first girl I’ve seen in here with him. Don’t go breaking his heart, okay? Rath’s a sweetie—I’d hate to see him get hurt.”

“Goldie…” Rath growled and I could see that he was embarrassed. At least, his cheeks got greener, which I guessed was the Orc version of blushing.

“Hey, you know it’s true.” She laughed and moved on to another table to take an order.

Rath and I got up.

“Well,” I said reluctantly. “Thanks for the coffee and cinnamon roll. I guess I’d better go back to the grocery store and try to shop again.”

I winced as I said it. I hated the idea of having to retrace my steps to gather all my groceries and then facing the elderly centaur if he saw me.

“Oh, you don’t have to worry about that,” Rath said, as we left the diner. “I already paid for what you had in the basket and asked them to deliver it. It’ll probably be waiting for you at your front door when you get home.”

“You didn’t!” I exclaimed. “That’s so much money! You have to let me pay you back.”

“Bake me that pie we talked about.” He grinned charmingly.

“I will. I just have to get some cinnamon,” I agreed.

“Tell you what, why don’t you let me get that for you?” he suggested. “I have a few clients to see here in town, but I can grab it and drop it by your place on my way home.”

I almost said I could get it myself but then I realized he was looking for an excuse to come see me again. And I definitely liked that idea.

“That’s very sweet of you,” I said, smiling up at him. “Thank you so much.”

“Great!” His smile widened as he looked down at me. “I’ll drop it by later on today.”

“I’ll see you then.”

For a moment I almost hoped that he might kiss me. He was leaning down to get closer and I was practically on my tiptoes. I had never felt so much attraction so quickly to anyone before. It was surprising and almost intoxicating how much I wanted to kiss him.

But then a centaur trotted by, swishing his tail, and waved at him. Rath straightened up quickly.

“Er, I’ll see you later,” he said again.

“See you.” I nodded and turned towards home.

But I was sure I could feel his golden eyes on me with every step I took and I couldn’t wait to see him again.