Page 9

NINE

willow

T hrowing myself into the bakery was my best course of action after Damien’s sudden disappearance. Once the morning rush was over, I took the time to sweep the entire storefront, leaving no corner untouched. Not only had I finished all the dishes, but I had also wiped down all the tables.

I’d given up on pretending that I wasn’t staring out the window for him to come back.

The worst part was I felt like a lovesick fool, consumed by emotions I couldn’t control. His vow to stay echoed in my mind, but a small voice inside me wondered if it was true.

Sighing, I turned back to the counter, brewing a fresh pot of coffee while I made an apple cider latte for one of our regulars.

“Is everything ready for tonight?” I asked Luna, who was sliding another tray of freshly baked cookies into the rack to cool. I checked the time. It was almost noon, which meant more than half of our day was already over.

She wiped her hands on her apron. “That’s the last of the cookies I had to make. Everything else should be ready to go. You’re still going to make the hot chocolate, right?”

The bell on the door chimed, as I called out another customer’s order, handing them their drink and pastry.

I nodded. “Of course. And I’m sorry for bailing so much this last week.” I’d already prepped everything I’d need for tonight, so when everything was set up, it would just need to be stirred and heated up.

Luna rested her head against my shoulder. “It’s okay. I know you’ve had your hands full with that one.”

That one? I looked over at her, and she raised her eyebrows, tilting her head towards the door.

Damien was standing there, looking sheepish and a little guilty.

Walking over to him, I crossed my arms over my chest, ready to tell him off for ditching me, but his expression was full of so much pain that it stopped me in my tracks.

“I’m sorry.”

I blinked, not expecting that. “For what?”

“Disappearing.” He shook his head. “I had to go… back.”

Even though I’d told him so much about my life, and my love for this town, I didn’t know the first thing about his home. The demon realm. If he’d had to go back, that must have meant something was seriously wrong.

“Is everything okay?”

Damien’s eyes drifted over to Luna in the background, before he turned his attention back to me. “It will be. I’ll explain everything later, I promise.” He wove our fingers together. “But first, I owe you a date.”

“A date?” My cheeks pinked. “I mean, breakfast, yes, but…”

He nodded, kissing my knuckles. “Yes. A date.”

Oh . “Oh.” I turned back to look at Luna, but she just shook her head with a smile, turning back to her tray of cookies. A silent permission. “Okay. Let me just…”

I looked down at my apron, thanking the Goddess that I hadn’t covered it in coffee or flour. Quickly pulling it off over my head, I returned it to my hook, stopping to let Eryne know I’d be heading out before waving goodbye to Luna.

“Shall we?” Damien offered me his hand once again. I ignored the rush of warmth to my face at taking it.

“Where to?”

“How about we finally get to that tour now?”

I nodded, happily pulling him out of the store—our hands still intertwined.

And for whatever reason, even knowing it would probably lead to disappointment, I didn’t want to let go.

We spent the rest of the afternoon wandering through all of downtown. I showed Damien some of my favorite shops, including my favorite bookshop— Broomsticks and Books . It had mostly stopped carrying the former, leaving the shop full of magical tombs and regular books alike. Luna loved the romance section, while I loved looking for new recipes tucked amongst the cookbooks here.

Hardly anyone needed broomsticks for transportation anymore. Most of us witches had one sitting in our house, regardless. You never knew when you might need a magical flying broom, after all.

Damien had given me a snort when I told him that.

Next was the ever-changing Magical Curiosities: a shop that sold just that, though I’d found quite my share of trinkets there over the years. It was like a thrift store for magical artifacts and witchy goods. My trusty hat had come from there, as well as my black boots with little buttons up the side.

As we walked down Main, we passed by a few more shops: Dark Moon Fashions, where I got all my favorite dresses; Pleasant Grove Realty, where any witch could find a perfect home; and Hexed Home Renos —newly opened and run by two twin witches, Tammy and Talley. They’d been toying with the idea for years, and finally opened it after the rest of our coven told them they’d stop speaking to them if they didn’t.

Tough love worked.

My demon companion scratched his head, standing in front of the last one on the street. “What’s with the name?”

It’d been Grey’s Supermarket for as long as I’d been alive—run by the Grey's, now an older couple whose kids had grown and moved away.

“It’s so… normal.”

“What?” I laughed. “It’s just a supermarket. Do you think we come up with puns for every business here?”

Sure —most of the businesses downtown had cute, kitschy names, but they also catered to the witches that came to visit. We were only an hour outside of Salem, after all. Even if horrible things had happened there, the legacy was strong. Still, there were plenty of normally named establishments in town.

Damien shrugged. “Witches are weird.” And wasn’t that the understatement of the century?

“This is my favorite spot down here,” I murmured, staring at the town gazebo, complete with its own decorations.

His eyes swept across the view before settling back on me. “It’s nice.”

“When I was younger, I used to come out here and just people watch. It was nice, even when things got busy, to come here and just… slow down. Appreciate life.”

Tilting my head, I watched him. I wondered what sort of life he’d led. If he’d ever experienced any moments like that. Blissful peace—quiet happiness. It was a strange thing to ponder, but the tortured look in his eye made me think maybe he hadn’t.

Maybe that was one reason he talked little about himself or his life.

“Are you hungry?” I finally asked, breaking the silence.

* * *

That was how we ended up sitting at the bar of The Enchanted Cauldron for lunch. We’d both ordered burgers, and if I was being honest… it surprised me at how normal it felt with him by my side. Even in college, I’d never felt this comfortable with another person besides Luna or the other members of my coven.

Maybe it was because of the way he’d watched over me all night when I’d passed out. He could have just left. Instead, he didn’t leave my side.

I happily chowed down on my burger, noting the look of satisfaction on Damien’s face as I ate.

He finished his before mine, though that was partially due to how many people came over to say hi to me. I’d always been a chatty person, and knowing almost everyone in this town didn’t help with that.

They were all curious about the man seated by my side, even if they hadn’t said it straight out.

“Do you want me to scare them all away so you can eat?” He grunted, taking a sip of his drink.

“No, it’s okay. They’ll stop eventually. They’re just curious about you.”

My cheeks warmed at the thought that he cared enough to do that. That he seemed to want to take care of me.

I was starving, though, even though I’d definitely eaten a muffin and a few scones while I’d been at the bakery. Even I had to admit that Damien’s glares at the other patrons helped to stave them off.

“Thanks,” I finally said after I’d finished the last bite of my burger, sucking the extra ketchup that had spilled onto my fingers. “That hit the spot.”

Damien looked at his empty tray. I still had a bunch of fries left, but he’d already eaten it all.

“That was… surprisingly good.”

I scrunched up my nose. “Were you doubting it would be?”

He chuckled. “No. It’s just… the other communities I’ve been in weren’t like this. And they didn’t have food nearly this good.”

“That’s Pleasant Grove for you,” I beamed. “It might not be much, but… It’s home.”

I looked around the bar. The Enchanted Cauldron had been around for generations. Despite the foot traffic this place saw—on account of it being one of the few restaurants in our little community, let alone our only bar—it was still in good shape.

They’d hung all sorts of witchy paraphernalia in here over the years, some as gags, and some that dated back to the Salem Witch Trials themselves. The low lighting from the various lanterns created a cozy atmosphere, and the old-timey portraits on the back walls added a touch of history to the room. There were candles on the shelves that looked like they’d burned and had melted into place—like no one had ever bothered to clean up the wax. But my favorite part was the Morgans, who’d bought the bar last year and spruced it up, had even added little cauldrons filled with succulents to each table.

“I can see why you love it.” His words brought a smile to my face, and I couldn’t stop myself from beaming. “Thank you for showing it to me today.” Damien said it like he knew what it meant to me.

“It was my pleasure,” I said, blushing. “So, what do you think? Still want to stick around?” I nudged him with my shoulder, scooting my barstool closer to his.

Part of me was hoping he’d say yes. That he didn’t want to leave, either. That for the first time I could go to the festival with someone at my side.

Maybe it was too soon to be thinking that way, but when he slipped his hand into mine, squeezing it slightly, I knew I wasn’t imagining things.

“Yes, Willow,” he said, a slight chuckle accompanying his words. “I still want to stay here.” With you. He didn’t say it, but I liked to think I could hear it in the tone of his voice. In the depth of his eyes. Even if he’d glamored them at my insistence.

“Okay.” I turned my attention back to my fries, shoving a few in my mouth to hide my smile. “Just making sure,” I mumbled under my breath.

We had some time to kill before we headed out to the farm for the festival. I needed to help Luna set up our table, but I already couldn’t wait for everything.

There was no way I was holding back at the festival tonight. After all, pumpkin pie was my favorite. Luna was an amazing baker, but she’d never quite nailed pie, and Wendy—another member of our coven—made the best I’d ever tasted. Plus, topped with homemade whipped cream? I was in heaven. I practically moaned at the thought.

Damien gave me a strange look, and I flushed. “Sorry. Just thinking about pie.” I gave a dreamy sigh.

“Pie?” His face scrunched up.

“You have had pie before, right?”

“Willow. I’m a demon. I wasn’t born yesterday.” He narrowed his eyes, stealing a fry from my basket.

“Mhm. Just wait until you taste it. It’s the best pumpkin pie I’ve ever had.” Popping another fry in my mouth, I couldn’t resist it. “So good.”

The idea of introducing all of my favorite foods to the man sitting beside me warmed my insides. Showing him my town, my home—my life—it felt good.

He gave me a stare, his jaw tight as he stopped chewing.

Tilting my head back, I smiled up at the ceiling as I finished the rest of my fries. I hadn’t considered how fun it might be to tease him. Sure, he had limited knowledge of human things—probably because he’d lived in the demon realm for over two hundred years—but his reaction was the fun part.

“So… where to next?”