The Cupcake Coven by Ashlyn Chase Page A

yesterday…”
    His pause was killing her. “And?”
    “And, they said you might have screwed up your spell. They said the Goddess is notoriously literal. You said you wanted paying customers one, two, three. You got exactly three paying customers yesterday and three the day before.”
    Her hand covered her mouth and she felt her face heat. “Did you discuss my business problem with them?”
    “Just a little bit.”
    “Dru!”
    “I know, I know. It’s none of my business, but dammit, you need help.”
    She stomped off to the kitchen, and he followed her.
    He almost got distracted by the smell of what had to be apple pie. The familiar scents of sugar, cinnamon, apples, and something else evoked memories of home. He forced himself to stick to the matter at hand. “They said you need to undo that spell right away.”
    She sighed and leaned against her prep counter. “They’re right. I was thinking about it last night after you left, and I took care of it.”
    “You already undid the spell?”
    “Yes. I couldn’t sleep, even though I was exhausted. So, I got out of bed and cast a whole new spell.”
    “I’m glad to hear that. I was gonna drag you off to Hanna, if you didn’t know how to fix it.”
    “Hanna? Why?”
    “Well, I gotta see her anyway.”
    “She doesn’t like to be bothered on the job, and that’s where she is most of the time.”
    “Yeah. Myranda warned me, but I’ve gotta know if Shasta’s okay.”
    Rebecca nodded. “I can understand that.”
    “I guess she’s the most psychic among you, and she might be able to detect her life essence or somethin’.”
    Rebecca worried her lip. “She might. I’ll go with you, even though I don’t need help with my spell reversal.” She glared at him.
    He held up both hands and backed away a step. “Okay, okay. I was just worried about your livelihood is all.”
    She sighed, but eventually smiled. “I know. I’ve been thinking about that too. There are some small changes I can make that should help.”
    “Great. Anything I can do?”
    She gave him a sly smile. “Just don’t distract me too much. Speaking of which, I’ve got to get back to work.” She opened one of the industrial sized ovens and pulled out a pan of turnovers and a pie.
    “Mmm…That smells incredible. But there’re a couple other things Myranda and Yvonne said, which I should talk with you about.”
    “Oh? What’s that?”
    “First off, they think I did a love spell on you.”
    Rebecca whirled around. “What? You didn’t say a word. You weren’t even in the circle.”
    “That’s what I thought. They seem to think Hanna cast the circle wide enough to include me, and I’m afraid I might have been admirin’ your…well, you.”
    Rebecca’s brows shot up. “I’ve heard of accidentally casting a spell without speaking it aloud, but it’s usually got to do with jealousy and giving the evil eye. Are you sure they weren’t just teasing you?”
    “I might think that, but Ethan basically said the same thing.”
    Rebecca bit her lower lip. She had wondered why their relationship had progressed so quickly. She was still mulling it over when Dru spoke. What is he saying?
    “Speaking of not getting distracted…Can you work and talk at the same time?”
    She chuckled. “I used to think so. What did you want to talk about?”
    “Maybe you can tell me what those changes you wanted to make are, so I don’t suggest the same things. And, who knows? Maybe I’ll think of some other stuff for you to consider.”
    “Sounds a little like interference.”
    “Nope. All final decisions are yours. I’m just a sounding board.”
    She took off the oven mitts. “Okay. I’ll try it, but if you get pushy, I might push back.”
    “Fair enough.”
    She reached for a bowl to mix up some muffin batter. “When I first opened, I had hoped to get a contract with a restaurant or store for my bread. That isn’t practical if I’m the only one here. So, maybe I’ll sleep an extra hour and