Miss Fortune

Chapter Thirty-Six

Miss Fortune's Crystal was quiet, as Teddy was in one of the seance rooms and Gram and Charlie were doing inventory while Alex sat at her desk—smiling as she looked across at Gram's and the memory of her and Thorin on that desk flashed through her mind. She wondered if Gram noticed if anything was out of place, but then thought better of dwelling on it and pulled up emails, breathing a sigh of relief that they were all people looking for guidance and not people looking for bad things to happen to her. Thank God for small favors and all.

There were about a dozen orders for a variety of items—dried herbs (smudge sticks mostly,) two for books, a couple for crystals or essential oils, and one for an athame, which was a blade used for ceremonial purposes and would have to be special ordered. But all in all, it was a rather mundane day in the shop and for that, Alex was grateful.

She answered the emails, printed out the orders, and took the stack of paper into the shop itself, pausing at the counter to grab a shopping basket. Gram peered over a row of shelving. "Anything interesting?"

"Not really. Everyone wants smudge sticks."

Gram smiled. "They all want clean space."

"They all seem to just be following a trend. Smudging is all the rage now, it seems." Alex moved to the shelves where the dried herbs and smudge sticks were stocked. "Someone emailed me asking for a hex spell."

Gram's smile faded. "Did you give them one?"

"No. Of course not. I told them they would be better off focusing their energy on the positive and change would come from that." Alex selected four smudge sticks and tucked them into into the basket. Abalone shells and braziers were two shelves below, and she selected two shells to tuck into the basket as well. "I'm sure they'll respond telling me to go to hell or some other such nonsense."

"Most likely."

"Hey, Lex," Charlie popped up next to Gram, "did Mrs. Urlino really try to punch Thorin out?"

Alex grinned and nodded. "Yeah. He looked like he wanted to break her in half and I have the feeling he took a perverse delight in arresting her."

"I can imagine." Charlie shook her head. "That woman is so creepy. Gram, promise we don't have to let her back in here again?"

Gram shook her head. "I do not want that woman in this shop again so please, if she shows her face, and she won't leave, call the cops and let them toss her out."

The look of relief that swept across Charlie's face was unlike any Alex had ever seen. She set a several rolls of charcoal in her basket. "You're really scare of her, aren't you?"

"Yeah." Charlie nodded. "I am. I swear she was trying to kill me, Lex. She's evil."

"She won't be a problem—" Gram's cell rang and she tugged it from her sweater pocket. "Eva Prescott." Her delicately arched silvery brows pulled low. "Yes, of course. Hold on, let me get to my desk."

She swept across the floor, toward the office and Alex and Charlie exchanged looks and for the first time, Alex realized that Charlie looked like she hadn't slept in weeks. "Is everything okay?"

Charlie sighed softly. "No, not really. I haven't really slept since that night. I keep having the most fucked up dreams and I wake up terrified. Like, literally in a cold sweat."

"Is there anything I can do?"

"Lend me your boyfriend?" Charlie grinned, but then shook her head. "I'm kidding." She drew in a deep breath and then sighed, "You know, I went out with him once."

"Thorin? When?" This was news to her. Thorin never mentioned going out with her sister.

"No, not Thorin." Charlie shook her head, her voice soft as she went on, "Frerin."