Siobhon and the witchy woman

The Rosemary Dragonfly B&B

"I forgot that I have some friends coming over tonight to catch up. I’ll cancel them, and you can have a quiet evening with me," Regina said.

"Wait, no, you don’t have to do that," Siobhon said quickly. "I think it’s really sweet that I can stay with you, and I think a nice bath and going to bed early will do me good. I don’t want you to cancel your evening for me, Regina. Let me be clear about that," Siobhon said.

"You don’t understand. These aren’t just some people. They’re people you know. And I don’t want to make it awkward for you. It’s Charlotte and Marjorie, and now they’re asking if Autumn can come too. Isn’t that strange, with you upstairs? You haven’t told me about your meeting yet, but I have a feeling you didn’t ask them for help. So when they see you, they’ll quickly figure out why you’re with me," Regina explained.

"Charlotte and Marjorie? I didn’t know you were friends with them," Siobhon said, raising an eyebrow.

"To be honest, you know very little about me, Siobhon, and I know very little about you. But I’d really like to get to know you better," Regina said, blushing deeply after her last sentence.

"I want to get to know you better too, Regina. Somehow, I feel very safe with you," Siobhon admitted, also blushing slightly. "I’m curious how you know Charlotte and Marjorie and apparently Autumn, too," she added, curious.

"I’ve known them for a long time. In fact, they all regularly looked after my daughter when she was little. And they often come to my café," Regina said.

Siobhon sat up and looked at Regina. "Daughter?" she whispered softly. "You have a daughter?" she then asked, a little louder.

"Uh, yes, but she doesn’t live at home anymore. Luckily for me, she visits often, stays over, and we do a lot together. But she lives a few towns over, where she studies," Regina explained.

Siobhon was silent for a moment, realizing how little she knew about this woman, but wanting to know everything. She wished she could look into Regina’s mind and learn it all at once. Regina pulled out her phone, looking for a photo, and showed it to Siobhon with a proud smile.

"This was a few days ago when we had lunch together," Regina said.

"How old is she?" Siobhon asked as she studied the photo. The young woman in the picture looked just like Regina, as if she were looking at a younger version of her.

"She just turned 20," Regina said.

"Ah, so young. She’s beautiful, just like her mother," Siobhon said, blushing.

"Thank you," Regina replied with a small smile. "But back to my dilemma. Are you sure you’re okay with them coming over? I don’t want you to be alone, so I won’t be leaving tonight. But I also don’t want you to feel uncomfortable, so please be honest, Siobhon," Regina said.

"Regina, please, have your evening with your... um, well, friends. I’m just going to rest in my room. I’m too tired to be very active anyway. I don’t want you to cancel your evening for me, Regina. I really want you to do what you had planned. Though I like the idea of you still being in the house," Siobhon said.

"Okay, if you’re really sure, I’ll text them," Regina said.

"Yes, do that. Can I be so bold as to ask if we can go? It’s beautiful here and really nice, but I’m getting cold, and I’m hungry," Siobhon said with a smile.

"Haha, of course, darling," Regina said. "Let me send a quick text." She typed: "Hey Marjorie. Yeah, sure! It will be nice if she comes too, I haven’t seen her in a while! See you at my place tonight! Love, Regina."