High Noon Read online

  Thankfully, by the time lunch rolled around, Sage had returned with a stack of forms. I was able to sit and focus on those, instead of the plants surrounding me. A little after noon, I found Sage in the back office and handed over my completed forms.

  “Great,” she said, flipping through them. “Oh, I need your work authorization before we can actually get you on payroll,” she said.

  My passport and work authorization card were still sitting in my travel bag back at Tania’s. I’d been in such a rush to get to the shop on time, I hadn’t even considered bringing them along. “Right, of course,” I apologized. “I can run and get them now. I’ll be back in ten minutes.”

  “Why don’t you take this as your lunch break and just bring them when you come back.”

  I wanted to tell her that I hadn’t done anything strenuous enough to require a break, but arguing with my boss on the first day wasn’t going to make a good impression. So, I accepted her generosity and retreated to the bed and breakfast. Tania stood in the kitchen pouring a handful of beans into a large pot.

  “I wasn’t expecting you back for lunch,” she called as I started up the stairs.

  “Forgot some things in my bag,” I answered and took the stairs two at a time.

  Someone had stacked my passport and work card on the night table by the clock. I would have guessed it was Sam if he’d been corporeal, or Beau if he could read, but neither option seemed plausible. Or maybe Tania’s powers had kicked in and she knew I’d left the documents behind and needed to find them in a hurry? I checked my bag and found my wallet still there with all of my other ID and a handful of pound notes I hadn’t changed over to American currency yet. Everything appeared to be in order, so I scooped up the identification, shoving them in my back pocket.

  I was halfway down the stairs when the doorbell rang.

  “Darcy, would you mind getting that?” Tania called from the kitchen.

  I descended the final few steps and pulled open the door. A young woman with poorly dyed brown hair stood on the front step clutching a duffel bag.

  “Can I help you?” I asked before realizing it wasn’t my place. “Actually, I don’t work here. Let me get the owner.”

  “I’m looking for a place to stay.”

  “Come in, come in. We’ve got plenty of room,” Tania said, her voice so close behind me that I jumped.

  My host’s penchant for knowing when people would be arriving on her doorstep was definitely a sign she was hiding more than just her empathic abilities. As I stepped aside to let the young woman in, I couldn’t help but feel a new wave of nerves. Just like this morning, I wasn’t sure it was my own emotion.

  2

  The young woman looked shell-shocked by Tania’s insistence that there were available rooms. Maybe she’d been expecting the B&B to be full up. Not that there were any other hotels in town to compete.

  “There’s a room at the top of the stairs, number 2. You can leave your bags up there,” Tania said, gesturing to the staircase.

  “I’m not sure I caught your name,” I said as the young woman stepped over the threshold and into the front hall, bag gripped tight in her fingers.

  “Vera. Vera Chase,” she answered without making eye contact.

  “Nice to meet you. I’m Darcy. I’m also staying here,” I said and held out a hand for her to shake. She didn’t respond, instead she scurried up the stairs out of sight. I retreated to the kitchen to find Tania tending to the pot on the stove. I inhaled and caught the scent of chilies. She didn’t say a word as I stood there watching her work. “This is good news right? Another boarder?”

  “It is. Although, by the emotions rolling off her, I’m not sure how long she’s going to stay,” Tania answered.

  It also meant I didn’t know how long we’d have to keep our conversations about magic quiet. We didn’t need to scare Vera off.

  My stomach rumbled with hunger as I realized I’d already wasted half of my lunch break. I gestured to the pot on the stove. “Is that going to be ready soon?”

  “Sorry, it still needs to simmer for a while.”

  That left Ginny’s Coffee Clutch at the heart of town. They had decent coffee and sandwiches, but it also came with some less desirable fixtures. Like Ginny Hayes holding court at the counter, her signature white, blonde hair done up in a high bun as I walked in. I hadn’t put it together before. Though I supposed Ginny was always present, because she owned the place. I’d let Ginny’s gossip steer me wrong about the theft from High Time two months ago. I wasn’t eager to be on her radar again.

  Her seat swiveled as the door closed behind me, the sound of the tiny bell overhead still ringing out my arrival. Her gaze narrowed ever so slightly when it met mine. I tried not to acknowledge her, but it seemed everyone else’s attention had fallen on us and I had no choice. So, I gave her a small wordless nod and headed for a seat at the end of the counter.

  “Welcome back,” a young man with eerily similar coloring to Ginny greeted.

  “You remembered,” I replied, trying to recall his name and not seem too obvious as I glanced at his name placard.

  Marco.

  “Well, you are very memorable,” he said, a blush creeping onto his cheeks.

  Lord, is he flirting with me?

  He cleared his throat, held up his notepad and asked, “What can I get you?”

  “Uh, just a coffee and a roast beef on wheat to go, if you don’t mind.”

  He didn’t even bother jotting it down as he gave me a confident smile and retreated to the window into the kitchen, calling out my order. I did my best to not attract attention as I waited for my food. The bell above the front door tinkled, announcing someone’s entrance and, before I realized it, I was spinning in my seat. I spotted Tania guiding Vera to a table in the back of the café. Marco materialized as soon as they slid into their seats, pen poised to jot down notes.

  Everyone in this town can't be magical, could they?

  “Order up!” one of the cooks called, slamming his fist down on a bell that gave a half-hearted rattle from having been hit so vigorously. Tania caught me watching and she waved a hand, summoning me over.

  “I’m actually going to join them and eat here,” I told Marco as he darted past me to the kitchen.

  “You got it.” He carried my coffee and sandwich behind me as I went to join my host and new housemate.

  “I was going to grab and go, but I can sit for a few minutes,” I said.

  “Vera was just telling me that she’s come to Brookhaven looking for a fresh start,” Tania said in a soft tone.

  Fresh starts seemed to be the order of the day at Tania’s B&B. Marco returned in short order with drinks and Vera turned her attention to sucking down as much of the water as she could. There were so many questions I wanted to ask her about what had led her to this little seaside haven. Was she, like me, looking to learn a craft or had something more mundane drawn her here? She seemed so nervous and on edge. Her gaze kept darting around the establishment, landing in one place for a few seconds before moving on to someone else. It seemed like she was people watching. I caught her looking at Ginny more than once. Ginny was deep in conversation with the people on either side of her. Her interest in my arrival was apparently short-lived.

  “So, Vera, what drew you to Brookhaven, other than wanting to start over?” I asked, hoping to drum up some conversation in the few minutes I had before I needed to get back to work.

  “Nothing, really,” she replied.

  “I’m pretty new around here, too. I came here on holiday a few months ago and it just felt like the place I needed to be.”

  “I just needed a change from the city,” Vera offered, hands clutched around the water cup in front of her. “I just went to the bus station and found one going as far as I could get.”

  “Well, Brookhaven is a safe place. It’s in the name,” Tania interjected with a soft laugh.

  “I don’t want to speak for Tania, but I’m sure she’d love to show you the sights. She can be quite the knowledgeable tour guide,” I said.

  “I could do with getting out for a while,” Tania agreed.

  “I’m not much into sightseeing,” Vera replied. Her gaze drifted across the café, and she turned so her back faced that side of the room. “But, uh, I could use a job.”

  I glanced the direction she’d turned, but didn’t spot anything that would account for her nerves.

  “What sort of job?” Tania voiced, pulling me out of my own head.

  Before coming here, I hadn’t believed in things like fate. But after I’d found myself in the thick of a mystery that my unique power helped to solve, I wasn’t so eager to dismiss the notion out of hand. Maybe that was why I felt drawn to this young woman. Maybe we had both been put in this place at the same time for a reason.

  “I might be able to help with that,” I said. “At least, I know someone who is hiring.”

  Vera’s head perked up and she met my gaze for the first time since I’d joined their table. She smiled at me and it brightened up her pale features. “I’ll take whatever I can find. Thanks.”

  Across the café, silverware clattered to the floor, drawing the room’s collective attention long enough to see Marco bending down near one of the tables by the window. A man sat with his back to us, but I could make out a scruffy beard in his reflection. A shiver danced down my spine as he turned toward us. I’d never seen him before, but the weight of his gaze made me uncomfortable. I averted my gaze and focused on my food, suddenly remembering I needed to get back on the clock.

  “Normally you are not such a butter fingers, Marco,” Tania said when he brought her and Vera’s meals.

  “Everyone has an off day, Tia,” he answered sharply before disappearing into the employee area of the cafe.


  “That was a little harsh of you,” I commented around a bite of beef.

  “Oh, I’ve opened my big mouth, haven’t I? I didn’t mean to be critical. It was more I could tell it had frustrated him and I spoke without thinking.” She tapped her temple when she noted the frustration, leading me to assume she meant she’d sensed his emotion.

  The fact that Tania, with her at least two decades more life experience than me, had trouble reining in her powers made me nervous. I’d thought she had it all together when we first met. I’d assumed that’s why she’d offered to help me learn to control my plant magic.

  Before I could speak, Ginny’s obviously loud tone carried across the café, drawing my attention. I couldn’t see who she was speaking to, but whoever they were, they were leaning in close, rapt in her attention.

  “Our little town doesn’t see a lot of new faces, so when they show up, it’s memorable,” Ginny blathered. The grind of the stool swiveling to face me made my teeth ache. “It does seem as if they like to congregate.”

  “No one asked your opinion, Ginny,” Marco said loudly, coming to refill Vera’s water.

  “I’ll have you know plenty of people value my opinion here,” Ginny retorted. “At least I have a respectable job. Instead of being a glorified gardener at the dispensary.”

  “There’s a dispensary? Is it controversial or something?” Vera asked.

  “Don’t let her fool you. She’s got her hands in the dispensary, too,” Tania murmured.

  “She just doesn’t like me for some reason,” I added. “As for the dispensary, it’s only my first day. But the staff are friendly and the boss is willing to take chances on new people.”

  “Sage is the forgiving sort,” Tania agreed. “After all, she hired Darcy here after a little misunderstanding.”

  Vera arched a brow at me. “What happened?”

  I ducked my head in embarrassment. “I may have accidentally accused her of stealing money from her own till. It made sense to me at the time based on the information I had. Turned out I was wrong.”

  “What, were you like a cop in another life?”

  “No. Definitely not. But I felt a certain responsibility to figure out what happened.”

  Tania smiled. “I’ll fill you in later.” She tapped her watch and looked at me. “I’ve kept you longer than I should have. You should get back to work.” She turned to Vera. “And I believe you have a job to apply for.”

  I tossed a couple of bills on the table to cover my meal. Standing, I checked my pocket to make sure I had the documents Sage still needed for my file and Vera followed me out of Ginny’s. I caught her looking back over her shoulder as the door swung shut behind us. I followed the direction of her gaze and saw the bearded man still sitting at his table by the window.

  “Do you know that guy?” I led the way across Main Street and up half a block back to High Time.

  “No.”

  The energy that infused her demeanor moments ago vanished again and she retreated into her shell. Maybe suggesting she apply for the front desk position at the shop wasn’t the brightest idea I’d had after all. Not if she could be so mercurial. But it wasn’t my decision whether or not to hire her.

  “Just wait here a minute,” I said and gestured to the front of the shop before I used my temporary ID to buzz into the grow room.

  I hadn’t expected for the plants to perk up at my approach. They’d quieted down this morning and yet, they were abuzz, taking notice of my entry into their space again. I could hear their promises of what they might one day become. The help they might offer to those in need. I could even sense a strange undercurrent of what I might one day use them for to cast a spell.

  That’s new.

  I’d spent so much time denying my magic and pretending it would go away, I hadn’t allowed myself the chance to figure out just what I could do when I set my mind to it. And aside from hunting down the thief who’d stolen money from the dispensary while on holiday, I hadn’t had cause to use my skills.

  “You’re late,” Sage’s voice interrupted my musing.

  “Sorry. I know that’s a really bad thing on your first day. I swear, it won't happen again. But I think the reason I’m a bit late might make up for it.” I rambled.

  “And what reason is that?”

  “I found someone looking for a job, who might be a good fit for the front counter.”

  “You just happened to stumble across someone willing to sell pot to small town hippies? What, did they materialize out of thin air by magic?”

  She may very well have.

  “There’s a new boarder at Tania’s and she’s looking for work.”

  Sage tapped the edge of her phone against her chest. “You think she’d be good?”

  “Well, honestly, I don’t know much about her, but I assumed you’d be able to judge whether she’d be any good. She’s out front right now. Name’s Vera.”

  Sage nodded and set her phone on the desk beside her. “What’s your take on her? Give me your honest opinion.”

  “She’s a bit shy. But there could be loads of reasons. She is in a new place, coming from the city. She’s probably used to a faster paced way of life. Lord knows I was. But she seems like a decent person. Not that it’s my decision or anything, but I’d give her a chance.”

  Sage pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose. “Well, I wasn’t going to fill it with any of the locals anyway.”

  I wanted to push her on that, but I didn’t need to be an empath to sense she was still feeling burned by the fact that one of her star employees had betrayed her trust. Someone she’d considered a friend.

  I tugged the work card and passport from my back pocket. “Oh, and I brought these.”

  She accepted them and gestured for me to follow her. I trailed her to the back office where she made copies of my documents and pointed to a blank stretch of bare white wall. “Stand there and try to look like you’re happy to be here.”

  Doing as she instructed, I straightened up to my full height and plastered on a big grin as she snapped a photo with her phone. “So, you aren’t mad enough that I won’t get my proper ID, then.”

  “I’ll let you know how it goes,” she said and made her way to the front of the shop, leaving me to return to the grow room.

  I knew Sage didn’t expect magic or miracles from me tending her plants, but I felt I owed it to her to try anyway. So, I spent the next five hours talking to the plants. Encouraging them to grow. I thought one plant that looked a little wilted perked up slightly, but it also could have been the fact I moved it into more direct light.

  I was emotionally drained by the time I returned to the B&B. The spicy scent of chili drew me to the kitchen where Tania stood dishing out three bowls along with thick slices of bread that smelled freshly baked.

  “Well, how was your first day?” she asked, pushing a bowl my way.

  “Tiring. But good.” I looked around. “Where’s Vera?”

  “How do I look?” the young woman called from the entryway. I turned to find Vera wearing a brightly colored High Time shirt.

  “Like you belong. Welcome to the team,” I said with a broad grin.

  3

  We’d settled into a nice routine by the time Vera had been with us for a week. She only gave Tania and I the occasional side eye when one of us had to surreptitiously scold Sam for being cheeky.

  “Do you think Sage would be mad if we called out today? It’s so gross out,” Vera sighed, staring out at the downpour through the back kitchen window.

  “I think it is smarter to ask your co-worker for a ride,” Tania replied, setting down a spatula.

  “I’m all for driving there today,” I started, setting my coffee cup on the counter, “but I don’t think you want me driving. I'm still thrown off driving on the other side of the road.”

  “I think you can manage the trip. It’s only two turns,” Tania said and pointed to the little rack affixed to the side of the refrigerator. “Take the car.”

  “Are you sure?” I probably should have mentioned I wasn’t entirely certain my U.K. driver’s license was applicable here. I hadn’t had time to go and get a proper U.S. one yet.