Wrapping a blanket around her shoulders, Sadie waited until Gigi had fallen asleep, one hand on Abby, who slept on her lap, and the other on Bambi, who rested beside her. The chocolate lab looked at Sadie with a question in his eyes, his head quirking up. Sadie shook her head, and the dog lay back down but kept his eyes on her. Sadie memorized every line of her grandmother lying there on the couch, wanting to imprint every moment on the lining of her heart until it was incorporated into the fabric of her skin. She was shocked how the threat death could make you miss someone before they were even gone.
She wanted to go back to the way things were. She wanted her brother before he’d abandoned her. Gigi before she’d shared her secrets. Jake before he’d broken her heart. Life before the threat of death.
And that’s the thought that kept snagging in her brain.
One or more of them was going to have to die.
Unless she could figure out a way to stop it.
Salted Cream Cold Foam Cold Brew with Earl Grey
The bergamot in Earl Grey helps to alleviate anxiety, and the caffeine gives a boost of energy. The salt helps to keep from being bewitched. See, even a simple cup of coffee can serve its purpose.
Ingredients
cold brew coffee
Earl Grey tea, brewed and cooled
skim milk
salt
maple syrup
cinnamon oil （optional）
mason jar
Directions
1.?Combine your preferred amount of skim milk with a dash or two of salt, a quick pour of maple syrup （or more if you like it extra sweet）， and 1 drop of cinnamon oil, if you’re using it, into a mason jar. Shake vigorously for a minute or two.
2.?Fill a glass with ice, and then fill halfway with Earl Grey and the rest of the way with cold brew. Top with salted cold cream.
??7??
SADIE WOKE LATE THE next morning, having finally fallen asleep around five o’clock, the time she was usually waking up. Seth was nowhere to be seen, and Gigi’s PT Cruiser was already gone. She’d left a note telling Sadie to take the day off. There was no stopping that woman, even with cancer. Sadie knew she’d be kicked out of the café if she dared step foot in there, so instead she brewed a cup of tea, rolling her neck from side to side, trying to work out some of the kinks that had taken up residence there.
The quiet of the kitchen worked its magic, settling into her bones. The hum of the refrigerator and the creak of the window over the sink as she opened it to let in fresh air. She cut a few stalks of lavender and lilacs and arranged them in an old milk bottle on the counter. Normalcy, that’s what she decided she needed. Some good old-fashioned deep cleaning. Because Gigi was going to be fine. She had to be. Sadie could make everything okay. Seth was wrong. It wasn’t that she was running away from the truth. She was going to bend the truth to her will. Only a few more days until the herbs would be ready. Her notebook was nearly filled with scribblings. Ideas for spells and stones and talismans in case the first one didn’t work. After all, Gigi had done the impossible and saved two lives; why couldn’t Sadie save Gigi’s?
Sadie’s cleaning was interrupted with a visit by a group of ladies from church who were stopping by to check on Gigi, which devolved into a kindhearted interrogation about Seth, which morphed into a cascade of questions about Sadie’s love life.
“You’ve got to get back on that horse, honey,” said Maggie, the most outspoken of the group. Her long, curly brown hair was threaded through with gray and bounced as she spoke, her gold-toned eyes sparkling shrewdly. Everything always came back to dogs and horses with Maggie, who had used both to help her through her own bout of cancer a few years back.
“I don’t know, Mags. It’s been awhile since I’ve been in the saddle.”
“I think they’d be chomping at the bit,” Maggie said, grinning now.
“Is that your unbridled opinion?”
“Hay, what do I know?”
“This is all so spur of the moment. Hang on, hang on, I’m just reaching my stride.”
Maggie laughed and shook her head.
“Oh, come on, I could do this all day,” Sadie said with a smile. “Look, I appreciate everyone’s very misplaced concern over my love life, but I better get back to cleaning. Why don’t you ladies head to the café to check on Gigi? Tell her I sent you and to give you a coffee on the house.” Sadie bustled them out and leaned back against the closed door with a sigh. The grandfather clock let out a series of short chimes that sounded like a laugh.
“Keep it up, buddy, and I’ll turn you into firewood,” she said, and it immediately stopped its chuffing.