Pumpkin Spice & Poltergeist (Maple Hollow #1)

She finished then turned to him. They both shifted from one foot to the other, their smiles tight but obvious.

“I thought I’d take your hot canisters to the B&B today,” I heard him say as I reached for a stack of napkins nearby. “Save you the trip?”

Willow looked over her shoulder at me, realizing my shameless eavesdropping. “That’s sweet of you, but I can send Harlow over if you have your hands full.”

“Oh.” Wyatt deflated. “I’ll just see you later then.”

“Tomorrow, for our fall menu meeting?”

Wyatt answered with a curt nod and dipped his chin to the both of us as he walked out to his truck.

I rolled my eyes and fought the urge to kick my sister for being so dense. It was obvious that they both were interested, but whatever was holding Willow back was going to ruin what could be the real deal.

Before I got a chance to give her crap for brushing Wyatt off, Willow dashed around the corner to help take care of a spill, and I picked up the coffee pot to make the rounds.

While Agnes hadn’t returned, I was starting to get acquainted with some of the other locals. And I hadn’t accidentally invoked a plague or thrown anyone into toxic shock for two days straight, so things were certainly improving.

“Top up, Billy?” I asked the forest-green patron sitting at the counter. Billy was covered in paint splatters today, the distinct smell of paint thinner wafting off him. Probably giving Midnight Market yet another coat of that glittering onyx. Billy nodded at his plate of pastries, and I glanced up to see a family lingering behind him. “He just clocked out for the night, folks. Photo-ops and free candy corn at Midnight Market later today.” I gave the mom a wink. “Don’t worry, they open at six p.m., so plenty of time before bedtime.”

She smiled at me, put her phone down, and went back to her booth.

“Thank you for that,” Billy grumbled into his coffee mug. “I forget how intrusive the tourists are during the busy season.” When he was putting on a show, he was the life of the party, but away from the crowd, he was more reserved, and I could tell he had little patience for bullshit.

I huffed a laugh. Billy and I had reached a tentative friendship, with him just as wary of me as I was of him. I had a feeling he was keeping an eye on me on behalf of my sister, or maybe on behalf of the town at large. No more emergency allergy incidents on his watch.

“I don’t know how you pull twelve-hour shifts every single night,” I said as I stacked saucers. “Or drink three cups of coffee before you go to bed, for that matter.”

He hummed around the lip of his mug before he set it down. “I’m not human, remember? My body reacts differently to caffeine.”

“Right.” I cleared my throat. “I’m still getting used to that.”

“Humans often forget that they are not the default. Takes a couple years to realize that you’re the odd ones. Willow knows all about that.” He dropped some cash on the counter, blotted his mouth, and rose. “Have a good shift, Harlow.”

I blinked. It was the first time he’d called me by name. That felt like a victory of some kind, even if it had been meted out with a dose of criticism.

“Have a good sleep, Billy,” I called after him as he quickly walked out the back door.

“You have got to tell me what kind of face paint he uses!” I looked up to find a gaggle of teenage girls looking at me. They all had their phones out and were snapping selfies and pictures of their breakfasts.

“It’s a Maple Hollow secret, I’m afraid.” I winked and they pouted for a moment before turning to one another to gab.

The door jingled open, and I wandered to the register to greet the new patron. It was the slower part of the afternoon, when most people wandered in but lingered for hours before closing time. I’d expected another family coming in for mugs of hot chocolate between the hay bale ride and apple picking, but instead, I found Jordyn.

“Hi.” She smiled and swept a lock of hair behind her ear.

“Hi,” I replied, shifting my weight back and forth.

Before I could open my mouth to compliment her on the green-velvet dress she was wearing, Willow came out from the kitchen with a box of scones.

“Hey, Jordyn,” Willow said, setting the scones on top of the bakery case. “How are you doing today? Keeping busy?”

“No. I mean, um, I’m good. The shop is good. I just . . .” Her eyes pinged between Willow and me.

Willow side-stepped into me. “Harlow, can you take the recycling out for me? It’s overflowing.” She glanced at Jordyn. “Maybe Jordyn could give you a hand?”

“Sure!” Jordyn brightened as I glowered at my sister.

“Very smooth,” I whispered to Willow, who was grinning at me wickedly. “Expect retribution the next time Wyatt is here.”