From This Day Forward (4 page)

A shiver raced up April’s spine, and it had nothing to do with the blustery wind or sub-zero temps.
Wow. Kinda creepy. And, if he'd done research on the flower shop keeper that probably meant Mick had done research on her and Noah, too. Not that he’d find much in Noah’s case.

This
had been the longest conversation she'd had with the man, and he'd warned her off the mysterious Morgana and declared the streets of Mystic Springs the equivalent of a military hotspot. Nice.

Did she take the word of
the sexy, uncharacteristically surly, bar owner next door? Or did she meet the woman for herself?

Hmmm. Really, it was a no brainer.

April would do as she'd always done. She'd meet the woman for herself. See what her gut said . . . and how the signs presented themselves. Because really, there were always signs to warn her. No single interpretation of a situation or person was ever one hundred percent correct at first glance.

Even she realized that truth.
You needed confirmation. Validation to support your reading. Mick had offered her nothing concrete. Experience had taught her a tiny bit about the need for levity when it came to warnings—those delivered verbally or by geomancy.

She propped the shovel next to the tea shop door and, looking both ways, crossed the snowy street t
o introduce herself to Morgana LeFay.

She'd never been good at doing what
she was told.
Damn it, April. You never know what’s good for you, s
he heard Noah’s favorite chiding remark buzz through her head. No, that kind of doubt and second-guessing had been the legacy left behind by her father’s abandonment.

April
hadn’t been pretty enough, or good enough, or smart enough to make her dad want to stay, to love her the way she needed. He’d chosen to leave instead. He didn’t choose her. An event like that formed your psyche—impacted the way you looked at life and what you expected from it.

She couldn’t help it. So, yeah, maybe she didn’t always see the best,
because she didn’t really believe she’d ever deserved it. Might be the reason she was having such a hard time with whatever big news or big change was headed her way.

One, she knew the news could only be bad, but, two
, she hated taking fate as a given without allowing for the possibility of free will. Ex machina duex was not her thing, really. Which was kind of funny, then, that she had to read the signs handed to her by God, or the Fates, or wherever you believed they originated.

Gun shy. That’s what she was. Ever since Cate
had been attacked a year ago. And just a little terrified that the gale storm brewing inside her had enough familiar echoes from her past that it would wreck her whole life as it had when she was ten years old.

So meeting one innocuous
flower shop owner was nothing in comparison. Right?

The first thing to hit April when she walked through the front door of the shop was a wall of protective magick. Strong. Prickly. Edgy. It didn't set her tumbling to her ass, but it made every hair on her arms stand.

Who would need that k
ind of magick in Mystic Springs?

No one she knew. And she knew the whole magickal community. Had been
aware of her role in it since she’d learned to snare minnows in Yana’s pond at the age of three. That summer day, she’d saved the life of a boy twice her age because of her ability. Timmy Johnson didn’t drown because of her.

Since then, she'd known her responsibility in the bigger picture of Mystic Springs.
Her fate had been sealed. And no one in this small town needed protections like this . . . what was this woman hiding?

Maybe Mick did know what he’d been talking about.

“Hello-o?” April called out.

Silence greeted her.
She heard a skitter of noise in the back room. A door opened. Heels clicked on the slate floors. The rustic interior suited a flower shop. The rough floors were complimented by the unfinished beams overhead. If she didn't know better, April would think she'd stepped inside a medieval French herb cottage.

The
brunette pushed through the heavy oak door that could have once graced an ancient cathedral.

“
May I help you? We're not open for business yet.”

“
Hi, I'm April. I own the tea shop.” She gestured toward The Tea Cozy.

“
Morgana. I’ve seen you coming and going.” The woman nodded and offered her hand to April. Her sleeve inched up her forearm as she reached out with her right hand to shake April’s.

April glimpsed a tattoo on her wrist, but she couldn't make out the image.
Noticing her interest in the tattoo, Morgana tugged her sleeve, fisting the fabric in her palm.

Guarding secrets? Didn't matter. Secrets jump
ed out at April and shouted their sordid tales, despite the best intentions of their keepers. Fate didn't like secrets. The spiteful bitch outed them whenever possible, especially to April.

Whether she wanted to bear the burden or not.

“Nice to meet you. How can I help you?” Did April imagine the new layer of frost? A slight accent she couldn't place clung to a few of Morgana’s words. Not all. She'd clearly worked hard to neutralize her speech. But a hint of it remained.

She was pretty. Black hair, so dark April thought she caught hints of blue. And her eyes were an unusual color of pale blue-green.
Almost haunting or ethereal. A chill shivered up the back of April’s neck and fanned out over her scalp.

“
I just stopped by to introduce myself. I saw you walk in. Well, Mick, pointed you out. So I thought I'd be friendly.” April shoved her fingers into the back pockets of her jeans to keep from touching anything in the shop.

She wasn't sure why. But it seemed important that she not touch anything. She looked around. Petals scattered on the floor next to a workbench formed a circle, but three petals
were missing, showing a break—a broken ring.

A relationship ended.

Morgana’s? A broken heart or a broken family tie. April couldn’t be quite sure. She never knew until she knew. That's the way geomancy worked. Most days, piecing together the signs and to whom they applied, was like putting together a jigsaw puzzle combined with a crossword. Until she filled in the blanks, she never knew if the omen she saw applied to them or someone else, but somehow this woman was connected.

“
I appreciate the visit. Seems like a nice town, if somewhat unconventional.”

So she
’d picked up on the magick, too. Hmmm. Clearly magickal and testing the waters to see if April understood the undertones of the town. Best to keep her special talents quiet for a bit longer. “You know small towns. Everybody knows everybody’s business.”

Morgana nodded and narrowed her eyes. She dropped that thread and picked up on the other.
“Yeah, like Mick, right? Thinks he knows everything about me.” Her mouth firmed into a harsh, straight line.

Ha. No
warm fuzzies on her end, either. Apparently, the two had had some kind of run-in that neither of them was willing to admit it. Interesting.

“
Yeah, the owner of O'Rielly's Bar & Grille.” April jerked her head to one side to indicate the establishment across the street.

“
So that’s where he hides? Good to know. How long have you lived in the area?” Morgana shifted so she could see the bar across the street out the plate glass window.

“
All my life. Born and bred in Mystic Springs. My ancestors were founding members of the community.”

“
Wow. You must know everyone.”

“
Some days it feels like it. Although the area is more populated than it used to be, it’s a close-knit community. A good place to live. Anybody would help you out, no matter the problem. Big or small.” And it was true. She wanted Morgana to know that if she was in trouble, people here could help her. She had nothing to fear in Mystic Springs. “Oh, and Mick’s been here a year.” She answered the unspoken question.

Silence greeted her comment. So
April turned in a slow circle. “I like what you've done with the renovations. When do you open?”

“
Thanks. Another week or so. I hope.”

“
I'd think it's a hard time to open a flower shop.”

“
It would be if that’s what I planned.” Morgan looked around. “No, I specialize in herbs, vitamins, and supplements.” She plucked a card from a holder on the trestle table next to her and handed it to April. “From the cradle to the grave. We cure whatever ails you.”

“
You’re a healer?” April massaged her brow. It’s true, there was no sign lettered on the window saying the shop specialized in flowers. “What about all the flowers you’ve been carting in here for the past two weeks?”

Morgana lifted a brow and studied April.
“Guess you can’t believe everything you see, can you?” She chuckled, the tension from April’s mention of Mick faded to leave behind a warm smile that reached her pale eyes. “Flowers are my weakness. The solarium in back is perfect for cultivating a small garden. It’s my passion. But it also gives me an excuse to keep a flourishing garden on-hand to provide fresh ingredients I need for the special elixirs and tinctures I create and sell.”

“
What’s your specialty?” April said.

Morgana tapped her bottom lip and considered April.
“Mainstream? Or magickal?”

And there it was. Out in the open.
Bold as daylight.

“
Either. Both.”

“
Mainstream—I’m capitalizing on the health craze. I can diagnose any illness, irritation, or disruption in your system and recommend a natural way to cure it with vitamins, supplements, herbs, or nutrition. The healthy way. As God intended.”

“
That must be a booming business these days.”

“
You have no idea.” Morgana ran her hand along the smooth, seasoned wood of the old workbench.

“
And your magickal specialty?”

Her eyes bored into April, delving for what,
April didn’t know, before Morgana answered. “I am a healer in every sense of the word. If God created it, I can use it to heal you. Plants, herbs, elixirs, lotions, potions, crystals. You name it, I’ve found a way to work with each to restore health and vitality.”

“
Your magickal gifts allow you to see and heal sickness?”

“
Yes. My family has been accused of many things over the centuries. But we have always, first and foremost, been healers.”

“
What brings you to Mystic Springs?”

“
There’s an interesting energy here. Amplified. Special.” Morgana looked away again. More secrets. “And I’m tired. I've run a successful online business for the vitamins, herbs, and supplements over the past few years from cities all over the world. However, I want to put down roots. So I decided to warehouse my stock here and open a small storefront shop. This way I can once again exercise my magickal gifts in person, not just online. Virtual healing is a poor substitute for the real thing.”

“
Mystic Springs will be perfect for you.” April hoped she spoke the truth. There was something she liked about Morgana. She glimpsed an honesty and vulnerability beneath that glossy, tough exterior. Maybe, given some time, she’d get to know the real woman underneath.

Mystic Springs had a way of drawing magickals to itself.
Whatever the town needed, whenever it was needed most.

“
Well, I'll let Mick know he won’t be purchasing his next bouquet of long stem roses from you. I think he has some pretty strong misconceptions about you and your flower shop.” April laughed. She didn’t want to open that can of worms. A discussion better left for a later time.

“
As if he would. Neanderthal.” She huffed. “I’ve found men know very little when it comes to understanding women, passion, or flowers.” The woman’s voice sounded sharp and just a wee bit bitter, like she’d experienced love and loss and never intended to revisit either again.

“
I’m not sure I’d throw all men into that basket.” April didn’t know why she felt the need to defend the gender, but she did. “Some men are really good at passion and flowers, and understanding us, as best they can.”

Morgana cocked her head.
“Then maybe your husband is a rare man.”

She must have seen April’s wedding ring.

“Your engagement ring is an unusual stone. Bowenite. It’s the stone of the warrior. It protects you from your enemies. It brings connection to your ancestors and success in business. And it’s highly useful in finding your soul mate. I’m guessing your husband is yours?”

“
Soul mate? Yes.” April pulled her hand from her back pocket and studied the hoard stone in the ring Noah had given her when he’d asked her to marry him. That’s exactly what he’d called her, his forever soul mate. It’s the only thing that kept her warm some nights. Soon he’d come home for good. “He’s my soul mate and my rock.”