Bad Boys Can't Date Persephone: Part 1

There's a stranger in town.

“Working your magic as usual, Flora?”

I gestured towards the poinsettias. “They’ll last a lot longer now. Do you want me to do the same with the cyclamen?”

Dorothea beamed at me. “That would be perfect! I don’t know what we did to deserve you working here.”

Well, it had been my mum’s idea.

Mum and I both had plant magic, but we specialised in very different things. My magic leaned towards flowers, which wasn’t exactly useful when Mum ran not only a successful farm, but a successful farm shop as well. I couldn’t grow things like fruit and wheat without becoming exhausted after about five minutes.

I loved spending time in the garden centre. Apart from our little garden, it was the only place in Topaz Coast where my natural magic could be put to good use.

I ran my fingers across a poinsettia’s velvety petal. It was a brilliant scarlet, the perfect Christmas flower. Perhaps it would be a gift for someone, or maybe it would be bought to liven up the house. Either way, I hoped it would be looked after well.

“How is Mina doing?” asked Dorothea.

“She’s fine; I’ll tell her you asked.”

It still felt great, having your best friend living with you. I just wished the circumstances could have been different. Mum was a great foster carer, and I’d told Mina that our place was open to her any time she wanted. We were just glad for Mina’s sake that she’d broken away from her stepfamily.

“Is she still with her boyfriend?” Dorothea’s eyes twinkled playfully.

“Oh, yes.” Ethan Reyes was the perfect boyfriend for Mina: sweet, down to earth, charming and caring.

Dorothea wasn’t finished. “Maybe there’ll be a magical romance for you soon.”

I doubted it. If Mum had her way, I wouldn’t be dating until I was thirty – and since she and my dad had extremely powerful magic, nobody wanted to mess with either of them.

“Anyway, I just wanted to tell you that your shift in the café starts in five minutes.”

I’d completely forgotten about that. “Thanks, Dorothea.”

As I walked towards the staff area as quickly as I could, Dorothea said: “Hello there, dearie! Would you like some help with anything?”

“No, thanks,” a cool, calm voice replied. “I’m just here to meet someone at the café.”

I glanced over my shoulder. The speaker was Claire de Winter, daughter of one of the richest men in Topaz Coast. She didn’t have the nickname of snow queen for no reason; hopefully Dorothea wouldn’t feel too frozen when she was done talking to her.

Since I was due for a waitressing shift, I needed to look presentable. Once I was in the staff quarters, I washed my hands quickly, then brushed my hair and applied a small amount of lip gloss. My apron was still clean, so there was no need to change it.

“Just on time,” Rebecca said as I reached the café counter. “Here’s the notepad and pen; it looks like a slow shift right now.”

“Thanks.”

Each table at the café had a red and green decoration in the centre, and overhead was a small canopy of lights. I grinned. I loved this place.

Claire made her way to one of the tables and sat opposite someone I recognised as Blake Starfyre, the new boy at our sixth form. I flipped the cover of the notepad back, clicked the pen and walked over to their table.

“Would you like to order anything?” I asked, keeping my voice light and pleasant.

Blake didn’t hesitate. “I’d like a cherry pie, with a cinnamon hot chocolate, please.”

I scribbled that down as quickly as I could. “Would you like marshmallows, whipped cream, neither or both?”

“I’ll have whipped cream on top. Claire, you having anything? My treat.”

Was it just me, or did Claire look surprised at that? “Thank you,” she replied before looking up at me. “I’ll have the same as him.”

I put x2 next to the order, smiled at Claire and Blake and headed towards the counter. “Two cherry pies, and two cinnamon hot chocolate with whipped cream for Table Four, please.”

“Oooh, fine choice. Those pies are delicious.”

They absolutely were – and it wasn’t just because Mum’s magic had helped grow the cherries.

One of the poinsettias on the counter was looking a bit droopy. I touched the petals with a fingertip; with a swirl of pale pink magic, the plant brightened up and turned even more vivid.

“Thanks, Flora,” Rebecca said as I made my way round the counter. “I can’t wait to go to Oaken Falls and see my family.”

Removing the glass covering from the plate holding the cherry pies, I used the pastry tongs to put two pies on a small green plate. “How many people are coming?”

“Both my brothers, their wives and all five of their children. Them, plus me and the parents equal twelve. Is anyone coming to Greenfield Farm?”

“No, it’s just me, Mum and Mina.”

“Pretty quiet, then?”

I nodded. “It’s how we like it.” Mina could use a quiet, restful Christmas.

Rebecca placed the brimming mugs of hot chocolate on the tray next to the plates. I carefully picked up the tray and walked towards Table Four.

“Two cherry pies, and two hot chocolates with whipped cream.” I put the plates and mugs in front of Claire and Blake while avoiding the binder on the table. “Hey, are those ideas for the ball? That looks great! Can’t wait to see them next week!”

All three of us were on the events committee, and we were responsible for organising the Christmas ball. Larisa Harcourt and I were in charge of food and drink, and so far we’d come up with some pretty good ideas.

Just as I was about to go back to the counter, something made me glace to the right. A figure sat at the table at the far corner of the café. He wore a black leather jacket and a black T-shirt underneath.

When had he arrived?

I went up to the table. “Hi.”

He looked up and his blue eyes met mine. His wild dark hair seemed to glimmer under the tiny lights, and I felt a warm shiver run through me.

“C-can I get you anything?”

“Black coffee, please. And a mince pie.”

I nodded and walked away.

“Rebecca, can we have a black coffee and a mince pie for Table Seven?”

“Sure.” Rebecca peered at the table. “I didn’t see him come in.”

I waited while she got the order, trying not to look at the stranger. I’d never seen him before; was he new in town, or just passing through?

Did it really matter? Even if I learned his name, Mum wouldn’t want me associating him. She wouldn’t approve in the slightest.

The thought saddened me.

Oh, well. I’d forget about him soon enough.