Much to her surprise, Abby awoke rather early the next morning. She
had slept well, after staring at the ceiling for what seemed like hours.
Content, she rose, stretching her arms above her head. The scent of
mystical incense filled the apartment and Abby followed it into the living
room where Elaine sat on the floor, in obvious meditation.
"Good morning," Elaine said when she opened her eyes. "How are you this wonderful morning, Abby?"
"Just ducky," Abby replied, pouring herself a glass of orange juice. "I'm actually awake on time this morning so Ben will be pleased." She continued to gulp down her juice and looked up only when she had finished. "I've been late the past few mornings," she confessed guiltily.
"No worries," Elaine said, standing up from the floor and walking into the kitchen. "Ben left early this morning and he seemed upset about something."
"He's still reeling about Millie being a witch," Abby answered, signaling that she would be right back. She grabbed the brush off of the washroom counter and began brushing out her long brown hair. People often told her that she looked like her mother and she took their word for it, only because she had never met her real father. After their divorce, her mother cut all signs of Abby's father out of the house. With their long brown hair and emerald eyes, Abby considered the fact that she and her mother could be sisters. However, she lacked an emotional bond with her mother, one that she felt could never be replaced until she met Elaine. Elaine had all the natural motherhood instincts and Abby felt she could really confide in this lady that had taken her in to her home and treated her like a child of her own.
Returning to the kitchen, Abby pinned up her hair and began to prepare for the day. "Ben will flip if I'm late again," she explained as Elaine watched her scurry around the apartment. "And if he's in a bad mood already this morning, I don't want to rock the boat."
"I'll be down later," Elaine promised. "I just have some cleaning up to do in the apartment before I head downstairs." As if to prove her point, she began tidying magazines on the kitchen table. Abby left the apartment, closing the stairwell door softly behind her, shaking her head at Elaine's antics.
The café hadn't yet reached it's really busy point. A glance at the clock told Abby that Millie hadn't yet started her two-hour lecture so she would have to face Ben's wrath on her own for most of the morning. He was sitting at the counter, his head in his hands, peeking through his fingers every once in awhile to see if anyone was standing at the counter. Just for kicks, Abby wandered around the other side and walked up to the counter. When Ben looked up, she smiled warmly and said, "I would like to order a smile, please."
Ben's mouth widened into a soft smile. "Morning," he said, running a hand through his hair. "I didn't expect to see you much before noon today."
"Well, you got a surprise then," Abby said, returning to behind the counter. She poured herself a cup of coffee and took the stool beside Ben. "Your mother said you seemed a bit moody this morning."
Ben shook his head gently. "Just tired," he reasoned. "I didn't sleep all that well last night."
"I did," Abby said, taking a drink from the mug warming her hands. April mornings in England weren't as warm as some of the April mornings in Ontario. "My head hit that pillow and I was out like a light." She noticed Ben grinning at her and immediately felt self-conscious. "What? Do I have stupid tattooed across my forehead?" she questioned, feeling her hairline.
Ben shook his head and looked down at the counter. "I'm still getting used to your accent," he told her almost sheepishly. "With each passing day, I swear, it fades just a little bit."
"You would say that," Abby muttered, taking another sip of coffee. "What time is Millie due to come in?"
Ben glanced up at the clock. "Her lecture runs until one so I told her anytime after that was okay." He looked back down at counter, compelling Abby to say something.
"Are you and Millie, you know, okay?" she finally asked, not able to look him in the eye. "I mean, you both seem so mechanical around each other."
"No, we're okay," Ben replied. "I've grown used to the idea that she could turn me into a toad anytime we have an argument." The look on his face told Abby he was joking. "Seriously, though, what she does in her spare time, and at college, of course, is her own business. I have no right to say I don't like it or I won't date her for it."
"Good," Abby said, sitting up straighter. "I was hoping you'd say that." A customer came to the counter then and she jumped up to serve him. When she had finished, she turned back to Ben. "I hate to see you two fight," she offered. "It really bothers me."
Ben only grinned. "There you go," he said, raising his hands as if to prove a point. "You used the word 'bother' instead of 'bug' like you normally would." He laughed. "Us English folk are growing on you."
Abby tossed a dish towel at him.
Millie strolled in close to two that afternoon. The day had been steady, giving Abby and Ben plenty to do. Elaine still hadn't shown up and Ben was getting more frustrated by the moment. "She needs to be here," he insisted as Millie tied her apron on. "She said she'd be down later."
"Relax," Abby said, returning from a table with an empty tray in hand. "She said she'll be here and she'll be here." She set the tray on the counter and began serving customers at the cash. "Now, would you help us out a little here? I believe that's what we pay you for," she mocked, and Millie smiled. She had been quiet since she came in but Abby didn't have a chance to talk to her until seven that evening when the major rushes died down a little.
"What's up?" she asked. "How was your lecture?"
"Boring," Millie answered. "Tim fell asleep twice and Robert Turnbell fell off his chair in a poor attempt to stay awake."
"What exactly do you study there?" Abby asked, her mind filled with curious questions.
"All sorts of things," Millie said, ticking the subjects off on her fingers as she went. "Potions, history, dreams, chants, and about fifty other things."
"Sounds interesting," Ben quipped as he walked by them. "I'm going upstairs for a moment," he said, ignoring the sharp looks from Abby. "Mum hasn't come down all day, not that I really expected her to. I'm going to go check up on her." With that, he disappeared into the staircase that would take him to their apartment.
"What's it like up there?" Millie asked, her gaze following Ben. "It must be nice, an apartment this large."
"Ben's never taken you up there?"
Millie shook her head. "Never."
Abby shook her head. "Well, when he comes back, I'll take you up there and show you around."
"Okay." Millie smiled, but the smile left her face as quickly as it came. "Nick Hobbes just came in," she said, burying her face in her hands. "I don't want him to see me."
"Too late," Abby said as a tall boy with dark hair began making his way across the café. Abby had never seen him before and that was surprising. She felt she knew everyone in Cambridge.
"Millie, you never met me after class, like I asked," he said to a cowering Millie. Slowly, his attention turned to Abby. "Who's this?"
"Abby Winters," she said, offering her hand. He took it slowly and shook it with the grace of a gentleman.
"Nicholas Hobbes," he introduced himself, "but everyone calls me Nick."
"Nice to meet you," she said as he turned his attention back to Millie. Abby gave her a confirming look as Nick began to question her about not meeting him after class. "Millie, I think you should clean up the kitchen now," she said, relishing the look of relief on Millie's face. "If you wouldn't mind keeping your personal matters out of the café."
"I'm sorry," Millie whispered, giving Abby a grateful look as she dodged out of sight and into the back of the kitchen. Abby turned back to Nick Hobbes and smiled.
"I'll kindly thank you to also leave personal matters out of my café," she said.
"Your café?" Nick's face took on a look of immense confusion. "I thought this place belonged to Ben and Elaine Stemson."
"It does," Abby told him, "but I live with them, therefore it also becomes my café." She was trying to be as rude and as cold as possible, but with every bitter, biting word, Nick's smile seemed to grow.
"I like a girl with fury," he said, leaning closer to her. She felt herself being drawn to his deep, dark eyes and mysterious air. "You seem to have enough for the both of us."
"Shows what you know," Abby retorted. Due to her mind being blissfully blank, she wasn't entirely sure what she was saying but Nick seemed to like it. He laughed and looked down at the counter before his eyes pierced her soul again.
"What do you say you and I go out tonight?" he asked. Before Abby had a chance to reply, Millie appeared around the corner.
"Leave her alone, Nick," she warned. "Just leave her alone."
Nick didn't move, but shook his head and clicked his tongue. "There's no need for jealousy, Millie. There's plenty of me to go around."
"Nick!" Millie warned once more, advancing towards him. This time, he backed away with his hands in the air.
"I'll see you around," he said, flashing a smile at Abby. With that, he disappeared as quickly as he had appeared.
"Thanks for saving me," Millie said, returning to her stool. "I'll finish cleaning up in a moment."
"I was only saying that for his benefit," Abby said, laughing, but deep down inside, she felt disturbed. Why did Millie feel the need to protect her from Nick Hobbes? She was a big girl; she could fend for herself. Deciding against asking her because Millie must have her reasons, Abby jumped up to serve another customer, pushing all mixed thoughts about Millie and Nick Hobbes out of her brain.
Ben appeared shortly afterwards, a look of obvious cross on his face. "Mum's asleep," he said scornfully. "She shouldn't make promises if she can't keep them."
"Cool it," Abby said, pouring Ben a cup of coffee. "She's been tired lately. You look like you could do with a nap yourself."
"Yeah, but I'm not upstairs sleeping when there's work to be done," Ben argued, gladly accepting the mug from Abby.
"Most of the work's done," Abby reminded him. "Millie's just cleaning up in the back and the customers have slowed down a little. Which is good, because I have to start practicing for tomorrow night's singing."
"Right," Ben said, slapping his forehead with the palm of his hand. "We're closing early tonight, aren't we?"
Abby studied him closely. "Are you feeling okay?" she asked. "You never forget details like that."
"There's just been so much going on," Ben said. "But if you hadn't mentioned singing, I would have plain forgotten that I'm supposed to go pick up Mum's friend tonight."
"Want some company?" Millie asked, returning from the kitchen. She wiped her hands on her apron. "I'd be glad to go along for the ride."
"Sure," Ben replied happily. "Abby, there's very few people left. Why don't you start closing up? Don't worry about the coffee pots in the back, I'll do them when I get back." He grabbed his jacket and Millie took off her apron.
"Beware of Nick Hobbes," she muttered out of the corner of her mouth, giving her friend a look of concern before she and Ben left. Abby pondered this thought while she began closing up machines. What was so bad about Nick Hobbes and why hadn't she heard of him before tonight?
"Good morning," Elaine said when she opened her eyes. "How are you this wonderful morning, Abby?"
"Just ducky," Abby replied, pouring herself a glass of orange juice. "I'm actually awake on time this morning so Ben will be pleased." She continued to gulp down her juice and looked up only when she had finished. "I've been late the past few mornings," she confessed guiltily.
"No worries," Elaine said, standing up from the floor and walking into the kitchen. "Ben left early this morning and he seemed upset about something."
"He's still reeling about Millie being a witch," Abby answered, signaling that she would be right back. She grabbed the brush off of the washroom counter and began brushing out her long brown hair. People often told her that she looked like her mother and she took their word for it, only because she had never met her real father. After their divorce, her mother cut all signs of Abby's father out of the house. With their long brown hair and emerald eyes, Abby considered the fact that she and her mother could be sisters. However, she lacked an emotional bond with her mother, one that she felt could never be replaced until she met Elaine. Elaine had all the natural motherhood instincts and Abby felt she could really confide in this lady that had taken her in to her home and treated her like a child of her own.
Returning to the kitchen, Abby pinned up her hair and began to prepare for the day. "Ben will flip if I'm late again," she explained as Elaine watched her scurry around the apartment. "And if he's in a bad mood already this morning, I don't want to rock the boat."
"I'll be down later," Elaine promised. "I just have some cleaning up to do in the apartment before I head downstairs." As if to prove her point, she began tidying magazines on the kitchen table. Abby left the apartment, closing the stairwell door softly behind her, shaking her head at Elaine's antics.
The café hadn't yet reached it's really busy point. A glance at the clock told Abby that Millie hadn't yet started her two-hour lecture so she would have to face Ben's wrath on her own for most of the morning. He was sitting at the counter, his head in his hands, peeking through his fingers every once in awhile to see if anyone was standing at the counter. Just for kicks, Abby wandered around the other side and walked up to the counter. When Ben looked up, she smiled warmly and said, "I would like to order a smile, please."
Ben's mouth widened into a soft smile. "Morning," he said, running a hand through his hair. "I didn't expect to see you much before noon today."
"Well, you got a surprise then," Abby said, returning to behind the counter. She poured herself a cup of coffee and took the stool beside Ben. "Your mother said you seemed a bit moody this morning."
Ben shook his head gently. "Just tired," he reasoned. "I didn't sleep all that well last night."
"I did," Abby said, taking a drink from the mug warming her hands. April mornings in England weren't as warm as some of the April mornings in Ontario. "My head hit that pillow and I was out like a light." She noticed Ben grinning at her and immediately felt self-conscious. "What? Do I have stupid tattooed across my forehead?" she questioned, feeling her hairline.
Ben shook his head and looked down at the counter. "I'm still getting used to your accent," he told her almost sheepishly. "With each passing day, I swear, it fades just a little bit."
"You would say that," Abby muttered, taking another sip of coffee. "What time is Millie due to come in?"
Ben glanced up at the clock. "Her lecture runs until one so I told her anytime after that was okay." He looked back down at counter, compelling Abby to say something.
"Are you and Millie, you know, okay?" she finally asked, not able to look him in the eye. "I mean, you both seem so mechanical around each other."
"No, we're okay," Ben replied. "I've grown used to the idea that she could turn me into a toad anytime we have an argument." The look on his face told Abby he was joking. "Seriously, though, what she does in her spare time, and at college, of course, is her own business. I have no right to say I don't like it or I won't date her for it."
"Good," Abby said, sitting up straighter. "I was hoping you'd say that." A customer came to the counter then and she jumped up to serve him. When she had finished, she turned back to Ben. "I hate to see you two fight," she offered. "It really bothers me."
Ben only grinned. "There you go," he said, raising his hands as if to prove a point. "You used the word 'bother' instead of 'bug' like you normally would." He laughed. "Us English folk are growing on you."
Abby tossed a dish towel at him.
Millie strolled in close to two that afternoon. The day had been steady, giving Abby and Ben plenty to do. Elaine still hadn't shown up and Ben was getting more frustrated by the moment. "She needs to be here," he insisted as Millie tied her apron on. "She said she'd be down later."
"Relax," Abby said, returning from a table with an empty tray in hand. "She said she'll be here and she'll be here." She set the tray on the counter and began serving customers at the cash. "Now, would you help us out a little here? I believe that's what we pay you for," she mocked, and Millie smiled. She had been quiet since she came in but Abby didn't have a chance to talk to her until seven that evening when the major rushes died down a little.
"What's up?" she asked. "How was your lecture?"
"Boring," Millie answered. "Tim fell asleep twice and Robert Turnbell fell off his chair in a poor attempt to stay awake."
"What exactly do you study there?" Abby asked, her mind filled with curious questions.
"All sorts of things," Millie said, ticking the subjects off on her fingers as she went. "Potions, history, dreams, chants, and about fifty other things."
"Sounds interesting," Ben quipped as he walked by them. "I'm going upstairs for a moment," he said, ignoring the sharp looks from Abby. "Mum hasn't come down all day, not that I really expected her to. I'm going to go check up on her." With that, he disappeared into the staircase that would take him to their apartment.
"What's it like up there?" Millie asked, her gaze following Ben. "It must be nice, an apartment this large."
"Ben's never taken you up there?"
Millie shook her head. "Never."
Abby shook her head. "Well, when he comes back, I'll take you up there and show you around."
"Okay." Millie smiled, but the smile left her face as quickly as it came. "Nick Hobbes just came in," she said, burying her face in her hands. "I don't want him to see me."
"Too late," Abby said as a tall boy with dark hair began making his way across the café. Abby had never seen him before and that was surprising. She felt she knew everyone in Cambridge.
"Millie, you never met me after class, like I asked," he said to a cowering Millie. Slowly, his attention turned to Abby. "Who's this?"
"Abby Winters," she said, offering her hand. He took it slowly and shook it with the grace of a gentleman.
"Nicholas Hobbes," he introduced himself, "but everyone calls me Nick."
"Nice to meet you," she said as he turned his attention back to Millie. Abby gave her a confirming look as Nick began to question her about not meeting him after class. "Millie, I think you should clean up the kitchen now," she said, relishing the look of relief on Millie's face. "If you wouldn't mind keeping your personal matters out of the café."
"I'm sorry," Millie whispered, giving Abby a grateful look as she dodged out of sight and into the back of the kitchen. Abby turned back to Nick Hobbes and smiled.
"I'll kindly thank you to also leave personal matters out of my café," she said.
"Your café?" Nick's face took on a look of immense confusion. "I thought this place belonged to Ben and Elaine Stemson."
"It does," Abby told him, "but I live with them, therefore it also becomes my café." She was trying to be as rude and as cold as possible, but with every bitter, biting word, Nick's smile seemed to grow.
"I like a girl with fury," he said, leaning closer to her. She felt herself being drawn to his deep, dark eyes and mysterious air. "You seem to have enough for the both of us."
"Shows what you know," Abby retorted. Due to her mind being blissfully blank, she wasn't entirely sure what she was saying but Nick seemed to like it. He laughed and looked down at the counter before his eyes pierced her soul again.
"What do you say you and I go out tonight?" he asked. Before Abby had a chance to reply, Millie appeared around the corner.
"Leave her alone, Nick," she warned. "Just leave her alone."
Nick didn't move, but shook his head and clicked his tongue. "There's no need for jealousy, Millie. There's plenty of me to go around."
"Nick!" Millie warned once more, advancing towards him. This time, he backed away with his hands in the air.
"I'll see you around," he said, flashing a smile at Abby. With that, he disappeared as quickly as he had appeared.
"Thanks for saving me," Millie said, returning to her stool. "I'll finish cleaning up in a moment."
"I was only saying that for his benefit," Abby said, laughing, but deep down inside, she felt disturbed. Why did Millie feel the need to protect her from Nick Hobbes? She was a big girl; she could fend for herself. Deciding against asking her because Millie must have her reasons, Abby jumped up to serve another customer, pushing all mixed thoughts about Millie and Nick Hobbes out of her brain.
Ben appeared shortly afterwards, a look of obvious cross on his face. "Mum's asleep," he said scornfully. "She shouldn't make promises if she can't keep them."
"Cool it," Abby said, pouring Ben a cup of coffee. "She's been tired lately. You look like you could do with a nap yourself."
"Yeah, but I'm not upstairs sleeping when there's work to be done," Ben argued, gladly accepting the mug from Abby.
"Most of the work's done," Abby reminded him. "Millie's just cleaning up in the back and the customers have slowed down a little. Which is good, because I have to start practicing for tomorrow night's singing."
"Right," Ben said, slapping his forehead with the palm of his hand. "We're closing early tonight, aren't we?"
Abby studied him closely. "Are you feeling okay?" she asked. "You never forget details like that."
"There's just been so much going on," Ben said. "But if you hadn't mentioned singing, I would have plain forgotten that I'm supposed to go pick up Mum's friend tonight."
"Want some company?" Millie asked, returning from the kitchen. She wiped her hands on her apron. "I'd be glad to go along for the ride."
"Sure," Ben replied happily. "Abby, there's very few people left. Why don't you start closing up? Don't worry about the coffee pots in the back, I'll do them when I get back." He grabbed his jacket and Millie took off her apron.
"Beware of Nick Hobbes," she muttered out of the corner of her mouth, giving her friend a look of concern before she and Ben left. Abby pondered this thought while she began closing up machines. What was so bad about Nick Hobbes and why hadn't she heard of him before tonight?