Anathema (Causal Enchantment, #1) Read Free Page A

wondered how I had managed to go from
landing my first job in a trendy cafe to a salary that could only
be described as ridiculous.
    Newt’s Brew was empty. Not one customer idled
with a cup of coffee. No buzz of conversation in the air. Maybe it
was still early, I decided. Sofie stood behind the counter, her
back to me, intent on something in her hands. “Hi Sofie!” I called
in a bubbly voice.
    “ Good evening, Evangeline,” she
responded without turning, with that same reserved air I was coming
to recognize as a usual aspect of her personality.
    My chest tightened.
What if she regrets
hiring me?
“Tell me what I can do,” I urged, sprinting around
the counter to face Sofie. Clad in a provocative, knee–length
indigo–blue dress that accentuated her waspish hourglass figure,
she was opening a trash bag. I tugged self–consciously on the
bottom of my shirt. After spending the entire day in front of my
closet, fussing over my mediocre wardrobe, I had finally settled on
my nicest pair of dark blue jeans and a gray and black striped
shirt, certain that I would still look like a hobo off the street
next to the worst–dressed customer in this place.
    “ These all need to go,” she said,
waving a hand dismissively at the display of desserts.
    I picked up a silver platter and sniffed a
slice of apple pie. It
smelled
fine.
    “ Help yourself, if you’re hungry,”
she offered, bending to tuck the bag into the trash can.
    “ Are you getting a new batch
in?”
    She shook her head. “I have to close Newt’s. I
have some unfinished business in New York.”
    Close?
My smile faltered. “Oh … For
how long?”
    “ A few weeks, at least. Maybe
more.”
    My smile fell completely. “Well … is there
anything I can do to help? I have ten thousand dollars’ worth of
hours to put in for you, don’t forget.” A small, uncomfortable
giggle escaped me. I’d happily forget that part.
    “ This place is pretty much ready for
closing,” Sofie answered, moving to the sink to rinse her
hands.
    “ Okay. Well, I’ll be here when you
get back, I guess.”
    We spent the next minutes in awkward silence as
I scraped chocolate sauce off a plate, feeling as if an internal
bubble had just been popped.
Why am I so disappointed? So I’ll
have to wait a few weeks to begin paying off my gigantic debt. So
what?
    Because it wasn’t just about the money, I
realized. I
wanted
to work here—to meet new people, to
talk to them, to have them actually respond to me. To befriend
Sofie … I stole a glance toward her back.
She’s so interesting.
So cool.
    “ Unless you want to come with me to
New York?” Sofie asked suddenly, turning to meet my
gaze.
    The plate slipped from my hands and clattered
noisily against the tile floor. I felt my eyes bulging.
Go to
New York City with her?
    “ You don’t have to. I could use your
help, though,” she added.
    “ I … I don’t—” I stammered, my heart
beginning to race.
Me in New York?
I had never been beyond
Portland’s suburbs.
    “ You wouldn’t have to worry about
accommodations or meals.” Sofie leaned down to pick the plate up
off the floor.
    “ It’s a wonderful offer, Sofie,” I
began, picturing myself surrounded by skyscrapers and the bustling
city life. My stomach spasmed with excitement.
This is
crazy—isn’t it? Would a sane person say yes to this? I barely know
the woman!
Granted, I had smashed her property and she in turn
had graciously invited me in for cocoa and a high–paying job—hardly
the signs of a serial killer. And this was a job, after all. People
traveled all the time for jobs, I rationalized.
    “ Consider your debt to me squared
away after this trip,” she added. “You’ll have earned
it.”
    My jaw dropped, and my shoulders lifted as if
relieved of an oppressive weight—and they had been.
I won’t owe
her anything? But … that means she won’t be obligated to have me
work here.
I bit my lip, glancing around the empty café with a
twinge of