The woman’s eyebrows shot up briefly, then came back down. I’d had lots of reactions to my last name before, but shock had never been one of them.
“Is Celeste here? Or are you running things for her today?”
I looked down at the floor, feeling a prick of sadness. I supposed this woman had been a friend of Grandma’s. “Grandma passed away about a month and a half ago. She left me her house and the shop.”
The woman pressed a hand to her mouth, those vibrant eyes suddenly shimmering with tears. “You’re kidding! I didn’t realize…oh, I’m so sorry.”
“Thanks.”
The woman tried for a smile, but it fell a bit short. “The shop looks great. Mind if I look around for a bit?”
I gestured around the shop vaguely. “I actually just moved here yesterday, and I’m still working on getting the shop up and running. I’ll probably be able to open by the end of the week if you want to come back.”
She chewed her lip as she stared at me. I could sense that she was going through some kind of internal struggle.
“I um, I won’t be in town that long. I just came to visit my brothers for a couple days.”
“Well, maybe I’ll catch you next time you’re in town.”
The woman shrugged and attempted a smile again. Anytime she tried, the smile fell flat almost instantly.
“I won’t be back to Woods Crossing again for um…a long time. Honestly, I’m in a bit of a bind. I really need some Essence of Chameleon. Could you see if there’s some in stock? I’ll pay extra for it.”
I quirked an eyebrow. Had I misheard her? “I’m sorry, essence of what?”
She fidgeted with the hem of her sleeve. “Chameleon. This is the only place in town that has it. I’ve gotten it here before.”
I blinked a few times, running through the shop inventory in my mind. I hadn’t come across anything to do with chameleons. Was the woman crazy?
“I don’t carry that, sorry. Maybe try Amazon?” A look of desperation flashed across her face.
“Celeste always had a huge supply of apothecary ingredients, even stuff that’s hard to find. I’m sure she left you at least some instructions before she died about how to run the apothecary. That’s where you’ll find the essence.”
I found myself backing up a step, shaking my head.
“Yeah, she was my grandmother, but I didn’t know anything about her or the shop until I came here yesterday. She didn’t leave me any instructions, and I’m pretty sure she didn’t have an apothecary. You’ve got the wrong shop. We don’t sell whatever chameleon stuff you’re looking for.”
She let out a frustrated growl.
“How do you not know about Essence of Chameleon? I know it can be tough to get hold of at times, but…”
I crossed my arms and narrowed my eyes. “Look, I’ll have to call the police if you don’t stop talking crazy like that.”
Rolling her eyes, the woman let out a huff of impatience. “Good luck getting them to help. Look, I really need that essence. Just check the apothecary, please. I’ll pay you double what it’s worth.”
I clenched my fists. “What the hell are you talking about? We’re not in the middle ages, lady, in case you haven’t noticed. There’s no such thing as apothecaries anymore!”
Her aggravation suddenly melted into a look of total confusion.
“You mean…you don’t know about…?”
She trailed off, her expression incredulous.
“Know about what?”
She paused, looking at me as if I’d sprouted horns. I set my jaw, my lips tight. How could I get rid of this woman?
“Don’t you know about your heritage? About who you really are?”
My earlier insecurities that I’d shared with Maria that morning came rushing back, but this time, I found myself getting angry rather than sad.
“That’s none of your business. I need you to leave, ma’am.”
The woman didn’t move, except to shake her head sadly. “No one in your family ever told you? I mean, I guess Celeste’s boys…”
She trailed off, her eyes glazing over, her expression distant. This was really getting out of hand. I made a mental note to keep the door shut and locked at all times until I could officially open for business.
“Told me what, exactly?”
My tone had grown testy, but the woman didn’t seem fazed by it. Ignoring my question, she shook her head again, her gaze drifting off to the back of the shop.
“Look, I need to get home, so I’m afraid I’ll have to ask you to leave. Please come by when I officially open the store or whenever you’re in town again.”
With that, I directed my eyes pointedly to the door. The woman’s focus snapped back to me. She set her lips in a tight line.
“Look, can I show you something?”
I almost screamed with frustration. My hand twitched towards my back pocket, where I kept my phone. It might be a good idea to call the police after all.
