I bounced out the door, which led from the storeroom to the outdoor bar appropriately named Magic & Mixology. “Hey there, how can I help...” My sentence trailed off as I laid eyes on the man before me. “You?”
The visitor grinned, the smile one that could shine down from magazine covers. He had sandy-brown hair and dark-brown eyes—the rich sort of brown found in the depths of the best cup of coffee—that sucked me into their world. “Hi.”
That one simple word was enough to make me forget a proper response. Something about this guy, something in the air, or something in his aura, was enchanting. His very presence had the ability to scramble my thoughts. “Hi,” I said again. “I’m Lily, the resident Mixologist. Are you new around here?”
“Fresh off the boat. I’ve been here before, but it’s been a while.” He thumbed behind him toward the dock, never once taking his eyes off of me. “I’m visiting, and I was told you have the best beverages around. Do you by chance have food, too?”
I gave an idiotic sort of grin. “Um...yes?”
“Is that a question?” The man winked then slipped onto a bar stool. “I’d love to see a menu if you have one.”
Muttering furiously to myself, I turned my back to him so he couldn’t see the embarrassed blush climbing up my cheeks. After a few deep breaths, I twirled back around with a gracious smile and handed over the menu. “I’m sorry if I seem a bit disoriented. I was working all morning and just pulled my head out of it, so I might still be in La La land.”
“La La land? Sounds like a fun place.” He pulled the menu toward him and pursed his lips as he glanced over it. “This looks great. I’ll take whatever you recommend.”
He handed the menu back, looking up just in time to catch me staring at him. I mumbled a thank-you while giving myself a mental head slap. I wasn’t looking to date anyone, and I certainly wasn’t looking for a relationship...but something about this man was captivating.
“How about eggs and toast?” I asked once I’d gathered my voice. “I’ll pair it with a Caffeine Cup. Simple, but it’s the most popular option.”
“That sounds lovely.”
I made a few notes on my pad of paper because if I didn’t, I was afraid I’d forget everything. Meanwhile, the visitor looked around the bar with curiosity.
“We don’t get strangers around here all that often,” I blurted out of the blue. Closing my eyes, I breathed out. “I’m sorry,” I said, opening my eyes again. “I meant to ask where you are from, and it came out wrong.”
The man turned twinkling eyes on me. “Call me Liam. I come from the same place you do.”
“St. Paul?” I gaped. “Minnesota?”
He laughed. “No, I just meant the mainland. America.”
“Oh, wow.” I held a hand over my heart. “I was gonna say, that’s a huge coincidence. What brings you out this way?”
“Business,” he said with a small smile.
“What sort of business are you in?” I leaned on the counter, realizing all at once that I hadn’t started preparing his food. “I’m sorry, you don’t have to answer. I’m just being nosy. You’re probably in a rush, and here I am chatting your ear off. I’ll get your food ready now.”
“I’m here for a few days at least,” he said. “Don’t worry, I’m in no rush. I just arrived, and I don’t have a single meeting until tomorrow. In fact, I thought it’d be fun to get to know the new Mixologist.”
“You’ve been here before?”
He nodded. “Many times.”
“Are you...” I cleared my throat. “Are you from here?”
“I’m a wizard, if that’s what you’re asking,” he said with a broad smile. “No, I was not born here, but both of my parents were. My father was a shifter, my mom a witch. They moved over to the mainland when they found out she was pregnant.”
“This seems like a great place to grow up,” I said, filling the tea kettle with water. “Why would they move away?”
“You didn’t like growing up in St. Paul?”
I thought back to my younger days. It’d been only my father and me, and he hadn’t been a particularly “active” parent, to put things nicely. Most of the time, I’d entertained myself. Friends had been few and far between. “It wasn’t bad. Although, I have family here, and it would’ve been fun to grow up with my cousins.”
“We’re similar, you know.”
“What do you mean?”