Page 29 of The Tea Witch's Promise

"Oliver is actually who gave me the idea," I admitted sheepishly. "He said he lost them to Hana in a bet, but if he was using them as an excuse to see her, that makes a lot more sense."

"It does. But I don't want to talk about Hana and Oliver right now," Brew said.

"Hmm, and what do you want to talk about?" I murmured.

"How much I want to carry on what we started, but that we're going to wait until after I've talked to your brother," he murmured.

"I hope another kiss isn't off the table."

"You know it isn't." He leaned in and brushed his lips against mine in a tender kiss that conveyed the truth behind everything he'd said to me before. He was serious about us, and there would be no going back now that we'd seen what we could be together.

Not that I wanted there to be. Every part of me knew that this was right, and I intended to listen to myself.

Chapter15

Brew

I finished wipingdown the surfaces of my examination room and took a moment to refresh myself from the cup of tea sitting waiting for me. I hoped nothing too serious was going to come through my door today because I was close to the end of my rations.

Jasmine and Grey had better be successful with their negotiations with Grower's Cove. We needed a steadier supply of tea coming into Purple Oak, and the infirmary in particular.

I stepped into the waiting room to see my next patient and found Oliver waiting in one of the seats. Nerves tingled through me as I approached my best friend, something I hadn't felt since I accidentally broke one of his toys when I was twelve.

"Hey, Oliver," I said, glad that my voice wasn't shaking. "More bird trouble?"

He held up his arms which were covered in scratches. "I'm going to figure it out one of these days."

I patted him on the back. "I'm sure you will. Let me take care of that for now." I wanted to suggest that he used a falconer's glove, at least until Howie gained a little more control over his talons. It was kind of irresponsible for him to be using up so many resources because he couldn't get on with his owl.

But considering I needed to fess up about my feelings for his sister, I chose to keep my mouth shut.

I led him into my treatment room and he hopped up onto the bed without being asked. I looked at my teapot and debated whether I needed more for what was ahead of me, but I decided against it.

I took a deep breath and considered the best way to approach this. My nerves were making my hands shake despite the tea I'd already drunk, and they weren't helped by the fact I had no idea how Oliver was going to react. He was normally even-tempered, but he was protective over Katie, and for good reason.

At least we were already in the infirmary if he decided to take it out on my face.

I sat down in front of him and put my hands on his arms. Magic pulled through my veins, filling me with a warm glow that only ever came from the healing magic of tea. I directed it to his wounds and a green glow started to form there. I'd done it a few times by now so I didn't need to hum the song that included the right rhythm. Which meant that it was now time for me to do what I needed to and confess.

"Oliver..." I kept my eyes on his arms, just to make sure I didn't make any mistakes. "I need to tell you something."

"That sounds serious," he said.

I took a deep breath. "It is." I searched for the right words, not sure how to broach this subject. I could always blurt it out but that didn't seem like the most tactful approach. "I've fallen in love," I said eventually.

He raised an eyebrow. "Well, well, well, I never thought I'd hear you say that," Oliver said, his voice tinted with amusement. "Go on, my friend. Tell me more. Who captured the heart of the most eligible bachelor Rooibos Brewster?"

This was torture.

"Katie," I said, unable to look at him.

Oliver chuckled. "Katie who?"

"Katie," I repeated, finally looking up at him. "Fields."

His smile fell away and he stared at me, too stunned to speak. After a while, he cleared his throat and nodded. "I see."

I focused on healing his wounds while I waited for him to say more. I had no doubt that it was coming. I had siblings, and even though I knew Oliver was a great guy, I'd still have questions I wanted to ask if I discovered he was in love with Jasmine or Earl.