Page 6 of The Tea Witch's Promise

"Hi, Brew."

"Ah, how glad I am to hear you say that." He rubbed his ear. "Everyone else is justRooibos, Rooibos, Rooibos."

I couldn't help but smile. "If it annoys you that much, maybe I should start calling you Rooibos too."

"Please don't. It's a stupid name." He pointed a finger at my face. "Don't tell my mum I said that."

"Never," I promised, knowing full well that Mrs Brewster was just as fierce as she was kind. And she was certainly fierce when it came to her children's names. Jasmine and Earl had gotten lucky, Brew and Cami not so much.

Brew gave me a relieved smile and fell into step beside me as I started my patrol around the farm that had been in my family for generations. He knew them as well as I did, considering he grew up a stone's throw away from here.

There hadn't been as many people here then. Just a couple of streets with the basics, but people had started straggling in about fifteen years ago, and there'd been a surge of new inhabitants in the last couple of years. I wasn't entirely sure why, but so long as Purple Oak thrived, it wasn't really an issue. Even if it meant more patrol.

"Did you hear the Millers had their baby?" I asked.

"I didn't," he said. "What have they called them?"

"Firtan. Healthy baby boy. Naida told me when she came to pick up the wheat last night."

"I'll make sure Mum knows, she'll want to send a gift. And probably send Reese over to check everyone's healthy."

"I thought it was Zoe who wanted to specialise in midwifery?" I asked, hoping I'd gotten his cousins straight. I didn't know them as well as I knew the main Brewster clan, they'd only moved here about five years ago with their parents.

"She is, but she's still away."

"Ah." Now he mentioned it, I dimly remembered a meeting where Zoe had volunteered to negotiate a treaty with the Spire.

"So I'm told you're hosting a ward ceremony?" Brew asked, pausing to wave at someone passing.

"You're told correctly," I said.

He folded his hands behind his head which made him look even more carefree, especially considering he wasn't wearing a proper coat. Instead, he was out and about in a thin cardigan with short sleeves that did nothing to hide his muscled arms.

“Why are you wearing so little clothing?” I asked.

He flashed me a grin. “Are you checking me out? Do you like it?”

“No, I'm asking if you’re an idiot."

"That's not nice," he teased.

"Neither is going out in the middle of winter without a coat. Aren't you cold?"

“I’m not. Don’t you know I run hot?”

I rolled my eyes at his poor flirting attempt. “You don't. I remember winters at the Brewster Hall. You and Jasmine were always complaining that you were freezing.”

“I forgot you knew that.” Brew kicked a little rock out of the way. “I gave my coat to a young boy earlier today. He came into the infirmary with hypothermia because he’d been sleeping out in the cold without any real shelter. I wanted to do more for him but I didn't really know how. So I gave him my coat.”

“Oh." A wave of affection travelled through me. He was more than just a terrible flirt, and I knew that. "That was very nice of you.” And now I felt bad for teasing him about it.

He hummed, his usual bravado gone. “I know Purple Oak is thriving but there are still people here that are barely surviving. We need to work a lot harder to make this a safe place for everyone.”

A smile came to my lips. It was rare to catch Brew in a serious mood because he was always kidding around. He did such a good job at being a joker, it was easy to forget he had a heart of gold.

“Shall I tell you about the ward ceremony and how it'll make our oasis a better place?” I said, hoping the change in topic would cheer him up.

He watched Banjo playing up ahead with a thoughtful expression on his face. “Yes, please.”