Welcome to Stories from Among the Stars.

You're listening to Can't Spell Treason Without Tea by Rebecca Thorn.

Narrated by Jessica Threat.

Chapter 23.

Raina

The next day dawned bright, and Raina prepped to open the shop for the first time in almost a

week.

She placed the A-frame sign in the town square again, this time with grand reopening

this afternoon penned below the directions. Several people had already passed by,

peeking through the windows and offering support while Raina wiped the outdoor tables.

She relocated the vast array of gifts that cluttered the front of the barn inside,

cutting their floor space while scenting the plant-filled oasis with new flowers,

all of which were blooming days longer than they should have.

Kianth slept through most of this prep work.

The one time she appeared in the doorway, it was to remark,

Cleaning? This place is spotless.

Raina wiped her brow, rearranging the free books in their lending shelf.

I cleaned while you were sick, but there's always more to do. Cleaned as in

tidied, or cleaned as in obsessively scrubbed because I don't think I've ever seen that kettle

gleaming before. Keanth nodded at the copper kettle perched on the burner. One eyebrow

arched in exasperation. It kept me occupied. Rana shrugged, and let the days where

she'd paced anxiously, consumed sixteen books off their shelves, and, yes, scrubbed every surface of the shop

...