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Today, it seemed especially odd, seeing as our numbers had doubled. Before, only Drake, Kelley, and I had covered the majority of shifts, with the late Harold taking on whatever few we couldn’t. When I arrived for work that day, though, three strangers stood huddled beside the brand-new espresso maker, watching as Kelley did the leg work for a round of pumpkin spice lattes.

That was her thing. While she’d kept the original name of the coffee shop to honor her late father, everything else about the business was undergoing a major transformation.

The most noticeable change was that every day was now pumpkin spice latte day. No longer could anyone order a simple latte, cappuccino, or Americano. Each now included at least some hint of pumpkin in the mix.

That was the hardest part of this transition for me, learning the new menu.

I fully supported Kelley’s mission to offer PSL all year round, but that was before I realized the extent of her plans. We now had more than a dozen variants on the classic drink, including holiday versions that were also meant to be served year-round.

Want a cupid spice latte in August? No problem. We just need to add a shot of white chocolate and some red hot sprinkles to our classic PSL.

Blech. Just thinking of that monstrosity made my stomach churn.

“Welcome, Gracie!” my new boss cried with a giant grin on her eighteen-year-old face. “Now we just need Drake, and we can get started with the day you’ve all been waiting for!”

She paused as if she expected me to shout out some kind of answer. I didn’t even know there’d been a question.

Kelley clucked her tongue.“C’mon, Gracie. You know better than anyone! It’s one week until opening day, which means it’s time to get everyone—including our lovely new hires—oriented to the new way of things. And…” She grabbed a pair of coffee stirrers and tapped them on the edge of the counter to imitate a drumroll. “That includes getting to taste everything on the menu! I hope you brought your appetites!”

How I managed not to throw up right then and there, I still don’t know. Maybe Merlin’s magic was starting to rub off on me, after all.

While I found Kelley’s enthusiasm admirable, her commitment to the theme was just a bit too much for me. Still, I liked her and I wanted her to succeed. I also knew that no matter how far out into left field she went with this business, it was still destined to be a hit. I’d made sure of that when I secretly bestowed my one big wish upon her. Now I’d have to make my own destiny without any significant magical aid, and that was fine by me.

My life was exciting enough, thanks to my new adventures with Merlin and Luna… and our baby ghost. Plus I didn’t trust myself not to waste the wish on something trivial—or something that would backfire on me spectacularly.

So Kelley got her PSL lovefest, and I got to keep my job. Let me tell you, the more things change, the more they just keep on staying the same.

4

Drake dragged himself through the door about ten minutes later, which made him eight minutes late for his shift. Harold would have torn him a new one—and then made him work at least an hour without pay. Kelley simply put on her best smile, clapped her hands together, and announced that we’d be starting off with an icebreaker.

She even climbed onto a chair and cupped her hands over her mouth like a megaphone—an action that was definitely not needed, given that we were all huddled closely together in the tiny storefront.

“My name is Kelley, and my favorite pumpkin spice is ginger!” she shouted, then climbed down from the chair and motioned for me to climb up and take my turn.

I stumbled over, trying so hard not to be embarrassed as I rose up on that chair.“I’m Gracie, and I like cinnamon?” I said, having never really thought much about my favorite pumpkin spice before.

And so the day went, full of useless getting-to-know-you activities and overly sweet coffee confections. At one point, Kelley announced we’d be playing “Never have I ever” as her inventive, icebreaking way of trying the new iced beverage line.

When it was my turn, I felt emboldened enough to say,“Never have I ever seen a ghost.” It was kind of true. I knew there was a pre-ghost in my house, but only because my cats had told me.

What really surprised me was when Drake of all people kicked back his shot of pumpkin spice coconut dream.

Drake. Hmm. What did I know about Drake?

He had a bit of an attitude problem when it came to authority but had always been nice enough to me. The real question was whether he had taken a drink to be funny or if he’d actually seen a ghost. If he’d really come across one before, maybe he could help me with my problematic houseguest.

I had to find out, so I caught up with him in the parking lot as we were headed home from our mind-numbing afternoon of orientation activities.

“Hey, Drake,” I called, jogging over to him. “Crazy day, huh?”