Chapter Twenty Two
Sparks & Sweetbread Header quote: “Magic is a risk of the heart—messy, unruly, and always better when shared.” It happened on a Saturday morning—that golden, sleepy window between the breakfast rush and the lunchtime lull, when the Hearth & Hollow shimmered with warmth and smelled like cinnamon, wild mint, and sun-kissed stone. The sky outside was crystal blue, the air just starting to hum with the heat of late spring. Windows were open, letting in a breeze that played with the curtains and flirted with the flower baskets hanging by the beams. Inside, laughter and clinking mugs wove through the café like a spell of its own. Luca stood behind the counter, fingers twitching against the edge of a flour-dusted tray. His brows were knit, jaw tight. Althea was watching him from where she sl
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