Amber (Jewels Cafe Book 1)

  Table of Contents

  Amber (Jewels Cafe, #1)

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  If you liked Amber, you’ll enjoy these other Jewels Cafe books:

  Sapphire by Eva Delaney

  Chapter 1

  Amber

  Jewels Cafe, Book 1

  By: Mia Harlan

  Amber

  Copyright © 2019 Mia Harlan

  This book is a work of fiction. All names, characters, places, and incidents are the products of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or actual persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  All rights reserved. Except for brief quotations in any reviews, no part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without the prior written consent of the authors.

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  Chapter 1

  AMBER

  I glance out the window to make sure the coast is clear. Yes, there are wards in place throughout Silver Springs to protect humans from seeing magic. Problem is, I don’t want any supes seeing what I’m about to do either. Last thing I need is for one of them to tell my best friend, Julian, that I like to parade around as a guy in my spare time. Which I don’t. I swear!

  The cobblestone sidewalk in front of Jewels Cafe is predictably empty. When we first opened, Julian and I had a bunch of happy customers and one really grumpy werewolf. Since then, foot traffic outside has been almost nonexistent. It’s been terrible for business, but right now, it comes in pretty handy.

  I take a few deep breaths to clear my head, summon my chameleon magic, and shift into a dude. Or, more specifically, the giant bouncer dude from Vee, the club just down the street.

  My body instantly feels heavy. My stomach roils. And my dress magically re-forms around my giant pecs. It barely reaches my large, manly thighs, and I consider trying to lengthen it—or transform it into the bouncer’s black jeans and t-shirt—but it’s not like I’m trying to win some sort of fashion award.

  I peek outside the cafe again and make sure no one’s watching. Then, I lean over the tall counter and reach around the fancy new coffee machine to make myself another cappuccino.

  Okay, yeah, I know. I should have just walked around the counter like a normal person. I could have even transformed into a bird shifter and flown over it. But instead, I had to shift into a dude?

  Truth is, this is faster, and I haven’t really mastered flying. Last time I tried, I crashed into a building. I was mostly fine, but I won’t take the risk in our brand-new cafe. Not when we can’t afford to replace anything right now.

  I look around and my thin bouncer lips break into a smile. I love this place. I love our state-of-the-art coffee maker that makes a mean cappuccino. I love the gorgeous floor-to-ceiling windows that surround our cafe and open out to the cobblestone paths outside. And I especially love our Jewels Cafe mugs, each with a different colored jewel in the center: sapphire blue, ruby red, emerald green, and others, including my favorite, the yellowish-orange amber. My namesake.

  The coffee machine sputters to a stop, and I grab my mug and lumber across the cafe. The bouncer’s junk, which apparently materialized sans underwear—thank you, wonky magic—slaps against my inner thighs. I cringe, which is enough of a distraction to make my chameleon magic falter.

  Within seconds, I feel myself shifting back to my twenty-one-year-old female self. Which would be a huge relief if my amber Jewels Cafe mug wasn’t about to slip from my rapidly shrinking fingers.

  Beads of perspiration form on my upper lip. My armpits grow damp. I fight to hold on to my magic with everything I am, but it’s a losing battle.

  This wouldn’t be the first time I’d broken something mid-transformation, just never anything this important. And I can’t bear the thought of destroying any part of our little cafe. As though breaking this mug might somehow be the beginning of the end for this place.

  For a split second, my chameleon magic holds. I even manage to position my mug above the table right before I lose control.

  My hand shrinks back to its normal size, and the mug slips. It crashes down with a bang, and cappuccino foam splashes everywhere. Luckily, my laptop’s just out of reach, and the mug’s still in one piece.

  Once I’ve cleaned up the mess—by shifting back into the bouncer, of course... had to grab the towel from behind the counter somehow—I settle in front of my laptop. I borrowed a marketing eBook from the library, hoping to find something in it to save Jewels Cafe. So far, though, nothing has worked.

  I just don’t get it. Julian and I keep this place pristine, unlike our messy upstairs apartment. We go the extra mile with our customers. And everyone agrees our drinks are delicious. So what are we doing wrong?

  I’m halfway through a chapter on social media marketing when my laptop screen reflects a shadowy figure behind me. Julian.

  I didn’t even hear him come downstairs. Which, I guess, is what he was going for, considering how he’s tiptoeing up to me, each movement slow and careful. Wouldn’t be the first time he’s tried to sneak up and scare me, but this time, I’m ready.

  I pretend to keep reading and watch Julian set something down against the wall. It looks like a canvas of some sort, maybe a painting for the cafe?

  When Julian turns back to me, all sneaky, I grin and let my chameleon magic flow through me. Oh, sweet revenge.

  Shifting by choice takes work, and half-shifting requires a lot more focus than a full shift. Luckily, I don’t need to carry a coffee mug across the cafe this time. All I need to do is sit still, which leaves me with all the energy I need.

  I keep my long, blonde hair in place so everything looks the same from the back, but slowly shrink my nose, eyes, and mouth to those of one of the few customers we’ve had this week: a cute fairy who always orders iced coffee, hold the sugar.

  My skin starts to glow with her perfect tan, my lips grow more pouty, and my nose takes on the perfect button shape I can only dream of. I can feel her heavy mascara on my lashes, and when my dress stretches across her much larger breasts, I realize I’ve also inherited her cleavage. Perfect!

  “Guess who?” Julian whispers, his breath caressing my ear.

  Even though I’m ready for him, a shiver races down my spine, and my heart skips a beat.

  He’s so close that I can practically feel the heat emanating from his body. He covers my eyes with his hands, and my magic flickers in response. I feel my boobs start to shrink and my nose start to grow.

  It’s a struggle to hold my temporary form. I take a few deep breaths, and when I’m ready, I peel Julian’s hands off my eyes and turn to face him.

  The horrified look on his face—well, it's priceless.

  “I'm so sorry!” Julian jumps back like he's been burned. “I thought you were Bean. I mean Amber. She works here!”

  His eyes grow to the size of saucers, and he looks madly around the cafe, like he expects to find me behind the counter. Which he won’t. Obviously. Because I’m right here. Looking absolutely gorgeous and fairylike.

  I pucker my perfectly plump lips and bat my made-up eyelashes, but Julian just looks more horrified. For a second, I think my magic malfunctioned, but my much bigger breasts are still right where they should be.

  I look back up from my generous cleavage,
but Julian’s eyes aren’t on my boobs. They’re on my laptop, the one covered with jewel stickers in all colors of the rainbow.

  I see the moment realization dawns, and I can't help it. I burst out laughing.

  Instantly, my magic falters. My nose grows back, my lips lose their plumpness, and my breasts shrink. But I just keep laughing.

  “Gotcha!” I manage between snorts.

  Julian scowls. “Not funny, Bean!”

  “I thought it was hilarious, Juli. That’s what you get for sneaking up on me.”

  Julian manages to keep a straight face for a few seconds, but then his lips twitch. “I guess I should have known it was you,” he says softly, and his slow smile makes my cheeks flush.

  “Yeah, you should have.” I give him a cheeky grin to disguise my reaction. It’s one of the many ways I’ve used to hide the fact that I’ve had a crush on him since my first day at the academy.

  I’d been a chubby fourteen year old with absolutely no fashion sense while Julian, the lucky jerk, looked exactly the same. Younger, of course, but just as cute. Same piercing bluish-gray eyes. Same gorgeous, thick eyelashes. Same slightly too-long blond hair begging to be brushed back.

  I'd run into him in the hall, and it had been crush at first sight. Just like present day me, all younger me had wanted was for Julian to like her back. Which was why I’d messed everything up with one failed spell and doomed myself to a lifetime in the friend zone.

  “Do you remember the braces?” Julian laughs, his thoughts obviously running along the same path as mine.

  “No,” I pout, because, oh boy, do I ever. How could I forget?

  I’d panicked. That’s the only excuse I have for what happened.

  I wanted Julian to think I was pretty. As pretty as Minerva Montgomery, the shallowest, most self-centered witch at the academy. So I tried to replace my braces with her pearly whites and give myself her gorgeous hair.

  Except I'd been flustered. My heart had been pounding in my chest, and I’d felt like I couldn’t breathe. I’d only just come into my powers, and my chameleon magic went wack. Next thing I knew, I had metal wires sticking out of my shiny, bald scalp and Minerva’s thick, red hair growing out of my chin in a waist-length beard. If that wasn’t bad enough, there was a giant mirror in the hall, and I was looking right at it. I’d screamed bloody murder. Everyone turned to look. And they never let me live it down. Not even Julian.

  “You looked adorable, Bean,” he teases. His words, coupled with that nickname—Bean—makes me feel round and chubby and unattractive, even though I lost all the baby fat.

  I try not to let my hurt show, and I guess it works, because Julian turns around and lifts what I thought was a painting.

  “You got us a sidewalk sign?” My eyes light up.

  “I did. And you’re going to love it, Bean. Just let me set it up first, okay? I don’t want you to see it until it’s ready.”

  I try not to stare as Julian angles the sign away from me and saunters across the cafe. I fail. Hard.

  He looks so cute in his jeans and long-sleeved shirt that my heart squeezes tightly in my chest. His biceps bulge as he hefts the heavy sign, and I can’t help lusting after his muscular frame and drooling over his broad shoulders. It's a good thing he has his back to me as he steps out of the cafe...

  “Wait for me!” I jump to my feet.

  “Not yet, Bean. Just wait inside!” Julian calls over his shoulder.

  I fidget impatiently and wait until he finally gestures for me to join him on the cobbled sidewalk.

  The door chimes behind me and rattles shut. It’s actually surprisingly hot outside, considering it’s mid-October, but I barely notice. The only thing on my mind is the old, weathered sandwich board sign.

  The dark brown wood is chipped, and the chalkboard looks worn and well-loved. It’s perfect. Exactly the way I remember from when it sat outside our favorite cafe at the academy.

  The words “Now Serving: Pumpkin Spice Lattes” are written in the owner’s perfect handwriting. The capital P, S, and L boast flourishes, and the hand-drawn cup has whipped cream in white and orange chalk.

  It looks identical to the sign the old banshee set out every fall, and it takes me back. It summons memories of racing Julian down the hill from the academy, textbooks clutched against our chests and book bags swinging. Of pumpkin spice lattes gripped tight with cold fingers on frosty fall days. Of the two of us huddled around one of the cafe tables, studying the History of Spellcasting or quizzing each other for our Shifter Culture exam.

  “How did you get this?” I cry, my eyes filling with tears.

  “Does that mean you like it?” Julian asks, not really answering me.

  “Of course I do. Julian, it's perfect.” I throw my arms around him in a tight hug.

  Julian wraps his muscular arms around my waist and pulls me close. Which is when I realize my mistake. Being this close to Julian is too much. My breasts press up against his chest, my breath catches in my throat, and I jump away like I've been burned.

  To hide how flustered the hug leaves me, I turn to face the sign. “I can’t believe you bought this, Juli! Was it expensive? Please tell me shipping it here wasn’t expensive!” Because we’d be lucky if we can afford to keep this place open another month as it is.

  “I didn't spend any money, Bean. You know me better than that.” Julian wraps an arm around my shoulder and pulls me into his side.

  “Then how?” I ask, trying to act nonchalant at the casual touch.

  “I spelled it.” Julian grins.

  “You what?” I almost forget that my right breast is partially pressed up against Julian’s muscular chest. “How?”

  “Bought a used sign and transferred the image onto it. Took a bit of practice, but it wasn’t too hard.” Julian shrugs like it’s no big deal, but I know better. He’s always had trouble getting his spells right. For him to channel his magic and make this... I stiffen and glance across the street to where Minerva Montgomery just happened to take up shop the same week we did. “Did she help?”

  Julian looks across the street, his eyes land on Minerva’s Bakery, and he breaks into a slow smile. It’s like a punch to the gut, that the witch would inspire that look, but then Julian shakes his head. “Nope. Did this one on my own.”

  “Really?” I force myself not to think about Minerva. “That's amazing, Juli! The sign is exactly how I remember it!”

  “It is exactly how you remember it!” Julian pulls out his phone and shows me a photo. At my horrified expression, he grins. “You looked adorable, Coffee Bean. I don’t know why you don’t like any of your academy pics.”

  I grimace as I take in the photo. Julian—dressed in jeans and a t-shirt—has his arm thrown casually around my shoulder. My blonde hair is a tangled mess from racing him down the hill. I'm wearing his shapeless, baggy sweater, since I’d insisted it wasn't cold and started shivering the moment we reached the cafe. My chubby cheeks are flushed an unattractive red, and I’m giving the camera a toothy, brace-filled grin. Yet despite it all, Julian is looking at me the exact same way he is now. Which only goes to show that he’s always seen me as his best friend, Bean, and nothing more.

  “I look awful,” I grumble.

  “You look cute,” Julian argues, but I know he doesn’t mean it. At least, not like that.

  Then, I catch a glimpse of the sign behind us in the photo.

  Julian may not be in love with me, but he gets me. This place—Jewels Cafe—is our dream, and he’s my best friend. If this is all I can ever have of him, then I need to accept it. Because I’d rather have this life with Julian than not have him at all.

  Chapter 2

  AMBER

  “Those pumpkin spice lattes aren’t going to make themselves, you know.” I give Julian my most blasé smile—the kind of smile you’d give your best friend whom you definitely didn’t have a crush on—and head back inside the cafe.

  The door chime melds with the classical music playing softly in the bac
kground. There’s something so lonely about how empty the place is. There’s no line stretching from the counter to the door. No kids from Stone Hill High poring over homework. No couples sipping handcrafted drinks from gorgeous Jewels Cafe mugs. No one but Julian and me. And if business doesn't pick up, the two of us will have to sell to that land developer who’s been sniffing around and watch this place get torn down.

  My face falls, and Julian gives my shoulder a gentle nudge. Somehow, he always picks up on my moods, and this is no exception.

  “The lattes could make themselves, you know,” he teases. “A bit of magic here, a spell there...”

  “Don’t you dare, Juli! Remember what happened when you tried to make cocoa? You’re lucky I didn’t get second-degree burns!”

  “That was three years ago.” Julian pouts. “I was only eighteen! I have way better control of my spellcasting now.”

  “Do you?” I raise an eyebrow. “Like with my bed?”

  “That wasn’t my fault!”

  “You nearly took out a wall.”

  “But I didn’t!”

  “It takes up the entire room, Juli! It’s like three king size beds in one. I barely have any room to walk around. Plus, it’s way too soft.”

  “It’s luxurious.” He has the gall to wink at me. “One of a kind.”

  “It’s definitely that.”

  “Come on, Amber, just admit it. It’s brilliant.”

  “Is not!” I fake pout, because we both know he’s right. Buying a used doll house and magically expanding all the furniture saved us thousands of dollars. So what if the quality’s not that great? I can totally put up with sleeping in a too big, too soft, and definitely too lonely bed, if it means keeping this place out of that land developer’s greedy paws for another month.

  “I could always try to shrink your bed down to a king size...” Julian suggests.

  “And risk leaving me with no bed? Not happening! And you are not casting any spells on our coffee machine, either!”

  “Fine,” Julian grumbles, but I know he’d never risk casting his spells around our expensive equipment. Not when his magic, like mine, has always been wonky.