Two Broke Witches: A Sapphic Fantasy Romance by Kate Starling

Author:Kate Starling [Starling, Kate]
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Published: 2023-07-27T00:00:00+00:00

“Expedited? I’m not sure that’s something we’ve ever done,” said the 50-something clerk at the GreenThumb office. She had the rounded, exhausted look of a woman ready to retire, all the edges sanded down after a lifetime of helping others.

Delilah adjusted her Mets cap, the inside chafing against her scalp. Somehow she didn’t think her excuse about “peak gardening season” was going to work on a woman who worked for an organization that helped manage community gardens.

“Does that mean you can’t do it?” she asked.

“Ah, I didn’t say that. It’s just… well, really I don’t know. I guess we could. May I ask why you want to expedite the application process? I’m not saying I find it strange, but others might,” said the clerk, her ringed auburn hair bouncing as she tilted her head to the side.

Maybe it was the clerk’s exhausted look or maybe it was her encounter with “Ralph Ellison”, but Delilah was tired. She didn’t want to be doing this. She’d rather be in bed with Iris, lazing the day away. But then a mental image of her pale, broad frame next to Iris’s petite figure flashed through her mind and she cringed with shame.

“You wanna know the truth?” asked a frustrated Delilah. “Fine, here you go: I live in a shitty apartment building in East Chinatown that my new landlord wants to sell off to be torn down because they’re sad that my old landlord, their dad, is dead. Keep in mind, they’re not sad about kicking everyone out on the street, but whatever. Anyway, my, uh, roommate thinks that if we can make the public garden next to our building nice, it might make our landlord reconsider. Honestly, I think that’s crazy talk but I really like my roommate and I don’t wanna shoot her idea down just because I don’t think it’ll work. But we only have a few weeks so I can’t wait a month and a half to get approval from you guys. I have to start working on this yesterday. Is that enough of an explanation for you?’

The clerk was speechless for a few moments, her mouth hanging open. Then she said: “Let me see if I understand: You want to build out a community garden in less than a month to try to get your landlord to not sell your building.”

“Yep.”

“And you’re doing this because it’s your roommate’s idea, who you ‘really like’ and who you don’t want to disappoint.”

“Yep.”

“What happens if you build out this garden and your landlord still sells your building?” the clerk asked.

Delilah shrugged. “I guess we’ll have somewhere nice to sleep when we’re homeless then,” said Delilah jokingly.

The clerk didn’t seem amused. She pursed her lips, thinking, and after a few heavy moments of consideration said: “You must have some roommate if you’d stick it out together homeless too. Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that. I am going to look into expediting your application but do me a favor–come up with a story that’s going to be easier for my bosses to swallow.

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