Cornbread & Crossroads

started bringing me here after she first found me, she said I was as thin as a bean pole. So, she would bring a bunch of food with us to see how much she could get me to eat.”
I swallowed my mouthful and glanced at him. “Did she used to eat meatball subs with you?”
With an embarrassed grin, he said, “Yes. They were my favorite, so we always ate them here together before she encouraged me to play with the other kids.”
After picking up a crispy fry, I dipped it in the ketchup to cover up the wave of emotions almost overwhelming me. I wish I’d had a chance to meet Marian in person if only to thank her for helping to shape Mason into this amazing person. A soft breeze blew across us but the leaves on the branches above us didn’t rustle. The hairs on my arms stood up, and I swore I could smell the faint scent of perfume.
Lifting my head a little, I closed my eyes. “Thank you,” I whispered to the energy surrounding us.
“What?” Mason asked.
I brushed off his question with a shake of my head. A little kid from the swings came over and stared at our shared meal. When I offered him a fry, he accepted it with a smile that was missing two front teeth. Mason asked him if he was hungry, and when the kid shrugged, he offered him the rest of his sub. The little boy stared at the food with big eyes as if afraid to touch it, but after a second when he was certain we wouldn’t try to take it away from him, he snatched the sandwich and ran off.
Since the subs were so big, I gave Mason the large portion I had left and searched the basket to see what else awaited us while sipping on a cup of iced tea.
“This is sweet, but it’s not like what we have at home. Beyond the tang of citrus, there’s a very…earthy flavor to it,” I said, lifting up the lid to look inside.
“Here, let me see.” He took the cup from me and sipped it. “Yeah, no doubt Wanda infused some herbs in it.” He smacked his lips and thought about it. “I think I taste rosemary?”
Checking my spell phone, I looked up the uses of the herb and almost snorted. “This source says that rosemary’s a symbol of loyalty and fidelity.” I left out the third element of love on purpose. Guess she wanted to make sure I held up her command not to mess things up with the detective.
Mason let me try his purple taro bubble tea, and I found the flavor of the sweet potato more pleasant than I expected. “I miss some of my old haunts like Wanda’s,” he said.
“Jackpot!” I liberated a small square wrapped in cellophane from the basket. “Do you miss the action you saw up here?”
“Do you think Honeysuckle hasn’t had more than its fair share?” he chuckled. “Especially with you around.”
“Hey, I don’t cause the trouble. It just seems to find me,” I protested in jest. Pulling off the plastic wrap, I drooled over the dark, moist brownie that smelled like dessert heaven.
Breaking the large portion in half, I tore off a smaller chunk and bit into the rich chocolate. “Holy unicorn horn, that is amazing.”
Mason’s eyes followed my every movement as I licked every crumb off my fingers and moaned my pleasure. When I caught him staring, I stopped. “What? Have I missed some?”
He cleared his throat and put down the last bit of his sandwich. “Uh, no. Just enjoying your reaction. I’m glad you like your lunch.”
I stopped fussing over the brownie and maintained his intense eye contact. “Very much so. Every part of it.”
While I finished my half of the brownie, I watched a group of kids approach the basketball court with their own ball and negotiate themselves into small teams. The game stopped and started as they invited newcomers to join when they approached and adjusted teams to keep things even. When they played, they put everything into the game as if they were in the pro finals, but they laughed just as hard when they took timeouts to just be kids.
By the time we finished eating, the park was filled with laughter and joy from all of the children. A mother carrying a tiny baby on her hip and pushing a stroller approached the bench and asked if we were finished.
“Here.” Mason cleaned up the wrappers and last bits of food and threw them in the basket, wiping off any leftover crumbs from the seat. Before we left, he placed two fingers on the bench in farewell.
We held hands while we walked back toward Wanda’s cafe, and I begged him for more stories from his childhood involving Marian. He painted a picture of a young kid struggling to figure out what his life was supposed to be and how being identified as a witch changed all that. To my surprise and amusement, the honorable detective had also had a few brushes with the law, both mortal and magical, during his formative years.
“But you know what?” he said after telling me one of the many lectures Marian gave him. “I don’t regret a thing. Even my failed engagement.”
“You know you’re not alone in that, right?” I added. “If we hadn’t gone through what both of us experienced…”
“Then we might not be where we are right now,” Mason finished. He stopped in the middle of the sidewalk, causing people to have to walk around us. “And I’m pretty happy with where we are.” He gripped my hip and pulled me closer, planting his warm lips against mine.
He tasted like brownies and sunshine, and the honks of a horn, cat calls, or whistles melted away in his embrace.
If I had known I needed to climb a steep stairwell, I wouldn’t have worn my heels. Mason waited with patience for me to take it one