With a deep breath, Addison squared her shoulders and stepped through Lavender & Lemon Balm’s door.

The shop’s heady herbal scent enveloped her, all florals and leaves, and though for years nothing smelled more like home, now it only reminded her of the uncertainty of the future and her magic right along with it. But today she let herself breathe it in, because for the first time in a long time, Addison had hope.

Two midcentury armchairs were nestled in the corner of the room between shelves packed with jars upon jars of leaves and roots and flowers. Small wooden tables sat in strategic spots, littered with dirty mugs.

A hand-scripted sign hung above the register.

Lavender & Lemon Balm

Teas and Tinctures: Priced as Marked

Tea-Leaf Readings:

—15 Minutes: $25

—30 Minutes: $40

—60 Minutes: $70

Healing Sessions (Local Customers Only):

—Anger/Frustration: $50

—General Sadness: $75

—Shame/Disappointment: $100

—Fear/Anxiety: $125

—Grief/Loss: $150

—Trauma: $200

We retain the right to adjust pricing based on difficulty. Equal-value trades accepted as payment on a case-by-case basis. Healing will not remove all pain but will help ease suffering. Subscriptions for mental health-related appointments can be arranged at a discounted rate.

Closed for tea-leaf readings and healing sessions on Thursdays.

Addison spotted her mother sitting at a table in the back. Irene Haywood had her long orange hair tied in a thick braid that she’d pulled over her shoulder, and she wore a loose crew-neck T-shirt tucked into her jeans. At the sound of the bell tinkling above the door, she glanced up. Then, she waved for Addison to join her.

Sarah Roberts sat across from Irene. The woman was older than Addison but younger than her mother. Begonias bloomed in her aura, a sign that she was experiencing unwanted thoughts. While the Haywoods were unable to remove her trauma completely—their magic couldn’t take away the memory of what happened to her or eliminate the very real scar it had left on her heart—they’d been able to ease the weight of it so much that while she used to visit them weekly, now they only saw her every few months at most.

She held a teacup in her hands.

“Why don’t you sit in on this healing session?” Irene asked.

Addison knew what her mother was doing. It was a safe space for Addison to try her hand at healing again. She almost refused, but if she let her mom walk her through her magic the same way she’d done when Addison was a kid, Irene might be more amenable to the real reason Addison had come into the shop that morning.

To her customer, Irene said, “You don’t mind if Addison joins us, do you?”

Sarah smiled sadly and shook her head. “Not at all. Someday it’ll be you I come to for this anyway.”

“Hopefully by then the chamomile will be more than enough,” Addison said, as Sarah set her teacup on the table. “Anything specific bring you in today?”