Comfort Food and Covert Magic

Aurora, a young witch curious about the world outside of Whimsica, sneaks off to the mortal realm where she meets an unsuspecting human named James. After spending the day together, James asks her on a date for that weekend, which is coincidentally Valentine's Day. Aurora hesitantly agrees and rushes back to Whimsica to share all the details with her best friend, Penny the ghost.

Despite her excitement, Aurora can’t let her guard down. If any of the mortals discover she's a witch, she could surely be burned at the stake.

And even worse, if the high priestess discovers she traveled to the forbidden mortal realm, she will be put on magical probation and endlessly haunted by Whimsica’s self-appointed, intolerable busy-body Rufus.

When her trip through the portal causes her to get sick right before the date, she struggles to keep her magic in check. What kind of chaos can be caused by a sick witch in an overbooked restaurant on the most romantic night of the year? And will Aurora be able to stop it from ruining her date?

This short story originally appeared in Recipes for Romance: A Sweet Valentine's Day Anthology published by And You Press, an imprint of Nicole Frail Books, released in February 2025. This ebook contains supplemental material from the author.