“Lady, I know who you are.”
“I was hoping I could talk to you for a moment.”
“Let me pull my shoes on,” Leo said. “House isn’t proper for company.”
I wondered if it ever was.
“All right,” I said and took a step back.
A couple of minutes later, Leo came out onto the small deck. I made my way down the steps, careful to avoid the part of the step that almost gave way before, and walked back out toward the road.
Leo just jumped over the steps and landed in the dirt with a thud. It sent up a small cloud of dust which he batted away with both hands.
“What do you want?” he asked when he joined me next to my car.
“I wanted to ask you about the incident at the restaurant. Then man who had to be taken away in an ambulance,” I said.
“I don’t know anything about that, lady. I was in the kitchen the entire time. I don’t stop washing dishes for hours once the dinner rush starts. I’ve got everybody breathing down my neck wanting it done faster,” Leo said. “I hope you didn’t come all the way out here for that.”
“You didn’t hear any gossip about it or anything?” I pressed.
“Nobody gossips with me. I wash the dishes, and I come home. The waitresses don’t even split the tips with me the way they do the busboys.”
“Busboys? My friend didn’t mention there being any busboys there that night.”
“Well, that’s cause the one we had called in. They would make me do it if they could, but I can’t get away from the dish line. The hostess and a couple of the grunts in the kitchen have to do it when there’s nobody else. They’d make the waitresses bus their own tables, but they don’t want the customers seeing the people who bring them their food touching dirty dishes.”
“I guess… I’m sorry I bothered you, Leo. I thought maybe you might have heard something about what happened,” I said.
“Aren’t you going to ask me?” Leo inquired.
“Ask you what?”
“Why I didn’t go with them?” He kicked the dirt with the toe of his beat-up fake Converse shoes.
“I, uh… Well, I didn’t figure that was any of my business.”
“I guess it’s not,” he said and shrugged. “But you and me were both a part of that crew.”
“I was never a part of Azriel’s crew,” I said defiantly.
“Well, I was, but as you can see, I’m not like them. They never patched me in and they never turned me. Got to the point where I started to suspect they never would. I think they were just using me.”
“I know that feeling,” I admitted. “So that’s why you didn’t go. You were afraid they were never going to turn you.”
“It’s more than that. I was afraid I’d disappear somewhere on the road between here and California. It’s a long way and a lot can happen.”
“You’re afraid they were going to kill you,” I said.
“I’m pretty sure that was the plan. Use me to do their dirty work until I started pushing to be let in. Then, it was time to get rid of me. Their trip to California would have been a good opportunity. I was around them long enough to know how they thought,” Leo said. “But I didn’t go. Some nights I can’t sleep. I think they’re going to come back and tie off loose ends.”
“That’s not going to happen,” I said. “They won’t be coming back here, and they won’t hurt you.”
“He came back for a while, you know.”
“Yeah, I’m aware,” I said and unconsciously ran my hand over my belly.
“I booked it out of town. I thought for sure I was a goner. Almost lost my job over it, but the chef at Bella Vita stepped in and saved my job. Said I was too hard-working to fire.”
“That’s good,” I said.
“I should let you get out of here,” Leo said and toed the dirt with his other sneaker. “You’ll tell me if they ever come back? You won’t let them hurt me?”
“I can do that,” I said.
As I pulled my car off the concrete pad that served as the trailer’s driveway, I saw Leo watching me from out of the window. He looked almost like a little boy, and it struck me how young he was. I wondered how long Azriel had been lying to him. Had he snared him when Leo was still a teenager?
“Not your circus,” I told myself as I drove home.
I would keep the promise I made to him, though. I’d warn him if Azriel or his club ever came back to town, and I wouldn’t let them hurt him. Not that I thought Azriel would ever show his face in Coventry again. On that accord, I felt Leo was safe.
A short while after I’d been home, I heard Thorn pull into the driveway. He’d sent me a text message that we were going back to Bella Vita for dinner and that I should dress for pictures.
I didn’t want to wear the red dress a second time in a row, so I selected a black cocktail dress that I felt was pretty and demure but still made me look like a million bucks.
My hair and makeup were done by the time Thorn walked in. Meri was snoozing on the sofa. He woke up and rolled over, but when he saw us all dressed up, he just scoffed and went back to sleep.
“I’ll bring you something good to eat,” I said to Meri and Thorn took my hand to lead me out the door.
“Steak,” was all Meri said back.
“The cat wants steak,” Thorn questioned as he opened the passenger door for me. “He’s got expensive taste.”
“He’s got good taste,” I said with a shrug. “Why, do you have a problem with me getting him a steak?”
“Not at all,” Thorn said with a chuckle. “But maybe New York strip or ribeye. You’re not going to get him a filet, are you?”
“Bacon-wrapped,” I confirmed.
“You spoil him,” Thorn said.
“He’s no ordinary cat. You’ll get used to it,” I said as Thorn slipped behind the wheel.
“I suppose I will,” Thorn said with a smile.
There weren’t many cars in the parking lot when we got to Bella Vita. “Where is everyone?” I asked.
“The woman who called me said that this was a special night for you,” Thorn answered. “Maybe they closed the place down?”
“You think they did that for us?”
“I think they did it for you. You’re kind of a big deal around here, after all.”
“You’re the sheriff,” I pointed out.
“Well, let’s go inside and find out,” Thorn said.
He came around and got my door for me. When we walked inside the restaurant, Thorn and I discovered that they had not closed the entire restaurant down, but they had cordoned off a huge section just for us.
Our portion of the restaurant was decorated with dozens of bouquets of roses. They were red, pink, and white, and in the center of it all was a table with another bouquet.
A man with a camera sort of appeared near us and started taking photographs. “Sorry,” he said and extended his hand to me and then Thorn. “I’m Julian. I’m a photographer. Obviously.” Julian sort of held the camera up like he was proving he was a photographer. “The restaurant has tasked me with capturing your evening for you. I’ll be as unobtrusive as possible to get some candid shots, but I’d also like to get a few poses too.”
“What on earth is all of this about?” I whispered to Thorn under my breath.
“I think they feel bad about what happened to our evening. The lady on the phone said something about giving you the night you deserve.”
“Okay. Well, let’s eat. I’m starving,” I said.
I probably shouldn’t have been starving given how much I’d eaten at the hospital not that long before, but all that had done was keep me from passing out. My body and magical metabolism had chewed through that food already, and I was ready for a huge pasta dinner. My mouth watered at the scent of fresh baked garlic bread that wafted from the kitchen.
We did end up having to take a few photos before looking over the menu. They were special menus just for us too. Fortunately, I saw a filet I would order to go for
Meri. Surely given everything Bella Vita had done for us, they wouldn’t mind throwing together a to-go order for me.
“I think I’m going to get the filet too,” Thorn said as he looked over the menu. “There are three appetizers here. Any idea which one you want?”
“Yes,” was my response.
“Yes? Okay, which one?”
“No, I mean, yes. I want the appetizers,” I said with a chuckle. “I fully intend to at least try all three.”
After we put in our orders, another waitress appeared with a bottle of champagne. “Oh, no, thank you,” I said. “Thorn, you should have some, though. It looks good.”
“Are you sure?” he asked. “I won’t drink in front of you.”
“It’s okay. I’d like another iced tea, though,” I said sheepishly pointing to the one I’d already drained.
The waitress popped the cork on the champagne and filled Thorn’s glass. He took a sip and sighed. “It is good. I’ll make sure and buy you a bottle as soon as you can have some.”
“You’re sweet,” I said.
Before Thorn could respond, the chef came out of the kitchen. He made a beeline for our table. “Welcome, guests!” he said and shook Thorn’s hand before turning to me. When I offered him mine, he turned it over and quickly kissed my knuckles. “We’re so honored to have you here this evening.”
“Thank you,” Thorn and I both said in unison.
“Surely we’re not the only couple to ever get engaged here,” I said, still not sure why we were being given the royal treatment. “But we do appreciate it,” I added quickly.
“No, we do get proposals here frequently since we’re the classiest joint in town,” the chef, Wylie Romano, said with a huge, hearty laugh. “But it’s not often that we have a proposal between two such distinguished citizens such as yourself.” He talked about Thorn and me as if we were royalty. It was a little cheesy and over-the-top, but it did make me feel special.
Wylie stayed at our table for a few minutes discussing the menu with us and personally helping us select the perfect dish. You could tell that he had a great deal of passion for cooking. In the end, Thorn did choose the filet with a side of garlic and mussels linguine. The evening’s version of surf n’ turf. I had a huge craving for seafood as soon as Thorn ordered it, so I went with the crab and lobster Alfredo. We also both ordered the Caesar salad with handmade croutons and parmesan crisps.
The meal was incredible, and our waitress, Cassandra, brought out Meri’s to-go box with dessert.
“You’re going to have to roll me to the car,” Thorn said with a laugh when he’d only eaten half of his dessert.
“This was an incredible evening,” I said as we walked to the car. “I appreciate what they did so much, but last night was still better.”
“Better than all of the flowers, personal menu, and professional photographer?” Thorn asked.
“I’ll admit that it was fun being treated like a celebrity, but nothing could compare to the night of our actual proposal,” I answered.
“The night did get a little ruined,” Thorn said.
“No, it didn’t. Nothing could ruin that moment. Sure, what came after it was a bit disturbing and unpleasant, but it can’t ruin it,” I said.
“You don’t know how happy it makes me feel to hear you say that, Kinsley. When we walked into Bella Vita tonight and I saw all that they had done, I couldn’t help but feel a little bit bad that I hadn’t done all of that for you. Like, that was the evening I should have planned for you,”
“No, it isn’t,” I said. By that time, Thorn was behind the wheel of the cruiser. We were sitting in the parking lot, and I took his hand. “What you did was perfect. Right down to having my dorky friends there to take pictures. You’re all I need, Thorn. Me and the baby, we need you.” I felt myself choke up a little.
“Hey, now,” Thorn said and wiped the tear that I didn’t know had escaped. “I know what you’re thinking, Kinsley, and you’re wrong. You didn’t almost lose me. You were never in danger of losing me.”
“But I…”
“It’s water under the bridge, Kinsley. We have a whole life together to plan. We have a wedding to plan. I can’t wait to see what your family comes up with there.”
That made me laugh, and I felt the guilt lift from my chest. The guilt of leaving Thorn for Azriel sometimes gripped me like a vice around my heart. But every time, Thorn was right there to tell me that it was okay. It was starting to sink in that we were actually stronger because of the trials our relationship had gone through before that moment.
Chapter Six
The next day I was in the shop when someone came in and told me the news. Paul Fraser had died in the hospital that morning. He’d had a heart attack.
“But his heart was fine,” I said to Lucretia Owings, who’d come in to buy sage and mugwort.
“Yeah, it does seem suspicious,” Lucretia echoed. “So, do I use this mugwort as a tea or do I smoke it?”
“Wait, what?” Reggie asked as she was suddenly interested in our conversation.
“The mugwort. If I want to use it to travel,” Lucretia made air quotes when she said the word travel, “should I smoke it or use it in a tea?”
“You can smoke some of this stuff?” Reggie looked at me shocked.
“Honey, you can smoke a lot of this stuff,” Lucretia said with a laugh. “The thing is, not all of it does anything. This mugwort does, though. The sage, I don’t know. I’ve heard it does for some people, but I think they’re just making things up. Now, bay leaves, those will sneak up on you. If you’re burning one to make a wish, make sure you burn it outside. Ask Geraldine Husband about that one.”
“Geraldine Husband?” Reggie asked.
“Yeah, they found her wandering around her farm naked as the day she was born talking to pink ducks that nobody else could see. I’m pretty sure that’s not what she wished for.”
“I’m so confused,” Reggie said, but she chuckled.
“The smoke from bay leaves is mildly hallucinogenic,” I said. “But if someone was making a really big wish, then… well, they might just end up wandering around their farm naked taking to ducks.”
“Pink ducks,” Lucretia corrected.
“So, about this mugwort?” Reggie asked and reached for it.
Lucretia pulled it away playfully. “Not for the inexperienced as it can be a poison too. Well, this kind can. Mugwort is a fairly general name that encompasses many types of the same plant. Your friend here only stocks the kind we can really use. Wolfsbane. Or monkshood. Pretty names for a pretty plant that’s not so pretty if you use it wrong.”
“What does it do?” Reggie asked.
But a lightbulb went off in Lucretia’s head. She turned to me and forgot her conversation with Reggie. “Did you hear that someone found an entire poisoner’s garden in an empty lot? Uh, I wish I could remember what the address was. Some witches are going to clear it out so no one gets hurt. They put a temporary fence around it and locked it with a padlock. Some of that temporary fence you just spike in the ground. You can get it at the hardware store, but it looks like black wrought iron. It’s a sight to see for sure. Anyway, you need to get down there and harvest as much of it as you can so you can sell it. There’s enough stuff there that it might put a dent in your business.”
“Where is it?”
“Oh, man. I just saw a picture on my friend’s phone. I’ll get the address for sure and call you later, okay?” Lucretia said. “Or ask your mom. She probably knows.”
“Yeah, I’ll do that. If she knows where it is, I imagine she and Amelda will harvest a lot of whatever is there. Any idea who planted it?”
“No one has said anything. I’ve heard witches say it might not have even been intentional. Some young witch could have been doing rituals out in that empty lot and just left plants with seeds in them behind. Like when people throw their pot seeds over the fence and a year later they have a massive pot plant growing behind their house.” That one reall
y got Lucretia laughing. I figured it was something that had happened to her before, but I wasn’t going to ask.
The tourists started pouring in after Lucretia left. That’s how it usually went. Witches came in early to avoid the tourists, and then we were busy until closing time with vacationers and sightseers.
I did manage to get a break in the late afternoon for a few minutes, and I used it to call Rebecca. I found her office number online. My intention had been to track her down and give her my condolences. I’d also planned on asking her out for coffee. That wasn’t what happened.
A Taste for Magic (Familiar Kitten Mysteries Book 5) Page 7