by Неизвестный
“There’s an awful big crowd of fireflies,” Devin remarked and pointed to the lights.
“They’re faeries, not fireflies. They won’t come near while you’re here,” she murmured, softly.
“Oh, well, uh, I can go inside if you want to talk to them.” His eyes wide, Devin gazed at the flickering lights and then turned to go inside.
“Thanks. They may not come anyway, but it would be nice to speak with them,” she said.
Inside the edge of the doorway, Devin watched the lights grow closer and closer. He heard a slight buzzing sound. From his spot, he watched Luna hold her hand out. One of the lights settled into her palm. He held his breath and strained to hear the faerie speak. He knew the faeries were real, he was a believer and had been for a very long time, but Luna didn’t know and he wasn’t about to tell her. She would only think he had misled her, and hadn’t he done just that?
“You have comfort, Luna?” the faerie asked.
“My friend watches over us to keep us safe. You don’t mind, do you, faerie?” Luna asked.
“We will see. The bright moon comes tonight. Rest easy and the images will become clear.”
The faerie rose in flight from Luna’s hand to return to the group waiting near the pansies.
The door opened, and Luna entered the corridor. She smiled at the look of disbelief on Devin’s face.
“I heard what the faerie said.”
“What did you hear?” Luna asked.
“Something about the bright moon and you seeing an image? Am I right?”
Arching her brows as she stared at him, she couldn’t believe he had heard the exchange. He heard the faerie? Could it be true? How else would he know? Luna nodded and walked past him into the tearoom.
Lights flickered on when she flipped the switch. The room, neat and ready for the day, remained the same as she’d left it before going to bed. A sigh of relief left her as Devin’s hands settled on her shoulders.
“Can we talk before you head back to bed?” he asked.
“Sure, join me upstairs.” Luna led the way, her mind racing with questions all the while. She couldn’t imagine how Devin had heard the faerie. Only believers could hear and see them.
At the top of the stairs, she turned to face him eye to eye. He stood two stairs below her, his eyes on her face.
“You’re a believer, aren’t you?” Luna accused.
“W-what are you talking about? A believer of what?” Devin stammered his face a mask of innocence.
“You know dammed right well what, Devin Radford. You believe in faeries. All this time I figured you thought I was a bit nuts, but you’re a believer. You know faeries exist. You could have been honest, you know.” Her toe tapped the floor, her hands resting on her hips as she glared at him.
Shoulders hunched he spread his hands out in front of him palms up and said, “Okay, okay, you’re right I couldn’t tell you right away. I just wanted to make sure what I’d heard about you and faeries didn’t amount to a bunch of rumors. I’m sorry.”
Her head tossed back, Luna’s hair flipped off her shoulders. “Some friend and protector. You can’t even be honest with me. I trusted you, Devin,” she said. “I trusted you.” Luna turned into the loft and flopped onto the sofa.
“Think for a minute. How would it appear to the sheriff if I went around saying you and I were faerie fanciers? He’d think we were both round the bend. Not just you. I couldn’t tell you at first, but I planned to do so. Honest. I intended to protect you, gain your full hearted trust, and then own up to the faerie thing.”
“That’s why they came to the porch tonight, because you’re a believer. Otherwise they would have avoided a visit, no matter how important it was. I see now.”
“You do?”
“Yes, I do. Is there anything else you need to share with me or am I going to find out for myself?”
“My wife believed. Her mother does as well.” He leaned against the counter. “Ida Gregory will intervene if the sheriff ever tries to haul you away. Make no mistake. She’s powerful among the faeries and always has been.”
“I’d never have guessed, but then you fooled me, too.”
“I wanted to tell you, honest.” Devin pulled a chair away from the table. His legs stretched out, he said, “The other thing I want to talk about is the fact that I think Arvi is making nice-nice with Dilly. She has to be in cahoots with him if she plans on making a killing on the condo idea.”
“I’m not sure Dilly is actually his type. He runs more toward men than women, if you catch my meaning. A different kind of fairy, you know?” Luna said. “If I had to guess, I’d say Dilly is probably enamored with Thomas. When he arrived at the shop the first time, she nearly melted into a puddle before my eyes. When he spoke to her, she came away all flushed and giddy. Mrs. Gregory did the same thing.”
“No kidding?” Devin shook his head and grinned. “He must have picked Dilly out as the easy mark between her and Annie, because he’d never get one over on Annie.”
“That’s for sure. Annie is wiser than all of us put together and a tough bird besides.” Luna chuckled. “She’s not a believer, but she respects those of us who are. Does Annie know you’re a believer?”
“If she does, she’s never let on. Ida, Libby and I kept it to ourselves.”
“I should have realized you were a believer when you didn’t act as though I was nuts. When you mentioned them, you did so with acceptance, not disbelief and sarcasm the way many people talk of things they have no knowledge of.”
“I’m glad it’s in the open now. We need to keep it between us, though.”
Luna smirked. “Yeah, right. No sense in both of us being regarded as whacky. So, what else is on your mind?”
“We need to track down Thomas. We can’t have him flitting in and out of here whenever he wants. If we set him up, we can snare him before anyone actually gets hurt. The Jane Doe lady was lucky she was found and treated right away or she could have died. At least, that’s what the nurse told me.”
“I think I’ll call Arvi today when the shop is quiet. Are you almost finished with the office?”
“Just about. Now I can start on the other part of the construction you want done.”
“Thank God tomorrow is Monday, and I have some time off,” Luna said. “This mess is tiresome and all too disturbing.”
“We need to make our announcement soon. Ida will be all over us if we drag things on too long. Besides, if we want to draw Thomas out, it would be good to go public.” Rising, Devin reached into his jeans pocket and withdrew his fisted hand. When he opened it, a diamond and sapphire ring lay in his palm.
“Miss Luna Devere, will you become engaged to me?” Devin asked with a sparkle in his eyes.
Her breath caught in her throat as her hand crept to the base of it. Blood raced through her veins and fear sidled along them. Even though it wasn’t for real, could this be a gigantic mistake?
“Um, I, um, I’m not sure this is the right thing to do,” she murmured.
He bent to press his lips against hers. Heat flashed through her body. Tingling in her core took over as her lips parted. She was his, all of her. She knew it and so did he.
When he drew away from her, she opened her eyes and gazed into his.
“Listen up, Faerie Lord, I’m taking a chance doing this, but yes, I will.” Luna smiled as he slipped the ring onto her finger. It fit perfectly, the sapphire sparkling like the blue of his eyes.
He grinned and kissed her forehead. When she glanced up, he sat and leaned back against the arm of the sofa to watch her.
“You won’t be sorry, Luna. I promise you that.” Devin rose from the sofa and strode from the room, closing the door behind him.
A few moments later, she heard his Jeep start and drive away.
Chapter 13
Much needed rest eluded her as she lay wide-awake watching the sun rise. Luna hadn’t slept a wink since Devin left her in the loft. Her mind wandered over the possibilities of the
engagement and what results it would bring, and especially whether or not it would wreak havoc over her life and those of the faeries. When the clock turned to seven, Luna began her daily routine of readying for the upcoming onslaught of customers.
Her usual train of thought wandered while she straightened the loft, awaiting Riddles’ return for breakfast. When he plopped down at her feet, she scolded him and then dumped a slew of cat crunchies into his bowl. Water splashed against the sides of the bowl as she filled it to the brim.
She left Riddles to his feast and opened the windows wider for fresh air, setting the fans on low. Part of the day the loft lay shadowed by large elm trees. It would become warmer than the lower levels of the house later, and she didn’t want Riddles to suffer from the heat. Though she checked on him throughout the day, should it become too warm in the open space, she would close the windows and turn the air conditioning to low.
After a cursory glance around the room, Luna hustled down the stairs. Annie entered the rear door as Luna unloaded the first trays of confections.
She greeted Luna and said, “I’ll go load more into the dumbwaiter.”
Luna stopped for a second. It would never do for the help to know Devin had moved in.
“Uh, wait. I’ll load and you unload, okay?” Luna didn’t wait for Annie’s response. She turned and ran down the stairs.
Within a half-hour, the two women finished setting the cupcakes in place. Luna joined Annie in the galley to help with the teapot set-up. China rattled on the trays as she matched cups to saucers.
“Did you have a mystery visitor during the night?” Annie asked.
Luna shook her head. “Can you actually believe the night went without one single disturbance? I was very tired. I don’t think I’d have heard it, anyway.”
A knowing look covered Annie’s face as she finished loading the teapots. “Devin moved in, then?”
Startled by the woman’s question, Luna stepped back.
“What makes you think Devin moved in?”
“He told me he would do so if you had a second intrusion, and you did. No big mystery, Luna, just simple deduction. You would never have slept well without feeling safe.” Annie focused on Luna’s hands as she fiddled with the tray. “Is that an engagement ring?” she asked with a wide smile.
Luna nodded. “Devin asked me last night.” Resisting the temptation to tell the truth about the pretense, Luna accepted Annie’s brief embrace and smiled when the woman stepped back.
“I’m so happy for you. Ida will be ecstatic that Devin has found a good woman to share his life with. Congratulations, Luna.”
Guilt riddled, Luna kept the wide grin on her face, made an excuse to check the gift shop and hustled from the galley lest Annie see the whole thing was a lie. As she scooted down the corridor into the tearoom, Dilly marched through the back door.
“Well, I guess you got some news to share with us?” Dilly asked in a loud voice.
“What would that be, Dilly?”
“I hear you’re selling up, and Arvi is coming by to see you today to sign the papers.”
Annoyed, Luna thought she heard the sound of anticipation mixed with satisfaction in Dilly’s voice.
“No, Arvi is coming to see me, but not to list this business for sale. I want you both to know once and for all that this property is not, and never will be, available for purchase or partnership to anyone. Do I make myself clear?” She snapped the words out and immediately felt guilt wash over her for having spoken so sharply.
Taken aback, Dilly stood in the corridor, her jacket half off one shoulder. She stared at Luna for a long moment before she acknowledged the statement.
“Guess the rumor mill has it wrong then,” Dilly said and walked into the galley.
In the gift shop Luna stacked shopping bags under the counter, fuming the entire time. She slapped them onto the surface so hard they smacked against the wooden shelf. She grumbled under her breath and grew angrier with each passing moment. When the door handle at the side door rattled, Luna glanced up making a tsk sound with her teeth.
Outside, Thomas waited impatiently for Luna to open the door. She stood at the closed door and said the shop didn’t open for another half-hour.
He rattled the handle again. “Open the dammed door, Luna. Right now.”
Angered beyond reason, Luna swung the door open and blocked his entry. “You’re not welcome here, especially before the shop opens.”
“You’ve got to be kidding. I’m going to be your new partner, so I should have access to the place anytime I want,” he stated.
“Are you delusional?” Luna asked. “You will not ever be my partner, and you’ll never get your hands on a dime from this establishment. Besides, I’m engaged to be married.”
His eyes widened as disbelief took over. A bark of laughter rumbled from Thomas as he glared at the ringed hand held under his nose.
“You can’t do that. And who would marry you anyway, you nutcase?” he asked.
Before Luna could utter a word, Devin stepped around the corner.
“That would be me. If you ever speak to her like that again, I will forcibly remove you from the premises, do you understand?” Devin hooked his hand onto the collar of Thomas’s jacket and pitched him toward the stairs.
Thomas straightened his shirt and jacket while he glared up at Luna and Devin standing side by side on the porch. His gaze narrowed on Luna and he said between clenched teeth, “This isn’t over yet.” Turning, he stomped away.
Luna leaned against Devin’s shoulder. “I didn’t hear you arrive. Thanks for the rescue. I’m not up to dealing with him today.” She explained Dilly’s statements earlier and watched his face as he considered them.
“It’s plain to see she got under your skin,” he said with a smile.
With a light sigh, Luna stared at him.
“She did. I set both women straight right away, but honestly, I did call Arvi this morning to come here. It’s in my best interest to quell the rumors that this shop is for sale. I’ve worked too hard and too long for the business to take a nosedive because people can’t stop gossiping.”
“Do you want me to be here with you or would you rather handle it yourself?”
“I’d rather handle it. No need for you to become involved yet if it isn’t necessary.”
With a smile, he nodded. They entered the shop just as the first customers arrived.
After Devin disappeared into the basement, the women unlocked all the doors, welcomed people as they entered Faerie Cake Junction, and set to feeding them cupcakes and pots of tea. Luna worked alongside both women until business quieted down.
“Whew,” she said, “I thought we’d never see the last of them leave. How are you ladies holding up?”
“We’re fine, but a tour bus just pulled into the lot, so here we go again.” Dilly whisked into the galley. Trays of pots and cups rattled as she prepped for the next round of customers.
“I’ll take care of these folks, your appointment is here,” Annie said to Luna as her head bobbed in the direction of the door.
Arvi Gribblederd hitched his trousers up around his waist. He sauntered across the room, a look of satisfaction on his features.
His thin, boney frame caused the tan suit and white shirt to hang off him as though they were hand-me-downs. His necktie, a vivid blue, lime green and yellow swirl, reminded Luna of exotic parrot feathers. His shoes flopped around on his feet and clunked across the wooden flooring. Actor Don Knotts came to mind, and Luna suppressed a smile.
He reached out to shake Luna’s hand and though she loathed his touch, Luna grasped his clammy hand in a businesslike manner.
“Good of you to meet me here instead of at your office, Arvi,” Luna murmured.
They took a far corner table and settled down to talk. Luna watched as Arvi absorbed every detail of the shop. His eyes nearly held dollar signs when his glance settled on her. In her mind she heard the words cha-ching, and she nearly choked.
“You’ve got a good business going here. The location is perfect for developing, too,” Arvi said.
“What kind of development do you mean?”
“Well, to be frank, I’ve been approached by a condo building corporation. They want to construct condos in the meadow. They’re willing to allow you to keep your little shop right here and will make the purchase worth your while.”
“Really? What’s the name of this corporation? Who owns it, and what makes them think I’m willing to sell my land to them? Why would I?”
“Let’s not get too far ahead of ourselves, Ms. Devere. The corporation is out of Portland. They have deep, deep pockets. Money isn’t an issue, but if you would rather have stock options, then they’d be happy to work that into the deal instead of paying you a large lump sum.” Rubbing his hands together, Arvi warmed to the subject. “You should consider this as an expansion proposition for the property since you are doing so well.”
He licked his lips, and Luna thought he might even drool on the table just thinking about the money to be made from the deal. Her stomach churned and her earlier anger started to make its way back.
With a deep breath, she leaned back in the chair, watching the skinny man. Who had put him up to this and why? How would he come to do business with a huge developer? Questions mounted one on top of another like scoops of ice cream on a cone.
“This is rather sudden, isn’t it? I haven’t heard a word from anyone other than some gossip circulating,” Luna stated with a shrug of one shoulder.
“I suppose you think I was a bit precipitous by mentioning it to Dilly before I’d had the opportunity to speak with you directly, but these people have me running in circles at the moment. As a matter of fact, they have even told me to make an offer for the entire property, including the Junction, if you are willing to let it go.”
“What kind of money are we talking about?”
“Nearly a million, actually,” Arvi said and whipped wrinkled papers from within his baggy jacket. “If you want to sign these papers now, I can offer you a deposit check immediately.”