by Неизвестный
Narrowing her eyes, she looked him squarely in the face.
Luna leaned forward and whispered to him, “Do you really think I am stupid enough to sign papers without looking at them first?” Her anger threatened to overflow, and she checked it by pasting a smile on her face.
“N-no, n-not at all.” Arvi’s eyes widened. “Uh, you should definitely look at them, I just can’t leave them here with you is all.”
“And why not?”
“They need to stay with me, uh, it’s the only copy I have at the moment. I’m sure you understand.” He tried to smile, his Adam’s apple working overtime while his face blanched whiter than usual.
“Let me see those papers then.” Luna smiled wider and giggled a bit in an effort to disarm the fool.
His face took on a smug look and he slid them across the table just as Annie approached them.
“Luna, would you and Mr. Gribblederd like refreshments?” She held a tray with cupcakes and tea at the ready.
“Sure thing,” Luna said and watched Arvi nod his head like a bobble doll. He stared at the luscious creations, licking his lips in anticipation.
“Excuse me a moment Arvi, I’ll be right back. Dilly is beckoning me,” Luna said as she slid the papers from the table into her apron. Annie plopped the tray on the bare spot as Luna scooted toward the galley. Once in the corridor, she escaped up the stairs into the loft and set the copier to work, making copies of the documents. When the machine shut off, she raced back down the stairs with the originals tucked out of sight.
The teapot tray still in the middle of the table, Annie leaned toward Arvi, a sweet smile on her face, her head nodding up and down in agreement of something he said. Arvi didn’t seem to notice her cold eyes as he rambled on and on. Luna stepped closer and glanced down at the floor. She leaned down, withdrew the papers from her apron and stood up, placing them on the surface.
“These must have slid off the table,” Luna said with an apologetic grin.
“Thank you, Annie, for the tea.” Luna looked into the other woman’s face and realized Annie was one step ahead of her.
Sliding into the chair Annie vacated, Luna pretended to peruse the papers. The first thing to catch her eye was the company name, Rille Corp. Her breath caught in her throat. There had to be some mistake. Her maiden name was Rille and she had no living relatives.
“Who is behind Rille Corp?” she asked jerkily.
“It’s simply a group of investors. Some are American and a few are foreign.” Arvi’s hand fluttered as he spoke.
“I see.” She fixed her gaze on him.
“So, do you think you’d like to sign now?”
Luna leaned toward him and whispered, “It would really mean a lot to me if I could have a day or two to think it over. Giving up the Junction is a huge step, and I wouldn’t want to make a hasty decision. You understand, don’t you?”
A glum expression covered Arvi’s long, pointy face. He sniffed his narrowed, hawkish nose as his droopy, dog-like eyes watched her. With a sudden change, he smiled and nodded.
“I’ll call you tomorrow evening then, and we’ll get this straightened right away.” Arvi rose from the chair. He grasped the papers, stuffing them back inside his jacket. Taking a moment to draw his pants up, he settled them around his waist and sauntered from the room.
Luna watched his clothing flap around his boney body as he moved with determination toward the door. His thin hair flounced as he walked.
Chapter 14
Bright moonlight cast shadows over the yard. Faeries danced around the flowers, their tiny lights flickering in colorful patterns as they flittered to and fro.
Luna watched from the bottom step of the rear porch. The brick walk held a soft glow, and an owl hooted in the distance while crickets chirped and frogs croaked a tune of their own. The rich atmosphere lowered Luna’s guard. Her eyes shuttered as she slumped against the step behind her seat.
Within seconds, images floated across her inner vision like wispy clouds in the sky. Thomas and Dilly appeared. Dilly smiled wistfully at the arrogant man as he ran a hand along her arm and hugged her briefly.
The image rolled away as another took its place. A man, mid-height and well-built, wrestled with a limp body as he and another man worked their way up the steps of Faerie Cake Junction’s porch. A dark head of short-cropped hair and wide shoulders presented itself, but his face lay in shadow.
The other man followed, his clothes flapping in the wind. Arvi Gribblederd’s worried countenance of discontent showed as he grimaced at the body held between them.
The third set of images floated into Luna’s line of vision. Devin appeared; his dimpled grin and warm, loving eyes stared down at her as he kissed her forehead. Warmth pervaded her being.
“Enjoying the solitude and serenity of the evening, Luna?” Devin asked as he hustled down the steps.
Instantly the images fled. Startled by his voice, Luna nearly jumped out of her skin. Surprised, she turned to him, and contemplated the man she now knew loved her. Warmth radiated through her as she suddenly realized she loved him in return. Smiling, she extended a hand to him.
Faeries whisked into the bushes, their dance abruptly interrupted. She glanced at Devin before turning back to them and softly called out, “Faeries, would you please come here?”
Iridescent wings flittered before Luna. The blue faerie darted back and forth out of reach, her sweet face not quite close enough to see.
Devin reached out a hand and opened it. The faerie plopped into it and settled on the pad of his thumb.
“Faerie, you are lovely tonight,” he whispered.
“As are you, believer,” The faerie answered in her sweet, singsong voice.
The unexpected response left Luna bewildered. She’d called him that, but only in a moment of pique. The blue faerie’s wings folded against her shoulders as she turned to Luna.
“You have seen the unseen and become aware of all. Have you not?” The faerie peered at Luna with her slanted eyes and twittered a laugh that tinkled like tiny bells.
“I have, thank you, faerie. You were right, as always,” Luna murmured and bowed her head in grace to the faerie.
Balanced on Devin’s hand, the faerie spread her wings wide like those of a butterfly and rose into the air, hovering before them. More faeries joined her, a cloud of wings and flickering lights surrounding the blue faerie.
“You can overcome, can you not?” she sang the question.
“Yes, I can.” Again Luna dipped her head toward the faerie.
In a second, the faerie swarm moved away to dance in the moonlight.
“What was that about?” Devin wanted to know.
“Things have become clear. I envisioned what is happening. The moon and faeries made it so.”
Devin studied her with his dark blue eyes, then reached around her back and ran his hand along her shoulders, drawing her close. She knew he was waiting for her to explain what she’d seen.
“Thomas didn’t bring the dead man or the drugged woman here. It was someone else. I didn’t see his face, but he isn’t built like Thomas and has shorter, dark hair, wide shoulders and is kind of rugged. Also, this man is working with an unwilling Arvi.” He drew away from her for a moment to study her face. Then he asked, “So, who is it?”
“I don’t know yet, but I’m sure he’ll present himself sooner than we think. I also saw Thomas in the vision. He’s using Dilly. I don’t know how, but you can bet it has something to do with money.”
“What makes you think that?”
“In the image, she stared at him with adoration as he smiled down upon her and then he embraced her. She is foolish, but he is good at what he does. He’s nothing more than a con man.”
“So, how does all of this fit into our engagement plans?”
“I’m not sure as yet. It hasn’t been made clear.”
Devin smiled, pulled Luna close and said, “I spoke with Ida tonight. She’s got the engagement party set up and all w
e need to do is be there. It didn’t take her long to move on the idea. She’s an incredible woman.”
“You’re right, she is. I do have a confession to make, though.”
“A confession?” Devin asked.
“I’m pleased to think you’re willing to go that far to catch these people.” Contentment flowed over Luna as the vision of Devin crossed her mind.
“I’m here for you Luna, now and always,” he murmured, caressing her hair with his hand.
A cool breeze crossed the grounds. Faeries floated off into the meadow and Luna turned to go inside. Devin followed her up the stairs to the loft. He stooped to scratch Riddles under his chin and wandered toward the sofa.
They sat together. Luna nestled snugly against Devin’s shoulder, comfortable in their silence. After a brief time, she glanced up at him. His lips descended upon hers.
The moment turned into an eternity and Luna melted into him. Thoughts fled as lust took their place. She succumbed to his embrace and before she realized what had happened, she found herself stretched across the sofa in the throes of passion, her clothing on the floor.
Sometime later, Luna untangled her limbs from Devin’s and sat up. Her skin tingled. She smelled the musky scent of their lovemaking and leaned back against his bare skin.
“That was a surprise,” Devin murmured with a soft smile.
“Sure was. I hadn’t expected it, but…”
“Let’s not analyze what happened, but enjoy the fact that it did.” His chest rose and fell as he snickered softly.
“Right. I’m starving.”
“Now that’s a response I can deal with,” he said. “Earlier I brought take-out from Cornie’s, in case you were interested. It may need reheating, though.”
Luna noticed the bag on the breakfast nook table and smiled. The man thought of everything. She rose, grabbed her clothes and scurried into the bathroom. When she returned, steaming plates loaded with food sat ready and waiting. Napkins and flatware nestled beside them.
“Wow, you can stay if you plan to treat me this way all the time,” Luna said with a smile.
“My pleasure, ma’am.”
The word ma’am stopped her short. Luna’s head swam for a second as images of the dark haired man came forward. She put a hand out, steadying herself on the chair back, awaiting more information to come forth.
Her eyes cleared, the image faded. Confounded by it, Luna peered around at Devin. He thoughtfully chewed his food and sipped his drink. “What’s the matter? You look as though you’ve just seen a ghost.”
“No ghost, just an image, but it’s gone. It must have been triggered by something you said, but I can’t imagine what.”
“Huh,” he said. “Sit down and eat before it gets cold. Reheated once is okay, but twice is like eating rubber. Are you sure you’re all right? I worry about you.”
She shrugged, but kept her thoughts to herself. The fairies had said the images would become clear. Why weren’t they?
Chapter 15
The day off started out busy. Deliveries came by way of trucks and Luna shuffled burdensome flour sacks along with assorted cupcake ingredients into the dumbwaiter. She hit the button, sent the load to the basement and hustled down the stairs to store the goods.
The business was closed on Mondays, which offered Luna time to make checks out to local artisans for merchandise sold and to deal with other accounting matters. She’d just finished when the phone rang.
A hefty sigh left her, but unwilling to let it ring, she answered the call. Ida Gregory’s voice echoed across the line.
“My dear, I know this is short notice, but I have the party set for the upcoming Sunday evening. I hope you don’t mind.”
Her mind flew over various arguments, but Luna couldn’t bring herself to refuse the kindness. It had been ages since anyone had taken her into account. Except for Devin, Annie and Dilly, she had nobody else in her life to do so.
“Why, that would be lovely,” Luna answered. Devin had warned her, but she was still left breathless by the speed with which the woman had acted.
“Great, I will get the invitations off, then. I hope you’ll have time to prepare for this. No formal dress required. See you Sunday around six, then?”
Calculating her closing time, Luna mumbled to herself before she agreed. It would be close, but she could manage it. Even if the shop was in chaos, she could always clean on Monday.
Luna rang off and leaned back against the chair. Her mind sped over her closet. Sneakers, sandals, shorts, jerseys and the like made up the contents. Very few dress clothes figured into it. She decided a trip to an upscale local dress shop would do the trick.
As the day meandered on, Luna finished bookkeeping chores and drove to the bank to deposit the funds into her account. Once the deposit was made, Luna headed toward Gloria’s Dress Shop.
A list of what she’d need for the party streamed through her head, leaving her to wonder how much time it would take to find a single outfit that she’d only use once.
Parked at the curb, Luna locked the car and viewed the shop windows. Gloria had a flair for window dressing. Mannequins adorned with jewelry held handbags and sported scarves geared toward setting off each and every outfit. Gloria’s shop offered the latest styles straight from a New York runway, which made Luna wonder who bought them. The town was relatively small in scale compared to Portland or Lewiston, and the prices Gloria asked were on the high end.
A bell jingled as she entered and Gloria smiled.
Luna smiled back.
“Hello, Gloria.”
Gloria chuckled as Luna gazed around the room filled with breathtaking garments in a kaleidoscope of colors. “I don’t know where to look first.”
“It’s wonderful to see you. How can I help you today, Luna?” Gloria asked.
“There’s a party on Sunday and I need a dressy outfit to wear. It’s a special occasion so it has to be spectacular.”
“You must mean your engagement party.” Gloria strode around the counter and slipped her arm through Luna’s, drawing her toward a rack of gorgeous dresses in a variety of fabric and colors. “I heard about it. You’ve been holding out on all of us,” Gloria chided with a laugh.
“I don’t get out of the shop much, sorry,” Luna apologized before she glanced at Gloria’s humor-filled face.
“No problem. We, the other female shop owners in town, have been waiting for Devin to propose to us, but we knew deep down he wouldn’t. What a hunk you’ve landed. Well-off, too.”
Income hadn’t entered her mind when Luna thought of Devin. She only saw and felt the caring side of him. Her eyes widened as she gaped at Gloria.
“He’s well-off?”
Gloria’s hoot of laughter met Luna’s reaction. “Didn’t you know? He inherited a huge sum of money from his wife’s estate. Not that he wanted it. He was devastated when she died. But, yes, he is very well-to-do. Don’t let his casual attitude and worn jeans fool you.” Gloria chuckled.
“I’m surprised Dilly Perkins didn’t share that tidbit with you. She certainly shares everything else, true or not.”
“Indeed, she does. But, I was unaware of Devin’s financial status. It never occurred to me to ask either.”
“Spoken by a woman who needn’t worry about money.” Gloria grinned and pulled several lovely creations from the rack. She knew Luna’s size and taste, but went one step beyond with color.
The aqua-blue silk dress Gloria held up caught Luna’s attention. Her gaze traveled over the shutter-pleated bodice and gathered flounce at the wrap-tucked skirt. She glanced at the designer tag and noted Nicole Miller’s name emblazoned on it. She cast a cursory glance at the other offerings Gloria held up, but they failed in comparison to the silk dress.
The fitting room mirror proved the selection a perfect match for Luna’s skin tone and hair color. She twirled around to see the dress from the back, delighted by the fit of it.
“How do you look, Luna?” Gloria called as she brought
in shoes and evening bags for inspection.
“Great.” The door swung open and Luna stepped into the corridor.
Gloria gasped. “My God, this dress is perfect for you. Wonderful choice,” she said. “I thought the amethyst dress suited you, but I was wrong.” Gloria held up bags and shoes for Luna’s consideration.
A Prada clutch of diamond pleated nylon featuring silver tone hardware set the dress off. Boxes of shoes surrounded Luna as she tried them on, not finding what she wanted.
“Gloria, do you have anything with a short heel in white?” Luna asked.
In an instant, Gloria brought a pair of Fendi Italian patent leather open-toed slides to her. Luna slid her feet into them. She walked up and down the corridor, observing the outfit in the mirror-lined walls. Gloria poked her head around the corner, her eyes widening. “It’s a big change from your usual t-shirt and jeans. You look amazing, Luna, absolutely lovely.” She paused. “Do you need any jewelry to go with it?”
Luna gave Gloria a radiant smile and hustled back into the dressing room. “No thanks,” she called. “I already have the perfect necklace.”
At the register, Luna watched the cost climb. She’d managed to buy most of the clothes on sale, but the final sum was hefty, even though she rarely treated herself this way. Prada, Nicole Miller and Fendi designer wear amounted to a lot of money. She wrote the check and watched Gloria wrap each article individually with care and place them into a huge shopping bag.
“Here you are.”
“Thanks, Gloria. I appreciate your assistance with the selections. Will you be at the party?”
“I wouldn’t dream of missing it. Ida called just before you arrived.”
“I wonder who else she has on her guest list,” Luna murmured while she placed her checkbook inside her shoulder bag.
“Half the town will be in attendance make no mistake. Ida is a highly thought of and well-known philanthropist around these parts. She certainly supports the shop owners with her patronage. We adore her.”