“I was not.”
“I meant if you cleaned toilets.” He winked at me. “Hi.” Then he kissed me. “I do appreciate the effort, whatever the reason. You look gorgeous. But then you always look gorgeous. Even when you’re a bum.”
I kissed him back. I couldn’t argue, because he was right that I hadn’t put in much effort before. “Thanks.”
“Is that cobbler I smell?”
“Yep.” I lifted the bag. “I said I’d bring dessert. What’s for dinner?”
He answered as we walked into the kitchen. “Salmon with dill sauce, asparagus and roasted fingerling potatoes.”
“Wow, fancy.” The house smelled like dill and garlic and something else I couldn’t name, but if the food tasted like the aromas floating in the air, it was going to be a fantastic meal. “I’m impressed.”
He shrugged. “Firemen like to eat.”
“Yeah, but you’re doing more than that.”
He seemed pleased with my praise. “Hey, I can cook.”
I set the bag on the counter. “I can’t. Not much beyond the basics anyway.”
“That’s because you had people to do it for you.” He shot me a teasing glance, but it was a true statement that I once again had no argument for. “Wine?” he asked.
“Sure. If it’s okay with you, could we not talk about Lark tonight? I know that’s partially why I came over, but I’m just not in the mood.”
“Fine by me.” He poured us both a glass, then handed one to me and lifted his in a toast. “Thanks for coming over.”
“Thanks for cooking. And cleaning up. You know, since I’m not dressed for it.” I pursed my mouth to punctuate that statement before clinking my glass to his.
He laughed. “Touché.”
We drank, and I felt better about having to ask him for help. This was Cooper, after all. He’d want to help me.
But dinner came and went, and before I knew it, we were side by side on the couch, opening credits rolling, and my question still unasked. He slipped his arm around my shoulders, and I settled in against him. His muscles were surprisingly comfy, but I couldn’t stop thinking about the ticking clock of Francine’s departure. I just hadn’t found the exact right moment to bring up the subject.
He kissed my temple, then picked up the remote and hit pause. “You okay?”
I twisted to look at him. “Why do you ask?”
“You feel tense.”
I hesitated.
He didn’t. “What is it, Jay? What’s bothering you?”
I sighed before answering. “It’s the imp. More than that, really.” I explained about how Francine was leaving and I still hadn’t figured out everything I needed to. How I felt like she was about to get away with something. I kept the part about my and Greyson’s visits to her house to myself. I knew there was only so much Cooper would let slide. I stuck to my original idea, before Greyson had discovered the shipping crate. “I’ll catch the imp eventually, but whoever it was meant for could still be in danger. I feel like if I just had a little more time—”
“Would another twenty-four hours do it?”
I narrowed my eyes. “Sure, but how am I going to manage that?”
He smiled. “You won’t. But I can.”
“How?”
“Both the sheriff’s office and the fire department have to sign off on the permits necessary for trucks that size to enter the town limits. I’ll just find an error on the permit tomorrow and delay the process.”
“You’d do that for me?”
“Absolutely. Would that help?”
“Tremendously. Thank you.” Logically, I knew twenty-four hours wasn’t that much longer, but at that moment, it felt like everything.
He leaned back a bit. “So is that what the outfit was for? To warm me up and put me in a helpful mood?”
Yes. But I wasn’t admitting to that. “Helpful? Is that the mood this put you in?” I glanced down at myself. “This dress must be broken.”
With a soft growl, he grabbed my hand and tugged me against him. I gave in. Happily. Cooper was a great kisser and we did a lot of that.
A lot.
Vertical kissing led to horizontal kissing, and things were really heating up when the movie suddenly came back on. We both jumped, and then I laughed as I reached under me and pulled the remote out from under my backside. “Pretty sure I did that.”
He took it from me and set it on the coffee table, then leaned over me, one hand on either side of me. I gazed up at him. He was so pretty it made my heart hurt. Fire danced in his eyes. “Might be time to call it a night, because I don’t think either one of us is ready to take the next step.”
I was sure he was ready, but it was nice of him to say otherwise for my benefit. “Okay.” Then I exhaled a long, slightly frustrated breath as he helped me up. “But the day’s going to come when I am ready to take that next step.” Soon, maybe.
His brows lifted. “Does that mean you’re about to make a decision?”
“No. Just…ready to do more than make out like teenagers.” The history that we had made it difficult not to think about doing more than just kissing. Because we’d already done more than kissing. And we knew how good it could be. I mean, if I was remembering our college escapades, he had to be thinking about them too.
He studied me. “You do that with me and I’m going to assume your choice has been made.”
I looked at him. “Are you saying if I sleep with you then I should sleep with Greyson, too?”
“Hell, no. But…maybe. No, wait, what am I saying?” He thought a second, then groaned. “I can’t believe we’re having this conversation. What are you doing to me, woman?”
I shrugged and got up, straightening my twisted dress. “If you don’t think I’m worth it—”
He pulled me onto his lap. “I’m still here, aren’t I?”
I smiled.
He kissed me once more. A soft, easy kiss that held none of the heat our earlier ones had. “Let’s get you home.”
He walked me back to the warehouse, which wasn’t far since he lived in one of the town houses near the fire station, then he said good night and I was in the elevator, headed to my apartment.
At the door, I put my ear to it and listened. I had no idea what an imp eating honey would sound like. But silence greeted me. My only option was to slip under the door soundlessly or risk spooking the creature.
I slid under, doing the same thing I had last time and landing in a seated position. I took my shoes off and sat quietly until the dizziness passed. I could see the box on the table. It looked empty from here. But the imp could be inside, already asleep.
I got up and tiptoed over.
The box was empty and the honey untouched. I tried not to let that ruin my spirits, but I’d been so sure the honey would work. Maybe it still would.
I put a can of cat food out for Spider before he could start yowling about it and went to bed.
When daylight woke me the next morning, I didn’t do a lot of moving. Instead, I lay there, staring at the ceiling. And not just because Spider was asleep on my hair. I had to figure out how to get Francine to confess. There had to be a way to trick her into it. Maybe Birdie could come up with something.
I had to talk to her about the list of names anyway. Might as well get her thoughts on coercing a confession out of someone.
I needed to tell Greyson that Cooper was going to buy us some more time with Francine, too, but I wanted to wait until I knew that was going to happen for sure.
Spider stirred, stretching and yawning right in my face.
“Nice breath.”
“Spider hungry.”
“Yep, I know the drill.” I disentangled him, then got up and padded out to the box. The routine was actually becoming routine, just like my disappointment at seeing the stupid thing empty every morning.
I yawned as I neared the box. There was an odd sound in the living room. Like something electronic had been left on and was humming with power. I glanced arou
nd, but there was really only the TV and the cable box, and they were both off.
I ignored it and looked into the box. That’s when the sound made perfect sense. It was snoring. From the imp now sleeping next to the empty bottle cap. It was about the size of a hummingbird and the same iridescent emerald green. Its wings were crystalline like a dragonfly and folded around its plump little body.
I froze in shock. For a few seconds I couldn’t even remember what to do next. Then my brain kicked into gear. I grabbed the lid and carefully eased it into place. My hands were shaking with excitement, and I was holding my breath, but three seconds later, I’d done it.
The lid was on.
And the imp was in the box.
Merry freaking Christmas, the honey had worked! I wanted to dance and shriek and make it snow, but first I had to secure that lid. I could not risk the box being opened again.
I grabbed a couple of hair ties from the bathroom and slid them around the box. They were pretty tight being stretched that far. There was no way that lid could accidentally come off now.
Spider strolled out, still looking very sleepy.
“Spider, I caught the imp. I caught it!” I picked him up and whirled him around, singing a happy little nonsense song I made up on the spot. “The imp is in the box, the imp is in the box, hi ho the dairy-o, the imp is in the box.”
He meowed. “No like, no like.”
“Okay, sorry.” I put him down and he wobbled toward his water dish.
He didn’t quite make it before he yacked up a hairball.
“Way to take the shine off the moment.” But nothing could dampen the way I was feeling. The madness was over. I grabbed some paper towels, cleaned up the mess, then sent out a group text to everyone I could think of, which was Greyson, Cooper, Delaney, Corette, Birdie, Juniper and Buttercup.
My phone blew up for the next fifteen minutes, and by the time I was done answering everyone, I really needed to get in the shower and get to work.
Jubilation amped up my speed, and I practically danced my way into readiness, my steps bouncy with joy and my heart helium-light. Knowing that I’d finally put the imp problem behind me made me feel like I’d saved the world.
I hadn’t, of course, and I knew that, but I’d kind of saved my world. There’d be no more dirty looks or questioning glances from the locals, that was for sure. And no more awful events to feel guilty over.
Jupiter came in early, and we did some extra happy dancing in the warehouse. Then I gave her twenty bucks and sent her to Mummy’s for a dozen cinnamon rolls with extra glaze. Why not? Wasn’t every day I thwarted the effects of gray magic in my new hometown.
While she was out, I called my dad on the globe and filled him in. Life was good.
Better than good, it was grand.
It was glorious.
At least until Francine Gresham walked into my office.
Juniper walked in behind her. “This lady says she has an appointment with you.”
Obviously, she didn’t, but the fact she’d told Juniper that was certainly confirmation of Francine’s propensity for lying. And since I wasn’t about to pull Juni any deeper into this mess, I just nodded and said, “Thanks.”
Juniper gave me a smile as she left and closed the door.
I glared at Francine. “What are you doing here?”
Her haughty gaze darkened. “You have something that belongs to me.”
“Oh? What’s that?”
“You know very well what I’m referring to.”
“I really don’t. I paid for everything I bought at the estate sale, so as far as I’m concerned, we’re square.” Did she really think I was going to give the imp back to her? Also, how fast did word travel in this town that two hours after I captured the thing, she was in my office?
She made a bored face. Like I was wasting her time. “I want the box back.”
“Just the box?” I really wasn’t interested in having a big, long conversation with her, but at the same time, keeping her here gave me a better chance of coming up with a way to make her confess.
“Miss Frost, your games don’t amuse me. The box. Now.”
If only I was recording this. I put my hand on my cell phone, but there was no way I could casually figure out how to video our conversation without her realizing what I was doing. I needed more time. “Are you prepared to refund the money I spent on it?”
That seemed to catch her off guard. “I suppose.”
“Good, because if you want that box back—”
“You do know we’re not just talking about an empty box, correct?”
I rolled my eyes. “Yes, I know that. And if you want it back, all of it, then I want my money refunded for everything I bought. Everything. And I’m not taking a check.”
There was no way she had that much cash on her. At least I was hoping she didn’t.
She snorted. “That’s ridiculous.”
I shrugged and started to fuss with the paperwork on my desk. “You can see yourself out, then.”
“Fine.” The word came out from clenched teeth. “Bring me the box.”
I raised a skeptical brow. “You have that much money on you right now?”
“Bring me the box, and I’ll bring you the money.”
“Hah! What kind of fool do you think I am? You’re not getting the box until I see the cash.” I stared at her. “How about I come by your house tonight after work? About nine. We can make the exchange then.”
“I can’t wait that long. You can bring it to my house in an hour.”
“Yeah, unlike you I have an actual legal business to run. So it’ll either be tonight after work or not at all.” I needed time to set things up. “What’s it going to be?”
Her eyes narrowed, and she seemed to be thinking it over.
“Look,” I said. “I don’t want that thing. At all. But I do want to be compensated for all the crap that happened and the ding to my reputation. So either pony up the dough, or I’m going to flush that little green monster right down the—”
“Tonight after work at my house.” She sniffed. “If you’re a minute past nine, the deal is off.”
I let the tiniest, smug smile creep onto my face. “No, it won’t be. We both know that. But I won’t be late.”
I also wouldn’t be alone.
I called Greyson and figured out pretty quickly that he wasn’t happy with my plan. The displeasure was plain in his voice. “There’s too much risk. You should let me do it.”
I hoped he’d still go along if he couldn’t come up with anything better. “She’s expecting me. I’m not sure she’d let you in. Not after your last encounter with her.”
“I suppose you’re right.” He sighed.
“Look, it’ll be all you once I get us inside. I’ll just step back and let you do your interrogation thing. Cool?”
“I guess. But it would be better if you weren’t a part of it at all. That way, if she was to say anything about it later, you’d be blameless.”
“She’s not going to say anything.”
“She will if this results in some kind of punishment. She’ll say she was coerced. That we pressured her into confessing with cruel and unusual means. That it was supernatural against human. The magical courts don’t look favorably upon that, you know.”
“First of all, that’s why we’re going to video the whole thing. As proof that all we did was talk. You can handle that, right?”
“Yes, I have that covered. Francine will have no idea.”
“Good. Secondly, what magical court would this go to? Because I can’t see this getting sent up to the North Pole.”
“I imagine they’ll convene a council right here in Nocturne Falls. Deal with it in-house, as it were.” He paused. “Speaking of, I imagine you already called the fireman?”
I grimaced, thankful he couldn’t see me over the phone. “No.” I’d wanted to include Cooper, but I didn’t want to get him in trouble by association. I imagined a fireman could lose his job for wh
at we were about to do. Plus, I knew he’d want to get the sheriff in on it, and that just wasn’t going to end with the result I needed.
“Probably better,” Greyson said. “And I don’t mean that for any reason other than this could jeopardize his job. As much as I consider him my rival in all things Jayne, there are certainly far worse choices you could have made.”
“That’s what I was thinking. About not getting him involved, I mean.” It was nice to hear Greyson say that about Cooper. It made me feel better about both of them.
“You realize this makes us partners in crime,” Greyson said. “Literally.”
“Just so long as we don’t end up sharing a jail cell.”
“You wouldn’t share a cell with me?”
“I’m sure it would be great fun until you got hungry.”
A groan of disbelief left him. “You really think I would do that to you?”
“Wouldn’t it get to a point where your hunger left you no choice?”
“Perhaps. But that would take a long time.” He made a small, perturbed noise. “I’m not an animal.”
I made the same noise right back at him. “Well, I don’t know how these things work. We’ve never really talked about it.”
“You’re right. We haven’t.” His tone softened. “How about we do that? I’ll answer whatever questions you have. At this stage in our relationship, you shouldn’t be wondering about those sorts of things.”
“Okay. And thank you. But first, Francine.”
“Yes. Absolutely. I’ll meet you at your place at eight thirty. Unless you want me to come sooner? Maybe bring some Salvatore’s?”
“That sounds awesome, but I’m not sure I’ll be able to eat. I might be too nervous.”
He laughed. “Lass, I adore you, but I cannot imagine you too anything not to eat Salvatore’s.”
“No, you’re probably right. Come over at seven. With pizza.”
“You got it. See you then.” He hung up and so did I.
I stared at my desk for a moment, thinking about what lay ahead. It wasn’t going to be an easy night. But it had to be done. I kind of spaced out for a moment, which was why I didn’t immediately see the snow churning in the globe.
Miss Frost Ices The Imp: A Nocturne Falls Mystery (Jayne Frost Book 2) Page 18