Penelope stiffened. “You love me?”
Hugh stared at her. “Of course I do.”
“Why?” she asked.
He moved closer to her. “Because you have zero sense of fashion, you’re quirky, sassy, love old things, can’t drive worth a watermelon, and you naturally say silly things without a spell being cast on you. Oh, and you’re easy on the eyes.”
She stood there totally and completely shocked. He loved everything about her that Craig had loathed. The longer she stood there soaking in what Hugh had said, the more she began to tear up.
Petey was there, thrusting his used handkerchief at her, sniffling as he did. “Here. Tell the boy you love him too.”
“My granddaughter does not love the previously foul-mouthed heathen,” said Grandpa Wil.
Penelope locked gazes with Hugh. “I do love him. I don’t know why. He is totally rough around the edges, has no filter, tends to let his temper get the better of him, and doesn’t know how to look both ways before crossing a street. But he’s also incredibly kind and caring, loves his friends like family, and would do anything for anyone. And,” she winked, “he’s not bad on the eyes either.”
A lopsided grin spread over Hugh’s face. “The way I see it, fate knew what it was doing in pairing us up. We could have spent months or years beating around the bush, but we didn’t. We cut to the chase and made our future a reality. I love you, Penelope Lupine.”
She tipped her head. “Lupine?”
“You’re his wife and that means you get his last name,” whispered Buster.
She squared her shoulders. “Not until he meets me in a church and does it proper. Until then, I’m a Messing on paper.”
Hugh flashed a bad-boy smile. “I can live with that, so long as you agree to stay in Everlasting and live with me, as husband and wife.”
Her grandfather grumbled.
She went to Hugh and tossed her arms around his neck, hugging him tight. “Fine, but you have to go to Chicago with me to help me move here.”
“Done,” he said.
Petey sniffled again, wiped his nose and then slid his handkerchief into the pocket of his overalls. He paused and then pulled out the necklace Polly had given her. “Oh, forgot I had this, Penelope. Here you go.”
Grandpa Wil grabbed the necklace before she could take it. “Where did you get this?”
“Polly gave it to her,” said Petey.
Grandpa Wil held up the necklace up. “Remember how I told you that long ago, hunters were given crystals to help them know who and what to hunt, and to protect them? This is one.”
Penelope shook her head. “What? It’s just a random necklace that Polly gave me right after she finished talking to her pet lobster. I don’t think we can put a lot of stock in it.”
“The necklace didn’t like Sigmund giving her a hug today,” said Petey. “It wasn’t a fan of Sigmund at all. Lit up like the fourth of July then thrust him away. Poor guy already looked as if he’d been through a war. He had scratched-up arms and a burn on his neck. Not to mention a black eye.”
Hugh gasped and grabbed Curt’s shoulder, but looked at Grandpa Wil. “The kraken you hunted a century ago, was it from the Bails family?”
A hundred years ago?
Her grandfather was only in his early seventies.
“Come to think of it, yes, it was,” said her grandfather, shocking her.
Curt’s eyes widened. “You don’t think Sigmund is the kraken, do you? He’s our age and has never once shown any signs of shifting into anything.”
“His mother is a were-shark, his father was a were-sea turtle, and his aunt can change into a dolphin. If anyone in this town was going to change into a kraken, it would be him,” said Hugh, sounding like he didn’t want his words to be true.
“But a kraken? Come on, those aren’t common,” argued Curt. “And he’d have shown signs earlier. We’d have known. He wouldn’t have been able to keep that from us.”
Deputy March grunted. “I’m betting he isn’t even aware he’s doing it.”
Grandpa Wil sighed. “I heard Jolene mentioning a new medicine that Sigmund is on for his allergies. That might have very well triggered his shifter side. And since it’s not second nature to him, being thirty, and having never shifted before, his body would fight it. My guess is the shift happens when he falls asleep.”
“He thought he got banged up sleepwalking,” said Penelope, unable to believe she was having a conversation about a man possibly turning into a kraken.
“And I saw a giant squid wearing his daddy’s wristwatch, walking around town, in the direction of the marina,” offered Petey. “Sigmund is the Kraken.”
Deputy March glanced out the window. “If he is, he’ll be shifting and heading to the water soon. We have to hurry if we want to stop him and keep him from killing anyone else.”
“You can’t kill him!” shouted Penelope.
The men all stared at her like she was nuts.
Curt lifted a brow. “We’re going to keep him from going to the water and figure out a way to teach him control over his shifter side. We’re not getting torches and pitchforks.”
“I’m okay with pitchforks and torches,” said her grandfather before grinning to show he was joking.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Hugh pulled his truck to a stop outside of Sigmund’s house. Penelope and Petey exited his truck as well. Jake, Curt, Buster, and Wilber came to a screeching halt in Jake’s SUV next to them. The moment everyone was out, they made their way toward Sigmund’s front porch.
Jolene was there, sitting in a rocking chair, her hands folded on her lap. She didn’t look the least bit surprised to see them.
“You knew?” Hugh asked.
With a nod, she stood slowly. She took a small step toward them and limped. “I figured it out the night of the storms. I was heading out on a call to give a tourist a tow and I saw Sigmund walking down the street in something like a trance state. I watched him partially shifting in the middle of the street before making his way in the direction of the water. I followed and tried to stop him but Petey happened on him.”
Petey grunted. “Told everyone I saw a walking squid in a wristwatch.”
Hugh ignored the man. “Jolene, why didn’t you tell us? We could have helped.”
“I was scared. Our family hasn’t had a kraken-shifter in it in a hundred years. The last one we had was rotten to the core and killed for sport even when he wasn’t shifted. My father told me that his father had sought out Wilber to help put a stop to it back then to prevent any more innocents from being killed. I went out into the ocean and tried my best to stop Sigmund, but he was stronger than me and ended up hurting me during the struggle. It’s how I ended up with a sore ankle again.”
Hugh sighed. “Sigmund isn’t rotten to the core. He’s the nicest guy I know and he hates violence.”
She nodded. “I know. When he learns what he’s done, he’ll never forgive himself.”
Wilber waved a hand dismissively. “He’s nothing to feel bad about. I put some feelers out to my contacts about the two men found dead here. They were up to no good and here to hunt a centaur.”
Jake stiffened. “W-what?”
Wilber nodded. “They were on the hunt for you. They planned to capture you alive if they could to sell to a collector. But from what I’m hearing, you’d fetch a good price dead too. Sigmund saved your life.”
Jolene’s eyes moistened. “But he attacked Hugh and Penelope on the boat.”
Wilber stepped forward. “Jolene, he was more than likely trying to keep the two of them away from the cliff area. Those men weren’t alone. And I think their secret meeting spot was near the cliffs. Sigmund may not have been thinking clearly as a kraken, but the man we all care for was in there enough to protect those he cares about.”
“We’re here to help him, not to hurt him,” said Hugh, putting his hand out to Penelope. “We need him in one piece to tell him the good news.”
“What good news?” asked
Jolene, still looking as though she were on the verge of tears.
“Hugh and I are mated,” said Penelope, smiling up at the woman.
Jolene cupped her mouth and tears began to fall. “I’m so happy for you two.”
Petey rushed to her and held out his ever-ready handkerchief. He then stepped back and proceeded to cry along with Jolene.
Much to Hugh’s amazement, it was Wilber who went to Jolene next and drew her into a hug. He held her and rocked her in place. “Shh, you don’t need to carry this burden alone. We’re all here now. We’ll help Sigmund learn to control his shifter side.”
Penelope tugged on Hugh’s hand and he glanced down to find her crying too. “Honey?”
“I’m a sympathetic crier,” she mouthed.
He snorted. “You’re in good company with Petey nearby.”
Jolene wiped her cheeks. “What will happen to Sigmund? Will you arrest him, Jake?”
Jake shook his head. “No. But I will take him with me for a few weeks, to some friends of mine who live down in Louisiana. They’ll be able to help him learn to control his shifter side. And they’ll help him process what he’s done.”
Chapter Twenty-Five
Four weeks later…
Penelope nudged Petey slightly, encouraging him to move forward. He’d been standing in the same spot out in front of Witch’s Brew for nearly ten minutes. Grass would start to grow near his feet before he budged on his own.
When she’d cornered him and then talked him into a makeover, she never thought she’d find a man under all the fishing grime. She’d not only unearthed a man, but was surprised to find that Petey was handsome. He looked to be in his late seventies, but was strong as an ox and quick as a fox. From all that she’d learned about shifters from her husband, she knew Petey was far older than he appeared to be.
She’d also learned that Petey had turned down the opportunity to be a pack alpha, choosing instead to call Everlasting home. She didn’t know how long he’d been a resident, but she did know that he’d been friends with Polly the entire time. He was sweet on Polly, but as far as Penelope knew, he’d never come right out and said as much to the eccentric woman.
That had been part of why Penelope had offered to help him with getting a haircut, shaving his scruffy beard, and dressing in something other than old overalls. If Petey was ready to make a move for Polly, then Penelope wanted to be as supportive as possible.
That had led them to be here, standing outside of Witch’s Brew, as Petey tried to muster the courage to go forward with the plan. It had seemed clear-cut when they were at Petey’s, putting the finishing touches together. They’d go to the flower shop, get Polly’s favorite color flowers, and then Petey would go into the coffee shop, find Polly, and ask her out to dinner.
So far, all that had been accomplished was the flowers. Petey was doing his best to smash them to bits as he clutched them in a death grip. Petals fell to the sidewalk. Several landed on Petey’s new dress shoes.
“Are you ready?” she asked for the fourth time since they’d arrived.
“I don’t know about this, Penelope,” he said, his voice cracking slightly. He reached for his finely combed hair that had taken Penelope a good hour to get to stay in place. As he ran his hand through it, messing it up slightly, she sighed.
He had on a blue long-sleeved shirt with a collar, a cream-colored sweeter over it, along with a pair of tan slacks. The dress shoes she’d picked up for him looked great with the outfit, but he’d complained the entire way to the coffee shop about how they were pinching his toes and pointless in the real world.
Best of all, Petey no longer smelled of whiskey. Having known him a month, she now realized that he only drank the hard stuff while at the Magic Eight Ball. He carried whiskey with him at all times, using it like cologne. She wasn’t sure why and gave up asking.
It had taken some doing, but she’d managed to talk him out of using whiskey as aftershave this morning. Instead, she’d gifted him a nice bottle of aftershave. It smelled great on him.
“You look so handsome, Petey,” she said, touching his arm gently. “Polly is going to love it.”
He held the bouquet of pink flowers so close to his chest that there didn’t look to be one left intact. She took hold of his hands and walked around to face him, drawing his attention to her and from the coffee shop.
“Take a deep breath and relax,” she soothed.
He did as instructed. “I can do this.”
“Yes, you can.”
“I just need to tell her how I feel about her. Easy as pie.”
She smiled. “Yep.”
The shop door opened and Polly walked out carrying a box of goodies. She was humming merrily to herself and smiled up at Penelope before walking onward.
She then stopped and pivoted around, dropping the box of goodies in the process, her eyes on Petey. “Petey?”
“Hi, Polly,” he said sheepishly, holding what was left of the flowers out to her. “Here. These are for you.”
She stood rooted in place, as something akin to horror washed over her face. “What happened to you?”
“Penelope,” he said, as if that explained everything.
Polly’s gaze whipped to Penelope. “You ruined him.”
“Ruined?” asked Penelope, lost as to what the woman meant.
“Where are his favorite overalls? Where are his fishing boots? Where is his lucky knit cap? And why does he smell like that?” demanded Polly.
“Because I showered and shaved,” said Petey, lowering his head. “Don’t you want the flowers?”
Polly stepped over the box of baked goods on the sidewalk and went right for Petey. She reached up and tousled his hair, messing it up to the way it normally looked. “You were perfect before. I like you just the way you normally are. This version isn’t you. We’ve been friends far too long for you to start putting on airs for me.”
Penelope stood there at a loss for words. The woman actually liked the scruffy, unkempt fisherman who often smelled like he’d bathed at a distillery?
Polly tugged on Petey’s shoulder, making him bend. When he did, she kissed his cheek lightly. “You don’t need to change, Petey. I like you just as you are. I’ve never thought you needed to change.”
Petey blushed. “Thanks, Polly.”
Polly headed back for the box of baked goods, picked them up, and then glanced back at Penelope. “Thank you, but some things are just right without any tweaks. Now, I’m off to see a ghost—hopefully.”
She hurried off, leaving Penelope standing there with Petey.
Hugh pulled up in his truck and parked. He got out, made his way around several tourists, and came right for her. “Hey, honey, how is the shop today? Your grandfather still peeking in to be sure he left instructions for everything or is he finally letting you run it now that he handed it over to you? For a man who is technically retired, he works nonstop.”
She laughed. “I gave up today and let him go there. I had something else to do.”
Hugh glanced fleetingly at Petey and then back at Penelope. “Mmm, what do you say to having lunch with your husband? I’m starving and spent the morning doing an extra charter. Petey never showed for work. That isn’t like him.”
Penelope grinned and pointed to Petey. “He’s been with me.”
Hugh looked toward Petey again and gasped. “Sweet buttery scones, Petey, is that you?”
Polly’s spell had worn off several days prior, but Hugh had gotten so used to the sayings that he’d kept them.
“It is,” said Petey, still holding the flowers that had been for Polly.
“You clean up nice,” said Hugh with a laugh. “But you look uncomfortable.”
“These shoes are killing me and this sweater itches,” said Petey. “I look ridiculous. Penelope seemed so happy about it all that I didn’t want to stop her.”
Hugh wrapped his arms around Penelope and kissed her cheek. “Honey, I love that you made an effort with him, but he’s an old
dog and doesn’t really like new tricks.”
“He’s not the only one,” said Penelope. “Polly likes the fishing-gear version of him better.”
Hugh laughed.
A group of tourists walked by. They were all women who were in their sixties. Each one was watching Petey. The woman on the end stopped and smiled sweetly at him. “Hello there.”
Petey nodded. “Afternoon, ma’am.”
Hugh put his lips to Penelope’s ear. “Looks like other women find the new version of Petey attractive.”
Petey stiffened, and Penelope realized with his wolf-shifter senses, he’d overheard Hugh. He cleared his throats. “Ladies, if you’ll excuse me, I have to go find my woman and give her these flowers. I’m not about to let some old goat of a ghost steal her heart.”
“Petey?” asked Penelope.
He smiled. “It’s all about the chase.”
He rushed off.
The women shared a look and then went into the antiques shop.
Hugh laughed. “They’ll be hitting on Wilber next.”
Penelope groaned. “I hope not. Eww. That is Grandpa we’re talking about there. Besides, I think he’s only got eyes for Jolene.”
“Honey, how about we stay out of their love lives and focus on our own? They’ll sort it out themselves.” Hugh nuzzled his face to her neck. “Now, I’m going to take my wife to lunch. How does that sound?”
“Perfect,” she said. “I’m starving. I’ve been craving pickles all morning.”
Hugh squeezed her tight, his expression going blank. “You’re craving pickles? You hate pickles.”
“I know. It’s weird. They’re all I can think about,” she said.
Hugh stared down the length of her. “You don’t think you’re pregnant, do you?”
She actually hadn’t given that any thought.
Hugh lifted her, spun her in a circle and then set her down, grinning from ear to ear. “I’ll call the doctor and get you an appointment for today. I can’t wait. I hope it’s a girl. I was a hellion and I don’t know if I can handle a boy.”
Once Hunted, Twice Shy: A Cozy Paranormal Mystery (The Happily Everlasting Series Book 2) Page 17