by Ashlyn Chase
Anthony patted her hand. “I’m sorry you heard that, Brandee. I wasn’t serious about giving you Alzheimer’s. I can’t really do that. I’m a hypnotist and thought it might be easier for you if I erased your memory of the brownies.”
“The Brownies? Why? It wasn’t that bad. I even stuck with it and became a Girl Scout.”
Sadie tittered. “The ‘weird little guys’ you saw are called brownies, dear. We didn’t realize they were here in the building until tonight.”
They were real and inhabited her workplace? What about her home? She tried not to overreact. Instead she cleared her throat and casually asked, “So, it’s still tonight, and I didn’t go all Rip Van Winkle or anything?”
Anthony stood. “You were only out for a few minutes.”
Brandee began to rise, but Anthony stopped her with a gentle hand on her shoulder. “Sit for a minute. I want to be sure you’re all right.”
“Why wouldn’t I be? Did I bump my head?”
Sadie strolled over and sat in the spot Anthony had just vacated. “I don’t think so. I found you sort of crumpled in a heap, but your head wasn’t on the floor.”
“Then I should be good to go.” Brandee’s voice wavered a bit, but she wanted to get out of there before anyone did anything to her.
“Not yet,” Anthony said. “I imagine you have questions. I’d rather you ask us than anyone else.”
“Who would I ask? Everyone would think I was crazy.”
“Exactly.” Anthony crossed to his office chair, rotated it to face her, then sat.
“So what the hell are they—brownies? Where did they come from? Are they some kind of alien?”
Sadie gave her hand a reassuring squeeze. “As a matter of fact, they’re very much from earth. They’re earth spirits.”
Anthony leaned forward and clasped his hands. “They inhabit certain homes. They like to clean places, and as long as a snack is left for them, they’re happy to help. But they don’t like to be seen. You were very fortunate to get a glimpse of them.”
“Ha. If I’m so lucky, why were you trying to make me forget? And what did you mean when you said you couldn’t do it to me much more? What have you done to me?”
Anthony bit his lip, then swore and grabbed a tissue. A drop of blood was visible. He pressed the paper over the cut until it stopped bleeding, which seemed to take no time at all.
Sadie fiddled with her rings. “Do you remember wanting to stay behind the bar and see if I could make contact with the spirit I detected?”
“Yes. I remember everything before that and up until the little noseless, bearded men found me. Do they come into our apartment?”
“No, and Anthony didn’t do any hypnosis with you tonight.”
He leaned back. “I’d like to take the memory of the brownies from you for your own good. You absolutely can’t tell anyone about what you saw. If you don’t know about them, you won’t let it slip out. I need your permission, however.” He glanced at Sadie and she gave a slight nod.
“What would happen if I did let it slip? I’m not saying I would. Anyone I told would think I’m a few bottles short of a six-pack.”
“I imagine the brownies would move out—or worse. If curious gawkers came looking for them, they’d be very upset. They’re sensitive creatures.”
“Worse? Something worse than not getting your bar cleaned for free?”
“If angered, they play pranks on the offender.”
“But we’ll tell Angie, right? I mean, she’ll want to know since she lives here too.”
“I wouldn’t,” Sadie said quickly. “The fewer people who know, the better. We really can’t take a chance on word getting out.”
“I used to wonder why the place sparkled the next day after a busy night. I just figured you had a kick-ass cleaning crew come in.”
Anthony smiled. “And I thought you guys always did a great job of cleaning up after I left.”
“You really didn’t know about the brownies?”
“I really didn’t. The bar opens several hours before I get in.”
She faced Sadie. “But you said snacks had to be left out for them. We don’t leave out any food at the end of the night.”
“Apparently they were helping themselves to the peanuts and pretzels. But they did such an excellent job of cleaning up after themselves that we had no idea.”
Brandee shook her head. “Crazy.” After a brief pause, she asked, “So, is it okay if I go upstairs now? I promise not to breathe a word of this, and I’m really exhausted.”
Anthony and Sadie looked at each other, then at her.
Anthony spoke first. “You don’t have any more questions?”
“I’m still hoping I’ll wake up in my bed and realize the whole thing was a dream.”
“I can arrange that,” Anthony offered, sounding hopeful.
“No. Part of me thinks this is unbelievably cool and wants to believe in fairy tales.”
“What’s the other part doing?” Sadie asked.
“Freaking out.”
***
Nick stabbed a sausage and took a large bite. He and his brother were having a big breakfast after their midnight run with the pack. After swallowing, Nick said, “I tell you, Konrad. I really screwed up. I don’t know if Brandee will ever forgive me.”
Roz entered the room, carrying half of a bagel, and offered him a sympathetic look.
Konrad smiled up at his wife. “Remember when I upset you so badly I thought you’d never speak to me again, honey?”
Roz smirked and sat between the twin brothers at the round table. “What makes you think I’ve forgiven you yet?”
Konrad leaned back in his chair. “Hmmm…I just assumed you did because you married me, took my name, and moved to the suburbs to live and work at my school.”
“Okay, I guess I got over it. But as I remember, you did a pretty good job of groveling.”
Nick groaned. “Is that what I have to do? Grovel?”
“Not necessarily,” Konrad said. “I left Roz a single red rose and a note. And don’t forget, we had telepathic communication. When she refused to answer her door, I simply spoke directly into her mind. She had no choice but to listen to what I had to say.”
“How did you two establish that? I wish I could talk to Brandee that way.”
Roz chuckled. “Be careful what you wish for. It’s not easy to filter your thoughts in the beginning.” Then she took a dainty bite of her bagel.
Konrad answered his original question. “My fang accidentally punctured her tongue when I was kissing her. I lapped the spot, so the bleeding stopped and the hole closed. It only took a second. After that, we were telepathic.”
“Seriously? I’ve been so careful not to let my fangs emerge while kissing Brandee.” I shouldn’t have tried so hard. Telepathic communication would be proof that she’s my mate.
“Maybe you should continue that way until you’re sure she’s the one. First you have to fix your screwup.”
Roz set down her bagel. “What was the situation, if you don’t mind my asking.”
“She described some strange noises coming from her neighbor’s apartment upstairs. I just wanted to be sure she was safe, so I borrowed her keys for another purpose and then asked a psychic to come into Brandee’s apartment with me. I didn’t want to worry the girls who lived there, so I didn’t tell them about it. We’d just gotten started when Brandee walked in and went nuts—”
“Nick?” Roz interrupted.
“What?”
“You’re a numbskull. Why didn’t you just tell her what you wanted to do and get her permission?”
“I didn’t want to scare her—especially when I didn’t know what we were dealing with.”
“So instead you terrified her. And let me guess, you were also afraid she’d say no if you asked her pe
rmission.”
He scratched his head. “Uh, yeah. How did you know?”
Roz gazed at the ceiling. “Men.”
“So what should I do?”
“Does she love you?” Konrad asked.
“I think so. She hasn’t said it yet, but we were headed in that direction.”
“Have you told her you love her?”
“Yes. Although I may not have used those exact words.”
Konrad’s brows rose. “Wow. I never thought I’d see the day.”
Nick groaned inwardly. If I have to listen to one more asshole disbelieving my ability to commit now that I’ve found the love of my life…“Yeah, yeah. Enough about my past, okay?”
“How did she react?” Roz asked.
Nick thought back to the moment he confessed he had been falling for her. “She didn’t hate it.”
Konrad closed his eyes and muttered something like, “Better than nothing.”
Roz steepled her fingers as she thought out loud. “Damn, I remember when I was in her shoes. Let’s see…you don’t want to wait too long, but you need to give her some time to cool down. How long ago did this happen?”
“The night before last.”
Roz nodded. “Okay. Don’t wait too much longer. Is there something you know she’d like that you can give her?”
Nick scratched his head. “She needs a new car.”
Roz made a soft noise. Something between a gasp and a chuckle. “Uh, no. That’s too much, and not quite what I meant.”
“Then what did you mean?”
“Does she love something you hate, like ballet or the opera, that you’d be willing to take her to, just to make her happy?”
“Oh, I get it. She loves art museums and galleries. I’m not a fan of that stuff. She likes the beach too, but so do I. I guess what you’re saying is, I should take her to a museum? What if she doesn’t want to go with me?”
“Try this—get her a membership to the Museum of Fine Arts. It’s not cheap, but it doesn’t cost nearly as much as a car. In a note, let her know you’re willing to go with her because experiences shared are so much better.”
“But what if she’s still angry and doesn’t want my company?”
“Even if she doesn’t ask you to come with her right away, she’ll think about you every time she uses her membership.”
“And eventually she’ll realize how much her happiness means to me.”
“Exactly.”
Nick finished his breakfast and couldn’t wait to get back to the city. He was a man on a mission. Operation Scrape the Egg Off His Face.
***
Brandee had promised Anthony she’d say nothing about the brownies to Angie or anyone, and she had intended to honor that promise. Even though she always kept her word, now in the next morning’s light she wondered if she’d be able to keep her mouth shut. Her roommate was sipping coffee right across from her at their dinette table.
Brownies? Seriously? The one thing she had to do first was double-check that the incident had really happened. She still wasn’t one hundred percent sure she hadn’t dreamed the whole thing. That meant talking to either Anthony or Sadie. Keeping in mind Ruxandra’s reaction to her, she figured Sadie would be safer.
“You’re quiet this morning,” Angie remarked over her coffee mug.
“Huh? Oh, I’m just tired.”
“You got in late.”
Brandee put down her coffee mug. “You heard me come in? Are you still losing sleep over the whole ghost thing?”
“Yeah. I wasn’t completely comfortable being here all alone. After you got home, I was fine and went right to sleep. Stupid, I know.”
“No, it’s not stupid. It’s perfectly understandable.”
“So what kept you downstairs so long?”
“Uh…” Crap, now what do I say? I was meeting the things that go bump in the night?
Angie held up one hand. “Never mind. If it’s personal, I understand. I thought I saw Nick heading toward the bar just before I went upstairs.”
Whew. I can blame it on Nick even though he never showed up. She wondered why he hadn’t. Was he watching to be sure she got home all right? That seemed like something he would do, and she still wasn’t sure how she felt about that. Having a big, strong ex-cop looking out for her was a bit of a turn-on, to be honest, but she didn’t like anyone spying on her. The Balogs were creepy enough. She didn’t need her boyfriend…was he still her boyfriend?
Angie waved a hand in front of her face. “Earth to Brandee.”
Brandee snapped to attention. “What? Did you say something?”
“No. Your eyes were just doing that glaze-over thing again.”
A knock at the door was a welcome interruption. Brandee jumped up. “I’ll get it.”
She tied her robe a little tighter before checking the peephole. Brandee didn’t recognize the guy on the other side, so she left the chain in place and opened the door a crack. “Can I help you?”
“Courier. I have a special delivery for Brandee Hanson.” The guy waved a manila envelope.
“Do I have to sign for it?”
“No. I’m just paid to hand-deliver it.”
“Okay. Job done.” She reached for the envelope, and the guy handed it to her through the gap. “Thanks.”
“What is it?” Angie asked.
“I don’t know.” Brandee tore open the outer envelope from the courier service to reveal another envelope inside. A white one with just her name on it. “I don’t recognize the handwriting.”
“Well, open the flippin’ thing. Who knows, maybe it’s a big fat check from Publishers Clearing House.”
“Funny.” Brandee picked up her butter knife and used it to tear open the flap. Inside was a brochure from the Museum of Fine Arts and a letter. “Huh?”
“What is it?” Angie asked.
“It’s a brochure for the MFA.” She unfolded the letter and read out loud.
Dear Brandee,
I hope you’re okay. I’m really sorry about invading your privacy, and I’d like to make it up to you. This is a one-year membership to a place I know you’ll like. I only want your happiness and always will, no matter how you feel about me.
Nick.
Angie picked up the brochure. “Huh.”
“Yeah, that’s what I was going to say.”
“I guess he feels really bad. The membership must have cost—”
Brandee slapped her hands over her ears. “No, don’t tell me.”
“It doesn’t say how much he spent. I just know these things aren’t cheap. It says you get free admission whenever you want, members-only invitations to special events, discount parking, discount dining…”
“Yeah. It’s a really nice gift.”
“And you’ll like this part. The money goes toward maintaining and improving the museum.” Angie looked up at her roommate. “Are you going to accept it?”
“Well, it wouldn’t help the museum if I didn’t. Nothing says I have to use the benefits.”
“Sheesh. You’re still that angry?”
Brandee rose and wandered around the kitchen, straightening up. As she was wiping down the counters, Angie spoke again.
“Do you realize you clean when you’re avoiding something else?”
A corner of Brandee’s mouth turned up. It was really tempting to say something like, “The brownies aren’t doing it, so…” but she thought better of it in time. “No. I didn’t.”
“Well, you do. Not that it’s a bad thing, but lately the apartment has been really clean. I think you need to deal with Nick.”
Brandee tossed the sponge into the sink and folded her arms. “How can I ‘deal with him’ when I don’t know what I want to do with him?”
“Well, you could start by thanking him for the museum membersh
ip.”
Brandee sighed. “I thought you weren’t going to give me advice.”
“Well, you obviously need a little.”
“Okay. So, tell me. Should I forgive him or stay mad?”
Angie snorted. “I don’t think it works that way. Instead, maybe you should be asking yourself if you can forgive him or if you’re still mad.”
Brandee plopped into her chair again. “In other words, you think I’ve already made up my mind.”
“I think you already know in your heart. This isn’t one of those things the mind decides.”
Brandee covered her eyes in an attempt to shut out her mind, her roommate, and anything else but her heart. She had been avoiding her feelings because she knew her heart was the traitor in all of this. Stupid heart.
Chapter 13
Nick finally had a plan to catch the bank robber. It would stretch the department’s resources, but that was no longer his problem. Captain Hunter had agreed to meet him at Boston Uncommon as soon as it opened. He had hoped to get his former captain in there anyway. Hunter, being a peacekeeper, seemed to like the concept.
Fortunately, Brandee was scheduled to work, so he might be able to kill two birds with one brunch—so to speak. He hoped she didn’t still want to kill him.
He found a corner booth as far from the action as he could get. Brandee strolled into the bar, still tying her apron, then halted when she spotted him. He smiled.
She offered a weak smile in return and spoke quietly to Angie, who was cutting up limes behind the bar. Unfortunately, his hearing wasn’t quite acute enough in human form to gather what they were saying. Finally, Angie gave his lover a shove in his direction.
Brandee approached him slowly, betraying her uncertainty.
Maybe there’s a chance for us.
When she got close enough he said, “Hello, beautiful.” He’d let her take the conversation from there, hoping for the best.
“Um…thanks for the museum membership. That was very thoughtful of you.”
“You’re welcome.” Waiting for her next move was torture, but he really wanted to see where she would take this.