The Gargoyle Gets His Girl

by Kristen Painter

  It was a rare guy who did that.

  Sure, she saw a lot of sweet, genuine men come through her store, but that’s because they were shopping for presents for their wives or girlfriends. Selling engagement rings wasn’t a great way to meet eligible men. She finished the remainder of the wine in her glass, knowing she shouldn’t have another but seriously considering it.

  Maybe just half. She walked into the kitchen, got a little more wine and a bag of cheese popcorn, then returned to the couch, where she settled on a sci-fi series she was woefully behind on and hit play. As the opening rolled, she set her glass down to check email on her tablet.

  Another. Freaking. Email. From. Burnside.

  She punched pause on the TV remote, then grabbed her phone and found Nick’s number in her Favorites. Technically, she had it only so she could call him when his watch band came in. Adding him to her Favorites had just seemed like a reasonable thing to do. She tapped the call button, but after a few rings, it went to voice mail. Crap. She hadn’t planned on leaving a message. She hung up without saying a word, instantly regretting that decision. He’d see that she’d called but not left a message. What would that say to him? She was desperate? Squirrelly?

  She groaned as Jasper joined her on the couch. “Why is all this romance business so hard?”

  He curled up in a ball on the cushion next to her.

  “You cats have it so easy.”

  Nick had said he worked a couple of nights at Insomnia. That’s probably where he was now. But she wasn’t about to visit him at his job. “Now, that would be desperate.”

  Jasper sighed heavily and sank deeper into sleep.

  She frowned and looked at the television. She didn’t want to watch TV.

  She wanted to see Nick.

  Night two on the job would undoubtedly be a lot less interesting than Nick’s first night had been, but at least tonight he had something else to think about while he crouched on the fountain’s platform.

  Namely Willa.

  Yes, she was kind of the enemy in the loosest sense of the word, but even thinking about her that way seemed wrong. She hadn’t given him any reason to think she was up to no good. Most likely, she’d been completely unaware of what she was doing, and who she was touching, when she made the wish the night before.

  Didn’t mean he was completely off the hook to help her, though. It didn’t seem like she was in any trouble, but bound was bound, and now that he knew her—and liked her—he wanted to make sure she was safe. If only she’d opened up a little more at lunch.

  But then, she’d only just met him. Couldn’t expect the woman to bare her soul after knowing him for a few minutes.

  Or tell him he was released from protecting her when she probably didn’t even know she’d bound him to her in the first place.

  He gave her points just for not being afraid of him. He knew he came off a little intimidating. Which was exactly why he’d done his best to smile and keep things light, an effort that had only gotten easier being around Willa.

  She was really something. Gorgeous, witty, smart, owned her own business and supernatural. Sure, she was the one and only kind of supernatural on his Never list, but he might have to reconsider that list.

  A lapidus fae and a gargoyle together. What were the odds that that would work out? About as good as a warden dating an inmate.

  He frowned.

  Then went very still.

  Willa was walking toward him.

  She looked perturbed as she came to a stop before him, peering right into his stone eyes. “Looks like it’s just you and me again tonight, Mr. Gargoyle.”

  Was she…intoxicated? The subtle aroma of wine wafted off her, but she’d walked over to him without any signs of being under the influence. She might be a little buzzed.

  She sighed, then leaned in, throwing an arm around his neck. “You’re not really the man I want to talk to, but he’s at work.”

  Did she mean him? He stayed still. He couldn’t very well let her know who he was now, not after he’d kept silent last night. And especially not now that she was a little tipsy. People didn’t always respond to surprises so well when they’d been drinking.

  She dug something shiny from her pocket. The slice of green rock gleamed in the moonlight. “This isn’t as pricey as the piece of opal I threw in last time, but malachite is a stone of transformation, and that’s what I need.”

  Wariness coursed through him. Did she suspect he was real? Was she going to try to force him to shift in front of her? This was not going to go well.

  She held the piece up between two fingers. “The guy that was bothering me before is bothering me again. I need this situation to change. I don’t like this feeling of looking over my shoulder. I’m not scared, really. Just totally irritated. I want him to leave me alone!”

  Damn it. Why hadn’t she said anything at lunch? His instinct to protect her kicked in again.

  She tossed the malachite in, sealing the deal. She stared at the water for a moment, then came closer to him, tipping her head to study him. He should have revealed himself last night. Now things had gone too far and…this close, her eyes were as blue as the water in the fountain. Her lips parted. “You know, the gargoyles who are here during the daytime are real.”

  She patted his cheek, and her hand stayed put on the last one. “Poor gargoyle.” She bent her head until her forehead touched his. “I’m sure you wish you could fly like your shifter brothers.”

  So she still thought he was a statue.

  She straightened, and her hand followed the line of his jaw, coasting over his stone form to trail up along the folded span of one wing as far as she could reach. The warmth and sensation radiating off her fingers made him want to move, but he stayed still. In part so his true identity would remain a secret, but also because he didn’t want her to stop touching him.

  Finally, her fingers left his stony exterior, and she sat, leaning against him as she had the night before. “If that troll really does come to town, he’s not going to like what he finds.”

  He could only see her from the hips down in his peripheral vision.

  She tipped her head back against his side, patting his flank with one hand. “No, sir. I’m not afraid of him, and you know what? I’m almost looking forward to seeing his troll face when he gets a load of my boyfriend.”

  She had a boyfriend?

  Her laughter trilled above the splashing water. “Don’t tell Nick I said that! I haven’t even asked him yet.”

  Son of a—did she mean him? Of course she meant him. She’d said his name. Back to the important part—she was going to ask him to be her boyfriend? Did that even happen after high school?

  Before he could ponder that another second, she grabbed hold of his wing and pulled herself upright to stand on the edge of the fountain.

  He worried about her falling in for a moment, then she draped herself over his back. “Mmm, you’re warm.”

  So was she. He closed his eyes, soaking in the contact.

  She let out a long, sad sigh and propped herself on her elbows. “What am I going to do if this guy doesn’t leave me alone? What’s Nick going to think if he finds out I’ve got some crazy troll stalker after me?”

  She moaned and slid back down to sit next to him on the pool’s ledge. Her hand stayed on his back foot, where her fingers absent-mindedly tested the points of his talons. “Jasper probably wonders what happened to me.”

  Another sigh. “I better go home. And sober up.”

  Who was Jasper? A roommate? Or maybe she did have a boyfriend. Nick was so confused.

  And, surprisingly, a little jealous that she might have another man in her life, one who knew her better and got to spend more time with her, even if he was just a roommate.

  Nick wanted to shake his head, but didn’t. It was just his instinct to protect her that was driving these feelings. That’s all it was.

  There was no way he was falling for a fae.

  Even if she was beautiful. An
d kind of adorably handsy when she’d been drinking.

  Hell. He was falling for her.

  The real surprise was that he was pretty much okay with that.

  Now he just had to figure out where she stood. And to assess the threat of this stalker. Once Nick did that, he could make that problem go away, and his bond to her would be satisfied. After that, whatever happened between them would have nothing to do with obligation and everything to do with fate.

  His shift at the fountain over, Nick now sat across from Sheriff Merrow.

  Merrow set his coffee down. He’d offered some to Nick, but Nick had declined. After he left the station, he was going home to get a few hours of sleep. “Heard you took over the night shift at the fountain.”

  Nick nodded. “I did.”

  “How’s that going?”

  “Only two nights in, but so far so good. It’s also kind of why I’m here.”

  “That so?”

  Nick nodded. “I—”

  “I’ve got donuts!” Birdie Caruthers strolled in with a bright pink box in one hand, a sheaf of white paper napkins in the other. “Hank, you want a cruller? I know you like them.”

  “Birdie, I’m occupied.” Hank lifted his chin at Nick.

  “Nick Hardwin! How are you, dear?” Birdie flipped the lid back and stuck the box under his nose. “Donut?”

  Seeing as how he hadn’t eaten since before his shift, he nodded. “I’d love one.”

  She slapped a napkin on the edge of Hank’s desk. “Have at it.”

  He took a chocolate glazed.

  “Oh, come on,” she said. “Take two. Or three. A big strapping man like you can’t live on one tiny little donut.”

  He took one more, another chocolate glazed.

  “There you go.” Then she clucked her tongue and glared at her nephew. “And of course Hank didn’t even offer you coffee.”

  “No, he did,” Nick said. “But I turned it down. Just got off the night shift, so I need to be able to sleep when I get home.”

  She tutted again and waved her hand. “I’ll make you a decaf. Be right back.”

  She was gone before Nick could respond. He took a large bite out of one of his donuts to keep from laughing at the sheriff’s aunt. Birdie was her own woman, that was for sure.

  Hank sent a withering look after her. “Sorry about that.” He redirected his attention to Nick. “If I could control her, I would, but I can’t. What were you about to say?”

  Nick swallowed the bite of donut. “The reason I came in. Willa Iscove, the jeweler?”

  “I know her. She made Ivy’s ring.”

  “She mentioned that. She came by the fountain while I was on duty and made a wish. Sort of.” Nick explained the whole thing, what had happened both nights and how she’d talked about having a stalker. Birdie came in with his coffee and set it beside his donuts and left just as Nick was concluding. “Anyway, I thought you should know what’s going on.”

  Hank nodded, giving Nick a chance to finish his donut and test Birdie’s decaf. “Has he threatened her?”

  “Not that I know of. I really don’t know the fine details. I tried to get more out of her at lunch the other day, but she didn’t say anything, and I got the sense that whatever happened had already blown over. Now, I don’t think it has.”

  Merrow’s fingers strummed the desk top. “I can’t act based on the information you’ve given me. I mean, I can make sure her shop gets some extra coverage on the regular patrols, but this stalker hasn’t done anything that’s actionable.”

  Nick sat back. “I was afraid of that. I don’t like leaving her potentially vulnerable.”

  “Neither do I.” Hank lifted his hand. “Willa’s a rare creature.”

  “How so?”

  “Not all fae are born being able to work with both metal and stone the way she can. Her talents are something special.”

  “How did you get to know so much about the fae?”

  “Because after the Ellinghams made their deal with her, they made sure I knew she was to be protected. Apparently, fae like her, with the kind of skills she’s got, they’re rarely seen in the human world. The fae Powers That Be keep those like her close and put them to work designing stuff for their royalty and mages.”

  “Why isn’t Willa doing that then?”

  Merrow shrugged. “You’ll have to ask her about that, but suffice it to say anything happens to her and the Ellinghams aren’t going to be happy.”

  “You going to sit guard on her then?”

  “No.” Merrow lifted his coffee to drink. “You are.”

  “You want the Ellinghams to be happy? Then I need to show up for work.”

  Merrow put his cup down. “I’m sure they’d rather have you keeping an eye on their prize jeweler. I’ll clear it with Julian, but unless you hear otherwise from me, assume that Willa is now your new job.”

  “What do you want me to do exactly? Just show up and never leave? She’s going to think I’m a stalker.”

  A sly smile crossed Merrow’s mouth. “You’ve already taken her to lunch. Put on the full-court press. Get her some flowers. Take her to dinner. You know. Romance her.”

  Nick squinted. “I’m sorry, who are you again? Because you do not sound like the master sergeant I served with.”

  Merrow laughed. “Bridget gave me a crash course in wooing when Ivy and I first got together, and you see how that’s turned out.”

  “Whoa, now. You two ended up married.”

  “So? You’re the one who told me you were looking to settle down. Put down roots, you said.”

  “Yeah, but a gargoyle and a fae?”

  “Stranger things have happened in this town.” Merrow’s eyes brightened with the roguish light of experience. “Trust me.”

  Willa tied the drawstring at the waist of her tank top style sundress and checked herself in the mirror. It was weird to be in her apartment at six in the evening. Even the light in the place seemed different. She should be behind the counter, handling the pre-dinner shoppers who wandered through her store around this time.

  Instead, Ramona was handling them. With help from her sister and co-worker, Valerie. Willa rolled her eyes. Two brownies were running her shop without her there. She’d be lucky if they didn’t give friends and family discounts to everyone who came in.

  Dinner with Nick would still be worth it, though. Whatever it cost.

  A big smile broke out on Willa’s face. Dinner with Nick. Honestly, when he’d come into the shop that morning, she’d thought he was there to check on his watch band. Happily, he was not.

  She did a quick twirl in her dress. The blues and greens did nice things for her eyes. Jasper swatted at the hem, then pounced on her foot and bit one of her toes. She yanked her foot away and pointed at him. “No, bad cat. You’re going to ruin my pedicure with your fangs.”

  She reached down to ruffle the fur on his head. “Maybe if I feed you, you’ll stop thinking I’m dinner.”

  She got him a fresh dish of food then slipped into her sandals, grabbed her purse and went back down through the shop to meet Nick. She shut her computer down before locking her office. The girls wouldn’t need anything in there, and Ramona had a key to lock up when the night was over.

  As she walked out of the back room, Ramona whistled. “Don’t you look nice for dinner with lover boy?”

  Willa arched a brow. “He is neither my lover nor a boy.”

  “I heard that,” Valerie said, smirking as she showed a customer a pair of earrings. She had the same big brown eyes and explosion of curly hair that Ramona did, but Valerie’s was twice as long and currently dyed deep cranberry red. “But you can fix that first one if the date goes well.”

  “Are all brownies this meddlesome?”

  Ramona and Valerie looked at her at the same time. “Yes.”

  “Okay, I give. Have a good night. Call if you need anything. I won’t be far away.” Assuming Nick was taking her somewhere in town, which was the most likely scenario.
/>   “We won’t need anything,” Ramona said. “Have fun.”

  “I will.” With a little wave, Willa left the store and went to stand out front where she’d agreed to meet Nick. She was a few minutes early, but she wasn’t staying in the shop and bantering with those two anymore.

  Preparing herself to wait, she glanced down the street. There was a fair crowd out enjoying the evening. But one man stood out above the fray. She smiled. Nick was already approaching the store.

  Her nerves settled as he grew closer. “Hey there.”

  “Hey.” He smiled back. “You look good. Really…good.”

  “So do you.” He did things for jeans and a white dress shirt that should be immortalized on a billboard. She could only imagine what his butt looked like in those jeans. The thought made her instantly warm. Good grief, the man got her all wound up way too fast.

  “Hungry?”

  She nodded. Sure. That was one way to describe what she was feeling. “Where are we going?”

  “Guillermo’s. It’s not far.” He gestured down the street. “You good to walk?”

  “Yep.”

  “Great.” He started in the direction he’d pointed.

  She fell in step beside him.

  “Have you been there?” he asked.

  “Nope, and unless they deliver, I’m not even sure I’ve eaten their food.” She dodged to avoid oncoming pedestrians and brushed against him. Hard as a rock. “Wow.”

  Crap. She’d just said that out loud.

  “Wow what?” He glanced at her.

  “I, uh, I just realized I don’t get out much.” Nice save. Not that she wasn’t willing to run into him again. She’d just learn to keep her mouth shut next time.

  “Tough having your own business, huh?”

  “It is, but I love it. They say if you make your passion your work, you never really work a day in your life.”

  He nodded. “I like that.”

  “So, Guillermo’s. I take it that’s Italian?”

  “It is. You cool with that?”

  “Absolutely. Love it.” She gave him a once over. “You’re awfully brave, though.”