Black Magic Kitten

by Sara Bourgeois

  "Her name's Katy Shoals. Brother's name is Kevin," Jacob said. “He’s a construction worker.”

  "Hey, thanks,” I said.

  "Yeah, you're welcome. But, hey. Kevin Shoals has kind of a reputation for being a hard... for being a tough guy. So, watch yourself around him. He's not someone to mess with," Jacob said.

  "I will. I swear. Tell Castor I said thanks for the key."

  "Will do."

  With the key in hand, I went into the shop and looked around. Immediately, the scratching on the bathroom door started again.

  "Meri, we're going to have to do something about that before I open the shop. It doesn't scare me, but it might freak the tourists out,” I said.

  "Isn't' that what they want?" he asked.

  "That's a good point." I said.

  "Besides, it will probably stop when there are customers in the shop. You know ghosts rarely show themselves when you'd be able to use their presence to confirm a haunting,” he said.

  "Why is that?" I asked.

  "I don't know, but if you want to banish it, we can. Or you could wait and see if it shows itself. See what it wants."

  "I'll probably just do that. It's more annoying that anything at this point,” I said and walked to the back of the store. "Hey, knock it off or my familiar and I are going to banish your spectral behind," I shouted through the door.

  "Good job,” Meri said when it stopped.

  With the ghost at least temporarily taken care of, I propped the front door open and started carrying in boxes. I got them all out of the trailer and carried inside when I realized something was missing.

  "What is it?" Meri asked as I stood inside biting my bottom lip and thinking.

  "I need a sign for the store,” I said. "I could probably paint something with temporary window paint on the outside for a while, but eventually, I'll need a sign."

  "You have enough money to order one,” Meri said.

  "I know, but I don't have enough money in my account. The only bank in Coventry is the Bank of Coventry, right?"

  "Yeah."

  "So, I can't deposit any of this money into my other account,” I said. "I'll have to open an account here and wait for a debit card."

  "You should go soon then. Get there before they close, or you'll have to wait until tomorrow,” Meri said.

  "I don't need to go right now. I should have time."

  "It's nearly four,” Meri said.

  "Really? Wow, this all took longer than I thought. Okay. I should do that and then I've got to get home and get ready for my date with Thorn."

  I ended up leaving the trailer parked outside the shop because while there was a small branch of the bank near the square, the big new branch out in the new section of town said they could make me a debit card for my new account right then and there. Meri and I got in the car and headed off to a part of town I'd never been in before. In fact, it had been all farm fields when I'd left.

  The bank was conveniently located in a small business and retail area before you got to the subdivisions. I pulled into the parking lot and parked near the doors. Meri was going to wait in the car, but there were some interesting bushes around the building. He decided to get out and investigate the landscaping while I did my banking.

  There was only one other customer in the bank when I went inside. I walked up to the teller and told her I wanted to open a checking account with a debit card.

  "Sure, I can do that,” she said. "Or if you want to discuss your options, you can have a seat and I'll tell one of our personal bankers you are here."

  “No, that’s fine. I just want a standard checking account with a debit card,” I said.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Twenty minutes later I had my new bank account and debit card. I hadn’t had much cash on me to deposit in the account, but I’d had just enough to open it. I’d have to go back the next day with more.

  That was a problem for another time. At that moment, I needed to get home and get ready for my date with Thorn. I'd have over an hour by the time I got there, and I reasoned that was plenty of time. Especially for a witch.

  My first order of business when I arrived at Hangman's House was to feed Meri his dinner. My second was to get in the shower and thoroughly scrub off the day's worth of dust and sweat that had caked over my entire body. I scrubbed and exfoliated everything until my skin was a little red but also as smooth as a baby's butt.

  The one thing my ex hadn't taken from me was my collection of soaps, lotions, and my makeup. For special occasions, I had a gardenia lotion that smelled like absolute heaven. At a hundred dollars a bottle, I save it for truly exceptional events. I pulled that bad boy out of my bag and slathered it all over myself. If I was going to make the mistake of jumping into something with the town's hunky sheriff way too fast, I was going to pull out all the stops.

  I had to decide between doing the no-makeup makeup look or going all out with a glam smoky eye. I wasn't a shifter, but I could shape shift with makeup. I hoped he wasn't taking me to the diner for dinner because I went with the smoky eye and blood-red lips. I had the perfect little black dress that showed off just enough skin, a little shoulder and a hint of thigh, without giving away too much. Since it displayed my shoulders, I applied a bit of highlighter to them so there was a bit of sparkle that caught the light. Not too much though. I knew we weren't going clubbing or to a carnival.

  The pink in my hair had deepened to red and the purple was so dark it was almost black. I decided to blow dry it, curl it, and then wear it with the crown done up and the bottom layers loose. With the crown tied back, you could see my neck and get a good view of the little silver moon earrings that dangled about a half inch from my ear. They hung from tiny diamond studs that looked like stars.

  "You look nice,” Meri said as I emerged from the bathroom.

  "What? Did you just pay me a compliment?" I was a little shocked.

  "No. You're crazy. You must be hearing things,” he said and darted out of the room.

  "Whatever," I called out to him.

  "Whatever," I heard back from somewhere downstairs.

  Since I was ready to go, all there was left to do was wait for Thorn. I went downstairs and sat on the sofa thinking I could boot up my laptop and scroll through social media for a few minutes, but I couldn't sit still. I ended up pacing the living room until a few minutes before six when the doorbell rang. One thing I knew for sure was that my calves were going to hurt the next day after pacing in my heels.

  I answered the door to an audible gasp. Thorn's mouth hung open for just a split second before he snapped it shut and tried to compose himself. He was dressed in black slacks that clung to his developed thighs and an eggplant purple dress button-down shirt that hugged his biceps and was slightly taut against his muscular chest. His blond hair was neatly combed but not overly so. One lock threatened to spill down over his forehead. Even after he recovered from his apparent shock at seeing me, his eyes still sparkled with mischievous delight.

  "You look... I can't even say beautiful because that wouldn't describe it,” he said and cleared his throat. "I just... I never expected..."

  "Are you going to be okay, Sheriff?" I teased. "Do we need to call in one of your deputies for backup?"

  "Will you marry me?" he said completely seriously.

  "You're hilarious," I countered.

  "Well, will you at least come out here so I can take you to dinner then?"

  I would never know if he was serious in that moment. We both played it off as a joke, but he never did actually say he was kidding.

  "Sure,” I said and Thorn offered me his arm.

  He walked me out to his truck. It was a huge, black behemoth with enormous tires and a lift kit. It wasn't exactly in monster truck territory, but it was... something.

  "Sorry about the truck,” he said as he opened the door for me and helped me into the cab. "My car is in the shop, and I didn't think you'd want me picking you up in my cruiser."

  "Plus, I do
n't think you're supposed to use your cruiser for personal business," I teased.

  "Yeah, that's right,” he said as he shut my door.

  I waited for him to come around and get in. "But thank you for not picking me up in it. I'm sure the entire town would have thought I was under arrest,” I said once he was behind the wheel. "It's a nice truck."

  "But a little over the top?" he asked.

  "Maybe a little,” I said.

  "Well, it does serve a purpose occasionally when I need to go off road for things,” Thorn said.

  "How often do you have to do that?" I asked.

  "Not often enough to justify having the beast,” he said with a smile.

  "That's okay. We all have our thing. I'd say of the list of vices I can think of, liking big trucks is pretty harmless."

  "I'm glad to hear you say that,” he said. "I worried you'd think I was some sort of country bumpkin when you saw it."

  "Thorn, I'm the one that grew up in a small town. You're the one who grew up in the city. Besides, I'm not going to judge you over a truck."

  With that, he reached across the console and took my hand. "I hope you like Italian food. If not, I can take you somewhere else."

  "I love anything pasta,” I said a little too enthusiastically.

  Thorn chuckled. "That's what your mom told me."

  "You asked my mom where to take me?" I asked.

  "Yeah, and she said you'd love Bella Vita,” he said. "I don't regret asking. I was a Boy Scout, and I'm always prepared."

  "I saw Bella Vita when I was at the bank today. It looks like a fancy restaurant,” I said.

  "Well, it's a good thing you dressed the part,” he said and squeezed my hand. "It is the nicest restaurant in Coventry."

  I was glad I hadn't gone with a more casual outfit. "Would you have told me if you'd shown up and I was dressed in something less fancy?” I said.

  "Not a chance. I would have taken you somewhere else and then taken you to Bella Vita on our next date,” he said.

  "Why?"

  "Because I would never say anything even remotely negative to you about the way you're dressed, Kinsley. Not when I could just take you somewhere more casual and relaxed. Your outfit would have told me that's what you're in the mood for, and I am here to cater to that."

  "But I'm dressed for Bella Vita,” I said and squeezed his hand back.

  "Kinsley, you're dressed for a five-star restaurant in the city. But is Bella Vita okay? I can drive us to Chicago. It will take a while."

  "St. Louis is probably closer,” I said.

  "Good point. Do you want to go there?"

  "No, I'm hungry,” I said.

  He laughed and had to let go of my hand so we could turn into the restaurant's parking lot. Once we were parked, Thorn came around and opened the door. He practically had to lift me out of the truck and help me to the ground. I was a little embarrassed at first. I just felt self-conscious about him having to pick me up.

  "We need to get you inside stat,” he said as he set me down.

  "Why? I'm not cold. It's a nice night,” I said.

  "Because you hardly weigh anything, Kinsley. We need to get you full of pasta and bread sticks fast."

  "Oh, now you're just trying to score points,” I said and playfully hit his arm.

  "Did it work?"

  "It absolutely worked."

  He offered me his hand and we walked to the door. Thorn held it open for me and then took my hand again as we waited at the hostess station.

  "Reservation for Wilson,” Thorn said when the hostess greeted us.

  "You made a reservation today?" I said as she walked us to our table.

  "I made a reservation the night I met you,” he said. "Just in case."

  "The night of the murder?" I was surprised.

  "Yeah, I made it after I went home. Just in case,” Thorn said.

  "That was a bit presumptuous of you,” I said, but I was still teasing.

  "It may have been, but it paid off,” Thorn said.

  "Will this do?" the hostess asked as she showed us to a high-backed booth.

  "Will it?" Thorn asked me, and I suddenly felt like a princess.

  "Yes. It's great,” I said with a smile.

  "Yes, thank you,” Thorn said to the hostess.

  "Your server will be right with you,” she said and walked away.

  I slid into the booth and picked up the menu the hostess had left on my side of the table. The selections were listed in both Italian and English, so I was able to read the menu. I made a mental note to ask my father to do his language spell so I could speak and read Italian, though. It was a beautiful language, and I figured why not? My father had the ability, so I might as well take advantage.

  The menu was extensive, and I studied it with focus while we waited for the waitress to come take our orders. I really was hungry, and I didn't want to have to send her away. Thorn was as intense in his perusal of their selection as I was. It was nice to see we were on the same page in that regard.

  "Are you going to think less of me if I get the spaghetti with meat sauce?" Thorn asked after a couple of minutes.

  "Why would I think less of you for that?" I asked.

  "Well, I brought you to such a fancy place and then I order something so basic,” he said.

  "I'm sure it's not basic here," I offered. "I bet they've elevated it to something magical."

  "Well, when you put it that way,” he said.

  His eyes twinkled in the soft light from the candle in the middle of the table. The flame threw a shadow across his jaw and made it look even more chiseled as it lit up the blond stubble he'd neglected to shave.

  "Do I have something on my face?" he asked.

  "Oh, no. Sorry. I was just..."

  He rubbed his jaw. "Sorry, I guess I should have shaved."

  "No, it's a good look on you,” I said. "Very rugged. Goes with the truck."

  He laughed at that. "Well, wait until you see me outside in my flannel chopping fire wood."

  "People still do that?" I asked.

  That time Thorn let out a huge belly laugh. "They do if they have a wood-burning fireplace or stove. I happen to have both in my house. I suppose I could buy one of those machines that does it for you, but the exercise is good for me,” he said and patted his stomach.

  "That it is,” I said and then blushed furiously.

  "Thank you,” he said and blushed a little too. That made me feel better.

  The waitress came right then and took our orders. Thorn did go with the spaghetti and meat sauce. I decided on the spaghetti aglio e olio. We also ordered an extra basket of bread with olive oil and herbs to dip it in.

  While we were eating our bread, I brought the investigation up. I tried to talk myself out of it, but I was coming out of my skin. "So, how is the investigation into Merrill’s murder going?" I asked and then held my breath.

  "I think I should probably be asking you that?" Thorn said. He was smiling, but there was an edge to his voice.

  "What I'm mostly finding out is that Merrill owed a lot of people money and that he was not well liked. Did you know that Jerry Sprigs is putting a lien on Merrill's estate for twelve grand?"

  "I'd ask how you know that, but I think I already know,” Thorn said.

  "What do you mean?" I asked as innocently as possible.

  "Look, Kinsley, I can't prove you went into Merrill's house, and I don't want to accuse you of things, but if you did, please don't do anything like that again. Don't put me in a position where I have to arrest you. Please?"

  "You know you want me in handcuffs,” I said to lighten the mood.

  He let out some sort of low, rumbly growl that took my breath away. "Anyway..." Thorn began after rubbing the back of his neck and clearing his throat again, "I'm going to track down my contact in Azriel's club. I think I'd like to know what they've found out so far. They haven't come to you, have they?"

  "No,” I said. "If they did, I would tell you."

 
"Good."

  I wanted to ask him if I could come along when he talked to his contact, but I chickened out. I didn't think he'd be amenable to the idea, so there was no reason to upset him over it.

  Our food came after that, so we ate and chatted over far less intense topics. When dinner was over, he drove me home and walked me to my door.

  "Thank you for dinner,” I said. "It was delicious. The company was okay too."

  Thorn chuckled. "I'm glad you enjoyed it. The food especially. I've never seen a woman eat like that before,” he said and thought about it. "I take that back. I've seen your mother eat like that when your folks have been gracious enough to invite me to dinner. It's a good quality for you to have inherited."

  "I'm glad it didn't horrify you,” I said.

  Thorn studied me for a moment. "Everything about you makes me like you more," he finally said.

  "Oh, well, you'll get over that quick enough."

  "Don't deflect me with humor, Kinsley,” he said seriously. "If you don't like me, fine, but don't do that."

  "I'm not... I mean... I'm not doing that," I stammered. "I do like you. More than I should, probably." I bit my bottom lip hard. "Dang it. I didn't mean to say that out loud. I'm sorry."

  "And don't apologize for telling me the truth,” he said. Thorn wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled me close. "And don't abuse that gorgeous bottom lip that way."

  Before I could respond, Thorn pulled me in closer and covered my lips with his. I just melted into him and breathed in his clean, woodsy aftershave. The stubble on his chin sent a shiver down my spine.

  "Are you cold?" he pulled back and asked.

  "No, not at all."

  Chapter Fifteen

  The next morning I went to the bank and deposited a bunch of money Meri found for me in the attic. "You know, you're a really great familiar,” I said as we were driving home.

  "Shut up," he retorted.

  "No, I'm serious,” I said. "I know serving as our familiar was a punishment. Well, back when my mother wasn't a Skeenbauer anyway. But you've been good to us. A little snarky, but you've saved us all so many times."

  "What are you getting at?" he asked suspiciously.