Footsteps scraped the stone patio behind her, coming to a stop within arm’s length. “You’re spoiling him.”
She didn’t turn to look at Beckett. “I should hope so.”
“I can think of someone else who could use some spoiling.”
She glanced over her shoulder with a slightly perturbed expression. “If you’re angling for a raise—”
“I was talking about your niece. Emeranth. Or have you forgotten about her? Because you certainly seem to be trying.”
“I haven’t forgotten she’s here.” On the contrary, it was all Amelia could think about. She blew out a slow breath, shifting her gaze back to the garden. Guilt at the thought of how she was treating Emeranth already hung over her. She didn’t need Beckett adding to it. Her mood turned defensive. “You don’t know what’s at stake.”
“I think I do. And regardless, that’s no reason to shut her out. She’s family. Maybe the last you have left. And you took it upon yourself to tell her she’s a witch, but since that life-changing pronouncement you’ve done nothing about it. The poor girl has to wonder what’s going on.”
Amelia frowned. She didn’t require a lecture from the man whose job satisfaction would be found only when her soul was in his hands. “Leave me alone.”
“Why? Because you know I’m right?”
“When did you stop being the collector of my soul and decide to become my conscience instead?”
“When you decided to ignore Emeranth without reason.”
Stubborn, stubborn reaper. She whipped around to glare at him. “I have a reason. I am trying to protect her.”
“From what? Your fate? What happened to you isn’t going to happen to her. Listen to yourself. It doesn’t make sense. You’re scared of something.” His eyes suddenly brightened with realization. “You’re afraid of getting your heart broken again, aren’t you? That if you let her in, and she leaves you like Pasqual did…”
Amelia’s throat squeezed with emotion. “That’s not all.” She slumped back in her chair. He wasn’t wrong. “I won’t survive it. But you should be happy about that. Then your job will be done.”
“Amelia.”
She knew that tone. What followed next was usually his explanation that he was not his job, that he took no pleasure in the inevitable, that he valued their friendship, such as it was, that his time here had given him a chance to experience life. She knew it all.
But that wasn’t where he went. “She’s a good girl. With a kind heart. She won’t leave you.”
“You don’t know that.”
“No, I can’t say it for certain. No one really knows that kind of thing about someone else. But I like her, and she strikes me very much like a woman searching for a place to call home. Desperate for it, almost. And after talking to her, it seems to me that the last thing she wants to do is put down roots only to tear them up again.” His voice softened. “If you talked to her, you’d see that for yourself.”
She sighed. “Maybe.” She stared at her hands. Despite the magic of this place, her knuckles were starting to gnarl. The hands and the neck were such traitors. They were always the first to betray a woman. “That’s not all of it, though. The magic really will get its hooks in her. How can it not? She’s my descendant. It’s inevitable. Especially if you complete your task. Someone has to take over.”
“Maybe…maybe she’d be okay with that.”
She squinted at him. “You know what it’s done to me. What weight it’s put on me. How great a burden I bear.”
He nodded with great solemnity. “I do.”
“And you think a young woman should have to handle that? She hasn’t lived her life yet. She hasn’t married and had children and found her place in this world.”
“But I think she’s trying to. At least that last part.”
“And you think that place is here in Shadowvale? Because I don’t.”
He shrugged. “The gates let her in, didn’t they?”
“That means nothing.”
“It means something.”
Amelia frowned and shifted her gaze back to the garden.
A soft noise left Beckett’s throat. “You should at least initiate her. Make her a true witch. Give her a fighting chance before you toss her back out to the wolves.”
Her frown deepened. “I’m not going to toss her out to the wolves. When I send her away, I’ll make sure she’s taken care of.”
A new thought came to her, a gleaming, brassy idea. She sat up straighter. “That’s it.”
“What—oh no, you don’t. I see it in your eyes. You’re going to do something.”
“Go away, Beckett. She’s my niece, and I know what’s best for her. And it’s not life in this forsaken place, I know that much.”
* * *
The Sunshine Diner was a sweet, cheery place that made Em happy the moment she walked in. The decor was sunflowers, which seemed appropriate, and the place was bustling, which she took as a good sign. Not surprisingly, the aromas out of the kitchen smelled divine. She watched a server go by with a tray laden with overflowing plates that included breakfast and lunch items.
Her stomach rumbled. “What’s good here?”
“Everything,” Deacon answered. “And you can get breakfast, lunch, or dinner twenty-four hours a day.”
“This place never closes?”
“Nope.”
Em thought that was promising.
He explained a little more. “Shadowvale’s citizens don’t all keep standard hours. There’s a lot that goes on here when most towns would be shut down.”
She thought about that. “The night I came in, things seemed pretty quiet.”
A smirk bent his mouth. “It might have looked that way, but the town has a way of protecting its own. You only saw what it wanted you to see.”
“Interesting.” Which was a word she never seemed to run out of uses for in this place.
“Em, Deacon, over here.” Gracie waved at them from a booth.
They walked over, and Em would have slid in next to Gracie, but she’d settled against the wall end of the bench seat with her purse and Tinkerbelle in her carrier on the other, taking up the remaining space.
Kind of like a blockade.
Which meant Em had no choice but to sit next to Deacon. Not a real hardship, but she could see Gracie’s matchmaking at work.
Em slid in, then Deacon joined her. She put her small purse between them. Not much of a barrier, but it was something. Even so, as he settled in, his knee brushed hers.
She ignored it to nod at Tinkerbelle. “Hi there, pup. Are you having a nice day out?”
Gracie nodded nervously and gave her dog a scratch on the head. “Tink loves being out. Don’t you, baby?”
Em looked around. There were at least two other small dogs in the restaurant. One in a carrier like Tinkerbelle and one in a large purse. And then there was a bigger brown dog, a Lab maybe, lying at his owner’s feet. No meowls, though. “This is a pretty dog-friendly place, huh?”
Deacon unwrapped his silverware from his napkin roll. “We kind of make our own rules in Shadowvale. But yeah, no one really cares if you bring your dog as long as they’re well behaved.”
“So no hellhounds, then,” Em said.
Gracie snorted. “No, no hellhounds.”
A server came by with menus and glasses of water, then left again to give them time to decide.
Em liked the look of what was on the menu. Good, standard diner food. “What are you getting, Gracie?”
“Club sandwich and fries. It’s my favorite. Deacon brings it home for me sometimes.”
“Sounds good.” Em glanced at that item on the menu. “What about you, Deacon?”
“Turkey potpie. And a slice of lemon meringue for dessert.”
“Oooh, pie and pie,” Em said. “That sounds good, too.”
“What about you?” Gracie asked.
“Not sure. Maybe the soup and sandwich combo.” All of the prices were reasonable, but the soup and
half sandwich were a real deal.
Deacon closed his menu and folded his hands on top of it. “This is our treat, by the way.”
Em looked at him. “That’s not necessary.”
“No, it’s not, but this was Gracie’s idea, so she’s paying.”
“Hey,” Gracie said, her whole body moving toward the same side of the booth as Deacon.
“Ow.” Deacon made a face at her. “Kicking me under the table is not a good way to get a birthday present out of me.”
Gracie laughed and seemed to relax a little. “So you haven’t bought my present yet, then? Good to know.”
“I bought it,” Deacon said. “Jury’s still out on whether you’re getting it.”
Em smiled. The back-and-forth banter of the siblings was sweet and wonderful in a way that made her heart clench with longing. Funny how you could yearn for something you’d never experienced.
The server came back and took their order. Em stuck to the soup and sandwich. Even if they were paying, no point in spending more than was necessary.
As the server left, Em leaned forward. “So what do you do, Gracie?”
“I work from home doing accounting.” She smiled. “I’m a bookkeeper for a couple of the businesses in town, including my brother Bishop’s tree-trimming service.”
Em nodded. “I bet he gets a lot of calls. There are trees everywhere here. I like it, though. All that green really helps take your mind off the overcast sky.”
“It does, doesn’t it?” Gracie peeled the paper off her straw and stuck it in her water. “How’s your day been so far?”
“Good. I guess.” Em laughed. “We went to the Dark Acres.”
Gracie’s eyes widened, and she looked at her brother. “Deacon, why on earth would you take her there?”
“Because it’s a part of Shadowvale that she needs to see if she’s going to live here.”
Gracie frowned. “It’s also dangerous. And scary.”
Em laughed softly. “It wasn’t so bad. I did enjoy seeing the goblin king’s house.”
Gracie nodded. “Really something, isn’t it?”
Em leaned forward a bit. “Have you met him?”
“King Robin? Yes, I have actually.”
“A real king. I can’t imagine.” Em was fascinated with the idea of royalty here in town, but then, who wouldn’t be? “What’s he like?”
“He’s incredibly handsome and regal and—” Gracie stopped speaking to make a face at her brother. “Don’t roll your eyes, Deacon. Lots of people find royalty interesting.”
Em made a face at him, too. “I realize you’re too cool to be impressed, but I haven’t reached that stage of enlightenment yet, so humor me.”
Gracie barked out a laugh and pointed at Deacon. “You’ve got your hands full with this one.”
“I don’t have my—” He shook his head. “You know what? I see someone I need to talk to. You two carry on.”
He got up and left them, heading for someone seated at the counter.
Gracie snorted. “Wow. He’s jealous.”
“Of what?” Em looked around.
“Of you being interested in King Robin.”
Now it was Em’s turn to snort. “I don’t think so.”
“I do. And I know my brother better, so you’re going to have to trust me on this one.” Gracie narrowed her eyes, her gaze on Deacon. “He likes you. A lot more than he’s willing to let on.”
Something fluttered inside Em. Something that felt very much like butterflies in her stomach. But that couldn’t be right. She wasn’t falling for Deacon. Just like he wasn’t falling for her.
Had to be more of this town’s crazy magic.
Because that was the only explanation she was willing to accept.
Chapter Twenty
Deacon didn’t really need to talk to Oluf about Sunday afternoon’s rugby match, but it was the only excuse he could come up with to leave the table.
And he needed to leave the table.
He had no desire to hear Emeranth ooh and aah over King Robin. He also didn’t want to think about why that bothered him so much. Deep down, he knew why. But putting a name to that emotion wasn’t going to happen.
Because it was nonsense. He wasn’t feeling anything for her. Except that he wanted her to leave.
Which might have also been a lie.
He clapped Oluf on the back. “You good to go for Sunday’s match? We play the wolves this week. Rico and his crew are a tough bunch.” Rico Martinez was the alpha of the local wolf pack, and those boys could throw down.
The Viking warrior looked up from his pot roast and met Deacon with a toothy grin. “Very much so. I’m looking forward to breaking some bones.”
Deacon grimaced. You couldn’t take the berserker out of a man, no matter what century he’d accidentally time-traveled to. “So long as they’re not mine.”
Oluf laughed. “We’re on the same team. Nothing to worry about.”
“Right. Tell that to Zeke. You knocked one of his teeth out last week.”
“An accident. It will grow back.” Oluf shrugged and looked over Deacon’s shoulder. “Who is that with Gracie?”
An odd prickle went up Deacon’s spine. “Amelia’s niece. Emeranth.”
Oluf nodded appreciatively. “Emeranth. Very pretty. New in town, then?”
“Just visiting,” Deacon answered with more edge than he’d meant to.
“Too bad. I wouldn’t mind—” Oluf looked at Deacon and chuckled. “You like her.”
Deacon frowned. “No. I mean, she’s a nice enough person, but I don’t, that is, I’m not…”
“You like her a lot.” Oluf scooped up a forkful of pot roast. “About time you had a woman.”
“I don’t need a woman. I need to get out of—”
“Deacon.”
Gracie’s voice turned him around. Their food had arrived. He nodded at Oluf. “See you Sunday.”
“I will see you Saturday. At the party,” Oluf answered with a devilish twinkle in his eyes. “But bring your new woman Sunday. She will enjoy watching you play.”
“She’s not my—” Deacon sighed and went back to his table. There was no point in arguing with Oluf. The man was as stubborn as a stone.
He slid in next to Em, happy to focus on the food in front of him.
Em nudged him gently. “Who was that you were talking to?”
“Oluf Erikson.”
Her brows lifted as if to say, And?
“He’s a Viking berserker. A great warrior.”
She seemed to take that in without question. Except for the one he should have known she’d ask. “What’s his curse?”
“Em,” Gracie hissed with a little grin. “You’re not supposed to ask that.”
Em shrugged as she picked up her sandwich. “I know, but I can’t help myself. I’m a very curious person.” She leaned in toward Deacon. “Just whisper it to me.”
He took a breath to tell her no and inhaled the heady scent of her perfume, a mix of bright florals and fruit that smelled unmistakably like a sunny day.
Whatever he’d been about to say, the words stuck in his throat.
She nudged him with her elbow again. “Come on, just a hint.”
Deacon had no clue what she was talking about. All he could think of was how close she was, how the slope of her neck was the sexiest thing he’d seen in a long time, and how easy it would be to press a kiss to the tender spot behind her ear.
“Cat got your tongue, Deac?” Gracie chewed a french fry with a very knowing look in her eyes.
He snapped out of it, surprised to find himself leaning toward Em. He straightened. “Oluf has time-traveling issues.”
Em’s eyes widened. “Wow. That’s crazy.”
“Yeah, well, if you’re thinking about dating him, don’t get any big ideas. He’s not an easy guy to pin down.”
She stared at him, then burst out laughing. Gracie joined her a split second later. Em shook her head. “Look at you, being punny.”<
br />
He blinked, trying to understand what she meant. Then it registered. “I was being…never mind.”
Gracie made a little noise, then ate another fry with a look on her face like she was already planning their wedding.
Little sisters. Gah.
He glanced at his watch, desperate for a reason to end this lunch. But the truth was, Em was his only job at the moment.
Why couldn’t someone burst into flames, or cause it to hail, or have some kind of curse-related emergency when he needed them to?
He stabbed his potpie with his fork, letting out an eruption of steam.
“How do you know Oluf?” Em asked. “Is he one of the people you’ve helped?”
“We’re on the same rugby team.” He dug out a bite of flaky crust and turkey already knowing there would be more questions. “It’s just for fun. Nothing serious.”
“Really?” She blinked innocently at him. “I didn’t think you went in for fun.”
“Ha-ha.” Was that really the impression he’d given her? That he was all work, no play? Apparently so. But doing anything else wasn’t going to help him turn her off Shadowvale. “I can have fun. This just isn’t the kind of town where that can always happen.”
Gracie pointed a fry at him. “That’s not true and you know it. What about movies in the park? And midnight sales? And Founding Day? And the arts and crafts festival? The fun runs? Bark in the Park? There are lots of cool things to do in this town, so stop making it all doom and gloom.” Suddenly, she snickered. “Okay, it is always gloom, but you get used to it.”
Em nodded. “I’m sure I will. And coming here certainly helps. Although the lack of sunshine isn’t really bothering me so far.”
Deacon sighed. He’d known this lunch was going to be a bad idea. And it was. Maybe time to just call it and tell Amelia that he’d done what he could. Em’s desire to stay was stronger than the truth about Shadowvale. It was sometimes an okay place to live.
At least Gracie sure seemed to think so, and she was the one of them who had the most at stake in a place like this. Her curse made her so vulnerable here.
He had to get her out. But the chances of that were looking less likely by the minute.
The Trouble With Witches Page 14