Chapter 12 #2
“She was very confident that she’d be the one taking over Winston’s business. I wonder if that’s true.”
“Maybe we should contact the attorney and see if he had a will.”
“I doubt she can tell us. You know—attorney-client confidentiality and all that. Let me make some calls and see what I can find out. But in the meantime, let’s go grab something to eat and figure out what we should do next.”
“Sure.” He shrugged. “Where do you want to go? The Den?”
“No, if I go to The Den, I’ll end up working. I want us to be able to talk.”
“Great. So where should we go?”
“We can go to the Thistle. Rue makes more than just great coffee. Her lunches are good, as well.”
“I noticed her lunch menu looked good when I was getting my coffee, so that sounds good to me.” He looped his arm through mine and headed toward the Twinkling Thistle Café.
I was looking forward to having lunch with him.
I didn’t know much about his life before he came here to visit.
Elwood talked about his son and daughter-in-law like they’d moved away because they wanted a different life than Ravenstone could support, but that was pretty much all he said about them.
He talked about Declan a lot, but it was mostly him speculating about whether his magic was ever going to manifest.
We did have a murder to solve, and naturally, I wanted to know who killed Winston.
The safety of my pa—nope, it was bad enough they thought of themselves that way; I wasn’t about to join them—community was important to me, so having a killer walking around free didn’t sit well with me.
But for a little while, I wanted to forget about all that and just get to know more about this little witch who’d enamored both me and my wolf.
The Twinkling Thistle Café was basically the opposite of The Den. It was light and airy with a really cozy vibe. Plants hung in the windows, all of them lush and green.
Rue’s face lit up when she saw us walk in. “Back for more coffee?”
“No, we’re here for lunch this time,” Declan said. “Gideon says your sandwiches are delicious.”
That wasn’t what I said. I said her lunch was good, but Rue looked really pleased, so I wasn’t about to correct him. Besides, even if I didn’t say it, her sandwiches were really good.
“Thank you, Gideon,” she said, her face beaming. “But I hear I’m not the only one making delicious things around here. Sandy couldn’t quit raving about your cake.”
Declan blushed. “It’s really just a hobby, but thank you.”
“Well, that’s a shame. I’d love to have a good bakery in town.”
“Really? Wouldn’t that cut into your business?”
She waved her hand at him. “Not at all. I’d buy the muffins and pastries from them to resell, and then I wouldn’t have to make them. Baking is like my least favorite thing to do. What I love is cooking. Now you two have a seat, and I’ll whip you up something special.”
We found a couple of seats at a small round table in the window and sat down. As soon as we were situated, Declan looked at me.
“Shouldn’t she have asked us what we wanted?”
I chuckled. “Nope. Rue isn’t allowed to use her magic in the food, but she can use it in other ways. Trust me, whatever she brings you will be perfect.”
“This is all so bizarre to me. I spent the morning investigating the murder of a vampire, and now I’m sitting in a café owned by Fae about to have lunch with a werewo—sorry, I forgot—with a wolf shifter, and my grandfather is a witch.”
“It’s a lot to take in, that’s for sure.”
A few minutes later, Ethyl came over carrying a tray with our food on it. “I have a veggie panini with fresh pesto for you. No pickle.” She set the plate down in front of Declan. “And a triple Beefeater stack for you. She gave you his pickle. And here are your drinks.”
Declan picked up his drink and smelled it. “Lavender?”
“Yeah. It’s lavender and honey tea.” Ethyl picked up the tray, tucked it under her arm, and walked away.
“She’s not the friendliest, is she?” Declan asked.
“She’s alright once you get to know her.”
I knew what he meant, though. Ethyl wasn’t overly friendly, which made working at a café an odd fit—especially in a place run by someone as sweet and bubbly as Rue. But she’d worked for her for as long as I could remember, and they seemed to get along fine.
I watched as he lifted up one side of his sandwich to see what was inside. Then he took a bite and let out a groan. “Oh wow, this is good. Are you sure she didn’t enchant it, because I swear if I wasn’t gay as a drag brunch, I’d propose to her right this minute.”
I laughed and shook my head. “I’m sure. Rue’s just that good a cook.”
“Well, I’ll for sure be coming here to eat often.”
I thought my plans to get to know him over lunch were going to be spoiled by how good the food was, but as it turned out, even delicious food wasn’t enough to stop Declan from talking.
“We don’t have any food this good in Easton.”
“Did you like living there?” I asked before taking another bite of my sandwich.
He shrugged. “The pace there is so different. It’s all hustle and bustle and busy all the time. No one in Ravenstone is in a hurry, and everyone is so laid-back here. Well, everyone except Leon. He seems a bit stuffy.”
“I think it comes from dealing with all those antiques.”
“Could be. But to answer your question, I guess I liked it okay. My degree is in advertising, so a big city is where all the jobs and the money are.”
I nodded. “Did you like advertising?”
“Not really. That’s why I started managing social media accounts instead of working for an advertising firm. How about you? Do you like running a pub?”
Part of me was afraid he’d think being a pub owner was beneath him. I didn’t go to school and get a fancy degree. I just slung drinks and listened to people talk, but I wanted to get to know him better, and I couldn’t do that if I didn’t tell him the truth about myself.
“Honestly, I love it. It helps that I have Sable and Alvin working there. They’re the best.”
“I’m so jealous that you get to do what you love every day. Tell me your favorite part.”
I grinned at him. “There are a few people who rent rooms upstairs, so they’re always around. Then we have a few regulars who come in pretty much every day. I love talking to them. It almost feels like having dinner at the pack house, like we did when I was growing up.”
“That sounds really nice.”
“It is. How about you? We’ve established that advertising isn’t for you, so what is? What would Declan Hawthorne be doing if he had his wish?”
“Well, you were honest with me, so I’ll return the favor. I’d open a bakery.”
“You should totally do that.” A bakery right here in Ravenstone, my wolf growled, but I ignored him. He didn’t talk to me in words often, and now wasn’t the time to start.
“I don’t know. Apparently, I’ve been putting magic in my cakes and cookies and hot chocolate all along, but didn’t know it. I’m not sure I’d know how to stop.”
“Stop? Why would you stop?” If that cake he made last night was anything like what he normally served, his magic was perfect.
He looked at me, confused. “You said Rue wasn’t allowed to enchant the food. I didn’t want to break any rules.”
“Rue isn’t allowed to enchant her food because she’s Fae. Their magic is totally different. If you eat food they’ve enchanted, they can create binding agreements with you. It’s a Fae thing.”
Elwood was right. Declan needed to stay put here in Ravenstone. He had so much to learn about the magic world.
He brightened at that. “Oh well, that gives me a lot to think about then, doesn’t it!”