Chapter 26
Sabrina’s eyes went wide. “A music box kind of problem? Please tell me it’s not a music box kind of problem.”
“Sorry.” Gideon nodded. He hated having to tell her this. She was already worried about how to get the sprite back into the box. “Amelia Marchand’s butler, Beckett, came into the shop this morning to pick up a pocket watch. I’d honestly forgotten he’d dropped it off last month.”
“I know who he is. He’s the one who came in to talk to me about fixing the music box in the first place.” Her eyes narrowed, and she crossed her arms. “If he knows about your shop, why didn’t he go to you to fix the music box in the first place?”
Gideon frowned. “I don’t know, but you haven’t let me finish.”
“Sorry, right, go on.”
“When I heard the door and came out to see who it was, I had pieces of the motor in my hands. He saw them.”
She snorted. “So? How would he know what they were? Or what they were from? There’s no problem.”
He stepped closer. “Sabrina, you cannot underestimate a man like Beckett. He knows things.”
She hesitated. “You’re not wrong about that. He made a comment to Trip about being careful with the rest of his lives. Like he knew the accident that took Trip’s leg had been really bad. Of course, that could be me reading more into the situation, but it struck me as odd.”
“That’s Beckett. Frankly, that’s Amelia too. They’re both very canny.”
“Is he some kind of witch?”
“He’s a supernatural, for sure, but I don’t know what kind.” He raked a hand through his hair. The downside of Shadowvale was that some people’s curses were actually advantages.
“How much trouble do you think this is?”
“I don’t know. But it might be time for you to call Amelia and tell her you’ve subcontracted the motor out to me. That’s a very legitimate thing to do. I don’t think she’ll question it.”
“Even if I’m calling right after Beckett was in your shop? You don’t think that’ll seem odd?”
“The timing can’t be helped. It needs to be done.” He softened his voice. “Please. For both our sakes. This way she knows and won’t be surprised. And then, if you want, I can go with you when you deliver it back to her.”
She took a deep breath. “You’d do that?”
“I would.”
“Okay. I’ll call. I don’t want to. But I will. I’m sure you’re probably right, but it just feels like …”
“Like you’re trying to cover your backside? You are. But that’s better than lying to her.” He held his hands up. “Not saying that’s what you did, but withholding information could be seen as a lie of omission.”
She nodded. “Again, you’re right.”
A woman came in carrying a lamp.
“Morning,” Sabrina said in an extra cheery voice before speaking to Gideon again. “I’ll call as soon as I help this customer.”
With a nod, he went back to his shop. He had no answer to Sabrina’s question about why Amelia hadn’t just come to him with the music box. Unless she’d thought the work needed was strictly cosmetic?
But just trying the music box would tell her that wasn’t true.
It was odd. Did Amelia not think him capable of fixing it? Did she know about his curse and think he’d end up damaging the expensive antique further? It was perplexing. And probably not something he’d ever know.
That bothered him. He liked things wrapped up. He went back to work cleaning the small cogs and gears.
Forty minutes later, he heard the bell over his door, followed by Sabrina calling out for him. “Gideon?”
He left his worktable and went to the front of the shop. “Did you talk her?”
“I tried, but I only spoke to Beckett because Amelia wasn’t available. He said it was fine that I’d brought you in and he’d let her know. I guess I shouldn’t have been concerned, but it’s taken care of now.”
Gideon exhaled. “Good. One less thing to be worried about. What’s the latest with getting the sprite back into the box?”
She came closer. “Julia’s a witch. Her curse is that her magic doesn’t work, but she’s still trying to figure out a spell that will make it seem like Korrie’s in the box, even if he isn’t.”
Gideon made a face, aware of how skeptical he looked. “How is a witch with no magic going to make that happen?”
“She has magic. It just never works the way it’s supposed to, so she’s non-practicing.”
“I still don’t see how that’s going to help. It’s like expecting an airplane with no wings to fly.”
Sabrina lifted her chin. “I think it’s more like expecting an airplane with damaged wings to fly. There’s a chance it could still happen. Plus she’s getting some help from a friend in her coven.”
He rolled his eyes.
She frowned at him. “She’s the only witch I know well enough to trust with all of this. What else am I supposed to do?”
“Put him back in the box and return it to Amelia.”
“It’s not that easy.”
“He has to stay close to the box, right? So maybe it is that easy. What happens if he gets too far away from it?”
She leaned on his counter. “I don’t know. I was just thinking about that this morning.”
“Might be time to find out.”
She frowned at him. “Why don’t you like Korrin?”
“I like him fine.”
She laughed. “No, you don’t. For one thing, you almost never call him by his name. For another, you get extra grumpy around him.”
“I’m not grumpy.”
Her incredulous look said otherwise.
He sighed. “I find the sprite—Korrin—extremely chaotic. I don’t like chaos. Chaos causes problems. He’s also loud and chatty and …”
Gideon shook his head. He wasn’t going to tell Sabrina that he was jealous that the creature got to spend time with her. And how it irked him that she clearly adored him.
“And what?”
“Nothing. I’ll try to do better.”
“The chaos part. That have something to do with your curse? Not asking what it is. Just asking if it’s related.”
“Yes,” he muttered. It always came back to that. Every decision he made. He hated his curse.
“Again, I’m not asking you to tell me what it is— I’m not fishing at all, I swear—but if something bothers you because of your curse, you can tell me. I mean, just say it’s because of your curse. I’ll do my best to be understanding.”
He could see in her eyes that she meant it. He softened. “Thank you.”
She gave him a quick smile. “I’d better let you get back to work. I have to get back too. I left Trip and Korrie alone. No telling what they’re getting up to.”
“You’re a brave woman leaving those two by themselves.”
She laughed and crossed her fingers. “Brave or crazy. Hey, I was thinking tonight we could cross another thing off Korrie’s list. He wants to go swimming at night under a full moon. It’s not exactly a full moon tonight, but he said it’s close enough.”
Gideon raised his brows. “Where is that going to happen?”
“Julia told me about a place. Miller’s Lake. Have you been there?”
“No. Isn’t it a little cold to swim? It’s November.”
“Well, I’m not going in. Just Korrie. And he said he doesn’t care what the temperature is.”
Against Gideon’s better judgment, but knowing he had no option, he nodded. “Fine.”
“I’ll pick you up at seven.”
“I’ll see you then.” Taking the sprite swimming? At night? She was brave. About all sorts of things.
He realized that now. Whatever her curse was, she didn’t seem to let it get to her. She appeared genuinely happy, something he wasn’t sure he’d ever felt.
Except maybe when he was around her. And that moment she’d kissed him.
Enough of that. He took a deep breath and went back to work.