Chapter 19
“I’ve never been so happy to see the end of the day,” Adeline said to Princess Muffin Top as she walked to the front door to flip the sign to CLOSED.
She’d already warded the archway between her shop and Emory’s so none of Emory’s customers would wander over.
And even though it had been hard to do, she’d listened to Granny Edna’s advice and hadn’t made one thing in the kitchen.
She figured she’d just come in early tomorrow and replenish her stock and see how her magic was doing then.
“Now that I’ve thrown away all the bad baked goods, I think I’m going to walk down to the station and see how Mrs. Abernathy is doing. ”
As if on cue, the front door swung open before Adeline could lock it, and Mrs. Abernathy bustled in wearing a fresh periwinkle blue cardigan and a huge grin.
“Mrs. Abernathy!” Adeline threw her arms around the older woman. “You’re out! When did they release you?”
“About an hour ago, dear.” Mrs. Abernathy patted Adeline’s back.
“I would have come sooner, but I had to stop at Moonlight Bay Spice Company. I was out of cinnamon.” She ran her hands down her cardigan.
“And then Coastal Threads was having a sale, and I picked up this lovely knitted thing for practically nothing! Usually I like to knit my own sweaters, but at the price I got this for, I couldn’t pass it up. ”
Princess Muffin Top hopped down from her bed and sauntered over. “Well, look who survived the big house. Did you use the file I told you about? Please tell me you shanked the wolf on your way out.”
Mrs. Abernathy laughed. “He’s still alive, Princess Muffin Top. Don’t worry. In fact, I owe the chief a great deal.”
Adeline frowned. “What do you mean?”
Mrs. Abernathy clasped her hands together and beamed.
“Chief Wolfe put in a good word for me this morning. The prosecuting attorney has agreed to community service.” She grinned.
“In fact, Thaddeus and Chief Wolfe both suggested you and I team up and help restore the marsh and look after the squish-squids.”
“Restore the marsh?” Adeline frowned. “What do you mean restore—”
Mrs. Abernathy slapped a hand across her own mouth.
“Oops. You didn’t hear that from me. I mean, I’m not supposed to say certain things.
” She lowered her hand and winked at Adeline.
“But I will say this.” She gave Adeline a knowing glance.
“Might I suggest you stop moping around here and go fix things with that handsome wolf of yours?”
Princess Muffin Top scoffed. “Handsome is being generous. Plus, he has the emotional intelligence of a fire hydrant.”
“He spent the entire night at the station,” Mrs. Abernathy continued, ignoring her cat entirely. “Pacing and muttering to himself about how dense he was. Back and forth. Back and forth. I barely got any sleep at all.”
Adeline’s heart stuttered. “Mason stayed the night at the station?”
“He did. Slept in that awful chair at his desk. Well, I say slept...mostly, he stared at the ceiling and sighed and paced.” Mrs. Abernathy lowered her voice conspiratorially.
“And he did a lot more this morning.” She waggled her eyebrows.
“But again, I’ve been sworn to secrecy. All I can say is your handsome werewolf clocked out immediately after I was released and told the others he was going home to shower and take a nap.
” She patted her hair. “You know, since he’d spent the entire night keeping an old woman company and safe from bad guys. ”
Princess Muffin Top narrowed her cat eyes. “Laying it on a little thick, aren’t you?”
“Am I?” The old witch smiled. “I have no idea what you mean.” She grabbed Adeline’s hands and squeezed.
“Now, I need to run. I’m apparently the talk of the entire assisted-living facility.
No one my age has ever been arrested before, and all the old folks want to know how they can get arrested too.
Word is they’re already planning a crime spree.
” She laughed. “Oh, and Miss Moody called. She’s coming by to snap photos and do an interview for the paper.
” She patted her hair again. “I’m a celebrity, Adeline! ”
She squeezed Adeline’s hands one last time, pressed a kiss to her cheek, and hurried out the door with the energy of a woman half her age. Through the window, Adeline watched her as she voluntarily called out to passersby that she’d sign autographs if they’d like.
Shaking her head, Adeline strolled behind the counter and let the witch’s words rattle around in her head.
Mason had stayed the night at the station.
He’d slept in the chair. He’d put in a good word with Thaddeus Hillman for Mrs. Abernathy.
He’d suggested community service that involved restoring the marsh...
the very thing Adeline had been fighting for since the beginning.
But what had changed? Wasn’t Ivan out there now tearing up the marsh to erect a building?
But the most important thing that got through was that he’d done all that after she’d left. After she’d slammed the door shut. After the hurt they’d caused each other.
Princess Muffin Top jumped up onto the counter and studied Adeline’s face. “You’re going to bake, aren’t you?”
Adeline rolled up her sleeves and pulled the apron off the hook. “I’m going to find out if the saying is true.”
“Which saying? That werewolves howl at the moon? Because I can confirm that from personal experience.”
“No.” Adeline tied the apron behind her back and looked at her cat. “That the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach.”
Princess Muffin Top unsheathed her claws and examined them casually. “Through his stomach, you say? I could probably arrange that for you. One quick swipe with my razor nails and—”
“Through baking, Princess Muffin Top. Through baking.”
“Less fun. But fine.” The Maine Coon sheathed her claws. “We’ll do it your way.”
Adeline opened the pantry and pulled out flour, butter, sugar, eggs, vanilla paste, and a bag of chocolate chips. Not the enchanted chocolate chips with mood-lifting magic. Just regular, ordinary, non-magical chocolate chips from the bag she kept on the top shelf.
She got busy and got to work. And as she worked, she could feel her kitchen witch magic singing to her. She could feel the magic pulsing inside her. The magic was back. She was sure of it.
But she didn’t want to use it. Not for this.
Mason had turned down her magical truffle the first time he came into her bakery. He’d asked for something that wasn’t “enhanced.” And then he’d eaten a plain chocolate chip cookie in two bites at the street market and complimented her.
It wasn’t her kitchen witch magic he was after, and that made her feel good. It was just her simple baking he wanted from her. The least she could do was give that to him.
A few minutes later, she slid the tray into the oven and set the timer. The bakery smelled like chocolate. A scent she would always associate with him from here on out.
Princess Muffin Top curled up on the counter near the oven, her tail tucked around her body as she watched Adeline bake. “For the record, if he doesn’t appreciate those cookies, I will use my claws and shred his uniform.”
Adeline smiled. “Noted.”
The timer dinged. She pulled the tray from the oven and set it on the cooling rack.
The cookies were golden brown, slightly crispy at the edges, and soft and gooey in the center.
They were perfect. Once they were cooled, she packaged a dozen into a white bakery box and tied it with twine.
She didn’t use her fancy ribbon or labels or stickers. She kept it simple.
Just simple chocolate chip cookies. From her. To him.
“I take it we’re going now?” Princess Muffin Top said.
“Yes. But I’m not sure what to say.”
“What do you want to say?”
Adeline looked at the box of chocolate chip cookies and sighed.
“That I’m sorry.” She reached out and stroked her cat.
“But that I’d do it all over again if given the opportunity.
Both parts...confronting Mrs. Abernathy and telling him the truth afterward.
Because that’s who I am. So if he wants me, he has to understand that. ”
Princess Muffin Top blinked slowly. “That’s actually quite good. Did you rehearse that?”
“A little.”
“It shows. But in a good way.” The cat stood, stretched, and jumped down from the counter.
“Now, let’s go get this done. I’ve been emotionally supportive for two straight days, and I’m running on fumes.
I’m going to need a full spa day and a meal of baked salmon to perk me up to my usual awesomeness. ”