Chapter 16
Mr. Grimm stood on the curb at the corner of Pembroke and Addle Street, his arm upraised to hail a taxi.
It took a few tries, and Luna bounced on her toes with impatience as she waited.
Any moment, she expected him to back out.
To tell her that shipment of Mama Morgana’s couldn’t be missed, and he really needed to be at the shop today. To send her away. Again.
But he didn’t. Though he resolutely refused to make eye-contact with her, he continued to raise his arm, signaling each passing cab with a dogged sort of determination. It was enough to make Luna think that maybe—possibly, hopefully—he didn’t mind being abducted.
Eventually, a cab put on its blinker. The driver bumped the front tire up against the curb and rolled down his window.
Mr. Grimm, stepping gracefully forward, leaned down and spoke in his most smooth-as-velvet voice, “Excuse me, sir, but does your company have any protocol in place for kidnap victims?”
The cabbie blinked. “Come again, mister?”
Hastily, Luna smacked the back of her employer’s shoulder. “Ignore him, please!” she told the driver, shaking her curls. “We’re headed to Milo and Son’s. Can you take us?”
“Lady, if you’ve got an address, I can get you there.”
Mr. Grimm gave the address even as he held the door for Luna.
She climbed into the cab, sidling to the far end of the bench, and he slid in beside her, elegant as always.
The cabbie cast them a single scathing look in the rearview before promptly pushing the tinted privacy window shut, obviously not eager to interact more than necessary with a pair of idiots.
As the thaumatic engine turned over, and the taxi blended back into traffic, Luna glanced at her employer and whispered, “And what would you have done if he’d taken you seriously? About the kidnapping I mean?”
Mr. Grimm blinked at her, the picture of innocence. “I’m surprised he didn’t, considering your threatening aura and my obvious distress.”
With a snort, Luna settled more deeply into her seat and turned her gaze out her window.
Her heart was still racing, and she took a shuddering breath in an attempt to calm it.
She couldn’t believe she’d actually done it, couldn’t believe she’d actually gone and stolen her boss away from his own shop.
The absolute gall of her! Her aunties would never recognize their dear and demure little girl now.
But when she glanced at Mr. Grimm from under her lashes, he sat quietly, his eyes downcast. And there was the faintest, sweetest little smile at the corner of his mouth. He’s pleased, Luna thought. He’s glad that we’re doing this. And her nervous heart began to settle into a more comfortable tempo.
“So,” she said as the taxi carried them along the winding ways of Ballycastle, “how did you discover Milo and Son’s and this famous roast of theirs? I’ve rarely seen you dine out. You seem to subsist entirely on Mrs. Goddard’s offerings!”
Mr. Grimm shot her a look, his hands flexing as they rested on his knees.
“When I first arrived in Ballycastle, before I was established on Addle Street, I ate there a handful of times. I couldn’t really afford fine dining at the time, but on occasion, in desperation to eat anything that wasn’t smothered in fried batter, I would plunk down coin for one of their excellent meals. ”
Luna frowned slightly. It occurred to her that she didn’t know much about Mr. Grimm’s personal history.
She knew the broad strokes concerning his upbringing, his hedge wizard father, his early education.
But there were huge gaps in her knowledge.
Mr. Grimm kept his secrets as thoroughly as she kept hers, and it would be hypocritical of her not to respect his reserve.
Still, her curiosity piqued, she asked tentatively, “How long has it been since you came to Ballycastle?”
“A few years.”
“And you lived in Plym before that?”
He nodded. She waited to see if he would volunteer more, but he did not. Eventually she pressed, “I know you studied sorcery in undergrad. Where was that?”
“Belfany University.”
Luna blinked. She knew that name. Belfany was a prestigious institution, the sort of place attended by either the very rich, the very connected, or the very brilliant.
Mr. Grimm’s father was neither rich nor well-connected—a hedge wizard with a knack for gardening magic simply wasn’t the type.
Which meant Mr. Grimm must have earned his place by dint of brilliance.
But then, was she surprised? He was a Dark Sorcerer, after all. Whatever else that meant, it definitely required brains.
Luna hesitated, uncertain whether or not she dared risk more questions.
Like, what had he done with his life after college?
Obviously, he’d delved deep into dark magic, but .
. . was there a context for this delving?
Had he stayed on to teach at Belfany, or pursued independent studies?
And how did one make a living, practicing dark arts? Perhaps a wealthy patron, or . . . ?
Teeth grinding, Luna halted this train of thought. Truth be told, she didn’t want to know. She didn’t like thinking about Mr. Grimm in any other context outside of The Arcane Bouquet and Ballycastle. This version of him, this was the version she . . . liked. Liked very much, in fact.
“Well,” she said, filling the silence which had fallen between them, “I hope Milo and Son’s lives up to your memory.”
“I’m more concerned about the ducks of yours, actually,” he said, catching her gaze with a solemn look. “I’m afraid I may have built the coming experience in my mind into something which reality could never live up to.”
“Oh, don’t you worry about the Bally Park ducks, Mr. Grimm,” Luna answered with a grin. “They’ve been practicing all their lives just for this moment and will, no doubt, impress.”
His mouth tilted upward, his smile growing.
Heart warmed at the sight, Luna fought the urge to reach across the empty seat between them and simply slip her hand into his.
But that would be terribly inappropriate between employer and employee, out on an official work lunch.
Which is what this was. Wasn’t it? A celebration of that glowing review in the Bally Daily.
Just the sort of thing a good boss would do for his hardworking underling.
And Nigel Grimm was nothing if not a good boss. The best boss she’d ever had, for sure.
A little knot twisted in her gut, and Luna turned abruptly to stare out her window. As she did so, an imposing, gated entrance swept into view. “Oh, there’s the park!” she said, pointing.
“And can you spy any life-changing ducks from here?” Mr. Grimm asked.
Luna shook her head. “But I do see the turret of Old Bally Castle. There, above the tree line.”
Suddenly, he was leaning close, his chin at her shoulder, his warm breath against her ear.
A flood of tingles rippled down her spine, and she fought to repress a telltale quivering breath.
With an effort, she forced her voice to speak without a quaver: “Do you happen to know anything about the mystery of Old Bally Castle?”
He shook his head. He didn’t seem to be in a rush to withdraw, but lingered where he was, his shoulder pressed against hers, gaze fixed out the window. “There’s a mystery?”
“Oh.” She shrugged slightly. “It’s just something you see in all the pamphlets advertising the castle tour. ‘Experience the mystery, become part of the history.’”
“Sounds a bit threatening, actually.”
“It does, if you think about it. Still, I’ve always wanted to see it.”
Another dart of sadness pricked her heart. She’d kept meaning to make time to tour many of the famous sites around Ballycastle, but never seemed to find the opportunity. It was too late now, with Wednesday bearing down upon her so swiftly.
Mr. Grimm settled back into his own seat, and she missed the warm feeling of him at her shoulder.
The cab turned onto Coronet Street, passing by The King’s Crown.
It made another few turns, then drew up in front of quite a posh-looking building with a white facade.
Nigel paid the cabbie through the slid-back privacy window.
“By the way,” he said, as he handed over the cash, “no need to call in a kidnapping after all. I’ve decided I’m quite satisfied with my lot as abductee and don’t intend to press charges—”
“Mr. Grimm!” Luna gasped and grabbed his elbow, dragging him out of the cab and onto the sidewalk after her.
She caught a brief glimpse of the cabbie, who rolled his eyes in annoyance, put his machine into gear, and pulled quickly away from the curb.
Luna sighed and shook her head. “We’ll be lucky if we’re not swarmed by wardsmen halfway through lunch! ”
“No,” Mr. Grimm replied with a bit more vehemence than was called for, “we certainly wouldn’t want to be beset by wardsmen.”
Luna wondered suddenly if he was aware of Officer Ward’s little visit to the shop earlier.
Had he seen them together? Did he disapprove?
She wasn’t altogether certain how she felt about Ward’s visit herself.
She hadn’t expected him to come back quite so soon, had actually hoped to leave Ballycastle before his return so she wouldn’t have to .
. . deal with things. Which, she realized, wasn’t very kind of her.
Ward had been nothing but sweet all this while and quite adamant in his pursuit.
That adamance had been a bit overwhelming, to be honest, unused to male attention as Luna was.
And those kisses.
Ugh.