Chapter 21
At Least it Wasn’t a Duck
“Laverna should have probably left the tea shop to you,” I joke to Nadine as we set up our stand for the ice cream social. “I can’t believe you made all that matcha ice cream last night.”
We’re in the fairgrounds, just like we were for the Firefly Festival.
Rowan is watching the shop, which we decided to keep open for the tourists who don’t go to the social.
This afternoon, Hudson helped us transport several coolers full of ice cream, along with large beverage coolers filled with three types of iced tea.
The ice cream went to the big, white event tent that Town Hall set up, and we’re selling the tea at our stand.
Maknihl ambles over. “Does everything look all right? Is the stand okay?”
“It’s great,” I tell him, and then I gesture to the other stands. “I can’t believe how quickly you constructed all these.”
“My boys and I made quick work of them. I was able to reuse a lot from last year’s Pumpkin Fest.”
“Well, they turned out awesome,” I tell him. “Thank you.”
He wanders off to check in with Hazel and Jasper, who have the stand next to ours.
“Pumpkin Fest sounds cute,” Nadine says, and then she stands a smidgen taller. “Oh, look. Jax is here.”
The autumn pixie heads our way, raising a hand in greeting. He’s all smiles…and that smile is focused on Nadine.
She grins back at him, cheeks pink and eyes bright.
“You’re sparkling again,” I warn her.
She rips her attention to me, horrified. In a frantic whisper, she says, “Are you sure?”
I laugh, sympathetic but glad it’s not me for once. “Pretty sure.”
“Do you think anyone can tell?” She glances around.
“Move into the sunlight, and you’ll be all right. It’s bright today.”
She quickly steps out from underneath the stand’s awning, looking rattled when Jax joins us. But if he noticed, he’s a gentleman and doesn’t mention it.
“Hudson said you left this in the wagon.” He offers Nadine her purse. “He asked me to get it back to you.”
“Thank you.” She takes it from him, clutching it to her chest. “I hope you didn’t have to go out of your way to bring it over here.”
“I was in the area.” Looking reluctant to leave, he gestures toward our stand. “Did you reserve a ride for after the social? I’ll ask Hudson if I can pick you up, if you want.”
“That would be great,” Nadine says, beaming.
“We appreciate your help,” I tell him. “Lugging all this back by hand would be quite a feat.”
“Rowan could manage it easily enough. Humans hanging around limit the magical options, though.” He grins. “Which is just fine for business.”
Though the thought of Rowan directing several levitating coolers down the streets of Moss Hollow is rather amusing, it sounds easier to load everything into one of Hudson’s wagons.
Sensing the pair would like more time together, I excuse myself. I walk over to greet Ryder just as the driver assisting him pulls away, but before I reach him, Keira appears from the side of the bakery stand. The elf is definitely her target.
I groan to myself, wishing she’d take a hint and go away.
Ryder doesn’t look any more impressed than I am. His smile falls when he spots her, replaced with an impatient expression I don’t think I’ve ever seen him wear.
Deciding I don’t want to deal with that, I back up…and run right into someone.
“I’m so sorry—oh.” My stomach drops. “Hi, Theodosia.”
The leprechaun steps back, looking miffed that I ran into her.
She wears her long red-and-gray hair up in a curling mass atop her head that defies gravity.
Her earrings are delicate, dangling chains that end in petite gold stars, and today’s dress is loud, boasting a cacophony of earthy tones in a batik-style print.
She’s belted the outfit with a lacy scarf and finished it with several bracelets.
She couldn’t look more like a fortune-teller if she tried. And I’m sure she did try, because that’s her favorite way of bamboozling humans out of their money. Her divination store is always busy, even though it’s nothing but a fae sham.
Feeling like I need to say something—anything—I clasp my hands at my waist and smile. “Do you have a stand for the social?”
“No,” she sniffs. “Gideon informed me a divination stand wouldn’t fit the event’s aesthetic.”
“Ah.” My smile falters. “That’s…a shame.”
“Yes,” she says, perturbed. “His father would have allowed it.”
“Well…” I look for a way to escape without seeming rude. “I should let you…” I clear my throat.
The woman narrows her eyes. “I heard my father offered to buy the tea shop.”
I gulp, wondering if I should have taken my chances with Keira. “He did, yes.”
She has light brown eyes, reminding me of a bird of prey. “I also heard you refused.”
“I mean…yeah.” I shift, feeling weirdly guilty. “I did.”
The leprechaun contemplates me for several uncomfortable seconds, and then she says, “Best watch your back. He doesn’t always play fair.”
She’s already walking away, her skirts swaying as she goes, but I follow her. “Wait!”
Theodosia turns, arching a thin red brow. “Yes?”
“When you say he doesn’t play fair…what does that mean?”
She smiles, but it’s not necessarily a nice one. “It’s not the first time the town has had trouble with gnomes.”
Uneasy, I watch her continue through the fairgrounds courtyard.
Is she telling me Mr. Eastwilden had something to do with the gnomes? How is that even possible?
“Hey, Kit,” Ryder says, coming up beside me.
I glance over, glad to see he’s alone. “Where’s Keira?”
“She went that way.” He jerks his head in the opposite direction Theodosia wandered.
“What did she want?”
“Advice.”
“Have you become the town barman? Does everyone share their woes with you?”
“I would make an excellent barman. Maybe I should leave the bakery and apply at the microbrewery?”
“I swear if you start working for Mr. Eastwilden, I’ll never talk to you again.”
He chuckles, enjoying himself.
“Please tell me your conversation didn’t have anything to do with Rowan.”
“I’m afraid it did.”
“And?”
“Keira’s recently jilted fiancé came looking for her, begging her to come back to New York with him.”
“No,” I whisper. “What happened?”
“She’s leaving this afternoon.”
“Are you serious?” I gasp, clinging to this small piece of good news.
If we break the bond, and Rowan decides to choose his old life, I’m sure he could find her easily. It doesn’t really make all that much difference where she goes. But at least I won’t run into her in town anymore. For that, I’m grateful.
“I saw you talking to Theodosia,” Ryder says. “How did that go?”
“Have you ever heard of other gnomes in town?”
“I don’t think so. Why?”
“She said something kind of strange. She told me her father doesn’t always play fair, and when I asked what she meant, she cryptically added that this isn’t the first time the town has had trouble with gnomes.”
Ryder’s eyebrows shoot up. “Do you think Mr. Eastwilden had something to do with your gnome infestation?”
“They’re not pests,” I say absently. “It feels wrong to call it an infestation.”
The elf shrugs like he doesn’t care about politically correct phrasing. “Even if Mr. Eastwilden is involved, what can you do about it?”
“I don’t know.” I frown. “Why would Theodosia tell me, though?”
“She and Mr. Eastwilden are engaged in a long-term feud. They don’t get along.”
“Really?”
“That’s why she doesn’t work at the hotel.
Her father refused to pay the salary she requested, so she quit and opened the divination store.
No one knows for sure, but rumor has it she bought the building next to the post office out of spite, because Mr. Eastwilden was hoping to move the stationery store there.
She paid the owner full price just to snatch it out from under him during negotiations. ”
“Are you serious?”
“That’s the gossip.” He shrugs. “I don’t know if it’s true.”
“I think I should mention the gnome thing to Ash.” Before I go, I look back at Ryder, giving him my full attention. “Has Rowan forgiven you yet?”
A mischievous grin stretches over his handsome face. “Not yet, but he will.”
“I can’t believe your plan worked. There’s no way he believed you were going to make a move on me, especially when he was right there.”
“The thought of it was enough, especially with the bond affecting him.” He winks like a wannabe rogue. “And besides, I’m a wildcard. You never know what I’m going to do.”
He’s not, though. Ryder comes across as flippant, but he’s as loyal as they come.
I laugh, shaking my head. “As long as we don’t have to resort to it every time he accidentally turns himself into a bird. Because now that he can shift at will, I have no doubt it will happen again.”
“Rowan is a fast learner. He’ll figure out the shifting process in no time.”
“I hope so.” I start walking. “I’ll see you later. I’m going to track down Ash.”
Ryder goes back to the bakery stand, and I walk toward the event tent, finding Gideon and Anna near the trio of counters they’ve set up for distributing ice cream.
They’ve brought in tables and chairs as well, giving people a place to eat their melting treats in the shade.
“I tried your matcha ice cream,” Anna says when I join them. Her blonde hair is up in a ponytail today, and she looks amazing in a dark red sundress. “It’s so good.”
“I’m not usually a big matcha fan, but it turned out great,” I admit. “The base recipe is my mom’s, and Nadine added the matcha. I’m glad you enjoyed it.”
“Thank you for donating it for the event,” Gideon says. “We’ll be sure to let people know that it came from your tea shop.”
The mayor looks somewhat casual today in tan trousers, a white button-up he’s rolled up to his elbows, and jaunty suspenders that would look out-of-place anywhere but in Moss Hollow. He’s about forty years old and very handsome. The family resemblance between Ash and him is strong.
“Thank you,” I say, and then I get down to business. “You guys don’t happen to know where I might find Ash, do you?”