The Storm's Legendary Treasure

Chapter 1

“Don’t forget, Tempi,” Adeline Beaumont said as she helped her boyfriend, Chief Mason Wolfe, push together two tables in her bakery, “our goals tonight are finalizing the treasure hunt and having fun.”

Tempi Draven snorted and flicked her silver-blonde hair over her shoulder. “Fun is the last thing I’m feeling right now, Adeline. At least, not when I have to co-chair this treasure hunt with that infuriating merman, Ronin Seawald.”

Adeline shot her a grin. “Uh-huh. Keep telling yourself that. You forget how well I know you, right?”

Tempi sighed and tried not to roll her eyes.

Why her friends insisted on trying to push her and the bane of her existence, Ronin Seawald, together was beyond her.

In the three years Ronin had lived in Moonlight Bay, all they’d ever done was snap at each other.

Okay, maybe she snapped more than him, but that was because he was so perfect.

Just like her older sister. And when you weren’t perfect, those kinds of people could rub a witch the wrong way. Simple as that.

“Do you forget just last month he snatched the Tidwell booking from me?” Tempi demanded. “I’d been working on them for nearly a week.”

“Have a Bad-Day Brownie.” Adeline handed her a brownie. “It’ll make you feel better.”

“Thank you, Adeline.”

Adeline owned the Crescent Moon Bakery, and just last month, she had single-handedly started a war over squish-squids by chaining herself to a bulldozer.

But it had worked out for her in the end…

she’d fallen head over heels for the new police chief who’d arrested her, and they’d been dating ever since.

“Oh, cheer up, Tempi,” Adeline’s smoke Maine Coon, Princess Muffin Top, said from her perch atop the bakery counter.

“It’s not like anyone is forcing you to wear a mermaid costume while you hunt for pretend treasure.

” She paused and rolled onto her back, laughing hysterically.

“Oh, wait. That’s exactly what Ronin is having you do. My bad.”

Tempi narrowed her eyes at Adeline’s snarky cat. Thanks to an assertion potion Princess Muffin Top had consumed three years ago, the entire town could now hear the cat talk. “I don’t find that funny in the least, Princess Muffin Top.”

“Well, I do, and that’s all that matters.” The cat jumped down from the counter and sauntered over to the combined tables where Adeline was now setting out trays of leftover items from her display case. “Tell me you have something delicious like tuna muffins.”

“No one here wants to smell tuna muffins,” Adeline said.

“So that’s a no?” Princess Muffin Top turned her back on Adeline. “I should have known I’d be overlooked tonight. But it won’t stop you from asking for my brilliant ideas, will it?”

Mason snorted. “Why do I get the feeling your brilliant idea will be to have a karaoke night after the treasure hunt?”

“Ohh, I like that idea, Wolf Boy.” Princess Muffin Top cleared her throat. “Sweeeeeet Caroline. Bom-bom-bom.”

“Coming through,” Emory Ashgrove said as she sailed through the archway from her coffee shop into the bakery, two trays hovering around the petite fairy.

Tempi took the color-coded binders she’d made from her briefcase as she did her best to tune out Princess Muffin Top. “I don’t suppose you brought booze to spike the coffee with?”

Emory laughed. “I didn’t, no.”

Emory owned Moonbeam Coffee and Tea, which connected to Adeline’s bakery through a wide archway the two friends had knocked out years ago. Between the bakery and the coffee shop, the building was Tempi’s favorite place to stop in the mornings.

“Thank you guys for doing this,” Tempi said as she watched Adeline arrange some of her Cocoa-Courage Truffles next to a plate of Mason’s favorite non-magical chocolate chip cookies.

“Ronin and I just can’t seem to agree on a few last-minute things, and so having you guys settle questions will be a big help. ”

As if just saying his name made him appear, the front door to Adeline’s bakery opened, and Tempi’s archnemesis strolled in, just like he’d strolled into town three years ago, opened an office two buildings down from hers, and had gone into direct competition with her.

She owned Magical Airbnb Properties, and he owned Seaside-Seascape Rentals.

Most days, he acted like they were friends instead of competitors, which only made her want to stab him.

“Good evening, everyone. Happy Thursday.” Ronin lifted a hand in greeting. “Beautiful night, isn’t it?”

“It sure is,” Emory said, unloading drinks from her two trays. “I have hot chai and cold foam coffee.”

“I’d love a cold foam,” Ronin said. “It’s been a long day.”

“Hey, Ronin.” Adeline handed him a truffle. “New recipe. What do you think?”

Ronin popped the truffle into his mouth and smiled. “Delicious. Just like all your stuff, Adeline.”

“Did you bring me a present?” Princess Muffin Top pointed a paw at the bag in Ronin’s hand.

Ronin shook his head. “Sorry, Princess Muffin Top. This isn’t for you.”

Tempi groaned. She recognized that bag. It was the same one he’d given her last month when he first shoved the offensive mermaid costume at her. She’d deliberately left it behind at their last meeting. Hadn’t he gotten the hint?

Ronin stopped beside her. “Hey, partner.”

“Co-chair.”

He grinned, flashing her one of his easy smiles. “Hey, co-chair.” He held up the bag. “You forgot this at our last meeting.”

Tempi shook her head. “No, I didn’t.”

He frowned. “Really? I figured you didn’t realize you’d left it.”

“I put it behind your chair, Ronin.”

“I thought it fell.”

Emory clapped her hands in excitement. “Is that the outfit you gave her, Ronin? She showed it to us a few weeks ago. I absolutely loved it! It’s so beautiful!”

Princess Muffin Top hopped onto a chair. “See, Tempi? You didn’t lose the sexy fish dress like you told us.”

“It’s a mermaid dress,” Ronin said.

“I’ve seen pole dancers wear more clothing,” Princess Muffin Top snickered.

Mason laughed and quickly stuffed a cookie into his mouth.

“Well, I think it’s beautiful,” Adeline said. “Where did you buy it, Ronin? I might need to get one like it before the treasure hunt Saturday.”

“I wouldn’t be opposed,” Mason joked.

Ronin glanced down at the drink in his hand and cleared his throat. “I already had it, Adeline.”

Tempi scowled. “Did this belong to an ex-girlfriend or something? Because I don’t want to wear one of your girlfriends’ outfits.”

Ronin took a sip of his cold foam before shaking his head. “No, not exactly. I made it.”

Everyone stopped what they were doing and stared incredulously at Ronin, who looked like he wanted the ground to open up and swallow him whole.

“I learned to sew when I was a kid.” He shrugged like it was no big deal. “We needed to make our clothes last, so I taught myself how to sew buttons and patch holes at first. As the years went by, I got better at it when I used my magic, and I actually made a lot of my siblings’ clothes.”

She knew her mouth was hanging open, but she couldn’t help it. “Really?”

“Really,” he said.

Tempi glanced down at the bag and felt like kicking herself. She’d just assumed he’d either bought it or it belonged to an ex. She never in a million years thought he’d actually made it with his two hands. “That’s…actually very cool.”

Ronin smiled. “You don’t have to wear it, Tempi. I just thought you’d look amazing in it. If you’d rather go as a pirate or something, that’s okay. I just wanted to offer it to you.”

She opened the bag and looked down at the outfit. It really was beautiful. The enchanted aqua, purple, and teal would look great with her silver-blonde hair. “I did try it on, and as long as I don’t have to sprint, I can probably get away with wearing it.”

Ronin laughed. “Hopefully, you won’t need to do much sprinting. But you don’t have to wear it if you don’t want to.”

She looked at the outfit again. Knowing he’d made it himself changed things as far as she was concerned. “I’ll wear it.”

Ronin’s smile widened. “Really?”

She narrowed her eyes at him. “Don’t make me change my mind, Seawald.”

“I wouldn’t dream of it.” He set his coffee on the table. “Excuse me a minute.”

As Ronin headed toward the restroom, Princess Muffin Top sighed and shook her huge feline head at Tempi. “This petty rivalry you two have is so one-sided, it’s embarrassing.”

Tempi shoved the bag under the table. “Yeah? Well, nobody asked you.”

“I can’t believe he made that,” Emory said. “Is it wrong I want to ask him to make me a dress?”

Adeline giggled. “Me too!”

“I wouldn’t be opposed to a tutu,” Princess Muffin Top said. “In fact, I think I’d look stunning in one.”

Tempi pulled the last of her binders from her briefcase, setting them on the table. She’d spent a lot of time preparing the binders, and she was extremely proud of them.

“Let’s get this meeting started,” Mason said when Ronin returned a few minutes later.

Everyone sat down, and Tempi used her air magic to drop a binder in front of each person at the table.

Princess Muffin Top stared at it. “What on earth is that monstrosity?”

Ronin chuckled. “This binder comes out at every meeting Tempi and I have.”

“You’ll notice everything is color-coded according to the activity,” Tempi said. “There’s also a printed timeline, and a laminated map of Moonlight Bay with the proposed treasure-hunt routes drawn in four different colors. Lucinda already showed us the different routes.”

“I have this, if anyone is interested.” Ronin took out a folded napkin from his pocket and set it on the table.

“I vote we go with his plan,” Princess Muffin Top said. “That looks like it’ll take three seconds.”

Tempi glared at Princess Muffin Top before opening her binder.

“We’re here to finalize Moonlight Bay’s annual treasure-hunt birthday celebration.

We only have one more full day until the celebration on Saturday.

This year’s treasure hunt is in honor of Captain DuBois’ legendary treasure, thanks to Ronin’s suggestion. ”