Chapter 2
“Inever thought you’d pull it off, Ronin,” Mayor Huntington said as the two of them stood beneath the Grandmother Tree. “But I have to admit, it looks like you and Tempi will make this year’s celebration one to remember.”
Ronin laughed. “Thank you, Mayor. I never thought when I moved to Moonlight Bay three years ago I’d be putting together a treasure hunt, but I’ve enjoyed myself.”
“Even with Tempi’s binder?”
“You’ve seen the binder?”
“I’ve heard about the binder.”
Ronin finished off his coffee and tossed the biodegradable cup into the trash receptacle. “I’m pretty sure everyone in town has heard about the binder.”
Mayor Huntington chuckled. “Our Miss Draven is driven, that’s for sure.”
Ronin tried not to smirk at the mayor’s use of Tempi’s last name. Draven meant “of the dark water,” and Tempi was an air elemental. He’d never told her how much that amused him...mainly because he knew she’d smite him with her magic if he did.
“You know,” the mayor said, “when the council first paired the two of you, I wasn’t sure I’d survive the planning process.”
“Was it the tornado she nearly whipped up in the meeting room that concerned you?”
The mayor chuckled. “No, it was the look on her face when you suggested she whip up a breathing spell.” The mayor shook his head. “I’ve been in politics for thirty years, and I’ve never been that afraid of someone’s hair.”
“In my defense, I meant it as a compliment.”
Mayor Huntington patted him on the shoulder. “Son, take it from someone who’s been married for forty years. ‘You can just whip that up’ is never a compliment.”
Ronin winced. “Yeah, I’m starting to figure that out.”
The mayor checked his watch. “Well, I better run. I have a meeting with the tourism board in an hour. See you tomorrow for the treasure hunt.”
Ronin leaned against the trunk of the Grandmother Tree and glanced toward Tide Street. It was almost ten o’clock, and Tempi would be there any minute. If there was one thing he’d learned about Tempi Draven, it was that she was never late.
He spotted her coming across the park and tried not to stare.
She was wearing a fitted blue sundress with silver sandals, and her hair was pulled up off her neck.
A few loose strands had escaped and were framing her face.
He wanted to tell her she looked beautiful, but he knew from experience that wouldn’t go over very well.
“Good morning,” Tempi said when she stopped in front of him.
He smiled. “Morning, Tempi.”
“Was that Mayor Huntington walking away?”
“Yeah. He wanted to tell us what a great job we’ve done.”
Tempi adjusted the strap of her purse. “That’s nice of him.”
“See? We make a good team.”
She gave him a cool look. “We survived planning a treasure hunt together. Let’s not get carried away.”
Before he could respond, Dawnya came hurrying past them with three trays of pastries hovering around her. “Morning, you two! I’m filling in at the bakery. Adeline’s in a baking frenzy for tomorrow. She’s asked me to hand these mini samples out to see what everyone thinks.”
Ronin and Tempi each reached for the tiny cupcakes and snagged one off the tray.
“Crimson Heart Cupcakes. She’s been at it since five this morning.” Dawnya grinned and used her magic to slide the three trays out of reach. “And Ronin, Adeline wanted me to tell you that if you snagged more than one, she’d hex your houseboat.”
Ronin held up both hands after popping the miniature cupcake into his mouth. “Wouldn’t dream of it.”
Dawnya laughed and headed toward the center of the park where tourists and locals were gathered, ready to pass out the rest of the cupcakes to whoever she came across in the park.
“Here comes Lucinda,” Ronin said as he spotted the vampire walking toward them.
Lucinda Toweck joined them beneath the Grandmother Tree. She was stylishly dressed as always, her red hair cut in a chin-length bob, and she was carrying a manila folder. “Good morning.” She held up the folder in her hands. “I finished the clues last night. Do you want to look them over?”
“No,” he said quickly.
Tempi turned toward him. “No? Why not?”
Ronin grinned at her. “I want to participate tomorrow. If we see the clues now, we’ll have an advantage.”
“I’m still not sure we should participate,” Tempi said. “What if someone needs us?”
He waved a hand through the air. “I already have a handful of senior citizens who agreed to stay behind and help out. Plus, Miss Moody will be moving from team to team taking pictures for the paper and doing interviews. She said she’d keep her eyes open for any problems as well.”
Miss Moody not only worked for the newspaper, but she was also the town’s only Uber driver. She drove the Moody Mobile, a 1956 convertible Isetta enchanted with spatial magic that expanded to fit however many passengers she needed to haul around town.
Tempi pursed her lips and studied him. “Okay, if you think so.”
“Then I won’t show either of you the clues,” Lucinda said.
“I know these clues are fake,” Tempi said, “but do you think there ever was a ruby heart to find?”
“My family has told the DuBois story for generations,” Lucinda said, “but no one knows whether my ancestor actually found the Crimson Heart or not. His answer went down with his ship.”
Ronin looked out toward the harbor. “As a merman who has spent a lot of time in the water, I can tell you for sure the ocean’s belly holds a lot of treasures most will never see.” He felt Tempi’s eyes on him and smiled at her. “Waxing poetic, sorry.”
“I have a question,” Lucinda said. “Are we still going with groups being as small or as large as people want?”
Tempi nodded. “We decided it would be easier than trying to enforce a specific number.”
“That will make it more exciting.” Lucinda tucked the folder under her arm.
“I’ve made it so there are actually over a dozen different routes a group can take.
When the first clue goes out, some will get a clue to go north, some south.
This way we don’t have a mass of people all looking for the same thing.
” She laughed. “I’ve had to make my own map of every clue I’ve hidden around town so I don’t forget myself. ”
“That’s brilliant,” Tempi said. “I didn’t even think about the fact everyone would be searching for the same clues. That was smart thinking.”
“Thank you. The clues are three each, so the entire thing shouldn’t take more than an hour or two. Two clues are in town at various locations, and the last one is out at Crystal Cove. I’ll see you tomorrow morning around nine. Right here under the Grandmother Tree.”
“We’ll be here,” Ronin said.
Tempi pulled a folded piece of paper from her purse after Lucinda left. “I have the list of stores we still need to visit. We need to know what they’re donating and how many they’re donating so we have a table set up for them.”
“Where to first?”
“Driftwood Apothecary.”
They headed down Tide Street, and Ronin couldn’t help noticing they were all but sprinting down the sidewalk. He wasn’t sure if she was just excited or she just wanted to be done with him as soon as possible.
At Driftwood Apothecary, the owner had already boxed up her donations and launched into a ten-minute story about the time her great-grandmother met a pirate on the Georgia coast. “It was all she ever talked about until she passed.”
“That’s very exciting, Molly,” Tempi said. “Now, what are you donating for tomorrow?”
“Oh, how silly of me,” the witch said. “I didn’t mean to go on and on about my great-grandmother.”
“I found it entertaining,” Ronin said. “Thank you for sharing, Miss Molly.”
Molly patted Ronin’s hand. “Oh, you’re so sweet, Ronin.”
At Moonlight Reads, the bookshop owner was talking with three women asking about the DuBois legend as he boxed up fourteen books entitled Moonlight Bay and Pirate Legends.
“Is the treasure real?” one of them asked.
The owner shrugged as he smiled. “Come to the hunt tomorrow and find out.”
“Oh, we are!” one of the women said. “And we’re gonna find the treasure too.”
Ronin and Tempi thanked the owner and wished the women good luck before heading back outside.
“Business is booming this weekend,” Ronin said as they left with the book count.
“For all of us,” Tempi said. “Tourism bumps like this help every shop on Tide Street.”
He nodded. “That’s what I love about this town. When one business does well—”
“They all do well,” she finished with a small laugh.
He glanced at her in surprise. She’d just finished his sentence, and it hadn’t been snarky.
That was huge as far as he was concerned.
For the past three years, he felt Tempi had gone out of her way to avoid him or snipe at him.
Maybe being forced to spend time together had shown her who he really was.
He hoped so because he’d always liked her.
Tidal Bloom was their last stop, and by the time they left, Ronin was ready for caffeine. He opened the door to Moonbeam Coffee and Tea just as Mrs. Abernathy came sailing out.
“Ronin! Tempi!” The elderly witch stopped in the doorway. “So good to see you.”
He stepped back to give her room. “Good morning, Mrs. Abernathy.”
At ninety-seven, the witch had become something of a Moonlight Bay celebrity after she’d been arrested for vandalizing Ivan Johansson’s construction equipment to stop him from destroying Drury Marsh. She’d removed battery cables and covered his equipment in glitter.
“I’m so excited about tomorrow,” Mrs. Abernathy said. “Edna Ashgrove and I are teaming up with Tempi’s grandmother, and we’re competing as a team.”
“I didn’t know Grandma was playing,” Tempi said.
Mrs. Abernathy waggled her finger at the two of them. “And we plan on winning!”
“I hope you do,” Ronin said. “Show up all these younger ones who think they have it in the bag.”
Mrs. Abernathy slapped him on the shoulder. “I like you, my boy.” She turned to Tempi. “Isn’t he wonderful?”
Ronin looked at Tempi. Now this he wanted to hear. Would she agree he was wonderful?
Tempi snorted. “Yeah. I suppose he is.”
Ronin grinned. “Thank you.”
“Don’t let it go to your head, Seawald!”