by Cat Larson
Son of a gargoyle. I hurried over and peered inside. If that woman had spiked him with one of her stilettos… I couldn’t even finish the thought. I scanned the floor and didn’t see him, which I took as a good sign. He was probably hiding somewhere. Unless he was hiding and wounded. Ugh. Visiting hours were now over. I liked Amy just as much as I distrusted Clarisse, but it was time for both of them to go.
Wait a flippin’ minute. “What were you doing back here?”
Clarisse smoothed down her pencil skirt. “You need to tell Violet to call in an exterminator. I just saw a giant roach.”
I rolled my eyes. “There’re no roaches in here. Now, what were you doing in there?”
“Why, looking for my order, of course.”
I shut the door. “This room is for employees only.” I ran my hand over the Employees Only sign in case it wasn’t clear enough for her.
“That may pertain to some customers, but I’ve been allowed in there before. Nothing to get in a tizzy about.”
I kept my mouth shut because how was I to know whether or not that was true? Just because my gut was telling me she was a blatant liar didn’t mean she was. But on the other hand, just because she could buy a small country, didn’t mean that entitled her to free rein wherever she went.
“I’ll let Violet know you stopped by, and you’ll get your order as soon as possible. That’s the best I can do. Now, if you’ll kindly leave, I have things to take care of.”
I was past the point of caring if I offended her. Especially when she gave me that cunning little smile. Wow, you’ve really taken a shine to her, Eve.
“Fair enough. I’m sure I’ll see you around… Eve.”
That jolted me. Clarisse was the only one in town so far who’d called me Eve upon my request, and that disturbed me on a level I didn’t understand. But then everything about her had that yuck factor. I was relieved to see her leave.
As soon as Ms. I’ll See My Way Out left the shop, I turned to Amy. “What is up with that woman? I don’t like her nosing around like that.”
Amy shrugged. “Who knows? I should get going too, though. How long will you be in town?”
“I’m not sure.”
“Just don’t leave without saying goodbye.”
“I won’t.” She gave me a quick hug and was almost out the door when I stopped her. “Wait! Why’d you stop by?”
Amy slapped her forehead. “Silly me.” She opened her purse and pulled out a wrapped-up loaf of bread. “I came to drop off some of my chocolate chip banana bread. Violet loves it.”
“How sweet of you.” I bit my cheeks, questioning the validity of that statement. But hey, for all I knew, Violet had already chowed through a dozen. “I’ll make sure she gets it.” I made a note to add it to the other three in the fridge.
When Amy was gone, I locked the door, triple-checked it, then turned the sign to CLOSED.
I immediately went to the closet, tossing the loaf on the table along the way. “Fernando?”
I opened the door, spotting him clear as day on the floor, munching on blueberries. He appeared unharmed, no heel marks on his back. I turned the paper bag upside down and only a few berries tumbled out.
My mouth dropped as I watched him scarf up the remaining ones, his eyes closing with each swallow. If I hadn’t seen it for myself, I wouldn’t have believed it.
My uber-alpha, carnivore fiancé who practically devoured his steaks raw was sating his appetite on fruit.
Seriously?
After the initial shock, I squealed. Who cared what he ate? The point was, he ate!
I scooped him up and did a happy dance. It was one less thing to worry about. As long as I had blueberries, he wouldn’t starve.
My slick moves must’ve impressed him because I swore he smiled. Or maybe he was laughing at me because a noise bubbled out. Or he was giddy over a full belly. How would I know? I wasn’t fluent in Frog Speak.
“Get used to dancing, big guy, because soon we’ll be doing it at our wedding.”
The thought both encouraged and disheartened me. It’d been barely half a day since the nightmare began, but it felt like a year. I was completely at the mercy of my lunatic sister. There was only one thing I could control right now, and I was going to take full advantage of it.
“Let’s get you some more blueberries. What do you say?”
I took his croak as a yes, so I snuggled him back into my purse. It was a short walk to the market, and I was going to make sure we always had a steady supply of berries on hand.
I zipped up my coat, and with him securely tucked against my side, I slipped out the door. It only took two steps before I’d almost collided with the most handsome face I’d ever seen. Sorry, Fernando. I patted my bag gently. Second most handsome, I meant to say.
Wait a minute. I knew that face. Amber eyes gazed back at me and my pulse skyrocketed.
“Wow, Sammi. It really is you.”
How many more surprises could my heart possibly take?
Chapter Five
“Um.” I swallowed hard. “It’s Eve now.”
Really? After all this time, the first thing I did was correct him?
He smiled, reminding me how much I loved his pointed eye teeth. It was a strange fixation, but I melted whenever I saw them. Used to melt.
While I was caught off guard, he swooped in and embraced me. “I just can’t believe it’s you. You’re really home. It’s been so long.”
That snapped me out of it enough to push back gently, placing a respectable distance between us. I hoped that Fernando remained clueless and couldn’t sense my reaction to another man. But it wasn’t just any man… And he hadn’t even been one when I’d left, but he was all man now. No boy lingered in him. And like everyone else in this town, he looked better. Much better. Stop it, Eve.
“Griffin.”
My skin tingled, and I took another step back. Think of the frog, think of the frog. I mean, fiancé, darn it!
Once there was enough space and cool air circulating freely between us, it was like a fresh slap in the face. Exactly what I needed. Yeah, I just needed to regain my senses. Griffin was a slice of my past, we shared a history, and that was all. He was a certain comfort that could only be found in a childhood crush, and I got tangled up in the familiarity.
“You look incredible,” he said. “I used to think you were the most beautiful thing in the world, but I obviously hadn’t met your future self yet.”
My cheeks felt like hot plums. I could’ve easily expressed the same sentiment to him if it would’ve been appropriate to do so.
“Well, it’s been nice seeing you again.” I sucked in a deep breath, relishing the iciness as it entered my lungs. I gave him a little wave and turned to leave.
He caught my arm. “Wait! You’re leaving already?”
I paused, biting down on my lower lip. What was I so afraid of? If I was secure in my current relationship, I should’ve been able to have a conversation with my ex-boyfriend without any problem.
“Since we already said hi, I just thought…” Thought what exactly? I wouldn’t have acted this way with anyone else. Why should he be any different?
“It’s been thirteen years and you’re walking away without so much as a ‘how’ve you been?’”
“You’re right.” I faced him with a smile. “So, how’ve you been?”
“Have dinner with me tonight and find out.”
I suddenly felt as if I were plunged into a furnace. “Oh no. I can’t do that.”
“Why not?”
I made figure eights in the snow with my boot, feeling thirteen all over again. That high you get when your biggest crush asks you to prom? Yeah, I was experiencing some of that right now. Except if I were a teenager, I would’ve been hugging myself and twirling around like my world had never seen a sunnier day. But we were adults now with responsibilities and commitments.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw an elderly couple nearby, sitting on a street bench with their Bigfoo
t Café paper cups cradled in gloved hands, staring straight at us. I imagined them whispering to each other, judging me for getting all flustered by the attractive man in front of me when I already had a perfectly wonderful fiancé hopping around in my purse.
Stupid imagination.
I set aside his dinner question and asked, “Were you coming into the shop to see Violet just now? Because she’s not here.”
My stomach did a backflip. I didn’t peg him for a tea drinker or a frilly stationery writer or a perfumed bath soap kind of guy, so if he was coming to see Violet, did that mean he wanted to see her?
Holy crikey. Could they be involved with each other? No. She would’ve told me. Possibly. It wasn’t like we were best buds here. If they were dating or something… My stomach stepped up the acrobatics, performing a triple aerial and landing in a split.
Okay, I was officially a nutcase. I’d gone from worrying about him asking me out to worrying about him seeing my sister in ten seconds flat.
“Yes, I was coming to Violet’s shop.” None of it was my business. And since I was engaged, it really wasn’t my business. “To see you.”
I looked up from the elaborate design I’d created on the sidewalk. “To see me? How’d you know…” I chuckled and some of the tension drained away. “Let me guess—my altercation with Misty at the pet store?”
“No, Sage told me you were home when I passed her on the street a bit ago.” My lips flattened. Now, what had made her go and do something like that? “But yeah, I also heard about you and Misty.”
“Of course.” He laughed, and I averted my eyes from his teeth.
“If you don’t want to do dinner, how about coming with me to the ice festival tonight.”
“I don’t think that’d be a good idea.”
“Come on, it’ll be fun. I remember how much you loved it, and besides, it’ll give us a chance to catch up.”
“Griffin, I’m… with someone, and it’s serious.”
There I’d done it. My conscience was clear. I could’ve said I was engaged, but I didn’t want him thinking I was using that as an excuse due to my lack of a ring.
“I’m not asking you out on a date, Sammi.”
“It’s Eve. And you’re not?”
“No, I’m not.” He grabbed hold of my arms. “Look. I’d only like to spend some time with you to see what you’ve been up to. That’s all. No ulterior motive here. I get that we were just kids when you left, but I consider you one of my closest friends.”
One of his closest friends that just up and left without even saying goodbye. That couldn’t have felt too good. Looking back, it was a crummy thing to do. He excluded this little fact from our conversation, but he didn’t have to mention it in words. I could read it on his face.
Great. Now, I felt lower than the lake algae.
“You can even bend my ear all night about this guy you’re serious with. If fact, I’ll insist upon it. How else am I going to make sure he’s good enough for you?”
I sighed, catching a snowflake on the tip of my nose. It was starting to flurry again. It’d be a beautiful night for the festival. “How about I let you know? I’m back in town to spend time with my sister so I’ll have to see what’s going on with her first.”
His lips curved up. “I can live with that.”
Yeah, but could Fernando?
After picking up several containers of blueberries and another coffee, I was back in the shop with the front door locked. No more surprises. I was putting my foot down. It wasn’t even noon, and I was all tapped out.
“Still hungry?” I let Fernando out of my purse and placed a small berry in front of him, but he ignored it. It looked anemic compared to Sage’s, but a blueberry was a blueberry, right?
I dumped out several more, but he just sailed over to a purple blob in the corner. On closer inspection, I noticed it was a lone blueberry from Sage’s stash that must’ve rolled free from the rest. He gobbled it right up.
I rolled my eyes. “Sorry if the store-bought berries aren’t up to your high standards.” When had my fiancé become such a fruit connoisseur?
Just for the heck of it, I popped one into my mouth. Blech. It tasted like cardboard, probably plucked from thousands of miles away while still green, never having a chance to ripen properly. Geez. Now, I sounded like a snob.
“All right, Fernando. I’ll give you a pass on this one.”
My screeching phone had us both leaping to the ceiling. Or maybe he would’ve done that anyway. He was a frog for flippin’ sake. It’s what they did.
I dropped my head in my hands. For as long as I lived, I would never get over this. Even when he was human again, would I still look at him and see bulging eyes and springy legs? The continued ringing snapped me somewhat out of my little funk and I focused on annoyance instead. I glowered at my cell like it was the enemy.
Oops, wrong foe.
It wasn’t my cursed phone after all. It was Violet’s landline. I begrudgingly dragged myself over and said, “Violet’s Soap and Tea Emporium,” just in case it was an actual customer.
“Eve, is that you?”
“Mrs. Geller?” My neighbor in Chicago. I was about to ask what in the world she was doing calling Violet’s store when I remembered that I’d given her the number. A rancid taste filled my mouth wondering if my apartment had been broken into. “Everything okay?”
“Oh, it’s fine. Well, except for the swelling in my ankles. That’s been giving me some problems.”
“Is that why you called, Mrs. Geller?”
She chuckled. “And I’m considered a senior? You’re a young chickadee and your memory is worse than mine.”
I took a deep breath. “So, you are calling about your ankles, then?”
“Follow along with me, Eve,” she said slowly. “You asked me to keep an eye on your place, to let you know if anything new happens. Remember that?”
“Of course.” I tugged at my hair. “But you said everything’s fine.”
“It is. Except for my ankles.”
Argh. I loved the woman, but a little more time talking to her and I’d wind up bald.
“I’m sorry to hear about your ankles. Are you soaking them in Epsom salt? That seemed to help before.”
“I’m doing that as we speak. You’re so sweet to be concerned, but I’ll be right as rain in no time.” Deep breath. Deep breath. “But why in Sam Hill are you discussing my ankles when I’m trying to tell you about Fernando’s brother?”
“What about his brother?”
“That’s what I’ve been trying to tell you. You really should pay better attention.”
My skin was going to rub off my face, but at least it’d match the bald patches on my scalp. “Of course. How silly of me. Please continue.”
“He knocked on your door, oh, about fifteen minutes ago.”
“How did you know it was his brother?”
“Well, I certainly wasn’t going to let some strange man knock on your door without finding out who it was. I went out to see what all the commotion was about.”
“You should be more careful, Mrs. Geller.”
“Pfft. I can take care of myself. I’m tougher than I look.” I smiled. She was right about that. “He told me his name’s Sal. A dead ringer for your beau, which kept my suspicion antenna in check. Said he needed to speak with Fernando and assumed he was at your place.”
“And you told him…?” I briefly recalled Fernando mentioning a Sal, but I’d never met him. In fact, I’d never met any of his family. Just a side effect of a fast-moving relationship but one I’d remedy as soon as everything was back on track.
“What do you think I told him? I said he wasn’t here, and I would know because I know everything that happens on this floor.”
“And then what happened?”
“Then he stormed off. I watched through my window as he raced away in Fernando’s car.”
“What? No, it couldn’t have been Fernando’s car. That’s…” Not possible because Vio
let already took off in it.
She snorted. “You think I don’t know that man’s car? It’s here practically every night.”
“Sal could have the same car.”
“With the same mean-looking bull bumper sticker?”
“Yes, that’s the basketball team. For Chicago. That’s not exactly uncommon.”
“With the same red Italian horn hanging from the mirror?” Well, they were family… “And the same star-shaped chip on the bottom right of the windshield?”
How in the world…? Oh yeah, she loved her binoculars. I pressed my forehead against the wall to keep it from swimming away with this new information. The possibility of it still being Sal’s car had dwindled down to single digits. But it was even more boggling to consider how Fernando’s car could be back in Chicago this morning in Sal’s possession when it was in Bigfoot Bay only seventeen hours ago in Violet’s.
“Can you do me a huge favor?” I asked. “If Sal turns up again, can you give him this same number and tell him to call me? It’s really important that I speak to him.”
“Is there any funny business going on that I should know about? Because I’m not getting involved in—”
“No, Mrs. Geller.” At least not in the way she was thinking. “It’s nothing like that. Can you please just do this for me? Also, let me know if anything else happens.”
After convincing her I wasn’t involved in anything shady, she promised to help. I thanked her, hung up the receiver, and rested my hands on the glass counter, attempting to piece everything together. The chocolate chip banana loaf sidetracked me; it had little footprints running up and down its length.
“Fernando!” I tossed the loaf in the trash. “You can’t just hop on anything you want.”
I found him sitting atop the visitor guest book, blending in with the creamy white pages. I shook my head. How was I supposed to figure this mess out and keep track of him?
All right, back to business. What did I have so far? Fernando drove to Violet’s shop for reasons unknown, they argued, and then she turned him into Mr. Short, Green, and Bewitched. Sometimes green. Right now he resembled a white chocolate frog.
