Miss Frost Ices The Imp: A Nocturne Falls Mystery (Jayne Frost Book 2)

by Kristen Painter

  “I’m all over it,” Juniper said. “And I’ll show Kip the process, because we haven’t done that yet.”

  “Except you can’t both be in the warehouse at the same time. That’ll leave the store empty.” I really needed that fifth employee. I should have reminded my dad about that. “Tell you what, I’ll see if the toys are here. If they are, I’ll watch the store and you guys can handle the new inventory.”

  “You sure, boss?” Kip asked. “I can always learn the system on the next batch.”

  “No, this’ll be fine.” Honestly, working in the shop would be a great distraction. “I’ll be right back.”

  I retreated into the warehouse. Maybe it was odd, but I really liked the big, dim space with its racks of inventory. It was cool and quiet and strangely tranquil. I stood there for a moment, in between my office and the vestibule that led to the street door, and just took a few deep breaths. My plate wasn’t just full, it was overflowing, but I was the Winter Princess. I could handle this.

  Besides being the Winter Princess, I was also the manager of this shop. So really, it was my job to handle all of this. And if my parents and my aunt and uncle believed I was equipped to be in this position, then I was.

  The little pep talk did me some good. I walked the rest of the way to the Santa’s Bag, but I could already tell it was empty. I returned to the shop and stuck my head in. “Nothing yet. I’ll check again in a bit, but I’m taking a quick fifteen in case you need me.”

  Kip gave me the thumbs-up.

  I went back to my office and did what I should have done when I first got in. I took the box upstairs to my apartment.

  I pulled it out of the tote bag and yanked the lid off. I set both pieces on the table, then walked into the kitchen and took a Dr Pepper out of the magically replenished stock in the fridge. After a few long drinks, I left the bottle on the counter but took the cap to the box. It fit inside easily.

  I filled it with sugar from the bowl on the table, careful not to spill any in the box. Then I cracked the window about an inch.

  Spider had yet to come see me, so I walked back into the bedroom to find him. He was sprawled on the bed, a catnip mouse next to him. The little druggie.

  I gave his belly a rub. “Spider, wake up. It’s just me this time.”

  He blinked a few times, then yawned and finally looked at me. “Sleepy.”

  “Yes, I know I’m interrupting your very important eleventh nap of the day, but listen. I have the window in the living room open a bit and the box the imp came out of is on the table. Inside the box is a soda cap full of sugar. Don’t spill it, don’t knock it over, don’t play with it. Don’t touch it. Understand? It’s supposed to draw the imp, and if it returns and I can catch it, then all the town’s troubles will be solved.”

  He stuck his paws in the air and made biscuits in response to my continued belly rubs, which was cute, but really called into question whether or not he’d been paying attention. “Spider, did you hear what I was saying?”

  “No touch sugar.”

  Close enough. “Very good. Go back to sleep now.” I kissed his silky little head and went downstairs to my office. Still nothing in the Santa’s Bag. Even so, I went into the store, grabbed a green apron and went to work. Mostly I cleaned shelves, dusted and straightened stock. It was a good way to lose myself for a few hours.

  It also allowed Juniper and Kip to take lunch without any trouble. And I was happy to be in the store. I really enjoyed it. Seeing the kids’ faces light up at the sight of all the toys was always a treat.

  But that activity wasn’t enough to make me forget the other oddness that had popped up today. The text from Lark. As I worked, I wondered if it was possible that the text was another of the imp’s jokes. Had she really texted me? Because if I texted back out of the blue, that could start a conversation between us, and I really didn’t feel ready for that.

  What did you say to the woman you’d once considered your best—and maybe only—friend but had actually turned out to be the reason you and the love of your life broke up? I mean, she’d deliberately made Cooper and I believe lies about each other. And all with the intention of ending our relationship (job done) so that she could have Cooper for herself (job not done). If I went the rest of my life without talking to her, I’d be okay. Sad. But okay.

  The only way I could know if Lark’s text was the real deal was to talk to Cooper. Kip and Juniper were both back from lunch, so I said I was going to check the Santa’s Bag again, then slipped into the warehouse.

  The Santa’s Bag was full, but the new inventory could sit for a few minutes longer. I took out my phone, tapped his name on my contacts list and listened to it ring.

  “Hey, Jay. What’s up? Don’t tell me you’re calling to cancel tonight.”

  “I’m not.”

  “Good, because we really need to talk.”

  “I might know why. Any chance you want to tell me now?”

  He sighed. “I hate to even mention her name, but I got a text from Lark.”

  “Snowballs. So did I. That’s why I called you. I wasn’t sure if it was real or another one of the imp’s pranks.”

  “Hmm. I guess it’s possible he pranked both of us with it.”

  “How do we know for sure?”

  “I don’t have a clue. But let’s figure it out over dinner this evening. I’m supposed to be helping the guys wash the truck.”

  “And I have new stock to check in. Dinner it is. Howler’s at seven?”

  “Sounds good. See you then, beautiful.”

  I smiled. “Bye, handsome.”

  I hung up, no more sure who the text had come from. How would the imp know about Lark? I went back into the shop. “Kip, the new shipment is here. You want to grab Juniper and have her show you how we check it in and shelve it?”

  “You got it.”

  As he went to get Juniper from the back of the store, I took his spot behind the register and let my thoughts take over. This Lark thing had me stumped. If the text was real, what on earth could she want?

  The question stuck in my head all day. I worked almost until six, trying to catch up with my paperwork and get ahead in anticipation of how distracted I was going to be until this imp was caught. But the Lark question was always there, pestering me like a loose tooth. Or a burnt tongue. It was a nuisance I couldn’t get rid of. Even as I headed up to my apartment to get ready for dinner, it remained answerless.

  But standing at my door reminded me that I had something else to consider. The imp. And whether or not my trap had worked.

  Opening the door could startle the little creature. Maybe scare it right back out the window. I had to be sly and quiet, and there was only one way to get into my place without making any noise.

  I had to use my inherited skill of stealth entering. Or as I liked to call it, the Saint Nick Slide. The magical ability was something I’d gotten from my mom’s side of the family. It worked like this: so long as there was a break in the structure, like where a door closed or a window met the sill, or yes, a chimney, I could enter pretty much any space.

  That ability was about to become super handy. All it took was a shimmer of magic and a couple seconds of feeling oddly compressed, followed by an uncomfortable nausea, and there I was, on the inside of my apartment.

  I took a moment to breathe through the urge to hurl. How Uncle Kris did that all night long on Christmas Eve I had no earthy clue. It made me feel like I was on the downward part of a really steep roller coaster.

  The dizziness cleared, so I tiptoed to the kitchen table and peeked into the box. The sugar didn’t look like it had been touched. I frowned, disappointed, even though Corette had said imps were nocturnal.

  Getting out of the house for a few hours for dinner could be a good thing. With that thought as my focus, I changed into jeans and a T-shirt and my now-standard flip-flops. Cute but definitely not the kind of cute I put on for Greyson. Hmm.

  I added a little extra eye makeup, a slick of bright glo
ss and ran a brush through my hair. But then my face didn’t match my outfit. I headed back to my closet and found a floral peasant blouse that was just as comfortable as a tee but a lot prettier. And pulled down off my shoulders, it was borderline sexy.

  The jeans and flip-flops stayed, but the look worked. I topped off Spider’s kibble, checked on the sugar in the box again (nothing new), then grabbed my purse and made my way to Howler’s. It was moderately busy, but not so crowded there weren’t seats at the bar. I slid into one since I was early, which was saying something considering I was meeting Cooper.

  Bridget, the owner and bartender (and werewolf), greeted me with a nod. She leaned on the bar in front of me and tossed a towel over her shoulder. We’d gotten to know each other by name since the first time I’d come in here and she’d directed me to the supernaturals-only nightclub where I’d met Greyson. “I heard you and my aunt had breakfast this morning.”

  Further proof that everyone knew everything in a small town. “We did. I really like Birdie. She’s…I don’t know. Pretty awesome.” I laughed. “You’re very lucky to have her as an aunt.”

  Bridget smiled. “I think so too. She loves you, by the way.” Bridget’s eyes narrowed. “Is it true that your father is Jack Frost, the Winter King? And you’re a princess?”

  “Yep. Guilty as charged.”

  Bridget looked impressed. “Wow, that’s wild.” She shrugged. “Birdie sometimes exaggerates.”

  “Not this time. But I don’t get too hung up on the title. The one that means more to me right now is manager of Santa’s Workshop.”

  Bridget took the towel off her shoulder and wiped down the bar in front of me. “I totally get it. My father is the alpha of the Georgia Pack. Not that that’s anything like being the Winter King—”

  “I don’t know. Sounds pretty impressive.”

  “I guess, but you know how it is. When you grow up with that, it’s just status quo.”

  “Uh huh. I know what you mean.”

  “Anyway, nice to have you in town. What can I get you? You want a menu?”

  “Just a drink. I’m meeting someone for dinner, but I’m early.”

  “Sure thing. What’s your poison?”

  “White wine. That moscato one.”

  She grinned. “You like the sweet stuff, huh?”

  “It’s a winter elf thing.”

  “You got it.” She headed off to get my drink, coming back with a glass that was generously full.

  “Thank you.”

  “You’re welcome.” She looked past me toward the entrance and gave a little wave, her face erupting in a huge smile. “Hey, bro. Hi, Sam.”

  I twisted my barstool halfway around to look. Cooper had just walked in with two other men in fireman’s uniforms. The one guy I recognized as his boss, the other one must have just been Sam.

  Cooper winked at me and started in my direction. I wiggled my fingers at him as I glanced at Bridget. “That’s right, your brothers are the sheriff and the fire chief, right?”

  Pride lit her face. “Yep. Hank and Titus Merrow are my brothers. And Sam is my guy. He’s also Hank’s wife’s brother. It’s a little weird, but we’re making it work. Hey, is Cooper your date?”

  I didn’t want to go into the whole thing about it not being a date, because it sort of was, so I just nodded.

  She grinned. “Coop’s a catch. And for a non-shifter, super hot.”

  “He’s a summer elf. Hot is his middle name.”

  “Talking about me again?” Cooper put a hand on the back of my barstool and gave me a smolder that would have instantly dissolved most women’s undies. I glanced down to make sure nothing was smoking. It wasn’t. Yet.

  “Are you going to introduce me?” I tipped my head toward the chief and Sam standing next to him.

  Cooper’s expression said he knew I was changing the subject on purpose. “Chief and Sam, this is Jayne Frost. Chief, you met at the fundraiser a couple months ago, but she lives here now. Jayne, this is my boss, Chief Titus Merrow.”

  “Hey,” Sam said. Then he leaned in to kiss Bridget.

  Chief Merrow nodded at me. “Nice to see you again, Miss Frost. Or should I say Princess?”

  I groaned. “Let me guess. You talked to your aunt today.”

  He smiled wryly. “I did. You made quite an impression.”

  “Well, so did she.”

  His smile faded. “I was happy to hear the current situation may be rectified soon.”

  Stupid imp. “As soon as it possibly can be. I’m sorry about your fire truck. I’m glad you were able to get it down without too much trouble.”

  He nodded. “Me, too. Now if we can get everything else back to normal…”

  I held my hands up. “I’m working on it, I swear.”

  “Titus, cut her some slack,” Bridget said. “She didn’t do it on purpose.”

  A soft light came into the chief’s eyes as he looked at his sister. “I know. Really, if anyone’s to blame, it’s Francine Gresham.”

  He glanced at me again. “I didn’t mean to imply the fault was yours. Frankly, I’m happy Francine is moving out of town. She and Roger always seemed to be at odds with what Nocturne Falls was about.” He shook his head. “Enough on that subject. I’ll let you and Cooper get on with your date. Nice to meet you again, Jayne.”

  “You too, Chief. And Sam.” Once again, I let the date comment slide. “Cooper, I just need to pay for my wine and we can get a table.”

  “It’s on the house,” Bridget said. She shrugged one shoulder. “It’s not every day I meet a princess.”

  Cooper and I settled into the last available booth. I sipped my wine while he ordered a beer.

  When the server left to get his drink, I opened my menu, but my eyes were on him. “How was your day?”

  “Okay.” He looked a little tired, which did nothing to distract from his epic hotness and kind of made me want to offer my lap as a place to lay his head. “The crazy calls keep coming in.”

  I was almost afraid to ask. “Like what?”

  “Today, the gym at the elementary school was filled with frogs, a hydrant on Broom was oozing lime Jell-O, and the fountain in the center of Main Street park spewed snow all over the place.”

  I cringed. Frogs weren’t my favorite creatures. “I heard about the fountain. We had several customers ask if it was a promotion for the store.”

  “I wondered about that myself, but there was no permit on file, so I knew it had to be the imp.”

  “I really am trying to get that thing back under control.”

  “I know.” Then he shrugged. “Keeps the day interesting, I’ll say that much. How was your day? Miss me?”

  “Maybe.” Then I batted my lashes at him. “Actually, I was too busy to miss anyone today. Being manager is a lot of work.”

  “And I bet you’re amazing at it. How are your folks? They coming to visit any time soon?”

  Was he angling to meet my parents or just making small talk? I had no idea. But it reminded me of our college days and how almost meeting my parents then had played into us breaking up. “No definite plans, but I’m sure they’ll make their way here soon enough.”

  The server returned with Coop’s beer, then pulled a notepad from her apron. “Y’all ready to order?”

  “Not yet,” Cooper said.

  “I’ll give you a few more minutes, then.” She put the notepad away and went on to her next table.

  He lifted his beer. “Here’s to dinner with my favorite winter elf.”

  I smiled at that and clinked my glass against his. “Thanks. It’s nice to see you too.”

  We both drank, then I stared at the menu. The words didn’t really register, mostly because of the elephant in the room. I decided to stop ignoring it. “What are we going to do about Lark?”

  He sighed and looked up. “That question’s been stuck in my head most of the day.”

  “Mine too.”

  He put his menu down. “How do you feel about her? Are you m
ad?”

  “Of course I’m mad.” Did he think I wasn’t? “She broke us up, Coop. If not for her, who knows where we’d be right now.”

  A brightness filled his gaze. A look that seemed very much like hope to me. He nodded. “But we both agree we’re different people now. We might have broken up anyway.”

  “True. But then it would have been on our terms. And based on reality, not lies.” I stabbed my finger against the tabletop. “And let’s not gloss over the fact that she tried to seduce you.”

  His lip curled as though the memory was replaying in his head. “Found her in my dorm room bed. No way to misunderstand that.” He drank his beer, then tipped the mouth of the bottle at me. “But you two were friends. Best friends. You have a bigger dog in this hunt.”

  “Which is exactly what makes her behavior so awful. I can’t forgive her for that kind of betrayal. Can you?”

  His expression went very hard. “She took you away from me, Jay. You know how I feel about that. How I felt about you then. How I feel…now.”

  I reached across the table and took his hand. I didn’t know quite what to say to him in that moment, but the emotion in his words needed some kind of response. The years might have changed us, but we had shared history that would forever connect us.

  He laced his fingers with mine. “I can’t forgive her either. And you may not want to hear this, but if that text really is from her, I don’t think reconnecting with her can be a good thing for either of us.”

  “What if she just wants to say she’s sorry?”

  “Great, but why wait so long? College was almost ten years ago. All of a sudden she wants to make amends?”

  I took my hand back as I shifted in my seat. “Maybe she’s dying. Maybe it’s one of those things where she wants to apologize so she can end things with a clean slate. Or maybe she became an addict and is on one of the twelve steps of her recovery. Or she somehow found out that we know what she did and is trying to get proactive.”

  He snorted. “Your mind goes to some morbid places, but you might be on to something.” He paused. “Does that mean you’re willing to hear her out?”