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

by Kristen Painter

  He wrapped me in an embrace, his delicious, cinnamon scent making me realize my frozen pizza dinner hadn’t really satisfied my hunger. He kissed me, soft and slow, then broke it off to smile down at me. “I’d think you’re sweet enough on your own to draw him in.”

  I slid my arms around his neck. “You’re just what I needed right now, you know that?”

  His brows lifted. “Is that so? Well, I do like to pride myself on being where my woman needs me, when my woman needs me.”

  And there it was. The perfect segue. “Is that what you consider me? Your woman?”

  His gaze narrowed a little. “I do not know the correct answer to that, and yet, I feel as though I should.”

  I sighed as I released him. Maybe it was just because I was tired, but I wasn’t exactly sure how to ask the question I needed to. At least, I couldn’t quite form the thought into a sentence that sounded more inquisitive than accusatory.

  “Just say it, Jayne. You’re not going to hurt my feelings.” He looked like he was bracing himself for a letdown.

  I had no idea what he thought was coming. He didn’t think I was breaking up with him, did he? “I’d just like to know if you’re seeing other women besides me. And there’s no right or wrong answer. I just want to know.”

  His gaze stayed tapered. “I was seeing someone else, but that ended a month ago. It’s just you now.”

  “Does it bother you that I’m still seeing Cooper?”

  He shook his head slowly. “I’m not crazy about it. But I knew what I was getting into when we started going out.” He relaxed a bit. “What’s this about exactly?”

  I raked my hair out of my face. “Cooper and I had a talk, and it got me thinking. I’m seeing both of you, but you’re both just seeing me. It’s not exactly a balanced situation.”

  “We’re grown men, Jayne. Whatever choices we make are ours to make. And while you might think the situation is unfair, we’re willingly a part of it.” He shrugged. “You shouldn’t let that weigh on you.”

  “You’re sure?”

  “Positive.”

  “Huh. You two sure are chill about all this.”

  He grinned. “You’re worth it. At least as far as I’m concerned. And if I start to feel differently, I’ll let you know.”

  “I appreciate that.”

  He shrugged. “Hey, I get you wanting to see if there’s anything left of your college romance. Who wouldn’t be curious about that? But I also know that you and I have something that can only be described as chemistry.”

  He wound a strand of my hair around his finger as he nuzzled the side of my neck. “And chemistry trumps history in my book.”

  I shivered from the touch of his breath on my skin, momentarily at a loss for words.

  He feathered little kisses down to my throat, and my head went a little spinny while the rest of me warmed into a gooey mess. Then my stomach growled, confirming that my blood sugar might have been a bit low.

  He laughed. “Need a snack, do you?”

  “Dinner was a long time ago. And I’ve had a strenuous evening.”

  He tucked a stray strand behind my ear. “What are you in the mood for?”

  Irish vampire, but that answer was going to lead us down a very different path. “Something sweet.”

  “I know just the thing.” He smirked. “Trust me?”

  “Of course.” Then I held up a finger. “Does this require leaving the apartment?”

  “Yes, but we won’t be gone too long. Is that okay?”

  “It’s perfect. I just want to change into something less cat burglar and more upstanding citizen. Be right back.” I ditched the yoga pants in favor of my jean shorts and was back at his side, flip-flops on and ready to roll. Sure, I still needed to go through those pictures, but my body needed fuel. “So. Where to?”

  “You’ll see. Fire escape or elevator?”

  “Oh, I get a choice, do I?”

  He laughed. “You always have a choice.”

  “I’ve had enough excitement for one evening. Let’s take the elevator. But first I need to bait that box.”

  “Can I help?”

  “Nope. It’ll just take me a second.” I grabbed the bottle cap and rinsed out the hunk of fudge, then filled it with one of the samples Delaney had sent. Molasses. No clue if it would work, but something had to. I glanced at the window, even though I already knew it was open. Everything was set. I tucked my phone into my purse. “All right, let’s go.”

  He peeked into the box as we walked to the door. “You think that’ll work?”

  I shrugged. “Who knows? It’s only the third thing I’ve tried, but this imp is proving tricky.” I locked the door behind us and put my keys back in my purse.

  He took my hand. “You’ll get him.”

  “If only it wasn’t taking so long.”

  “I know.” He pushed the call button. “What did you do this evening? You said it was strenuous. I admit that’s not how I picture a girls’ night out.”

  I laughed sharply at his description. “Yeah, that’s not really the kind of night I had.” The elevator door opened. I stepped on. “I’ll explain on the way down.”

  “You have to be more careful.” Greyson’s gaze took on a concerned light as we stepped off the elevator and into the warehouse. “The sheriff absolutely knew what you were doing. It was only because of Birdie that he didn’t arrest you.”

  “I’m sure you’re right. But you would have bailed me out, wouldn’t you?”

  “Of course.” He squeezed my hand. “But just promise me you’ll be more careful next time.”

  “I don’t plan on there being a next time. And I thought I was being careful.”

  “With Birdie as your lookout?” He sighed. “I know she means well, but…”

  “I didn’t really see any other options.”

  He tugged me closer. “You could have called me.”

  My brows shot up. “Are you saying you want to be my partner in crime?”

  “Can you think of anyone better?”

  I couldn’t. I kissed him. Short and sweet. “Next time, you’re first on my list.”

  He smiled. “Good.”

  He led me down Main to a shop called I Scream. I’d been by it, but had yet to stop in. With my addiction to Delaney’s running rampant, ice cream hadn’t been much of a draw. Sure, I loved ice cream. Frozen treats were kind of a staple in the NP, and because ice cream was so common there (and magically delicious), Delaney’s shop held more appeal to me.

  He held the door for me. “Prepare yourself.”

  I cut my eyes at him. “For ice cream? Color me skeptical.”

  “You’ll see.”

  The place was fairly busy, but most people were getting cones to walk with, so a lot of the tables were open. I stared up at the menu board. They had some interesting flavors, I’d give them that. I’d never seen buttered popcorn, bacon brittle, or smoked vanilla anywhere else. And then I noticed they had a whole board of adult flavors that all included alcohol. This place was growing on me.

  He nudged me. “They make everything in-house.”

  “Even better. Any suggestions for what I should order?”

  He stood hip to hip with me, looking up at the board. “How hungry are you?”

  “Hungry. And you know how I feel about dessert-category offerings.”

  He grinned. “Get the Big Scream. It’s not as large as the Scream Queen, but that one really ought to be shared.”

  I glanced at him. “You don’t want to share with me?”

  “I don’t want to get in the way of your enjoyment. Also, the Scream Queen is generally recommended for parties of six or more. The Tower of Doom is slightly smaller, but it’s still only four scoops less.”

  “Yeah, those both might melt before I can finish them. The Big Scream it is.” I stepped up to the counter and placed my order, going mostly in a chocolate direction while including a few of the crazier flavors just for fun.

  Greyson ordered his—a
rather sedate sundae of Irish coffee ice cream, hot fudge and candied hazelnuts, then we took a little number on a stand so the server could find us when our order was ready, and picked out a table.

  I pulled napkins out of the dispenser on the table and slid one over to him. “You want to help me look through the pics I took when we get back? Maybe see if you recognize any of the names?”

  “Happy to. You really think it was someone in town and not one of her mail-order clients?”

  “If it was a mail-order client, why have the imp delivered here and not directly to them? I don’t know for sure, but my gut feels like there’s more to this than she’s saying.”

  “I believe that too. And at this point, anything more we can learn about the imp might be useful.”

  “True. Mostly I just don’t want anyone else to get hurt, you know? Especially if I can prevent it.”

  He nodded. “Agreed.” He looked past my shoulder and grinned. “Here it comes.”

  Two servers approached our table. Two, because the sundaes were just that large. The woman carrying mine actually grunted when she set it down in front of me. Then she added a single spoon, which was sort of like offering someone on a cruise ship a solitary oar. “There you go. Enjoy!”

  “Sweet fancy Christmas.” I stared at the mountain of ice cream before me. I almost couldn’t see Greyson across from me. The scoops of ice cream had been stacked pyramid style, then rivers of hot fudge, salted caramel and marshmallow sauce had been drizzled over them. A variety of cookies had been stuck into the crevices, and then the whole thing had been liberally doused in chocolate sprinkles. Of course, there was also whipped cream and a cherry, which had been dipped in chocolate, because why not?

  Greyson peered around the frozen atrocity with a gleam in his eyes. “Told you.”

  My mouth watered. This was a North Pole-worthy sundae for sure. “Challenge accepted.”

  Half an hour later, I’d gotten through only half of it and I was full. Like, Christmas dinner full. I dropped my spoon in defeat. “That’s all I’ve got in me.”

  “You did valiantly.” He’d finished his sundae well before me.

  “Don’t tease.”

  “No, I’m serious. I have a brand new respect for you. Watching you eat that was actually a little sexy.”

  “You’re an odd man.”

  “So I’ve been told.” He wiped his mouth. “Ready to go?”

  “Yes. But you may have to roll me.”

  He laughed. “The walk will do you good.” He got up and tossed a few bills on the table for a tip.

  I stood. “I’m sure you’re right.”

  He took my hand again, and we headed back to my place, happily quiet until we were at the warehouse door.

  “I’ll have to go into the apartment first to see if the imp is there.”

  “I can check for you right now.”

  “You can?”

  He nodded and jumped, landing on the fire escape above us as silently as Spider. He looked through the window, then leaped over the railing to rejoin me on the sidewalk. “Nothing.”

  I sighed and unlocked the door.

  “Maybe by morning,” Greyson said.

  I nodded, but I was losing hope. Right now, having those pictures to focus on was a good thing. As soon as we got into the apartment, I grabbed my laptop and settled onto the couch, Greyson comfortably beside me. Then I fired up my computer and opened the photos that had automatically upload to my cloud so we could see them on a larger screen.

  We studied the first picture, which was remarkably clear considering how rushed I’d been in taking them. “Recognize anyone?”

  He pointed to a couple of them. “All of these, but the dates are from three years ago. None of these would be the imp. Hmm. Three years ago. Means she’s been running this mail-order business for a while. I wonder if Roger knew.”

  “Maybe she was putting money aside? Who knows? Let me scroll to the last pic.” I went forward in the gallery until I got to the last one. “How about from this list?”

  He stared at the screen, his eyes skimming the names. “No. Nothing.”

  “Hang on.” I went back a page. “Any of these look familiar?”

  More reading. Then he shook his head. “Looks like she kept her business strictly out of town in the last year.”

  “She might have had to, given her prickly reputation.”

  He nodded and sat back. “I don’t know everyone in town. I could definitely be missing someone. You should still run these by Birdie.”

  “I was planning on emailing her the pics before I go to bed.” I looked at the time. “Which I should do immediately, seeing as how it’s almost midnight and I have work tomorrow.”

  He smiled. “Cue taken. Glad I got to see you tonight.”

  “I’m glad I got to see you too. And thanks for taking me for ice cream. That was epic.” I put the laptop on the coffee table. “I really appreciate you letting me talk out the whole relationship thing, too. I don’t want this to get weird, but promise me that if anything ever changes for you, as in how you feel about us, you’ll tell me so we can discuss it.”

  “Promise.” He stood and offered me a hand. “I’ll take the door. Just in case the imp is hovering out by the window somewhere, waiting to devour the bait.”

  I took his hand and let him pull me up. “Very thoughtful of you.”

  He tugged me into his arms, then threaded his fingers into my hair and kissed me hard. “See you soon, my darling Jayne.”

  I nodded. “Night, vampire.”

  He smiled and slipped out the door. I locked it behind him, the dreaminess of his kiss still filling my head.

  That dreaminess remained until the next morning, when I woke up to discover the box was still imp-free. That put me in a chilly mood. In fact, I almost uttered a few choice words, but seeing as how Spider could talk now, I wasn’t sure I wanted him picking up those sorts of things from me.

  I grabbed a Dr Pepper from my never-ending supply and stood by the window, looking for any sign of the imp. There was a small green smudge on the outer sill, but that was it. Had he been here and turned his nose up at the molasses? That seemed the only logical answer.

  So the molasses was a no-go. I sorted through the box Delaney had sent, trying to decide what to try next.

  Maybe the woman was psychic, but as I was doing that, she called. I grabbed my phone as soon as I saw her name on the screen. “Hello?”

  “Good morning, Jayne. It’s Delaney. Am I calling too early? Hugh said I should at least wait until the store was open.”

  “No, it’s fine. What can I do for you?”

  “I’m dying to know if any of the samples worked.”

  I sighed. “Not yet.”

  She groaned. “Which ones have you tried?”

  “Just the molasses so far.”

  “Was there any sign of the imp?”

  “Just a smudge of green dust on the sill. Nothing like yesterday when he actually took a bite out of the fudge. Although I found that bite on the floor, so he obviously didn’t care for it either.”

  Delaney gasped. “He spit out your aunt’s eggnog fudge?”

  “Yep.”

  “Blasphemy. But he did at least take a bite of that, which gives me an idea. Can you spare an hour this morning?”

  “Will it help me catch the imp?”

  “It might.”

  “I’ll work it out. What time?”

  “Not sure. I need to make a call first. Can I text you with the info?”

  “Sure. And thanks for the help.”

  “You got it. Talk soon! Bye!”

  “Bye.” I hung up, curious about what Delaney was up to, but happy and willing to take any help offered. I took my Dr Pepper into the shower, deciding to get to work early to make up for the time I would need to take off.

  Twenty minutes later, I had Spider fed, myself clothed and made up and was in my office. Breakfast was fudge, cookies and the last remaining truffle from the box Delaney
had brought yesterday. The evening crew had decimated the offerings, but I didn’t begrudge them the snacks. They worked hard.

  I popped that truffle into my mouth, then headed into the store to get the bank bag that Buttercup would have left in the drawer under the register. She was in charge of closing every night, and thankfully, she was meticulous about it.

  The shop was so quiet. In another twenty minutes, it would be hopping, but right now, with the lights and music off, it had a serene feeling to it.

  I took the bag back to my office and sat down to go through the receipts from yesterday. My phone chimed before I could start. It was a text from Delaney.

  Pick you up at the store in half an hour?

  Sure, I texted back. I couldn’t wait to see what she had planned.

  Great!

  I put my phone aside and dug into the receipts. As usual, everything was in order. I wrote up the day’s report, added it to the bank bag, then dropped it into the Santa’s Bag to send it to headquarters.

  As I walked back to my office, Juniper came out of the elevator. “Hey, you’re early,” I said.

  “I was about to say the same thing to you. What are you doing down here already?”

  “I have to head out for about an hour today.” I rolled my eyes. “It’s imp-related.”

  She nodded. “No problem, we’ll cover things. I take it that means the bugger is still at large?”

  “Yep. So why are you here so early?”

  “I’m going to Mummy’s for cinnamon rolls.”

  “Rolls? Plural?” I grinned. “Did Pete stay over?”

  She swatted my arm playfully. “No. I’m getting one for me and one for Kip.”

  “That’s very nice of you.” I waggled my brows. “So…does Pete know he has competition?”

  She wrinkled her nose. “It’s not like that.”

  “Maybe not for you, but how does Kip feel?”

  “We’re just friends and he knows that.” She narrowed her eyes. “Now quit teasing me or I won’t bring you one.”

  I held my hands up. “My lips are sealed. Thank you! If I’m gone when you get back, I’ll eat it when I return.”

  I went back to my office and knocked a few more things off my daily to-do list before another text from Delaney arrived.