"If you'd like to bridge any gaps in your skill set, you just let me know." He winked.
I was sorely tempted. Sheriff Nash—Granger—had been nothing short of a gentleman from the moment we started dating. It wasn't that I wasn't attracted to him. On the contrary, I found him incredibly charming and he oozed sex appeal. But I still harbored feelings for Alec, and that made me feel guilty. The sheriff deserved my full devotion; it wasn't right to pursue a serious relationship with the werewolf when I longed for the vampire. I enjoyed our time together and I desperately wanted to give him a chance, but I couldn't get Alec out of my mind. I knew it was futile, though. The sheriff was ready and willing. Alec wasn't, and there was no guarantee that he ever would be. Whatever emotional issues Alec had, if he wasn't willing to work to overcome them, then our relationship was doomed before it ever started. I knew that the sheriff had his own emotional baggage. Between his father's murder and Tatiana’s betrayal, it was amazing that he wanted a relationship with me at all. He would have been perfectly justified sticking his head in a hole in the ground and choosing to keep it there.
"If you need to ask me any more questions, you know where to find me," I said. "Marley’s waiting for me."
The sheriff's brow lifted. "She's on her own? That’s out of the realm for a broomstick mama like you."
"Actually, she's with Florian and Delphine.”
“It’s nice to see those two giving it a shot,” the sheriff said. “Hope it catches on.”
“I hope he’s not just stringing her along,” I said. “She’s had a crush on him forever. I worry that he’ll break her heart.”
“Everybody deserves at least one chance,” he said. "Speaking of chances, how about dinner tonight? You busy?"
"I am," I replied. "I'm sorry. Vox Populi is having a work dinner."
"Is Alec bringing Holly?”
"I suppose so," I said. "She seems to be everywhere, all the time."
The sheriff smiled. “Then you can bring me as your plus one.”
“It’s outside…at Thornhold," I said.
“Oh.” His disappointment was evident.
“Sorry,” I replied. “She’s the owner of the paper, so it kind of makes sense.”
The sheriff shoved his hands in his pockets. "You know she's not a fan of mine."
My aunt isn't a fan of anyone's," I said. "You’re not special." I plastered on a smile, to make it clear that I was joking.
“I’m sure I’ll be tied up with this case anyway,” he said.
"What’s this? Granger Nash is afraid to have dinner with Hyacinth Rose-Muldoon? Mark this day on your calendars, boys and girls."
He grunted. "You know I'm not afraid of her, unlike most residents in this town. I just don't appreciate how she treats werewolves, and my family in particular."
"You have to understand her reasons, though. Your brother made a mockery of marriage to her daughter."
"I realize that," he said. "You know I do. But you cannot hold all werewolves responsible for the behavior of one. Wyatt is a womanizer, plain and simple. He’ll never change. Besides, Linnea has moved on, hasn't she? Rick’s a good guy."
I bit back a smile. "My aunt isn't exactly jumping for joy at the prospect of a minotaur in the family. Part of me thinks she would rather settle for a werewolf.”
Sheriff Nash chuckled. "That's what happens when you try to control the situation. It quickly becomes untenable."
I made a face. "If you’re trying to draw a comparison between my aunt’s treatment of her children and my treatment of Marley, try again. I am nowhere near my aunt's level of involvement. Anyway, Marley is much too opinionated to let me dictate her life choices."
“Is she still sleeping with you?" he asked.
I cleared my throat. "Not the majority of the time. Occasionally, she has a nightmare and creeps in while I'm sleeping, so I can't exactly stop her." It was a vast improvement over our situation in New Jersey. In our apartment, Marley had slept with me every night, keeping me awake as she shifted and kicked as part of her sleep pattern. She moved like the hands of the clock. It had been a great relief when she began to feel comfortable enough in the cottage to stay all night in her own bed.
"What’ll happen when you decide you want to share your bed with someone else?"
I arched an eyebrow. "Asking for a friend?"
He shrugged. "I'm serious. You deserve an adult life, Rose. If you can't predict when your daughter might make an appearance in your bedroom in the middle of the night, that can put quite a damper on your romantic life."
"I have no intention of inviting men into my bedroom at this juncture, so it's really not a problem." I crossed my arms, feeling a bit defensive.
"Your husband has been gone a long time, you know. You've gotten into the habit of living a certain way."
"Yes, and then that habit got completely shattered when my cousins whisked us away to Starry Hollow," I snapped. "If it takes Marley longer to adjust to independence, I can't say I blame her. She's been through a lot."
He squeezed my arm. "You both have. I just want you to remember that you’re part of that equation, too. You’re a great mother and you put Marley's needs first, and I get that. It's one of the things I really like and respect about you, but don't forget to live your own life while you’re busy raising her."
"What about your mom?" I asked.
He balked. "What about my mama?"
"I don't see her out and about with gentlemen. She's been alone longer than I have, and her sons are grown men." I paused. “Arguably.”
He bristled. "That's different."
"How is that different?"
"Because she's my mother."
I laughed. "So she ceases to be a woman in your eyes?"
The sheriff blew a raspberry. "Come on, Rose. Stop making sense. It confuses me.”
I patted his cheek. “You get back to work, Sheriff. I need to find my daughter.”
And, apparently, we both needed to find a murderer.
The south-facing patio at Thornhold looked ready to host fifty guests rather than the tiny staff of Vox Populi. Simon greeted the sheriff and I at the front door before guiding us to the designated party space. Everyone except my aunt was already there, drinks in hand.
“Where’s Aunt Hyacinth?” I asked.
“She is presently occupied, but will be with you all very shortly, miss,” Simon replied.
“Nothing serious?” I asked.
“No, miss,” Simon replied. “She was dissatisfied with a floral arrangement that arrived for the party and wanted to make her feelings known straight away.”
Ooh. I didn’t envy the paranormal on the other side of that phone call. “Which arrangement?” I surveyed the patio, but all the decorations and flowers appeared perfect.
“That one, miss,” Simon said, pointing to a riot of colors in a floating basket.
I walked over to examine it more closely. “It’s gorgeous. What’s wrong with it?”
“Your aunt was unhappy with the particular shade of pink, miss,” Simon said.
The sheriff started to laugh but then thought better of it.
“Drinks are available on the outdoor bar,” Simon told us. “Dinner will be served in approximately one hour.”
“Thank you, Simon,” I said.
The sheriff and I crossed the patio to reach the bar, where everyone else was gathered.
Alec was the first to offer me a cocktail. “You’re fond of these, as I recall.”
Beside me, I felt the sheriff stiffen. “Thank you,” I said and took a sip. “What would you like, Granger?” There, the use of his first name would make him feel better.
“Ale will do me,” the sheriff replied easily.
“Right here,” Bentley said, motioning to a tap. “Hyacinth has you covered. It’s a wish tap.”
The sheriff rubbed his hands together. “What do you know? Those are hard to come by.”
“Not when your name is Rose,” Bentley said.
�
��Hi, Meadow,” I greeted the elf’s sweet girlfriend. Meadow was painfully shy, so I was pleased to see her here.
“Nice to see you, Ember,” Meadow said softly. Her voice was not much more than a whisper. I had a secret desire to drag her onto a rollercoaster and see the kinds of sounds she was capable of making.
“How are you enjoying the carnival?” Holly asked, and I realized she was directing the question to me. “You said it’s your first one, right?”
“It is.” I gulped down the cocktail. If I was going to be stuck making small talk with Alec and Holly all evening, I was going to need an IV drip of this stuff.
“I’m surprised to see you here, Sheriff,” Alec said, “given this afternoon’s gruesome discovery.”
“I have a meeting with the ME in the morning,” the sheriff said. “Either way, a shifter’s got to eat.”
“I guess you’ll cover the murder investigation,” Bentley said, sounding disappointed.
“I don’t know about that,” Alec said. “Perhaps Miss Rose can take on your assignment and you can cover the investigation.” As much as he wanted the inside scoop, he clearly didn’t want me working too closely with the sheriff.
When Holly snaked her arm around his waist, I heard myself say, “No, I’ll cover the investigation. That seems to be my specialty anyway.”
Alec didn’t respond, but I saw his cheek muscle pulse. That was the restrained vampire’s equivalent to stomping his foot.
“If you want to accompany Deputy Bolan on an info-gathering quest tomorrow, I won’t stop you,” the sheriff said. “I know he plans to head over to Seers Row and dig around.”
“In her official capacity as a reporter, naturally,” Alec added.
“Yeah, of course,” the sheriff said. “We don’t offer ride-alongs for fun. That’s not the kind of outfit I run.”
“You disapprove of fun,” I repeated, saluting him. “Got it.”
The sheriff’s eyes glinted with mischief. “I don’t think I’ve ever been accused of not being any fun.”
“Really?” Holly said. “I’m sure I’ve heard Alec say that you’re known for not having a sense of humor.”
Alec’s lips formed a thin line. “Thank you for your contribution, Holly.”
“I’m not offended,” the sheriff said. “We both know which one of us lacks a sense of humor.”
“Okay, we don’t need to debate this,” I said, stepping between them. “You can both be funny and find things funny. No argument here.”
Holly squinted at her date. “While we’re on the subject, I don’t think I’ve ever heard you really laugh.”
“What do you mean?” Alec asked. “I laugh all the time.”
“Not like a belly laugh,” Holly said. “Now that you mention it, even your laugh is kind of serious.”
The sheriff stifled a chuckle. “Rose and I yuck it up all the time. It’s one of the nice things about our relationship.”
“Your relationship, huh?” Bentley couldn’t help but insert himself into the conversation. “I didn’t realize it had reached the point of labeling it.”
“Calling it a relationship isn’t a label, Bentley,” I said. “Technically, you and I have a relationship.” It was immature and competitive, but it still qualified as a relationship.
The sheriff leaned closer to me and whispered, “You don’t need to protest too much, Rose.”
My aunt saved me by finally making her appearance. She sashayed onto the patio wearing a wide-brimmed hat and a deep purple kaftan embroidered with gemstones. Precious was tucked under one arm and she held a cocktail glass in the other.
“Greetings, dear friends,” Aunt Hyacinth said. “It’s a pleasure to host this year’s Vox Populi gathering once again. I’m so glad you all could make it, and I’m particularly glad that, this year, we’re including my very own niece.”
I smiled. I quite liked tipsy Aunt Hyacinth. She was far less intimidating than stone cold sober Aunt Hyacinth.
“A toast.” She lifted her cocktail glass, splashes of alcohol dripping onto Precious’s thick white hair. The cat simply licked it off. She really was my aunt’s familiar.
Everyone raised a glass.
“To serving truth and justice every week,” my aunt said. “May we survive whatever technological changes come our way.”
“Cheers to that,” Alec said.
Everyone drank.
Tanya fluttered around, at a loss with what to do. She was so accustomed to doting on everyone that she got confused when the responsibility fell to Simon instead.
“Have a drink in each hand, Tanya,” my aunt advised. “That will keep you busy for about five minutes.”
Tanya’s green wings settled down and she hovered beside my aunt. “I should have brought a date this year. I just couldn’t work myself up to it.”
“I’m solo,” my aunt replied. “We can keep each other entertained and enjoy the company of these younger couples.” Her gaze alighted on me at the mention of the word “couple,” and her lip curled ever so slightly. While the subtle curl may have been imperceptible to the uninitiated, I spotted it. More importantly, I knew what it meant. Disapproval.
“What do you think?” the sheriff asked in a low voice. “Should I make an effort and go chat with her?”
“Not right now,” I said. “She’s talking to Tanya.”
“What’s left then? Small talk with the vampire?” He didn’t look happy about it.
“You’re the one who wanted to come,” I teased.
“I know. I just like spending time with you,” he said. “I don’t mind what the circumstances are.”
“Dead bodies, suspect interrogations,” I joked. “It’s all background noise for our budding romance.”
His brow knitted. “Now you got me thinking about the dead fortune teller again. I can’t wait to get my hands on that autopsy report.”
“You’re always thinking about work,” I said.
“Sounds like Alec,” Holly said. I couldn’t tell whether she’d been eavesdropping or happened to overhear us. “Sometimes it’s all I can do to get him to pay attention to me. The other night I even came to the door wearing nothing but a…”
“Holly,” Alec said sternly. “I doubt very much that Miss Rose and the sheriff need to hear the details of our evening.”
No, we really didn’t.
Holly’s face crumpled. “I only wanted to make the point that you’re both workaholics. I couldn’t tempt you away from your computer with my sexiest lingerie. Do you have that problem, Miss Rose?”
I swallowed air. “Um, I wouldn’t say that.”
“I haven’t had the privilege of seeing Rose’s lingerie,” the sheriff admitted. “Although, to be fair, I picture her in a T-shirt rather than anything with black lace.”
I swallowed the rest of my drink and immediately plucked another one off the bar. “Can we not discuss my bedtime clothes at a work function?”
Alec’s mouth twitched. “Miss Rose is quite right. The conversation is inappropriate, albeit enlightening.”
I understood why the vampire seemed pleased. He’d assumed that the sheriff and I had engaged in carnal relations. The sheriff’s innocent comment revealed otherwise. I wanted to scream. What did it matter? He was with Holly, and he’d made it perfectly clear that we couldn’t have a relationship. On the other hand, I was secretly happy that Holly seemed to have trouble keeping the vampire’s attention. In a brand new relationship, that was a red flag.
“You should slow down,” the sheriff advised. “You haven’t had any food.”
My nauseated stomach told me he was right. I couldn’t help myself, though. I hadn’t realized how stressful it would be to attend the party with Alec, Holly, and the sheriff in such close proximity. And Holly was clueless, which somehow made it worse.
“I’ll be fine,” I said.
“I’ll grab us a few snacks from the table,” the sheriff said. “Be right back.”
“Holly disappeared to the restroom,”
Alec said, approaching me, “but I suspect she wanted a peek at the house as well.”
“Can’t say I blame her.” Thornhold would impress the royal family, if we’d had one. “Will you be heading back to the carnival tomorrow?”
“Depends on my schedule,” he said. “I have revisions to finish on a book this week.”
I brightened. “Marley will be happy to hear another one’s on the way. You know she’s obsessed.”
“As a matter of fact, I have a surprise in store for her.”
I looked up at him. “Really?”
“Her birthday is next month, as I recall. I’ve decided to dedicate the book to her as a gift.”
I stared at him, fighting back tears. He intended to dedicate a book to my daughter? Every time I managed to convince myself that the vampire was cold and unfeeling, he turned around and did something like this.
“You okay, Rose?” the sheriff asked, eyeing me. He shoved a small plate in front of me. “You’d better eat something.”
I nodded mutely, and selected a delicious-looking canapé. If I opened my mouth to speak, I’d end up crying and embarrassing myself, so I popped in enough food to keep my mouth busy. A single tear betrayed me, sliding down my cheek and catching the sheriff’s attention.
“Do you always have this effect on women, Hale?” the sheriff asked.
“I don’t know what you mean,” he replied smoothly. “I believe Miss Rose simply has an eyelash that’s gone astray.”
The sheriff took a swig of ale, seemingly unconvinced. “Is that right?”
Despite the lump in my throat, I swallowed the canapé. “Yep. Blinked it out. Fine now.”
Fine now, except for the Alec Hale-shaped hole in my heart. I sighed deeply. If only Madame Bovary could have answered my follow-up question and put me out of my misery, instead of being put out of her own.
6
Deputy Bolan began to back up the patrol car in an attempt to parallel park.
“You’re too close to the curb,” I said, just as we bumped the edge. I shot him a look that said told you so.
“It’s fine, Ember,” he snarled. “I parallel park all the time.”
Magic & Madness Page 5
