Page 40 of Fresh Old Bounties

He narrowed his eyes and tried to shake me off. I held on for a few seconds, then allowed him freedom.

I heard him mutter a few obscenities as I turned and made my way to the door. Outside in the reception area, the woman behind the desk looked up with curiosity.

“Hi,” I said in my friendliest tone. “Mr. Crane said you could send me the contract to my email address?”

“Yes, of course. What’s your email?”

I gave it to her and watched her enter it on her keyboard. “Say, did Ms. Bagley ever come to the offices? The old owner of the magic tea shop?”

April pushed her glasses up her nose. “Oh, no. They corresponded by email. We have a very robust online system for our clients,” she assured me.

Did Ian know any hackers among his bounty hunter buddies? Something worth looking into. “That sounds lovely. Say…” I leaned in closer. “You see that new guy in town around? The one who wants to buy the Corner Rose.”

She glanced at Crane’s door. “Oh, yes. He came by last week for a consultation.”

My heart almost stopped. “Consultation? He hasn’t bought the shop yet, has he?” Were we too late?

“Oh, no. I don’t think so. He asked me if Mr. Crane ever goes to the PBOA meetings or if he sends me.”

“What’s your take on him? Preston, I mean. I’m a little concerned, since I might end up being his neighbor.”

She frowned deeply, as if recalling the encounter. “He was very polite. Very charming.”

I’d keep that last part for myself when I reported my discoveries to Dru. “Did he ask for the contract, too?”

“Oh, no, not yet. He said he’d be in contact.”

That made me relax slightly. Preston was obviously still fishing for support and not in actual business talks. I paid for the consultation, thanked April, and hurried back to the shop.

I was unlocking the front door when the man himself made an appearance, as if he’d been waiting for me to show up. For Dru’s sake, I hoped he’d been waiting a long time.

“Miss Avery?” Preston asked in a smooth-as-silk tone. “I’m Elijah Preston. Could I have a word?”

I had two options. I could stay self-righteous and kick him out or try to squeeze his plans out of him through a careful application of sugar, honey, and witchy charm.

Years of working in the service industry made the decision for me. I pasted on a fake smile and invited him in. Hopefully, Dru would see this like the age-old strategy it was rather than a complete and total betrayal.

He followed me inside and sat on Bagley while I pulled up the blinds and flipped the shop sign to open.

“This is cozy,” he said with genuine approval in his voice.

Hah! Genuine. As if. “Thank youuu.” There was an art in elongating that you without sounding downright mocking, and I was nothing if not an artist. “Would you like something to drink? The day’s special?”

He studied the blackboard on the shelf. “Rooibos? Sounds delightful.”

I went around the counter and busied myself with the water urn. Once the tea had steeped in, I poured some cold water to make it lukewarm. Waiting for beverages to cool down was a true-and-tried delay tactic, and I didn’t want him to stick around for that long.

“Muffin?” I asked politely.

“Can’t afford it.” He patted his middle section with a rueful pout, making sure I noted the way his white shirt molded to his perfectly flat stomach under his open suit jacket.

My bland smile could’ve made salt weep. “What brings you here, Mr. Preston?”

“I’ve been visiting some of the local establishments.” His grin was blindingly white and proof of regular dentist visits. “I thought it was high time I visited yours, seeing as how we might be neighbors soon.”

He had probably skulked around for days, waiting for the opportunity to charm me when Dru wasn’t around.

“That’s so sweet of you. Is the purchase final, then?”

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