Page 71 of Fresh Old Bounties

I ignored that and unlocked the front door. “Are you sure you want to leave the dogs here?”

“Yes.”

Thank the Mother. The thought of staying alone today after the last day’s events was daunting even for my naturally optimist surely I can’t be as unlucky as to get robbed twice in a row side.

Ian lingered next to me, as unwilling to open the door and end the moment as I was.

Then he pulled me into his arms, all controlled strength and intense eyes.

My breath caught in my chest. This was it. This was what I had secretly hoped for last night—the heat in his gaze, the squeeze of his hands, the heat of his body, the melting of my insides. The way his mouth parted. The way he leaned down, all promise and intent. All magic.

“Awww. Are you two going to have a Hollywood good-bye kiss?” Bagley asked.

And poof, there went the magic.

Ian released me, grabbed the stool, and dragged it toward the hallway.

“Look here, young man,” came from the stool. “I was only encouraging you.”

He hesitated halfway through. “May I?”

“No!” exclaimed Bagley.

I thought about it for a second, then nodded.

He put the stool firmly on the other side of the bead curtain, then returned, grabbed my hips, pulled me close, and brought his mouth down on mine.

My arms went around his neck as the kiss became deep, fierce, demanding, harsh, and everything in between.

He ended it as fast as he’d begun it and left the shop, leaving me a breathless puddle of mush.

Eventually, I managed to flip the sign to open, draw up the blinds, and make it around the counter to prepare for the day.

And since Bagley was now out of the picture for a little while, I was free to enact my plans without the evil hag interfering or learning too much.

Let the Grandma was not evil campaign begin.

SEVENTEEN

Asking Grandma’s old friends back home would be the way to go if I wanted to prove her innocent. Unfortunately, visiting Grandma’s town for a fishing expedition was out of the question. Halloween was fast approaching, and If I disappeared for a few days, Sonia would take notice.

The Council might also not look kindly if I abandoned the shop for that long, especially during the probation period. Dru was good, but she wasn’t the witch in charge. I was.

A witch’s duty came with great responsibilities.

On top of that, I’d promised Dru to help with the Preston issue, and from the way he was buttering up the paranormals in town, it was promising to be more of a fight than I’d expected.

I began nibbling on the last banana muffin, pondering my options.

If a trip wasn’t possible, could I do some long-distance questioning instead?

The problem was I had no idea who her friends had been. It had been too long, and I had no old letters or contact lists from Grandma.

Mom might remember something, though.

I checked the time, made a mental time conversion, and figured it was safe enough for a morning call.

“Hope? What’s wrong?” Mom asked straight away. I was going to get a complex if she kept assuming something was off every time I called.

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