Page 99 of Fresh Old Bounties

Ian turned his back on us to wash his mug in the sink. “Yes.”

Oh, my goodness. There was so much to be done! I opened my to-do list on my phone and began typing down items as they popped into my mind. Lights. Tour planning. Routes. Clear up the paths. Research headstone names. Check licenses were up to date. Sonia. Fog machine? Allot a day for cleaning afterward. Allot a week after to fly home.

That last item gave me pause. I had written it without conscious thought, but it felt good. It felt right.

When Halloween was over, I’d leave Dru in charge of the shop for a few days and fly home. Not the one I had shared with my parents, but the small town I had shared with Grandma.

I’d prove Grandma had nothing to do with dark magic one way or another.

Determination filled me in a way that made me want to pat myself in the back and say, Welcome back, Hope. Ah, how had I missed this me, even if she’d only been gone for a day.

Belatedly, I became aware of Shane and Alex bickering.

“You can’t be Gareth,” Shane was saying. “Your wolf is light brown.”

“It’ll look dark at night,” Alex countered. “Besides, Gareth had two eyes.”

“That you know of.”

“Decide outside,” Ian commanded.

Still immersed in their argument, Shane and Alex went out the back door. After giving us a shy smile, Key followed. I hoped she had the presence of mind to remind the two young men that they could take shifts playing the hound.

Once the back door had closed behind them, I stood and went to Ian. He eyed me warily, as if he wasn’t sure what to expect. As if he wasn’t sure his gamble had worked.

This man was going to crack my heart wide open one day, for all the good reasons.

I threw my arms around his waist and hugged him tightly, burying my head in his chest. “Thank you.”

He stood still for a heartbeat, then pulled me closer and rested his cheek against my head. “You owe me one.”

“Another one.”

“You’re keeping count. Good.”

“Saves you the trouble to remind me later. Least I can do.”

My fingers dug into the soft fabric of his sweater, and I was about to get on my tiptoes and see if I could start repaying some of the growing amount of debt I owed, if you catch my meaning, when my phone began ringing.

Ian’s arms fell away, and I stepped back, pouting. I met his gaze as I brought out my phone and was suddenly breathless at the heat I found in his eyes. This debt repaying business would definitely continue shortly thereafter.

“Yes?” I said into my phone.

“I might have something of interest to you,” said a robot-like voice. Not the same type as the call about the spellbook, but similar in style.

All thoughts of kisses fled my mind. “Who is this?”

At my side, Ian straightened, alert, catching on my sudden tension.

“I have the information about the spellbook, and I’m willing to bury it,” the voice said. “For the correct price.”

TWENTY-FOUR

“What information?” I asked.

“You know what information,” the electronically-altered voice said. Be ready to make a transfer to the account I’ll be forwarding you. You have twelve hours to decide.”

“And if I don’t pay?”

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