Page 27 of Dreaming of the Demon

“But what about all the single people who probably hooked up with strangers—or people they never met before?” I demanded. “What about people who just stopped in for a treat or dessert and didn’t expect—oh my God!” I slapped a hand over my mouth.

“What? What is it?” Sarah asked, looking worried.

“Goldie! I gave her two dozen tarts to serve at the diner yesterday and I forgot to warn her! Oh my God, I should have called her last night!”

Goldie’s diner stays open later than any other business in Hidden Hollow, which meant she had probably been serving the tarts for some time after I had found out what happened the night before.

“I’ll get her on the phone,” Sarah was already dialing. But when she put her phone on speaker and held it out, all we heard was ringing over and over. Then finally we got a message,

“This is Goldie from Goldie’s Diner. If you missed me, you know what to do—leave a message and I’ll get back when I can. And if you can’t wait, come on in to the diner for a slice of pie and I’ll see you then. Toodles!”

There was a click and for a moment Sarah and I just stared at each other. Then I grabbed the phone and started talking.

“Goldie, this is Celia. It may be too late to tell you this, but please don’t serve anyone the Golden Warbler tarts you picked up yesterday! There was a…a problem with them. Anyway, don’t serve them and don’t eat them!”

The phone beeped at me before I could add any more and I handed the phone back to Sarah.

“I’m really worried that she didn’t answer—she should already be opening for breakfast!” I said and started pacing. “Maybe I should go check on her.”

“I’ll go,” Sarah said at once. “You stay here. I’ll be back to help start this morning’s pastries in a few minutes.”

I shook my head glumly.

“Why bother to make anything? Nobody’s going to want to buy it.”

“Yes, they will!” Sarah insisted. “Look, Celia, the people of this townloveyou. They won’t hold a grudge. Just let them know that you made a mistake and you’re sorry and it won’t happen again. They’ll understand.”

“Well, I can absolutelypromisethat it won’t happen again,” I said glumly. The only reason it had happened in the first placewas that being around Malik made me so unrelentingly hot and bothered. Now that the big Incubus was gone, I was absolutelynotfeeling even remotely horny—just sad.

Sarah left to go to the diner but she was back shortly with a worried look on her face.

“They’re closed,” she said. “I haven’t been in town as long as you, but I don’t remember Goldie’s ever being closed before.”

I groaned and shook my head.

“She’s probably at home hating me because I poisoned her clients too.”

“Will you stop with that poisoning stuff?” Sarah demanded. “I’m telling you, you didn’t poisonanyone.Now come on, let’s make a batch of blueberry muffins and some cinnamon rolls.”

Her brisk words got me moving and we spent the next couple of hours getting several batches of baked goods out. Even though I was sure I was going to have to throw them all away since no one would buy them, the act of baking soothed my soul, as it always had. By the time the doors opened I was braced for the first customer, an apology ready on my lips.

The first ones through the door were Hubert and his wife Zelda. The two of them are red Dwarves that live on the far end of town and both of them have reddish-gold beards. (Yes, Dwarf women almost all have beards—that’s normal for them, although Zelda wore hers considerably shorter than her husband’s, which was down to his belt buckle.) The two of them are regulars who love my cinnamon rolls so that was what I was expecting them to order—if they didn’t curse me out instead.

“Celia, hello!” Hubert said, coming right up to the counter. He was about a head shorter than me but extremely stocky with a powerful build.

“Hi Hubert,” I said warily. “Er, how can I help you?”

Hubert looked around as though someone might be watching. Leaning across the counter he murmured,

“Do you have any more of them pear tarts left to sell?”

I was surprised.

“Er, I’m afraid not.” I shook my head.

“Itoldyou she’d be all sold out!” Zelda exclaimed. “That kind of sex magic don’t last long—especially when you’re selling it cheap!”

“Are you talking about the, er, effects the pear tarts had on some people?” I asked cautiously.

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