Page 3 of Spooks & Specters

Beckett wandered over to where Kit was standing. Instead of looking at the card, he opened one of the pizza boxes. “Oh my, Kit. Look at this.”

Kit discreetly wiped his eyes, then glanced inside the pizza box. The pizza was shaped like a heart.

“Oh my God, isn’t that the cutest thing ever?”

“This one’s pepperoni. I wonder if they all are…. Nope.” Beckett opened another box. “This one is only cheese. Looks like we got a good variety here.”

“Of course we do. My mates would take into consideration that not everyone likes the same pizza. Aren’t they just perfect?”

“My King and his Right Hand adore you,” Beckett said, closing the pizza box.

Kit reached for the red envelope. It, too, was a greeting card and was from Hudson.

On the inside it said:Chocolates can’t compete with the sweetness of your smile. Love, Hudson.

Kit’s eyes were not only watering, now his nose was burning too. “Good grief, they’re going to make me cry and ruin my makeup.”

“Tears of joy?” Beckett asked.

“Yes. Tears of joy.” Kit picked up the other greeting card and held both to his chest. “Would you let everybody know there is pizza in here and to help themselves? I’m gonna run these to my office right quick.”

“Hurry back before it gets cold.”

“I will.”

Kit dashed to his office and arranged both cards in a prominent spot on his desk. Unfortunately, Hudson and Connie were in meetings all day. Valentine’s Day had no bearing on the business world. That was the main reason why his mates were not here with him on this very special day.

But even though they couldn’t be there, they were definitely letting Kit know that he was on their minds. This was by no means a spur of the moment type thing, and that meant the world to him.

Even though he knew they probably wouldn’t see a text message immediately, he still sent one to both of them letting them know how pleased he was with their gifts.

Sighing happily, he went to get some pizza.

ONCE LUNCH was over, Kit decided to take a stroll around the bookstore and greet some of his regular customers. He stopped and chatted with various people, most of whom had a book in their hand.

It looked like business was good.

Satisfied with what he was seeing, he returned to his office in the hopes that he could get caught up on emails.

He wasn’t sure how much time had passed when a noise at his door caught his attention, and he looked up.

Once again Beckett was standing there. “I hate to interrupt, but could you come up front?”

Excitement raced through Kit’s body. “What have they done now?”

“Well, it is Valentine’s Day. Come on. You’re going to love this.”

Kit practically sprinted out of his office. He couldn’t wait to see the surprise that his mates had cooked up next. With eager steps, he made his way to the front. So what if he ran to the front like a little kid. This was the best damn Valentine’s Day he’d ever had, and so far, he hadn’t even laid eyes on his mates.

Kit stumbled to a stop, his hands flying to his mouth. “Mother of all.”

There were vases of pink and red roses on every conceivable surface. He did a quick count—there were eight vases stuffed full of roses.

“The delivery man said the pink and red ones are for the bookstore. But that one is very special,” one of Kit’s employees said, pointing.

Kit slowly made his way toward the flower arrangement the employee had singled out. There was something undeniably unique about this one. The vase, unlike the others that weresimple and transparent, was a vibrant red glass that caught the light in a mesmerizing way.

And the roses in this vase—they were some of the most spectacular flowers he’d ever seen. Their petals were like crushed velvet, soft and richly hued in a vibrant shade of crimson.

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