Page 21 of Guarded By the Gargoyle

Then Goody Albright led me upstairs—though I could have sworn the cottage was only a single story structure. The top of the landing led into a bathroom with a massive, claw-foot tub I immediately wanted to try. The tub in my little apartment back home was so shallow and short that parts of me—mainly my boobs and my knees—always stuck out of the water and got cold. The claw foot monstrosity looked deep enough for me to sink into it up to my neck.

The bedroom was large and comfortable with a queen-sized bed at one end and another fireplace on the other. The baywindow had been made into a reading nook with several plush cushions and another shelf built into the wall, which was stuffed with more mysteries and a few romance novels of the bodice ripper variety.

That was another genre I loved—give me an open-door love scene every time. I hate when the hero and heroine are just getting together and then one chapter ends and the next chapter starts, “The next morning…” It feels like being cheated, especially after all that build-up.

But back to the cottage. Before I forget to mention it—every flat surface had a vase of flowers on it. The kitchen table and the kitchen island, the mantelpieces of both fireplaces, the top of the toilet across from the claw foot tub, and the dresser in the bedroom, all had huge bouquets of fresh flowers.

“This is all so beautiful—and so much bigger than I thought it would be,” I said to Goody Albright.

She laughed.

“Yes, that’s the magic of our guest cottages. They are exactly as large as you need them to be and they also tend to supply the things you need and want. For instance, if you should be hungry for a midnight snack, you have only to look in the refrigerator, the cupboard, or the oven and you’ll find whatever you’re craving.”

“Really? That’s amazing!”

I was surprised but not as stunned as I would have been before finding out that magic did actually exist and I myself had a magical gift—albeit a dangerous and useless one since I didn’t particularly want to contact the dead. Well, except for Pop-pop maybe.

“But how did you know I was coming?” I asked her. “I mean, how did you know to stock all these fresh flowers?” I waved at the vase full of white and purple lilac blossoms on the dresser. They smelled heavenly. “Or was it made up for someone else?”

I felt bad if I was taking the place of a paying guest—I really couldn’t afford to pay what this place was worth. Not when my shop was barely scraping by back home.

“Oh, the cottage itself replaces the flowers as they die,” she told me. “And you can request different blooms, if you wish. Simply touch the vase and say the name of the flowers you want. Within an hour, they will appear.” She raised an eyebrow at me. “Would you care to change any of the flowers now?”

“Oh no—definitely not. They’re all so beautiful,” I said quickly. “But I’m not sure I can afford to stay here. This place has more amenities than most five star hotels!”

“There is no charge for a friend—you are the granddaughter of Giovanni,” she said and sighed. “That poor, dear man. I know you must miss him, my dear.”

I felt tears pricking behind my eyelids and nodded.

“I do. He was the best grandpa anyone could ever ask for.”

“He was a truly rare creature—a good and loyal man,” Goody Albright said solemnly. “They are so few and far between—especially in the Human Realm. That’s one reason I came to Hidden Hollow in the first place—the ‘Monsters’ as humans call them—are often more trustworthy and kind than any human man could ever dream of being.”

“Well, it wouldn’t take much to be an improvement on the men I’ve known,” I said, thinking of Carlo. Then I surprised myself by yawning. “Oh, excuse me—I must be more tired than I thought.”

“You need some sleep—you’ve had a very stressful day,” Goody Albright said to me. “I’ll go and let you rest. But please promise me you won’t leave without saying goodbye tomorrow morning.”

“I promise,” I said, though I knew I was going to be itching to get back to the shop and Miss Sassy.

“Good.” She patted me gently on the cheek. “You’ve come to the right place, Willow my dear. Hidden Hollow hasn’t had a decent Medium in ages.”

“I’m not going to move in here,” I protested. “Though Iamgrateful that Pop-pop’s key brought me here for safety when I was in trouble.”

Goody Albright sighed.

“A pity you don’t want to stay. We have an empty shop just up the street—not far from The Lost Lamb Bakery. If you don’t wish to be a practicing Medium, it would be perfect for a magical ingredients emporium. The local grocery store carries a few items, but they don’t have what you’d call a comprehensive collection of ingredients for the conscientious magic practitioner.”

“Oh, well…” I wasn’t sure what to say to that. I had lived in The Big Easy all my life. I couldn’t imagine moving away from the gritty streets of The French Quarter. Besides, how would I go about moving all my inventory through the magical door? Also, I didn’t know anyone in Hidden Hollow but Goody Albright and the huge gargoyle who claimed to be my protector. And hadn’t she pretty much implied that the town population mostly consisted of monsters?

I gave myself a mental shake—I shouldn’t even be considering the logistics of moving here because itwasn’tgoing to happen.

“You just get some rest and think about it,” Goody Albright said to me. “I’ll see you in the morning.”

Then she glided down the stairs, leaving me alone for the night in the magical cottage.

9

WILLOW

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