Page 61 of Summoning my Grumpy Demon Boss

“No!” I fling my arms around his neck and hug him tight. “Not at all! I’m mad at her for even suggesting it. And for being awful about you and your family.”

He hugs me back and we sit there for a long moment until my anger boils down again to a simmer. I pull back and start up the engine. “Sorry. Are you hungry? Let’s go find somewhere else for breakfast. Somewhere with no chia seeds?”

He smiles. “Sounds like a plan.”

I pull out onto the road. “I just wish I knew what to do about work and about the coast house. I’ve never even thought about a long distance relationship before, but here we are.”

He rests his large hand on my knee in a spot that’s already beginning to feel like his. “Here we are. And I don’t want to be anywhere else. Not if you’re not there.”

God, I’m so grateful for his patience and his faith in me. I feel like another guy would get mad or at least be a bit frustrated, but Luke just gives me that reassuring smile and lets me tell him all over again how annoyed I am with my Mum.

By the time we’ve found a new cafe and we’re finally eating breakfast, I feel a lot better. That was just the first encounter. Mum and Dad are always resistant to change. I remember the year I took my first overseas holiday by myself. The year I turned eighteen. They’d convinced me to go to England to meet some distant relatives and stay in this quaint old village just outside London. Then halfway through my gap year, something called to me and I hopped on a train to Italy and never looked back. I spent the next three months wandering through art galleries and eating gelato every day, even when the weather got cold.

When I rang my parents from Milan, they freaked out. Tried to tell me it would be too hard, that I didn’t speak Italian, and it wasn’t safe for me to travel in a country like that by myself, staying in hostels. But it just took them a while to get over it. They even came out to spend Christmas with me in Bologna and it was one of the best family Christmases I can remember.

They’ll come around to Luke. It’ll just take time.

TWENTY FOUR

Luke

Mia remains upset after the brunch with her parents. She tries to put on a brave face, but I can see right through her. Tegan and I cook her a nice dinner and we stay in and watch rom-coms. Mostly I sit back and let the girls talk, but there’s a glow in my heart that matches the glow in my tentacles when Mia insists on staying snuggled up with me on the sofa the whole time.

The next day, I play tourist and she takes me to Manly, and we walk along the wharf. It’s nice, but it’s no Kraken Cove. I don’t think either of us has our heart in it. I’d love to swim, butwhen I scan the beach, I see only humans. I don’t know how people would react to me shifting in broad daylight.

Later that night, Mia has just hopped in the shower before we head to bed when a message from an unfamiliar number pops up on my phone. Frowning, I open it, assuming it’s just a wrong number.

Unknown number: This is Stephen Sinclair, Mia’s father. I got your number from Oliver because there’s something you and I need to discuss urgently. It would be in your best interests to meet me in half an hour. And don’t let Mia know

Nothing about this message sounds good to me.

Normally, I wouldn’t keep something like this from Mia, but the weary look she gives me when she comes out of the bathroom wrapped in a towel, with her wet hair clinging adorably to her face, is enough to give me pause.

She’s stressed about working things out with her parents as it is, and she has to go back to work tomorrow. What if this is something I can nip in the bud and leave it off her plate?

Decision made, I find my boots and slip them on. “Hey, I’m just going out for some fresh air, OK? You want me to pick you up anything at the store?”

She shakes her head. “No, that’s OK. Are you sure you don’t want to come to bed with me?”

I smile a smile I do not feel right then and lean in, kissing her softly. “I’ll be back soon. Don’t wait up.”

A crease forms between her brows, but she slips into her pajamas without questioning me further. I guess it’s a good sign I haven’t blown her trust yet the way Oliver did. And a good reminder not to.

I’ll meet her dad and find out what he wants. Then, if I need to, I can fill in Mia when she’s had a good sleep. No need to disturb the rockpool now.

Shutting the front door behind me and zipping up my hoodie, I text Stephen back.

Luke: I can meet you now. Just tell me where

A moment later, a new text comes through with the name of a bar a few blocks down the road. I don’t ask how he knows where I am. I’m pretty sure Mia didn’t tell them, but I know enough to know a man who likes to keep tabs on his little girl when I see one, and I can’t say I blame him for that.

When I walk in, I’m not surprised to see the place is fancy as fuck. Even in the dim lighting, I can make out the marble bar and bespoke leather stools. I feel as out of place here in my jeans and work boots as a kangaroo in the surf, but I’m sure that was his intention.

Stephen is waiting at a table by the door. He doesn’t get up when I come in, just nods at the stool beside him. “Wilson. Thanks for coming.”

I sit as a waiter comes to the table. “Can I get you anything to drink?”

Stephen lifts the glass of whisky he’s drinking. “Can I buy you a drink? The nineteen ninety eight is a fine drop.”

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