Page 75 of Starry with a Chance of Nightshade

I snorted. “I went from not liking the cops to worried sick about one in a day. Wow. Did not see that coming.”

When Stratton hadn’t shown for our date, Yolanda had basically started a phone tree, making arrangements for me to stay anywhere other than the house on Gallows Lane.

I’d done my best to explain that I needed to be at the house, but no one really cared about my thoughts on the matter. Finally, I’d waited until Yolanda left for her date. Then I’d looked through the numbers written near the phone in the office and called Peggy, telling her I’d ended up deciding to stay with Dana and Jeffrey. I’d then phoned Michael at his service station, letting him know I was getting a ride from Faye, not to worry about me.

I wasn’t exactly thrilled with lying to everyone, but they’d done enough. They didn’t need to waste time and energy on me.

I wasn’t worth it.

I’d finish up at the café and then head to the old house. The walk would give me time to build up the nerve to go inside.

Maybe.

Avoiding the task wasn’t going to get to the bottom of what had happened eighteen years ago, and it wasn’t going to help me figure out why I’d felt such a pull to be back in Grimm Cove.

I touched my pendant through my shirt and considered releasing Torid. I’d forced him to return to the pendant shortly after he’d had his tantrum earlier. I’d then left him there the remainder of the day, fearful he’d act out again. Plus, it gave him ample time to think about his behavior.

Yolanda had been nothing but nice to me. She didn’t need a goblin making a mess of her café. I already owed her so much for her hospitality and kindness that I’d never be able to repay her. That also meant I didn’t want Torid tearing up her business.

I’d let him out to chase mice at the house when we got there.

Movement at the door of the café caught my attention. Living in a constant state of hypervigilance left me stiffening, ready to defend myself should the need arise. Turns out, nothing that drastic was necessary.

Stratton was there, standing on the other side of the door, holding a bouquet of white lilies.

Unable to contain my relief at having visual confirmation that he was all right, I found myself clearing the distance to the door in record time. It took me three tries to get the door unlocked because my hands were shaking. I jerked it open and stared up at him. “You’re okay?”

“I am,” he said, his voice deep.

“I thought…something happened to you,” I confessed, hating acting like one of those needy types of people. “I was worried.”

“I’m fine,” he said faintly.

“Good,” I said, resisting the urge to touch him all over just to be sure he wasn’t lying about being okay.

“Astria,” he whispered, stepping closer to me.

I moved back and bit my lower lip, realizing that if he was unharmed, then he could have found a way to reach out and let me know that at some point over the course of the day. I may not have a cell phone, but the rest of the world seemed to. He could have called the café. That would have been the nice thing to do. Instead, he’d not bothered and had let me worry about him all day.

Great. I was officially one ofthosepeople.

“Um, we’re closed now. We’ll be open in the morning again,” I said, making an attempt to shut the door.

Stratton positioned himself just right, preventing the door from closing. “Astria, I’m sorry.”

I held my ground, but it was hard, especially with how good he smelled. “We’ll be open again in the morning.”

He put a hand on the glass panel of the door and stared down at me, clutching the lilies near his chest. “I got held up at work.”

I nodded. “I understand.”

He exhaled loudly. “Iswearit was important.”

“I really do understand. And I’m glad you’re okay,” I said, averting my gaze as my eyes grew moist. I really had been worried something had happened to him. I knew what it felt like to care about people and have them ripped away. As irrational as it was, being worried about a man I barely knew, I couldn’t change the fact that I had been.

The next I knew, he was even closer, his free hand finding my cheek. He stroked it with his thumb affectionately. “I’m sorry.”

I drew my gaze upward, meeting his in the process. My bottom lip trembled. “I wasreallyworried about you.”

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