Enchanting Blend (A Paramour Bay Cozy Paranormal Mystery Book 3) Page 10

  “Oh, yes. Feel free to look around.” Kimmie smiled at someone over my shoulder. “I’ll be sure to stop by the tea shop for more points of interest before next weekend. And thank you, Liam. I’ll make reservations at The Back Room for me and my friend. I’m sure it’ll be a hit.”

  Liam and I both stepped aside to allow the group of people behind us to check in their coats. They all looked vaguely familiar, but I don’t believe that they’ve been by the shop.

  Even though Liam and I been talking outside in his vehicle, we were right on time for the festivities. The social hour was just getting into full swing before dancing kicked off.

  Honestly, I was surprised that Heidi hadn’t been near the front entrance when we arrived.

  Surprised? Why would you be surprised when the two of you decided to become the Hardy Boys’ twin sisters during your three-hour bathroom ritual getting ready for tonight? Heidi’s probably already crawling around on her hands and knees searching for that wallet after being disappointed by Inspector Gadget’s repartee.

  I usually didn’t allow Leo’s concern to worry me too much. He was rather dramatic when it came to investigations like these, but he was causing me to wonder if Heidi hadn’t shared certain unfortunate details with Detective Swanson.

  I can’t breathe. Maybe I do have stress-induced asthma. Where is my pipe? Oh, that’s right. Back at the house, where you and Heidi should be!

  Heidi sharing with Jack that I was looking into an old murder was one thing, but telling him that Norman Palmer’s wallet might be found somewhere inside the wax museum was something else entirely.

  Is it getting hot in here? It is, isn’t it? I need some champagne.

  No, it wasn’t warm in here, but I understood what Leo meant.

  “Do you still need to use the restroom?”

  “Yes, please,” I blurted out, tucking my purse underneath my arm. I needed a private moment with Leo so that we could sort out the plans for this evening. At the rate Leo and I were exchanging digs, I wouldn’t be able to enjoy my date at all. “Yes, I definitely need to use the restroom.”

  I want no part of your design to dig up the past, which is why I’m here—to protest. Not to help in any way. Put down the shovel, Raven. Right now. I can’t believe I’m saying this, but go ahead and enjoy an evening with good ol’ Barney Fife. If it will keep you out of trouble, then I’m all for it.

  “I asked Alison to reserve us a table near the back,” Liam informed me, nodding a greeting toward someone who’d called out his name. A private table away from the larger group tables? I was looking forward to spending more quality time with Liam. Once I found Norman Palmer’s wallet, I promised myself that I would focus solely on getting to know Liam. “I’ll grab us some drinks and meet you over there.”

  I nodded my agreement as I took a step in the direction of the restroom. By the time I’d made it halfway across the room, I was breathing a little bit easier. A few people said hello to me, but I was able to continue my short journey to my destination.

  Throngs of people were clustered in groups, allowing me to carefully scan the guests in attendance without having to engage with them just yet.

  Monty and his wife were talking with Otis and Karen, while Pearl and Henry were laughing at something Albert had just said. Eugene was nowhere to be found, but Oliver Bend was talking to Mayor Sanders. They were probably engaged in business talk regarding the town’s finances and future projects for the New Year.

  You know, Eugene might be a tad bit smarter than the others. Maybe he stayed home.

  Leo was definitely trying to give me a hint, but it was easier to overlook the obvious. By the time I reached the restroom, something struck me as odd.

  Well, not really odd. Out of place.

  This New Year’s Eve bash was strangely like being back in high school. There were various cliques that I was able to distinguish amongst the guests, even though I’d only lived in Paramour Bay for a little over two months.

  Beverly Garber, Justine Davis, and Alison Bend were huddled together, no doubt waiting for Cora’s fashionably late entrance. Their husbands weren’t standing too far away, lost in their own discussion.

  On the other side of the room were Candy Hamilton, Dee Fairuza, Abbie Butterball, and Gillian Reilly. Oh, and Gillian was pregnant with twins, in case you didn’t read the last edition of our Paramour Bay series.

  You just had to bring up the time when you almost got us killed, didn’t you? We can’t spend a nice night out without you bringing up death and destruction.

  Eileen Weepler and her husband were walking over to join Otis, Monty, and both their wives. Gone was the ugly Christmas sweater in favor of…was that a disco ball on the front of her blouse?

  You have to ask?

  There were quite a few more people who I recognized, but I couldn’t name them all. Plus, I’d finally reached the restroom.

  I’m not going in there. I do have a sense of etiquette, you know.

  “Oh yes, you are going in there, even if I have to drag you,” I mumbled with determination, hitting the door with a little more force than necessary. The door didn’t have a handle, but instead one of those gold plates screwed into the wood to signify that it needed to be pushed open. Unfortunately, that meant I might not get the privacy I sought. Thankfully, after a quick check in both stalls, I finally had my moment to lay down the law. “Leo, show yourself right this minute.”

  Leo’s plump furry body suddenly appeared next to the sink.

  He grimaced, showing the one fang that was slightly crooked. He lifted his right paw to avoid a bit of water that had obviously been left by someone washing their hands.

  Disgusting. You humans live like wild animals.

  “Oh, it’s clean water,” I scolded before leaning against the door to prevent someone from swinging it open. If anyone tried to enter, I’d make up some excuse as to why I was blocking the entrance. “Sit your behind down. Leo, you’re ruining my date.”

  Me? You’re the one playing amateur detective again. This is all on you, little miss.

  “I’m going to find Norman Palmer’s wallet first thing so that I can enjoy the rest of my evening with Liam. We’re going to count down the hours and minutes until the ball drops, and then we’re going to ring in the New Year together.” There. I’d put a plan into place. I was feeling better already, and now all I had to do was see it through. “There is nothing you need to worry about, Leo, so you should go on home and spend the evening with Ted talking about old times together. I’m worried about him.”

  You should be.

  “I know Ted is worried that the townsfolk believe Nan killed Norman Palmer. Once I prove that she didn’t have anything to do with his murder, Ted will feel better.”

  Ted’s not going to feel better until you stop searching for answers, because there’s a chance he’ll end up…dead like Fred.

  Chapter Eleven

  “Leo, get back here right now,” I whispered forcefully, not wanting anyone hanging outside of the bathroom to hear me and assume I was talking to myself. Everyone already thought the Marigolds were a little off their rockers, and I certainly didn’t want to confirm their suspicions. “Leo?”

  I called out to him four more times, but all I got in return was continued silence.

  Fudgsicles and pop tarts.

  Leo was trying to prove his point, and now I was left to my own devices.

  Fine.

  He could stuff his pipe and smoke it.

  If that’s the way Leo wanted to play this game, then I would continue with the plan Heidi and I had put into place from the onset—find Norman Palmer’s wallet before ringing in the New Year with our dates.

  I took a brief second to look into the mirror to make sure my lipstick hadn’t smeared before smoothing a loose strand of black hair back into place. With a quick brush of the counter with a paper towel to wipe away any evidence of Leo’s presence, I was good to go.

  “Oh! I’m so sorry,” I exclaimed to the perso
n I bumped into after opening the restroom door. I instinctively laid a hand on the man’s arm in regret. “I should have been watching where I was—”

  “It’s fine,” Rye murmured, his dark penetrating gaze practically cutting right through me. I know what you’re thinking, but I wasn’t talking about that kind of attraction. It was much more intense than that. Almost as if he knew what I was up to and maybe even my true identity as a witch. I tried unsuccessfully to swallow around the lump in my throat. “I shouldn’t have been standing so close to the entrance of the restroom.”

  I leave you alone for one second. One second, Raven.

  I’d first met Rye at the inn, where he’d helped Gertie get rid of a tree branch that had crashed through one of the upstairs bedrooms during a storm. Leo had been wary upon first sight of the handyman, and I tended to trust Leo’s first impressions.

  Don’t panic. I can knock over one of those centerpieces, catch the tablecloth on fire, and get you out of this.

  I do know what you’re wondering.

  The readers are wondering why you’re still standing in front of an overtly dangerous man and not considering my wise offer to create a distraction.

  No, you’re wondering what’s the difference between Leo’s theatrics over a wallet and his warning about Rye. Well, they’re two distinctly different things.

  No, they’re not.

  Nothing that happened fifty-three years ago could be an imminent danger to me or Heidi.

  Have I taught you nothing? Time is so relative to some beings. Not everything that goes bump in the night is benevolent. Sometimes running away to fight another day is the better part of valor. Discretion is quite preferable to rash bravery that gets your fur set on fire.

  Speaking of Heidi, she’d thought Rye was rather mysterious—in a good way. The old saying tall, dark, and handsome might just come into play, as well.

  Excuse me? Apparently, you aren’t much of a student of Heidi’s taste in men. Patrick, Jack Swanson, and this handyman? Hmph. She’d have better luck sticking with cats. There’s a reason most old ladies end up with multiple cats, you know.

  “We didn’t get to formally meet before,” Rye continued, his sole focus on me as he held out his hand. “Rye Dolgiram.”

  “Yes, it’s nice to meet you. Gertie speaks very highly of your skills,” I praised before shaking his hand. I guess it wasn’t very nice of me to concentrate on the center of my palm, fully expecting the warmth to appear as a sign of warning. A little tingle that Rye wasn’t what he pretended to be in the way of confirming Leo’s suspicions would have been nice, but I got nothing. Instead, the only heat I experienced was from his room-temperature fingers as they wrapped around the back of my hand. “My name is Raven—”

  Oh, thank you, supernatural beings of all sorts. Heidi is here to save the day.

  “I’ve been looking all over for you,” Heidi exclaimed excitedly, cutting off my introduction to Rye and explaining Leo’s comment. She brushed the curls from her face as she continued. “I think I’ve found—”

  “Heidi, you remember Rye, don’t you?” I asked, making sure Heidi didn’t get to finish her sentence. I had a pretty good idea of what she was talking about, but it turned out I didn’t have to worry about her slipping up and revealing what we were really up to. From the arch of her right eyebrow, it was clear that she quickly figured out who was standing in front of me. “We were just making proper introductions.”

  An introduction I advised against, I want to point out for later scrutiny.

  “Heidi Connolly,” she said with a weirdly apologetic smile. Well, she was on a date with Jack Swanson, after all. “I hope you don’t mind, but I’ve got to steal Raven for the time being.”

  Heidi’s timing is perfection, as always. She seems to just glow tonight, doesn’t she? Did I mention to you that she might be my soulmate?

  Without another word, Heidi latched onto my wrist and began to drag me through the throngs of people who seemed to have multiplied several-fold since my short visit to the restroom. Only one thing stuck out the most—Jack must have really impressed Heidi for my best friend forever to not give Rye more than a passing moment of her time.

  “Did you find the elusive wallet?” It was the only explanation as to why Heidi was in such a hurry. There must have been something inside the billfold that answered all of our questions. “What was inside? Did you find the reason he was in Paramour Bay?”

  Tell me she didn’t find it. Tell me she didn’t destroy my idea of the perfect woman. Tell me she didn’t spear me through the heart. Tell me she didn’t find it.

  I didn’t want to call Norman Palmer by his name or someone might overhear and become suspicious of our activities, but Leo chanting that mantra in my head over and over was liable to have me blurting something highly inappropriate out loud.

  All you have to do is tell me that you’ll leave well enough alone. I’ll go on home and even share a pipeful of catnip with Ted. I’ll even teach him how to blow smoke rings.

  “Wallet?” Heidi finally turned on her high heels in a flash that would have had me breaking my ankle six ways to Sunday. She waved away the word as if it meant nothing whatsoever. “Oh, that. No, not yet. Raven, I think I’ve found my soulmate. Seriously, Jack is the complete package, and I do mean complete. Did you know that he asked the bartender if he could get behind the bar for just a moment to create me the most delicious drink I’ve ever tasted in my life? I mean, he even put on a little show with twirling bottles that had everyone’s attention riveted to my date.”

  Soulmate? How could everything have gone so wrong so quickly?

  I’d been so caught up in trying to figure out a way to locate Norman Palmer’s wallet that I almost forgot the reason we were here celebrating in the first place.

  No. No. No. I’ve changed my mind. You need to get Heidi away from Jack. We have a new mission. If that means searching for the devil’s missing pitchfork, so be it. Let’s go!

  “Heidi, lead the way,” I said, casting a quick glance at the ball. It hadn’t even moved an inch. It was still relatively early, and we had all evening to tour the museum in search of Norman Palmer’s wallet. I needed to slow play my plan. “I’d love to try that drink.”

  How can you drink at a time like this? All hands on deck! Loose lips sink ships!

  Heidi’s bright smile was all the encouragement I needed to take a little time for myself. Before long, we were both standing in front of a reserved bar-height table in the back supplied with premium New Year’s Eve hats for the men, tiaras for the ladies, paper blowers, and confetti…and four colorful layered drinks with decorative umbrellas.

  “Welcome back,” Liam greeted me with a searching gaze. Once he noticed my smile, his shoulders relaxed some. He then stood and pulled out the tall bar chair next to him, which I gladly took. I used the small strap of my clutch to hang on the corner of my chair inbound toward my date. “It seems Jack here used to bartend for a while back in the day.”

  “It’s been years, but I still remember a few tricks of the trade.”

  For the next hour, small talk was had between the four of us regarding movies, television shows, hobbies, life in the city, and the collection of odd jobs we’d all had in our past lives. We ate, drank, laughed, and shared stories in a way that wasn’t awkward like some of the rather disappointing first dates I’d experienced.

  I’d been so worried about our first date being with the entire town, only to discover that we had our own private oasis at one of the few reserved tables. We could also observe the inner ring of group tables circling the dance floor. It was a perfect place to be on a perfect night.

  In all honesty, it the most relaxing sixty minutes I’ve had since moving to Paramour Bay.

  Interestingly enough, Leo had left me to enjoy the evening. I hoped he’d gone home to be with Ted and enjoy a nice, relaxing night in peace.

  I’ve just been waiting patiently for the inevitable explosion.

  I paused, holding the drink
I’d been about to take another sip of against my bottom lip. Leo didn’t say another word, so I held the little umbrella to the side and tilted the glass. It gave me a bit of cover to look around to make sure Leo hadn’t forgotten what he was doing here and make an appearance.

  The alcoholic beverage got stuck in my throat when my eyes landed on the bomb.

  Oh, trust me. It’s not as impossible as you might think.

  “Raven, are you okay?” Liam scooted his chair away from the table a bit so that he could pat me on the back. I’d really sucked in a lungful, so it wasn’t a surprise when a tear ran down my face in my struggle to regain the ability to breathe. “Slow and steady.”

  I held up my hand and nodded my head in an effort to let Liam, Jack, and Heidi know that I was still alive. It took another minute or two to eventually clear my airway, and by then…well, no. I still hadn’t accepted what had been right there next to me the entire evening.

  “Sorry about that,” I managed to croak, since my voice was now rather hoarse. “I’m fine.”

  Keep telling yourself that, sweetheart.

  “Wrong tube,” I explained, using my napkin to dab the side of my left eye. I even gave a weak smile to back up my odd behavior. “I’m all good now.”

  Liam was now rubbing my back in sympathy, but nothing anyone said or did could make what I saw unseen.

  Nothing. Nada. Zilch.

  I so understood why Leo hadn’t wanted me to come to the wax museum tonight. This entire time, I’d thought it had to do with Norman Palmer. It had nothing to do with the man’s murder and everything to do with—

  Maybe next time you’ll listen to those who know better.

  The palm of my hand had literally become so hot that I almost panicked.

  Almost.

  I recovered quickly by grabbing onto my drink, using the condensation on the glass to cool my heated flesh, hoping steam wouldn’t rise.

  Were you going to throw an energy ball at me?

  The incredulity in Leo’s voice would have been laughable in any other situation than the one I’d found myself in. I’d handled a lot in the past two months—moving to a small town, leaving my mom and best friend behind, discovering I’m a witch, accepting that I could talk to a cat, and learning there was more to this life on a supernatural plane than I’d ever imagined.