Page 24 of Secrets of the Forgotten Heir
‘I did. I never could get anything past you.’ He shrugged. ‘I’ll grab another one later.’
I finished one gulp of coffee and promptly took another. ‘What the hell is in this? It’s amazing!’
‘Sonny’s special brew. If the guy didn’t hate witches, I swear he’d had one put a spell on the beans.’
‘He hates witches?’ I asked, my interest piqued. Anyone who hated witches might want to do something to screw with them. Like stealing the Eternal Flame.
‘Sonny hates everyone,’ Ezra clarified. ‘His motto is “customer service is for those with shit products” and I think he genuinely believes it. Anyway, he has reason to be grumpy. It’s pretty well known in the village that he’s been all but disowned by the other vampires, including his older brother, because apparently selling coffee and pastries is below a vamp.’
‘Hmm.’ I took a mental note. Sonny might have beef with a lot of people, but that wasn’t a reason to wipe him off my list of those who’d want to steal the Witchlight.
Ezra went on, ‘Maddie mentioned you might be up for a drink at Shady’s on Friday night.’
Damn it, Maddie! ‘I’m not sure what my shifts here will be,’ I said. ‘Or if I’m going to have the energy to head out, if I’m honest.’
Ezra’s face dropped a fraction before it reformed into a perfect smirk. ‘I’ll ask Yanni for you. She has a soft spot for me – she’ll give you the time off. She knows we need a proper catch-up.’
I could already tell there was no way I was going to get out of it. Still, catching up and having a drink wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world. After all, if Shady’s cocktails were half as good as his brother’s coffee, it would be worth it.
I rolled my eyes. ‘We both know she likes me more than you.I’llask.’
His grin faded slowly and he looked at me as if truly seeing to the heart of me. ‘You’ve changed, Beatrix Stonehaven.’
‘We all have. A decade is a long time.’
‘It is,’ he agreed solemnly. ‘But no matter the length of time, it’s still the Three Amigos together forever.’
I smiled, but he didn’t. ‘You owe Maddie an apology, Bea. You cut her off without a backward glance. I know you were hurting, but so was she. Weallwere. Losing youon top of everything else…’ He shook his head then fixed me with a firm look I’d never seen from him before. ‘If you’re going to leave again, just know that there won’t be any fixing what’s broken after that.’
Guilt swelled, thick enough to choke on. I managed to nod because I knew he was right. ‘I’m sorry.’
‘It’s not me you should be apologising to, it’s Maddie. She’s the one who’s been tied to the house guarding your inheritance for you.’
‘I’ve apologised to her and I will again, but you deserve an apology too. Don’t think I don’t know it. I’m sorry, Ezra, I didn’t mean to ever imply by thought, deed or action that you weren’t important to me. You were. You still are.’
His eyes softened. ‘Then let’s start over, Beatrix Stonehaven, and see where this road takes us.’
‘Deal.’
‘Deal. Well, I’d better get off.’
As he took the paper from under his arm, I caught a glimpse of the cover and leaned forward, holding out a hand to stop him from leaving. ‘Is that a photo from the pasty eating contest?’ I asked.
Ezra glanced at it and nodded. ‘Yeah – before it all went to pot. Mrs D actually looked like she was in with a chanceof second place. Not that you get anything for second other than bragging rights.’
I stared at the photo for a minute. Mrs D was there with a single pasty in her hand, while next to her Warren had his nose buried in a mass of them like he was a bear shifter, not a water one. Next to them the other contestants were using their own methods of getting the food down their gullets, but they were certainly being daintier than Warren who was totally going for it.
My eyes kept going back to Mrs D. Something about the photo didn’t feel right; then again, maybe it was simply that I would never have expected her to do something like take part in a pasty-eating contest.
‘I can leave it here if you want.’ Ezra’s voice broke into my reverie and made me realise I was still staring at his paper. ‘Although I’m pretty sure the station gets its own delivered.’
‘Sorry, no. It’s fine, thank you,’ I said. ‘And thanks for the coffee.’
‘No problem. You can pay me back with a drink on Friday night.’ He winked. Just like that,myEzra was back, persistent and cheeky. Maybe Ezra hadn’t changed all that much because he’d always had a stubborn streak a mile wide.
Several minutes after he’d left, I was still thinking about the photograph. What had bothered me about it? I wished I’d taken up Ezra’s offer to leave it because my subconscious was buzzing away, telling me I’d missed something – something important. Maybe there was someone in the background, someone my brain hadn’t latched onto at the time? I’d have to look at the article again.
Knowing I wouldn’t rest until I did, I opened up my laptop and a new YouTube page. As well as all the physical wards around Witchlight to stop non-magical people stumbling on the village, there was a hefty array of other safeguards.
