“Good morning, Delaney!”
Gan, the god Ganesha, was a big man with burnished brown skin and thick, dark hair. His face was wide, his eyes bright and playful.
He’d recently come back to town to open a tea and florist shop.
“What are you doing in my kitchen?”
“Making coffee since you hate tea.”
“I don’t hate it.”
He made a considering sound and placed one of our biggest mugs on the kitchen island next to a box that I didn’t even have to readpuffin muffinon to know it was filled with decadent breakfast treats from Hogan’s shop.
“Breakfast sandwich?” he offered.
“I need to shower.” But the coffee smelled wonderful, and I was already moving toward it. I took the cup and sipped. “What did you put in there? Magic?”
He waggled his eyebrows. “Maybe. Ha. Your face,” he chuckled. “Not magic. I just know how to brew a really good cup of, well, anything.”
“I’m taking this with me to the shower. Don’t eat my sandwich.” I jogged up the stairs, stripped, and showered.
I was dried and dressed when my phone rang.
“Chief Reed.”
“You didn’t come by last night,” Bertie said. “I’m disappointed in you.”
“Morning, Bertie.”
“I’m a very busy woman, Delaney. There is only so much time in my schedule to accommodate you.”
“I understand that. The job ran late.”
“Your sister told me you went home after dress shopping.”
“Yeah, well, there were some people waiting to kidnap me. You have no idea how much paperwork is involved in something like that.”
“You were attacked?”
“More like wrestled. It’s fine. They’re in holding. I’m headed over there now. I can stop by your place later this morning.”
“Yes,” she said tightly. “See that you do.”
She didn’t immediately end the call. “Something else?” I asked.
“Has Patrick contacted you?”
“No?”
“He still wants to interview you over coffee.”
“Yep. I’ll get to it. Bye, Bertie.”
She ended the call, and I thumped down the stairs.
Gan sat on the couch, feeding the dragon-pig pennies like kibble. “How did you end up being hoarded by a dragon?”
“I’m not hoarded.”
