“Popcorn?”
He opened his mouth, and I dropped a few kernels in.
“Mithra keep you busy all day?”
“I drove to Washington and back. There was a contract he wanted me to read. About a patch of grass and whether it was owned by the town, or owned by the family who bought the property.”
“Grass.”
“Just a small patch of grass.”
“Where in Washington?”
“Up in the Olympic rainforest. How was your day?”
“Long.”
He nodded, staring up at me, waiting. I ran my fingertips through his hair, marveling at the strands of copper and gold that wove through the darker threads.
“Patrick is a leprechaun with soured magic,” I said.
“Soured magic is a thing?”
“Bathin says it is. Probably soured by a demon. Maybe Bathin’s father.”
“The King of the Underworld sent a leprechaun to…film Ordinary?”
“We don’t know. Could be Patrick’s here to get away from the king. Bertie’s worried. She made a bet with Robyn and is caught in a catch-22. Damned if she wins, damned if she loses.”
He grunted, his eyes drifting shut.
I waited a few minutes, letting time slip and slip until I debated just sleeping on the couch with him. But I didn’t want to wake up stiff and sore.
“Let’s go to bed,” I said shaking his shoulder gently. “Nice soft bed.”
His eyes opened, bloodshot and glassy. “Sure. Sure.”
I shook his shoulder again. “Come on, love. Bed.” I pushed up, which left him no choice. He had to move.
Spud and dragon-pig rearranged themselves into our abandoned warm spots, and Ryder got on his feet, but just stood there, rubbing his head until his hair stuck straight up.
I caught his other hand and pulled him up the stairs to the dark and quiet of our room.
“You knowwe’re throwing you a bachelorette party,” Jean said, as she settled into the easy chair at the dress shop. “I mean, Myra thinks you have no idea, but you know, don’t you?”
I glanced over my shoulder. Cheryl had asked me to come in for a fitting, just to make sure the adjustments she’d made on the dress were right. My wedding was one week away, and real, honest excitement fluttered in my chest.
“You haven’t been subtle about keeping it a secret,” I said.
She chuckled. “Yeah. Well, I wanted to do it this week. Before the wedding rehearsal. Maybe tomorrow.”
“Friday? With the murder mystery and rehearsal happening the next day, and the town stuffed with tourists?”
“I know,” she sighed. “We’ll still have it, but it’s going to be next week, I think.”
Cheryl stood from where she had been tugging on the hem. “Let’s take a look at this now.”
She moved behind me, and I stared at myself in the mirror. She’d pulled part of my hair back loosely and added a spray of flowers to it. I almost didn’t recognize the beautiful woman in the mirror.
