Rhiannon lifted her brows in surprise. The last time she’d been in, Ava hadn’t charged her for her coffee. Without a word, she reached into her purse and pulled out a twenty-dollar bill, handing it over to Ava.
“Keep the change. It’s the least I can do.”
“Thank you,” Ava replied simply, refusing to rise to the bait.
“Have you given my offer any more thought?” Rhiannon asked her.
Ava shrugged. “Honestly, no. I wasn’t interested in selling my property to you last week and I’m not interested this week either.”
“What if I threw in an extra five hundred thousand dollar bonus?”
Ava shook her head. “Still not interested.”
Macgrath appeared nearby. “So what does interest you?” he asked, his gaze intent on Ava’s face.
She frowned at him for a moment. “What do you mean?”
“I’m wondering if anything interests you or if you’re one of those witches that believes she above such trivial things.”
Ava’s face darkened with anger. “I do not believe myself above anyone. And I prefer to share my interests and pursuits with those I consider friends rather than perfect strangers,” she retorted.
Savannah made a small sound in the back of her throat and tucked her face against my chest. Her body shook slightly and I realized she was trying to stifle laughter. I couldn’t imagine what she found humorous about this situation, but I would definitely ask her when we were alone in her home.
Macgrath seemed completely unfazed by the putdown. “And what does one have to do to become your friend?”
The insinuation behind his question was clearly sexual and Ava’s eyes sparked with blue and purple fire. “I’m not sure I care to share that with you.”
The vampire smirked, clearly enjoying the exchange. “What would you like to share with me?”
“Macgrath, I think that’s enough for one day,” Rhiannon remonstrated. “We wouldn’t want to upset Ms. Amaris too much and have her kick us out of her lovely shop.”
The look the vampire shot her was full of venom and hatred, but he masked it before she saw. “Of course not.”
Ava and I exchanged a glance and I knew she saw it too based on her facial expression.
“Perhaps I’ll come visit you again, Savannah,” Rhiannon stated. “And enjoy your lovely garden.”
My muscles coiled at her statement and I felt Savannah tense at my side as well. Before either of us could react, Rhiannon replaced her sunglasses on her face and swayed out the door.
Without waiting a beat, Ava lifted a hand and snapped her fingers. The door locked and the sign flipped to show that the store was closed. With another wave of her hand, Ava lowered the shades over the door and windows so that no one could see in.
“I think we should have a talk and maybe call the witch in the United Kingdom,” she stated.
“I agree.”
“Wait, what witch in the United Kingdom?” Savannah asked.
“We’ll meet at your house and talk about it. I don’t want to have the discussion in the shop,” Ava stated.
“Why not?”
“It’s too easy to eavesdrop in a place like this. I can’t put too many charms on the shop or the witches won’t come in,” Ava explained. “I have wards on all my rental homes to protect my tenants’ privacy, so our conversation won’t be overheard.”
“We’ll help you clean up and we’ll all leave together.”
Ava nodded. “Then let’s not waste time.”
Thirty minutes later, I parked my SUV in front of Savannah’s house and we climbed out. As soon as Savannah unlocked the front door, Satchel came running up to us, mewing loudly.
