"Hey," she said softly, her embarrassment replaced by a kind of vulnerability that made the tiny hairs on my arms stand on end. "I didn't say no, okay? Just not right now."
The air in the room charged as their eyes met, and I imagined I saw the invisible thread connecting them, tugging at their hearts. It was like witnessing the first crackling sparks of a fire destined to burn brightly. At least, I hoped it was. I could see a really bright future with these two.
"Okay," Michael said, as if he were afraid that saying it any louder would shatter the fragile moment. "I can wait."
Rose smiled shyly, her fingers still resting on his arm.
Clearly they needed some time alone to talk, so Deva and I exchanged glances before making our excuses to leave. As we stepped outside into the cool evening air, I wanted to skip, feeling a little giddy. There was something magical about new beginnings, even if they were just the tentative first steps toward something more. Especially when they came along with knowing Rose was safe and the curse hadn’t taken more victims.
"Can you smell that?" Deva asked as we walked back to the car. "It's the sweet scent of potential love."
"Or pollen." I chuckled as I sniffed the air. "There are a lot of flowers around here, after all."
"True," she said, grinning. "But I prefer my explanation."
"Of course you do," I said, playfully nudging her shoulder as we reached the car.
Michael emerged from the house a few minutes later, a small smile playing on his lips. As he slid into the driver's seat, it was like a weight had been lifted from his broad back.
Deva turned to me. “Now that we know Rose is safe, it’s time to go back to our list of suspects.”
My spine stiffened. She was right. The only way to truly keep anyone safe was to find the person who created the curse and stop them. Not just stop them but give them a heavy dose of karma too.
13
EMMA
The momentwe walked into The Morning Griddle, I twisted my lips in annoyance. If we needed a motive for cursing Deva and burning down her restaurant, the motive was right here. Money, and lots of it. The place was still so busy. A restaurant that was usually as quiet as a graveyard had come alive with the hum of conversation and clatter of dishes, and all thanks to Deva's Delights still being closed.
I turned to Beth and Carol with an arched eyebrow. "Talk about a sudden surge in popularity," I said, my voice dripping with sarcasm.
"Maybe they've got a new cook or something," Carol suggested, scanning the room for any sign of change. “Frank and Mr. Burnsareusually in the kitchen from what I’ve heard.”
There was no change. No new cook. The food we’d tasted last time we were here was good, but it wasn’t great. It wasn’t Deva’s. The only change was that none of these people had anywhere else to go. Carol knew it, but her gentle heart was hoping for a different answer.
Beth snorted, and I could already tell she agreed with my thoughts on the matter. "No, it's all of Deva's customers. That’s the only change."
Carol sighed, looking defeated. “You’re right, but maybe they’re unintentionally benefitting from what happened. All Deva’s customers coming here doesn’t mean the owners had anything to do with the curse.”
“Well, that’s what we’re here to find out,” I said, gesturing to the glove on Beth’s hand.
Beth grinned, holding her hand up like a doctor about to go into surgery. “Let’s get physical!”
What followed was Beth desperately attempting to shake hands with the family who owned the place, Mr. and Mrs. Burns, and their children, Frank and Maggie, and failing miserably. They were all just too preoccupied, dashing from table to table like headless chickens.
Seeing their frantic state, Beth dropped her hand and shrugged. "Guess they're not in the mood for pleasantries today."
“So we need to wait for a better chance to get our answers,” I said, narrowing my gaze on them.
It wasn’t that I was one hundred percent sure that this family had anything to do with the curse. The truth was, I had no idea. I simply didn’t plan to leave here until we either ruled them out or figured out that these people were to blame.
Maggie smiled at us. “Table for three?”
I nodded and gave my name.
“It’ll just be a few minutes,” she promised.
Near us, I watched a man dropjustenough money for the check onto the table. I’m talking, there were nickels and pennies dropped on top of bills. No tip in sight. I wiggled my fingers and as he stood, but to my surprise, nothing happened. Interesting.
