The leprechaun steps back, looking miffed that I ran into her. She wears her long red-and-gray hair up in a curling mass atop her head that defies gravity. Her earrings are delicate, dangling chains that end in petite gold stars, and today’s dress is loud, boasting a cacophony of earthy tones in a batik-style print.
She’s belted the outfit with a lacy scarf and finished it with several bracelets.
She couldn’t look more like a fortune-teller if she tried. And I’m sure she did try, because that’s her favorite way of bamboozling humans out of their money. Her divination store is always busy, even though it’s nothing but a fae sham.
Feeling like I need to say something—anything—I clasp my hands at my waist and smile. “Do you have a stand for the social?”
“No,” she sniffs. “Gideon informed me a divination stand wouldn’t fit the event’s aesthetic.”
“Ah.” My smile falters. “That’s…a shame.”
“Yes,” she says, perturbed. “His father would have allowed it.”
“Well…” I look for a way to escape without seeming rude. “I should let you…” I clear my throat.
The woman narrows her eyes. “I heard my father offered to buy the tea shop.”
I gulp, wondering if I should have taken my chances with Keira. “He did, yes.”
She has light brown eyes, reminding me of a bird of prey. “I also heard you refused.”
“I mean…yeah.” I shift, feeling weirdly guilty. “I did.”
The leprechaun contemplates me for several uncomfortable seconds, and then she says, “Best watch your back. He doesn’t always play fair.”
She’s already walking away, her skirts swaying as she goes, but I follow her. “Wait!”
Theodosia turns, arching a thin red brow. “Yes?”
“When you say he doesn’t play fair…what does that mean?”
She smiles, but it’s not necessarily a nice one. “It’s not the first time the town has had trouble with gnomes.”
Uneasy, I watch her continue through the fairgrounds courtyard.
Is she telling me Mr. Eastwilden had something to do with the gnomes? How is that even possible?
“Hey, Kit,” Ryder says, coming up beside me.
I glance over, glad to see he’s alone. “Where’s Keira?”
“She went that way.” He jerks his head in the opposite direction Theodosia wandered.
“What did she want?”
“Advice.”
“Have you become the town barman? Does everyone share their woes with you?”
“I would make an excellent barman. Maybe I should leave the bakery and apply at the microbrewery?”
“I swear if you start working for Mr. Eastwilden, I’ll never talk to you again.”
He chuckles, enjoying himself.
“Please tell me your conversation didn’t have anything to do with Rowan.”
“I’m afraid it did.”
