Page 36 of A Dash of Wolf

She forced a smile. “Yes. I’ve learned to be okay.”

He frowned and tucked a flyaway behind her ear. “What does that mean?”

“There’s a lot to unpack with my parents’ death and growing up with a demanding grandmother. The pressure she puts on me for being a founding member of the town. Sometimes it gets to be too much, and I need to step back and bake.” She gestured at the overflowing cases. “Hence...all this.”

“I wasn’t aware both your parents were dead. I’m sorry.” He ran his finger gently down her cheek. “You’re an amazing woman, Adeline Beaumont. You really are.”

She winced internally, but did her best to make it look like a smile. He had no idea she was wrestling with what to do about Mrs. Abernathy. The guilt sat in her stomach like a stone. Here he was, being kind, being present, being everything she wanted in a man...and she was keeping something huge from him.

“Well,” she said, straightening up, “I think I’m done here for the day.”

“I should go myself.” He gave her a small smile. “I have some paperwork to see to. I’ve had a busy five days and have two arrest reports still to fill out.” He leaned in and gently brushed his lips across hers. “Take care of yourself, Adeline.”

“What am I? Chopped liver?” Princess Muffin Top demanded from the counter. “Do you not see me here, Wolf Boy? I’ve been providing your girl with emotional support all day, and I don’t even get a goodnight?”

Mason grinned. “Goodnight, Princess Muffin Top.”

“That’s better.” The cat sniffed and waved a paw through the air. “You may leave now.”

Mason laughed, gave Adeline one last look that made her chest ache, and headed for the door. The bell chimed as it closed behind him, and Adeline stood in the middle of her bakery, feeling pulled in two directions.

“Ready?” Princess Muffin Top asked.

Adeline grabbed her keys before she changed her mind. “Ready.”

“For the record,” Princess Muffin Top said as they headed for the door, “if Mrs. Abernathy really did all that glitter damage, she has excellent taste. That shade of pink was gorgeous.”

Adeline locked the bakery behind them and climbed into the Beetle Bus. The weather was beautiful, and she could hear the call of the seagulls overhead. But all Adeline could think about was the sweet old woman who knitted tiny sweaters for squish-squids, and who apparently knew her way around a bulldozer.

She put the Beetle in gear and headed for Seaside Rest and Care.

15

Seaside Rest and Care was nothing like the dreary, fluorescent-lit facilities Adeline had seen in human movies. The sprawling three-story brick building sat on Harbor Way and had wide porches, rocking chairs, and a stunning view of the bay. The front garden was a blooming area of enchanted roses, wildflowers, moonflowers, and myriad other flowers Adeline couldn’t name.

She pushed through the front doors with Princess Muffin Top at her heels and stepped in a bright lobby filled with beautiful artwork. A watercolor of the Grandmother Tree. An oil painting of shrimp boats at sunrise. A crayon drawing of a dragon that Adeline suspected was done by one of the residents’ great-grandchildren, proudly displayed right next to a centuries-old landscape. Soft music played from somewhere overhead as they made their way to the information area.

The mermaid behind the front desk looked up and smiled. “Hey, Adeline. Here to see someone?”

“Hi, Coral. Could you tell me which room Mrs. Abernathy is in? I hope I’m not interrupting her dinner.” Adeline winced. “I didn’t think about that before I drove over.”

Coral waved her off. “She should have finished by now. These folks love to eat at four, four-thirty at the latest.”

“That’s positively scandalous,” Princess Muffin Top said, jumping up onto the counter.

Coral laughed. “I agree. Anyway, she should be in her room. Two eighty-four. Take the elevator to the second floor, hang a right.”

Adeline thanked her as she and Princess Muffin Top headed for the elevator. There were a few residents milling around, and they either waved or called out greetings. Every time they oohed and aahed over how beautiful her cat was, Princess Muffin Top preened even more.

“You nervous?” her cat asked once the elevator doors closed.

“A little. I think it’ll be worse when we tell Chief Wolfe what’s going on.”

Room 284 was at the end of a quiet hallway decorated with more artwork and a row of potted ferns. Adeline knocked on Mrs. Abernathy’s door and waited patiently.

The door finally opened, and Mrs. Abernathy stood there in a lavender cardigan and house slippers, her white hair pinned up in a loose bun. She looked at Adeline, and then down at Princess Muffin Top. But she didn’t look the least bit surprised.

“Well,” Mrs. Abernathy said. “I was wondering when you’d figure it out.” She stepped aside and held the door open. “Come in, dear. You too, Princess Muffin Top.”