Page 44 of A Dash of Wolf

“Restore the marsh?” Adeline frowned. “What do you mean restore⁠—”

Mrs. Abernathy slapped a hand across her own mouth. “Oops. You didn’t hear that from me. I mean, I’m not supposed to say certain things.” She lowered her hand and winked at Adeline. “But I will say this.” She gave Adeline a knowing glance. “Might I suggest you stop moping around here and go fix things with that handsome wolf of yours?”

Princess Muffin Top scoffed. “Handsome is being generous. Plus, he has the emotional intelligence of a fire hydrant.”

“He spent the entire night at the station,” Mrs. Abernathy continued, ignoring her cat entirely. “Pacing and muttering to himself about how dense he was. Back and forth. Back and forth. I barely got any sleep at all.”

Adeline’s heart stuttered. “Mason stayed the night at the station?”

“He did. Slept in that awful chair at his desk. Well, I say slept...mostly, he stared at the ceiling and sighed and paced.” Mrs. Abernathy lowered her voice conspiratorially. “And he did a lot more this morning.” She waggled her eyebrows. “But again, I’ve been sworn to secrecy. All I can say is your handsome werewolf clocked out immediately after I was released and told the others he was going home to shower and take a nap.” She patted her hair. “You know, since he’d spent the entire night keeping an old woman company and safe from bad guys.”

Princess Muffin Top narrowed her cat eyes. “Laying it on a little thick, aren’t you?”

“Am I?” The old witch smiled. “I have no idea what you mean.” She grabbed Adeline’s hands and squeezed. “Now, I need to run. I’m apparently the talk of the entire assisted-living facility. No one my age has ever been arrested before, and all the old folks want to know how they can get arrested too. Word is they’re already planning a crime spree.” She laughed. “Oh, and Miss Moody called. She’s coming by to snap photos and do an interview for the paper.” She patted her hair again. “I’m a celebrity, Adeline!”

She squeezed Adeline’s hands one last time, pressed a kiss to her cheek, and hurried out the door with the energy of a woman half her age. Through the window, Adeline watched her as she voluntarily called out to passersby that she’d sign autographs if they’d like.

Shaking her head, Adeline strolled behind the counter and let the witch’s words rattle around in her head. Mason had stayed the night at the station. He’d slept in the chair. He’d put in a good word with Thaddeus Hillman for Mrs. Abernathy. He’d suggested community service that involved restoring the marsh...the very thing Adeline had been fighting for since the beginning. But what had changed? Wasn’t Ivan out there now tearing up the marsh to erect a building?

But the most important thing that got through was that he’d done all that after she’d left. After she’d slammed the door shut. After the hurt they’d caused each other.

Princess Muffin Top jumped up onto the counter and studied Adeline’s face. “You’re going to bake, aren’t you?”

Adeline rolled up her sleeves and pulled the apron off the hook. “I’m going to find out if the saying is true.”

“Which saying? That werewolves howl at the moon? Because I can confirm that from personal experience.”

“No.” Adeline tied the apron behind her back and looked at her cat. “That the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach.”

Princess Muffin Top unsheathed her claws and examined them casually. “Through his stomach, you say? I could probably arrange that for you. One quick swipe with my razor nails and⁠—”

“Through baking, Princess Muffin Top. Through baking.”

“Less fun. But fine.” The Maine Coon sheathed her claws. “We’ll do it your way.”

Adeline opened the pantry and pulled out flour, butter, sugar, eggs, vanilla paste, and a bag of chocolate chips. Not the enchanted chocolate chips with mood-lifting magic. Just regular, ordinary, non-magical chocolate chips from the bag she kept on the top shelf.

She got busy and got to work. And as she worked, she could feel her kitchen witch magic singing to her. She could feel the magic pulsing inside her. The magic was back. She was sure of it.

But she didn’t want to use it. Not for this.

Mason had turned down her magical truffle the first time he came into her bakery. He’d asked for something that wasn’t “enhanced.” And then he’d eaten a plain chocolate chip cookie in two bites at the street market and complimented her.

It wasn’t her kitchen witch magic he was after, and that made her feel good. It was just her simple baking he wanted from her. The least she could do was give that to him.

A few minutes later, she slid the tray into the oven and set the timer. The bakery smelled like chocolate. A scent she would always associate with him from here on out.

Princess Muffin Top curled up on the counter near the oven, her tail tucked around her body as she watched Adeline bake. “For the record, if he doesn’t appreciate those cookies, I will use my claws and shred his uniform.”

Adeline smiled. “Noted.”

The timer dinged. She pulled the tray from the oven and set it on the cooling rack. The cookies were golden brown, slightly crispy at the edges, and soft and gooey in the center. They were perfect. Once they were cooled, she packaged a dozen into a white bakery box and tied it with twine. She didn’t use her fancy ribbon or labels or stickers. She kept it simple.

Just simple chocolate chip cookies. From her. To him.

“I take it we’re going now?” Princess Muffin Top said.

“Yes. But I’m not sure what to say.”