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—Beau’s Boos and Beyond, Episode 7
Beau
Bright and early the next day, I stand outside the B&B and glance at the clock on my phone, tapping my foot in eager anticipation. Working with a sexy former detective-inspector-turned-paranormal-investigator on a case sounds nearly as fun as sightseeing—and I’m planning to get him to help me a bit with that last part.
Do I have other ulterior motives, like getting into his pants if I’m lucky?
Why yes, yes, I do. But Mama always says I’m the maestro of multitasking in our family, so I’m not worried.
But I can genuinely help him with this case. Sure, I wasn’t planning on spending my time in London doing this type of work, but my instincts tell me I need to stick close to the sexy, grumpy Scotsman I’ll be working with.
I can’t restrain a grin when I spot him striding down the sidewalk in my direction, all handsome in dark jeans and leather bomber jacket.
When we left the pub last night, he told me he’d pick me up in the morning so we could get started on some of the legwork the case requires. Since he knows his way around the city far better than I do, I was more than happy to oblige.
“Good morning, darlin’,” I say, offering him a sunny smile.
What I really want to do is touch him again, experience that deliciously electrifying spark we share. I don’t know if it’s tied to the fact that we have the same supernatural ability or if it’s simply pure, raw sexual attraction. All I know is that I like it and I’m all aboard that train.
I just need to convince him to be the conductor.
He’s holding himself back for now, I can tell. I’m a gentleman, so I would never force or coerce someone I’m interested in. But Mama always says I can charm a raccoon into giving up trash. Surely I can charm Callum into realizing just how combustible we could be together.
Right?
“Morning,” he replies tersely.
“Where to?”
“A coffee shop a couple of blocks from here has good coffee and decent Wi-Fi.” He gestures to the messenger bag he’s toting. “I brought my laptop along so we can do some research on Salon de Spin’s address. That should help us learn more about its history and what might have been there in the past.”
“I could go for a cappuccino right about now. Sounds good to me, big fella.”
He arches an eyebrow as he studies me. “What’s that all about?”
“What?” I ask, the picture of innocence.
He narrows his eyes. “The whole big fella thing.”
“It’s called a term of endearment?” I offer with a bright smile.
He flushes a little and looks away. “Let’s just focus on the case.”
Before I can respond, he starts striding down the sidewalk like a man on a mission. I have to hurry to keep up.
In short order, I follow him into a bright and airy coffee shop with plush armchairs situated around small, low-lying, round tables. I manage to nab us two chairs together when some customers get up to leave while Callum orders our drinks.
When he comes back, he hands me my cappuccino and sets down his own Americano, then pulls out his laptop. The coffee shop’s bustling at this time of the morning, but fortunately, I found us seats in a slightly quieter corner, away from any prying eyes.
Callum boots up his laptop, and I scoot my chair closer so I can see the screen better.
“First, we need to look into the local council planning department to get more history on the site. Thankfully, a lot of this has gone digital in recent years.”
He pulls up the Planning London Datahub, which, he explains, holds planning information from the appropriate authorities.
I enjoy my cappuccino while he types in the address and starts skimming through some of what he finds. A quick glance at the screen tells me I don’t know what most of this means.
Callum is scanning things quickly, though, his gaze intense and focused.
