After Wade left, Beth was eager to dive into our investigation. But she seemed a bit off, not her usual chatty self. She didn't want to talk about Wade—maybe it was the mysterious air he had about him, or maybe it was his rugged good looks that threatened to break through her no-nonsense exterior. Either way, I tried my best to respect her wishes, even if I was dying to know what she thought of him.
We set up around the dining room table with Beth’s laptop, coffee, and a stack of papers. Not even a minute later, Carol came walking in. Earlier we’d texted her to see if she was still busy with Deva or if she had time to help, and she’d seemed eager to get a break from the restaurant.
“How was it?” I asked Carol.
She wrinkled her nose.
“That bad?”
She gave a tired laugh. “No, actually, it’s more that I just felt useless. Deva is so on top of everything that I actually think the warlocks are taking breaks from her rather than her work.”
Beth, Daniel, and I laughed, but I was the one to respond. “She does like things done a certain way…”
“A certain way?” Carol repeated, eyes wide. “Do you know the difference between pearl, ghost white, bright white, antique white, and cloud white? Because,” she gave a laugh that was a little maniacal, “I listened to Deva carefully explain the difference to the contractors for a half hour today, and I still don’t know how they’re different.” She put her hands on her head. “Emma, they look the same! The same!”
It was hard to keep a straight face. “At least the contractors are warlocks, so they can work their magic to get it just right.”
“You’d think!” she said, throwing her hands in the air. “Marquis is the only thing keeping her sane, I think. That man has a way with words, a way I tried to emulate and failed miserably, but I’m just glad she has him.”
I smiled. “That man is incredible.”
“Hey!” Daniel said playfully, and I grinned.
Beth sighed. “As much as I just want to hang out and relax, we have to focus on who cursed the restaurant, or, for all we know, the restaurant will just end up burning down again.”
Whoa. That was sobering.
“You’re right,” Carol said, and her frustration melted away.
"Let's get down to business," Beth said, flipping open her laptop and pulling up some files. The sweet aroma of the coffee we'd been sipping on filled the air, providing a bit of comfort as we dove into our sleuthing.
"Okay, here's what we've got so far." Beth scrolled through some documents. "Deva's dad had a few minor run-ins with the law in the past, nothing too major. Mostly petty theft and a DUI. It doesn't seem like he'd have a motive to harm Deva. Seems more like he'd want her successful to mooch off of."
Wasn't that the truth? "Right, but like you said before, we can't rule anyone out." I took a sip of my now-lukewarm coffee. The bitterness hit my tongue. Blech. I should probably reheat it soon.
"True," Beth said, albeit reluctantly. “And he passed the glove test.”
“So we have to look at other people,” I said, choosing my words carefully. “People who we might not want to look at.”
We all knew where I was going with this. Beth was the one to bring it up earlier, but I think we all just disliked the idea. No one was thrilled about having to dig into the lives of her friends and coworkers. Except, we had no choice.
Beth sat up straighter. "Let's move on to Deva's employees. What do you think about Lucas, the sous chef?"
"He's the assistant chef, forty-five years old, swan shifter. Quiet outside of the kitchen, but really takes charge when he's in there. Creative, artistic, makes beautiful dishes. He seems to admire Deva and wants to make her happy. Oh, and he has a crush on Evelyn. Divorced, has one child, a girl who's seventeen. Anything suspicious there?" I said, the image of his thin frame and serious expression coming to mind.
She shook her head. "No, I can't imagine Lucas wanting to harm Deva in any way. He genuinely respects her and is content with his role at the restaurant, or appears to be." She sighed. "All right," Beth said, tapping her pen on the table. "Let's talk about Evelyn."
"Ah, Evelyn," I said, picturing the elegant deer shifter who always glided through the kitchen with an air of serene calm. "She's been working at Deva's place for a few years now. She's really good at taking orders and tends to avoid making decisions whenever possible."
"Sounds like she knows her place in the pecking order." Daniel leaned back in his chair.
"Definitely," I said. "She has this quiet admiration for Lucas, you can tell she respects him a lot. Between you and me, I think she might have a little crush on him too."
"Really?" Beth raised an eyebrow, clearly intrigued. "Do they ever flirt or anything?"
"Nothing obvious, but there are these subtle glances and lingering touches that make my romance radar go haywire," I said, grinning.
"Interesting," Beth scribbled something down. "What else do we know about her life outside of work? Family? Friends?"
"She's divorced and has a son who's eighteen," Carol shared. "From what I've gathered, she's pretty close with her kid, and they have a strong bond. As for friends, most of her social life revolves around the people she works with. She's friendly, but also kind of reserved."
"Okay, let's move on to Michael," Daniel suggested.
"Ah, yes, our resident wolf shifter." Beth grinned. "He's young, only twenty-one, and quite the looker, if I do say so myself. I've caught him exchanging some flirty smiles with Rose, one of the servers."
"Any idea if there's something going on between them?" Carol asked.
"Possibly." I grinned. "He asked her out. She didn’t quite say no, but maybe no for now. The chemistry is definitely there."
"So we have a potential romantic entanglement between Lucas and Evelyn, as well as Michael and Rose." Beth arched an eyebrow. "Anything else we should know about them?"
"Nothing that immediately jumps out as suspicious," I said. "It's always possible that something could come up later on."
"Fair enough," Beth said, making some notes on her laptop. "That leaves us with Penelope and Theo. Both servers with no obvious connections to each other, aside from working at the same restaurant." Beth tapped her fingers on the table. "Penelope is a witch studying to be a teacher and Theo is an engineering student. They're both pretty normal, as far as I can tell."
"Phew, I think we've covered everyone." I rubbed my tired eyes. "So, what now?"
"Tomorrow, you could check out that customer who was banned from the store," Daniel suggested, looking as drained as I was. "Then we'll meet up in the morning to compare notes."
"Agreed," Beth said, snapping her laptop shut. "We may not have found the smoking gun yet, but we're getting closer. We won't stop until we figure out who's behind this and make sure Deva is safe."
We gathered up the papers and finished our coffees. As Beth headed for the door, I held back the urge to ask her about Wade, but instead simply said, “make sure you rest a little.”
She smiled back at me. “You too.”
With Beth gone, the room felt suddenly empty, as if her presence had filled the space with energy, and now that she was gone, I was totally exhausted. Still, there was work to be done, both in terms of solving the mystery at hand, and in terms of navigating whatever romantic entanglements might lie ahead.
Daniel looked at me with a grin that sent goosebumps rising on my skin in the best possible way. I returned the smile with an undeniable pull toward him.
“Miss Foxx," he said in a mock-serious tone, attempting to stifle his laughter. "Now that we're alone, I believe it's time for us to engage in some extracurricular activities."
I raised an eyebrow, trying to suppress my own giggles. "Oh, really? What might those be?"
"Ah, well." He stepped closer and wrapped his arms around me. The scent of his cologne, a subtle blend of cedar and spice, filled my nostrils as he held me close. "I was thinking we could start with a little game called 'truth or dare.'"
"Truth or dare?" I snorted, shaking my head at the absurdity. "What are we, teenagers?"
"Maybe," he said, his breath warm against my ear as he said conspiratorially. "Just think of the possibilities. After all, we're both consenting adults, and there are no parents around to scold us if things get a little interesting."
"You're on. Only if you promise not to hold anything against me later."
"Deal," he said, sealing our pact with a gentle kiss. His lips were soft and warm, and I wanted more. Before I could deepen the kiss, he pulled away, a devilish glint in his eye. "First question, truth or dare?"
"Truth," I said without hesitation, figuring it was best to ease into things.
"Hmm," Daniel said, taking a moment to consider his query. "What's the most embarrassing thing that's ever happened to you?"
"Seriously?" I groaned. "Fine. When I was in high school, I once tripped and fell flat on my face right in front of my crush. My skirt flew up, and everyone saw my underwear."
"Ouch." Daniel winced sympathetically. "If it's any consolation, I'm sure they were all just jealous."
"Of what, my ability to make a complete fool of myself?" I felt my cheeks heat up at the memory.
"Emma," he said earnestly, his green eyes warm and sincere. "You are the most incredible woman I know. Anyone who's ever been lucky enough to cross your path would be envious of the person you've become."
"Thanks," I said, touched by his words. "Now it's your turn, truth or dare?"
He gave me a roguish grin. "Dare."
My mind raced as I considered my options. Then it hit me, the perfect challenge for the man who had once been the captain of the high school football team. "I dare you to dance with me."
"Really?" he asked, looking equal parts amused and surprised. "I haven't danced in years."
"Then it's about time you got back out on the literal dance floor," I said, dragging him over to the living room and turning on some music. As a slow, sultry tune filled the air, Daniel wrapped his arms around me and we swayed together.
As we danced, our bodies pressed close, the world outside ceased to exist. There was only us, two people who had somehow managed to find each other in the midst of chaos and confusion, and who were now clinging to the hope that maybe, just maybe, they might be able to find happiness.
"Emma," Daniel said into my hair as we moved in time with the music. "You know I care about you, right?"
"Of course," I said, my heart swelling with affection for the man who had come to mean so much to me. "And I care about you too, Daniel. More than I ever thought possible."
"Good," he said softly, pressing a tender kiss to my forehead before continuing. "Because I want you to know that no matter what happens, I'll always be here for you. Nothing, not even this tangled mess we've found ourselves in, can change that."
My voice caught as I fought tears. "That means everything to me."
Our lips met in a sweet, tender embrace that went on forever. In that moment, as we stood wrapped up in each other's arms, I knew that whatever challenges lay ahead, we would face them together.
It wasn't until I was lying in bed later that night, the soft hum of my fan providing a gentle soundtrack to my thoughts, that I realized just how much I'd come to rely on Daniel. Not just in terms of solving the mystery, though his keen insights and unwavering support were certainly invaluable in that regard.
No, it was more than that. Somehow, without my even realizing it, Daniel had become an integral part of my life. He made me laugh, he challenged me, and he seemed to genuinely care about my well-being. While I couldn't quite put my finger on when exactly it had happened, I knew that somewhere along the way, I'd fallen for him.
As I drifted off to sleep, I smiled at the thought of what the next day might bring, both in terms of unraveling the tangled web of Deva's mystery, and in terms of exploring the uncharted territory of my feelings for Daniel.