“I see you have no opinion about this.”
She opened her mouth, probably to lecture me on my relationship, but my phone rang. I pulled it out and turned half away from her to answer it.
“Chief Reed.”
“Delaney,” said Frigg, who was the Norse goddess of the same name. “Aren’t you out of town yet?”
“You know I’m not.” I was pretty sure the gods and goddesses would know when I left. They’d feel the Bridge closing.
“Since you’re still here, I need to talk to you.”
“I’m listening.”
Jean tsked and shook her head. I scowled at her and pointed at the Chief part of Chief Reed on my coat.
“In person,” Frigg said. “How about the Blue Owl?”
I glanced around at Crow’s stuff, then at the scattering of new people coming in the tent mouth, shaking off the rain, and browsing through the treasures.
I could have sworn another flash of gold twinkled at the corner of my eye, but when I turned that way, all I saw was normal, everyday junk.
No gold sparkles on any of it.
My phone vibrated.
“Delaney?” Frigg asked.
“Hold on.”
I pulled my phone away from my ear so I could scan the screen. Text message from Ryder with an attachment.
I tapped the message.
All it said was: yes? above a photo of a gorgeous high mountain lake with a sweet cottage sitting like a storybook jewel above the curve of the shore.
My heartbeat sped up and I froze for a second. It looked idyllic. But we did not need one more cancellation fee. I hoped he hadn’t booked it yet.
I closed the text and held my phone back up. “I could eat,” I told the goddess. I cleared my throat. “See you there in about twenty?”
She chuckled. “I don’t know what’s going on with you, but I look forward to hearing about it. Oh, and bring the dragon. I have something for it.”
I hung up and spotted Jean. She’d wandered off during the call and was now standing in the checkout line.
“Jean?” I called.
“House hippo!” She held up a little statue and gave it a wiggle.
“Why?”
“Because it’s a house hippo.” She almost had to shout over the rain. Crow, dishing out her change, glanced over at me and wiggled his eyebrows.
“They’re good luck,” he said, while Jean made big eyes and nodded vigorously.
I sighed and made a wrap it up signal.
She took the hippo and a paper-wrapped something Crow handed her, then strode over. “Something go down?” she asked, as she fell into step with me.
“Frigg needs to talk over lunch.”
“Thank gods,” Jean said. “I’m starving. Here.” She offered me the paper-wrapped package. “It’s a cookie. You look grumpy.”
I thought about opening it, but we were at the lurid pink mouth of the lurid pink whale, and beyond that was a downpour so heavy, the rain was a wall of white.
Staying inside the whale was suddenly sounding like a better idea.
“So I heard about this great hotel up on the Olympic Peninsula,” Jean started. “They have this vacation deal…”
And just like that, I was out in the rain and running for the Jeep, my sister laughing and splashing right behind me.
Chapter Two
The Blue Owl was Ordinary’s only twenty-four-hour diner, and it was a favorite of truckers hauling up and down Highway 101. Even with a detour to pick up the dragon pig, we got there in under ten minutes.
The smell of onions and butter and fresh bread hit me as I clomped through the door, dragon pig tucked under my arm. Over the scratchy old speakers, the Big Bopper sang about big-eyed girls and Chantilly lace.
Outside, the stormy day grew darker even though it wasn’t even evening yet. The storm was gonna be a beast of a thing. I hung my coat on the rack by the door, scanned the room, and headed over to the booth by the window to meet with a goddess.
Frigg saw Jean and me coming, smiled, and waved at the table already loaded with three steaming mugs. We slid into the bench seat opposite her.
“Thanks,” I said, dropping the dragon pig beside me. Luckily, the dragon we’d found decided to take the form of a baby pig while it stayed in town. Maybe less luckily, it had decided to stay with me.
I mean, yes, having a dragon had come in handy. Back before the demon Bathin had been dating my other sister, he’d promised me he would save Ryder from a blizzard.
Only problem? He saved him by kidnapping him.
Demons.
On the upside, dragons have the unique ability to find demons no matter where they hide.
So all I’d had to do was tell my little dragon pig to fetch, and off it had popped.
Ryder appeared back home an instant later.
So had the demon.
It had been a weird Christmas.
But even though the dragon pig looked like a piggy, it was a dragon and it could eat.
“Mocha?” Jean asked.
“Of course.” Frigg had on a soft, wheat-colored sweater that made her long blonde hair shimmer like sunshine. The sweater was nice. I was used to seeing her in her tow company gear: button-down shop shirt with her name embroidered over the pocket.
“Day off?” I guessed.
“Just the morning. There’s a storm coming. That means tow jobs.” She leaned back against the booth, her arm resting across the top of it.
The dragon pig did a quick little circle before spotting the cutlery on the table. It oinked.
“Spoons later, if you behave,” I told it. “Home spoons.”
It grunted, a very piggy sound, but a thin tendril of smoke rose from its nostrils.
“Oh, which reminds me.” Frigg dug in the backpack next to her and pulled out a handkerchief tied around something that clattered. “Lug nuts,” she said. “Broken and rusted.”
The dragon pig squeaked. Happy. Very happy.
I untied the kerchief. “Thank you.” I plunked the lug nuts down next to the dragon pig, and it went to town, sucking up those hunks of metal.
“So what did you need to see me about?”
“Since you’re not on vacation, I thought we might as well do this now. Why aren’t you on vacation, by the way?”
Jean snorted, then rubbed whipped cream off her nose. “So many things on her plate. Such a busy woman. Ordinary won’t survive if she doesn’t babysit.”
“I don’t babysit,” I groused. “I’m the Chief of Police. I protect.”
Jean rolled her eyes. “We’re fine, Delaney. I don’t know how many times I have to say that. We. Are. Fine.”
“Here we go!” Piper arrived at our table with a serving tray.
“Did you order for us?” I asked Frigg.
Frigg shook her head. “Why bother when Piper knows what we want anyway?”
Piper blushed, pleased with the compliment. She was a demigod, the only one in town, and her relationship with the gods was sometimes strained.
Her ability to know what someone was going to order was pretty cool, though. On the table, she placed clam chowder for Jean, a chicken salad for me, and a veggie burger for Frigg.
“How’d I do?” she asked. “Everyone happy?”
“This looks great.” Jean and Frigg looked just as satisfied.