She placed Dan’s hat on the hook by the front door and led the way into the kitchen. Ashure sniffed the air and smiled in appreciation, his stomach rumbling with approval. He moved to take a seat when she waved a hand toward the table.
Dan’s eyes followed Tonya as she retrieved another place setting for him. Ashure grimaced in annoyance when the man’s focus remained a moment longer than it should have on Tonya’s delightful derrière. He lifted his hand as if to rub his jaw and delivered a simple shock spell to Dan. Dan jerked in surprise, rubbed his arm, and looked at Ashure with a puzzled expression. Ashure merely smiled politely at the man.
Tonya returned to the table and placed a plate, some silverware, a cup of coffee, and a glass of juice in front of Dan. Ashure rose from his seat and reached for her chair at the same time that Dan did. She looked back and forth between the two of them before she shook her head, grabbed the back of the chair, and pulled it out for herself.
“Bon appétit,” she murmured before scooping a spoonful of eggs onto her plate.
“A feast fit for a King,” Ashure commented, filling his plate.
Tonya paused, her fork halfway to her mouth. He gave her an innocent smile when she shot him a look of warning. He raised his fork filled with the fluffy eggs in her direction.
“So, I don’t think I caught your name,” Dan said.
“Perhaps because I didn’t give it,” Ashure replied.
“Ashure Waves, Deputy Dan Bradley,” Tonya introduced.
“Ashure, that is an unusual name,” Dan reflected.
“For a very unusual man,” Ashure quipped.
“O-kay, I think we’ve covered names. What brings you out this morning, Dan?” Tonya asked.
Dan smiled at her. “Besides this fantastic breakfast? I had an interesting talk with Max Bennett this morning,” he said.
Tonya groaned. “It looks like he was on a roll bright and early this morning. What’d he want?” she grumbled.
“He asked me to keep an eye on you for him. I told him ‘no problem’,” Dan shared.
“That will not be necessary now that I am here,” Ashure stated.
Dan looked at him with an irritated expression. Tonya’s glare proved she was just as annoyed. He picked up the glass of juice and took a sip.
“You’re staying here?” Dan questioned.
Tonya shook her head. “No, he is not. Ashure is an old friend who came by unexpectedly. He’ll be leaving again soon—very soon,” she added.
“What kind of old friend?” Dan inquired, trying to act nonchalant.
“Not that kind! I need more coffee. Does anyone else need more coffee?” she snapped, pushing her chair back and rising to her feet.
“So—how did you meet?” Dan asked.
“She hit me upside the head with a mop before hitting me in—” Ashure began.
“He startled me, and I reacted. How are things going with the new job?” Tonya interjected with a bang of her coffee cup, sloshing a little on the table.
Dan looked back and forth between them. “Good—all’s good. No more strange disappearances,” he murmured.
“That is a very good thing indeed,” Ashure agreed with a grin.
He barely hid his wince when he felt a sharp kick to his shin. This was going to be a long and—if he wasn’t careful—painful breakfast. He decided it would be best if he kept his jealousy under control—something that was going to be a bit of a challenge if this man didn’t stop eyeing Tonya like she was a precious gem just waiting to be picked up and pocketed.
5
“So are you and he…?” Dan asked almost an hour later as he and Tonya walked out onto the porch.
Tonya looked at Dan with a shocked expression. “Who—Ashure and me? No, no, it is nothing like that. I hardly know him. He’s more of a friend of a friend, really. He just—dropped in unexpectedly last night and needed a place to crash. I suspect he’ll be leaving later today. He’s a very busy guy and all,” she hurriedly said.
“Oh, that’s good,” Dan commented.
He turned on the first step and fingered his hat before he placed it on his head. It was an awkward exchange that Tonya was really trying to ignore. Between Ashure’s snide innuendos throughout breakfast and Dan’s constant pressing for more information, she was ready for a stiff drink and it wasn’t even nine o’clock in the morning yet.
“Well, I hope to see you later. If you aren’t doing anything, maybe we can grab dinner at one of the restaurants downtown some evening,” Dan said.
“That would be nice,” she distractedly responded before she thought through what he had just said.
“Great! I’ll call you later this evening,” he said with a huge grin.
“I should know more about what’s going on with Ashure by then,” she mumbled.
“Even better. I’ll see you later. If you need anything, don’t hesitate to give me a call,” he responded with a nod.
“I won’t,” she replied.
She watched Dan walk to his patrol car and get in. She kept the smile plastered on her lips and raised her hand in farewell until he turned the car around. Dropping her hand to her side, anger built inside her until Tonya felt like a boiling tea kettle about to blow its top. Turning on her heel, she pushed through the front door. She could hear Ashure humming as he cleaned the kitchen.
Her temper disappeared into mute astonishment at the scene in front of her. Her—or rather Mike’s—kitchen looked like a scene out of Fantasia or the Sword in the Stone. Brushes cleaned dirty plates, cups, and silverware in sudsy water, a broom danced across the floor with a dustpan chasing after it, a dish towel dried the newly cleaned dishes, and cabinet doors opened like enchanted mouths to swallow each item. All of this was happening while Ashure sat at the table, sipping coffee and waving his hand in tempo with some strange song.
“Oh, my freaking god, what are you doing?” she hissed in a barely audible voice.
He looked at her with a raised eyebrow. “You instructed me to clean the kitchen; so, I am cleaning the kitchen,” he smugly answered.
It was too much for her overtaxed brain. She’d had too little sleep and too much weirdness over the past month to deal with this. Pressing her lips together, she turned on her heel and retraced her steps to the front door. She yanked her jacket off of the hook as she pulled the door open and stepped back outside. Air—what she needed was a lot of fresh ocean air—and no men.
Ashure waved his hand and the broom and dustpan retreated to the small closet. While he wasn’t as versatile as a witch, he had inherited magic from the Fairies, and being the Keeper of Lost Souls gave him raw power that was rather unique.
He rose from his chair when he heard the front door open and close. Concern swept through him when he thought of the expression of shock on Tonya’s face when she’d stepped into the room. Perhaps he had gone a bit too far.
A movement outside of the window caught his attention, and he saw Tonya walk along the sandy path between the sea oats. She had her head down and walked with slow, measured steps. Once again, an overwhelming sense of longing to hold her in his arms swept through him.