He slipped his arms around my waist. “I told you I don’t know who sent the rat.” He pressed a kiss to my temple. “Now, why don’t I clean up that mess while you tell me about your day.” Releasing me, he busied himself finding a roll of paper towels and some multipurpose cleaner.
“But—”
“Any good name ideas for the babies today?” he asked, crouching down to get to work on the floor.
I sighed. He wasn’t going to tell me even if he knew something.
“Not really, no.” Since it was nearly closing time, I grabbed a cookie from the display case and nibbled at the edge of it. Might as well eat it since it didn’t look like I was going to sell it today. “I can’t believe there are thirteen of them.”
Horst bunched up an overly enthusiastic wad of paper towels. “If you think about it, you really got an incredible deal onthat rat. You paid ten bucks for her, and then you got thirteen extra for free. You’re a hell of a shopper, Glory O’Bryan.”
“Let’s hope I don’t find any more bargains like this one.”
“Thirteen. That’s a baker’s dozen, isn’t it? Seems like fate to me.” He finished cleaning up the cupcake, dumping the used paper towels into the trash. Then he disappeared into the kitchen. I could hear the water running as he washed his hands.
“Yeah, well, fate’s a bitch,” I called.
He returned, his head tipped at the precise angle you see male models do in cologne ads. “Or maybe fate knew those little babies would be safe with you.” His eyes softened. “Maybe fate knew you’re the kind of person vulnerable creatures can be safe with.”
I took another bite of my cookie, wondering if he meant more by that than just that I was a sucker for baby rodents. But it was Horst, and I didn’t always understand what he was trying to tell me.
Then he sauntered closer, a predatory aura around him. “I had a thought.”
“Was it about baby rats or sex?”
“Glory O’Bryan! Your mind is stuck in the gutter—and, yes, I’m feeling smug that gutter works for both rats and sex. Actually, I was thinking about neither of those things.”
“Oh?”
“I was thinking you need to unwind a little.”
“I don’t really have time to unwind. I’m still getting everything situated for the party and—”
He pressed a finger to my lips. “That’s exactly what I was thinking. So why not kill two birds with one stone?” His honey gold eyes glimmered. “Up for an adventure?”
Chapter Fourteen
I thought perhaps we would sneak into the Enchanted Forest again, or walk along the harbor, or...well, I didn’t know. But keep in mind the last time he took me out for a romantic evening, there were dancing kobolds and luminous algae involved.
This time, he took me to a strip mall.
And not a cute strip mall, either. Not one of those strip malls with pretty signs and flowers growing in well-maintained planters and little boutiques open late.
No, he drove me to the outskirts of Gallows Bay, to a strip mall anchored on one side by a giant warehouse-looking place and on the other by a pawn shop with a bunch of 3D deer targets displayed in the window. In between were a few nondescript establishments—a print-and-ship shop, a store that appeared to sell scratch-and-dent exercise equipment, a cut-rate tanning salon—all very obviously closed.
