Page 12 of Manors & Mischief

In order for a hidden door to be found, people, you know, need to not know about it.

Jackass. It wasn’t so much that he told me people already knew about it. It was a hidden door for me. Then he went and ruined my day of exploring by telling me exactly where the door would lead. Who does that? It’s like telling someone on the beach the end to the book they’re reading.

It might have taken me a long time to figure it out but people who dim the lights of others are just miserable ninnies. That’s right. Ninnies.

The front gate clangs, and my gaze darts up to find the nice woman, Bea, from the meeting walking up the overgrown sidewalk with two coffee cups in her hand. That’s right. She owns the café. She tests her foot on the front stair, and I hear Devon say, “I wouldn’t if I were you.”

The gasp she lets out even startles me.

I run to the front door while Bea hurries up the steps toward Devon. “Here. Let me help you,” she says.

“No need for that,” I say to her sweetly after swinging the door open. “Devon, here, knows exactly what he’s doing.”

Bea stands, her black hair is in a side ponytail, pumpkin earrings dangling from her ears. She looks between the two of us. I have no doubt he’s scowling at me right now, and I would return it if I didn’t want to chase someone nice away.

“I seem to have stumbled onto something weird here.”

“Nope. Not weird at all. You see, this is fate’s way of getting back at Devon. I fell through the porch last night, and he left me here all alone.”

Bea’s nose pinches. “That doesn’t sound like Devon.”

“It does to me.”

Bea narrows her gaze between us then offers a coffee cup to me. “I brought you this. Pumpkin spice latte. I figured you’d be busy inside the manor all day and would need a pick-me-up.”

“You are a queen.” Instead of just taking the coffee from her, I pull her in for a quick hug. “You have no idea.”

“I didn’t know you’d be keeping Devon hostage though…”

“Oh, I’m not keeping him hostage.” I move to stand next to Bea, taking the cap off the coffee and inhaling. “No, he’s free to leave at any time.”

“She’s blackmailing me.”

Bea peers over, and I shrug. “The weird thing is, everyone in town keeps saying that Devon Lachey will help me. Sure, find Devon, and he’ll help you with your car.” I gesture with my hands. “Here’s the number to the town handyman, he’ll help you. Instead, all I get is this grumpy face who refuses to have anything to do with me.”

“To be fair, it’s not personal. I wouldn’t want anything to do with whoever bought Sleepy Hollow Manor.”

“Oh, is that all?” I mock. “Let me just give it back.”

His gaze look hopeful, but I roll my eyes, and his face falls again.

“Let me guess, you wanted the manor?”

“I did.” He shakes his head. “I do.”

“Well, you could’ve bought it. My real-estate agent said it had been on the market for a while.”

He clenches his jaw, and for some reason, I feel a bit of solidarity having Bea by my side. Or maybe it’s just because I’m standing over him, and I know he’s currently in a vulnerable position.

I take a sip of the pumpkin spice latte and still. I swallow the happy flavors in my mouth and smile. It’s perfect. “Oh my gosh, Bea. This is delicious.”

“Thank you.” She follows it up with a genuine grin of her own.

I place my hand on her shoulder. “I’m so relieved we have a good café in town. You just got yourself a customer for life.”

“Surely you’re not staying that long,” Devon grinds out.

“Oh, I am. I’m staying forever. Maybe even when I die, I’ll haunt the place, and if anyone tries to sell it to you or any of your descendants, I’ll curse and haunt them too.”