Page 3

“Unless that guy River is one of the employees, I highly doubt I’d say no.” I forced a chuckle.

“He owns the tattoo parlor two doors down from the coffee shop.”

Oh-h-h, I loved tattoos. Well, I used to. Guess I had enough ink on my body at this point, because there was no way in Hades I’d let that guy near me with a needle.

I followed Queenie through the back door, where a minotaur with giant horns and a thick gold ring through his nostrils was heading our way balancing four really large boxes in his arms.

I scurried out of the way, and Queenie held the door for the minotaur. “Thanks, love,” he said in a gravelly voice.

When he caught sight of me, he paused. “Hello there. Are you the latest to interviewee for the coffee shop position?”

“I am,” I said with far more confidence than I felt. Why had it been so difficult to fill this position?

“If you decide to take it and need anything at all, just give me a shout.”

“Thanks,” I said to his retreating back. Guess the history buffs got it wrong. That guy didn’t seem mean at all. Except—oh, wait. Once the door was closed and Queenie started walking down the alley, I asked, “Does he eat, er, human flesh?”

I mean, none of us here were human, but we were still made of the same flesh. If that’s all he needed…

Queenie snorted. “He’s a vegetarian. And he only serves vegetarian dishes at the pub. They are delicious, I promise. Although if you are a meat eater, just wait until Asmoday throws one of his shindigs. Actually, you’ll have the chance sooner than later. if you choose to stay, you’ll rent a room at his B&B until you can find more permanent accommodations. Oh, and there’s also the Halloween festival coming up. You know how we small- town residents love our festivals.” She chuckled.

I frowned. There was a lot to wrap my head around in that little speech, but I focused on the fact that it sounded like there was a single option for accommodations in this town.

Although, honestly, was that really so surprising? This entire town was maybe four blocks long. To the west was a hellmouth that apparently had a habit of opening and letting demons out—let’s hope that issue had been fixed—and then, after that, nothing at all but dusty tumbleweeds and hungry scavenger birds.

To the east was a road that eventually split; the lane that headed southeast ultimately reached San Antonio, while the lane going northeast would take you to Dallas.

There wasn’t much in between.

Queenie hung a left and headed down a garden path between two buildings. I hurried along next to her, impressed by how quickly a woman wrapped in strips of linen from head to toe could move.

When we reached the sidewalk, she waved at the building to my right. “Conveniently, the B&B is right across the street from the coffee shop.”

I stared up at an old antebellum-style house nestled among the various businesses on Main Street. Like most of the buildings in this town, the exterior was whitewashed brick. What set this one apart were the white pillars running along the gigantic porches on the bottom level and the second story. Ferns hung between each of the pillars, again on both levels. There were cozy seating areas with cushioned chairs and small wicker tables. Ceiling fans twirled gently on both levels.

Each of the pillars was wrapped with dried cornstalks. Pumpkins and oddly shaped gourds rested on the steps to the porch. Two half barrels overflowed with yellow and rust-colored mums.

Witches’ hats hung from the ceiling.

I smirked. Cute.

“Come, come,” Queenie said, waving as she started across the street. After a moment’s silence, she added, “Don’t hold what he said against him.”

“Who?”

“River. He didn’t mean it.”

Oh, I was reasonably confident he meant every word. What I didn’t know was why he felt the way he did. About a woman he’d never met.

Snap judgments much?

“He had a hard time of it before landing here in Arrythmia,” Queenie continued. “And he’s still scarred.”

Aren’t we all? I kept that thought to myself, instead giving her a noncommittal, “Mm-hmm.”

“I think you’ll like him after you meet him.”

If I had my way, we’d never meet. I had gotten pretty damn good at avoiding people who’d hurt me over the years; I bet I could do a passable job of avoiding some guy named River who despised me sight unseen.