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“They asked you to shadow me and learn from me, and we’re done for the night. Go back and enjoy the rest of it.”
Ryan now looked at him like he had grown two heads, but the younger man was quick to recover.
“Awesome. I will. What about you? Can I tempt you to a glass or two?”
Nothing inside that bar tempted him, so he shook his head.
“I’m going to call it a night. Early day tomorrow.”
“To hand out more offers?”
“No. Meetup. Miss Sutton agreed to handle the issue.”
There was no mistaking the excitement on Ryan’s face, but Henry was already walking away before the guy could pounce on him with questions. He called Gunther on his way home.
“I have the box. Miss Sutton agreed too.”
“I heard.”
“Join me.”
“I can’t.” There was a deliberate pause, then, “Grandma, would you like to talk to Henry?”
Translation: Verity Lyra had been listening in from the start. Henry softened his urgent tone. “Good evening, Grandma. To what do I owe the honor of your eavesdropping?”
There was a scoff. “You missed dinner at my house.”
“I apologize. I am laden with tasks and business deals, and I have closed the ones you put as priorities in your list.”
He could feel Verity ready to lecture, only to pause. “Even the Paulson deal?”
“It was the first one I closed. They are happy to sell us their house, including everything in it, since they’re moving to one farther from the center of the island.”
“Paintings. I want their paintings,” Verity demanded. “They’re from some of our most famous warlock ancestors and rich in magic.”
“It’s part of the deal.”
“Good.” There was a satisfied hum before Verity got to the topic that Henry knew would not be ignored. “What box is Gunther talking about, Henry?”
“Seeds,” Henry replied promptly. “Mr. Mallory sold me some seeds from his swamp home.”
“You bought something from that man?” Verity shuddered. “All that dirt and disease…”
“They’re very rare seeds. Ripe with magic. They will make the garden thrive.”
Which meant he needed to find actual seeds to make that happen. Verity was still reluctant, but didn’t broach the topic anymore and moved on to the next.
“We still need to deal with our family’s issue. It’s been going on for way too long and, as much as I hate to admit it, we need outside help. Now.”
“I will deal with it.”
“Nothing illegal, Henry. And we need someone who has skills and a good reputation. I don’t want our family name smeared by association.”
Too late, at least on the illegal part.
“I will deal with it,” Henry repeated. “Say hello to Grandpa for me. Tell Gunther he doesn’t need to check out the seeds. Dinner is more important and I will attend the next one.”
“Is that Henry?” a voice called from the background, faint but familiar. Henry’s back went up. “Is he working on a solution? You know how humiliating this will be once word gets out. I don’t want to be humiliated.”
