Yule Be Magical (Familiar Kitten Mysteries Book 8) by Sara Bourgeois (popular novels TXT) 📗

Suddenly, I missed him terribly, but I felt silly for admitting it. It was as if a huge part of me was off somewhere else, and I just wanted Thorn back at my side. It wasn’t an entirely unpleasant feeling. I decided to be happy that I longed for my husband, and left the kitchen, after feeding Meri, to get ready for my day.

Reggie had a bright smile on her face when I walked into the shop, but I wasn’t entirely sure if it was for me or for the latte I’d stopped off to buy her on my way into work.

“Ohh, coffee,” she said and cleared up any doubt.

“Good morning to you too,” I teased as I handed it to her.

“You’re in a particularly good mood this morning,” she said. “Thank you for the coffee.”

I waited until she swallowed the sip she’d taken before I showed her the wedding band on my finger. Something else Thorn had stowed away in his cruiser, and I had his ring in the little velvet spell bag I always kept tied either around or to my waist.

“Wait, is that?” Reggie asked and set her coffee down on the counter. We were inside the shop at that point, and she was getting ready to open the cash register. “How, though? Oh my gosh, congratulations! I wonder if Jeremy knows yet. He must if he’s seen Thorn this morning, but he didn’t call me. Ugh.”

“Well, he’s probably busy working,” I said with a chuckle, “and thank you. We did it yesterday at the courthouse. I ran into Thorn coming out of the Brew Station, and he asked me again to just go do it. I couldn’t tell him no because… I don’t know. Something had shifted. There really was this dark veil hanging over the two of us, but something happened yesterday. Any feelings or doubts I had about Azriel evaporated. The last little hooks he had in me were broken, and that veil was lifted off me and Thorn. We were able to admit our mistakes and move forward.”

“That’s so amazing,” Reggie said. She came around the counter and pulled me into a hug. “I’m so happy for you guys. Did you tell everyone yet?”

“I told Viv this morning when I got coffee. She did a happy dance. I called my parents, and they weren’t mad at me for not being there, but they do want to throw a hand-fasting ceremony for us. All the Aunties and such business. You know the drill. I called Dorian, but it went to voicemail. I sent him a text too, but you know that Isaac is coming to visit him, right? They actually might work things out, so I don’t want to bother him too much.”

“He’d want to know this,” she said. “Dorian wouldn’t consider it a bother.”

“Well, if I haven’t heard from him by afternoon, I’ll send him another text. I think he knows I’m working down here now, but if not, I’ll make sure he knows that too.”

The weather still held for the most part, so the shop was busy with tourists all day. There was also a succession of witches who heard the news that I was finally married, so they all stopped by to wish me well or bless the marriage. Dorian even came down from his apartment and hung around with us for a while during a brief lull that afternoon. Isaac was due in that evening for his visit, though, and we told Dorian we didn’t expect to see him much for at least a couple of days.

He countered that by telling us that Isaac wanted to take all of the available haunted history tours, so we would probably see more of the two of them than we expected. I thought that was an excellent idea. How could you not love Coventry after such a grand introduction? Or reintroduction. Isaac had been to our town before, but I still didn’t believe he’d been properly introduced.

I thought that by the time I was locking up I would have been exhausted, but I was buzzing with good energy. I was full of… curiosity too.

I wanted to talk to Karen about why Jeremy had come to see her at the bed and breakfast, but I needed a segue into the conversation. I didn’t want it to immediately come off as me investigating.

The only thing I could think of off the top of my head was to go in and ask if Azriel had left anything behind in his room. I’d paid for his charges, so I should be able to see anything he left. I was kind of surprised she hadn’t offered that while I was there, but I told myself that perhaps she’d thought I didn’t care.

Karen owed me a favor, so it wouldn’t hurt for her to pay that back with a little information. I had a while before I needed to get home and start dinner. Thorn didn’t work regular hours, and there were often at least two or three hours before I closed the shop and he showed up for dinner.

Meri was only halfway interested in what I was doing, and I didn’t get any actual complaints from him. So, we got into the car and drove over to the Bootique.

Karen smiled when I walked inside. “Kinsley, hello. I heard the good news. Are you here to book my honeymoon suite? It’s stunning,” she said and I felt bad. While I would have loved to book the suite for Thorn and me, I felt like it wasn’t a good time. With him having to get up so early for work and all, we wouldn’t have been able to spend long mornings snuggling in the comfy beds or enjoy the breakfast part of the bed and breakfast. I’d heard rumors that Karen’s breakfast spread was legendary.

“I wish,” I said. “Thorn’s too busy with work, and I’m busy with the shop. As soon as we can get some time,