He had a good point. People wanted to trust the companies they did business with and Radiance had been so corrupt that they’d never keep their clientele.
“Have you let Trevor out yet?”
He reached over and patted my hand. “Yes, Persia, thanks to you, Trevor’s a free man. I let him out of jail this morning, and apologized to him.”
“What I still don’t understand is why Colleen pinned the crime on his shoulders.” Auntie said.
Kyle spoke up. “Trevor was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. Colleen witnessed the argument between Lydia and Trev, and it fell together in her mind right then. It was easy enough for her to grab his hammer out of his truck while he was off eating lunch. And Colleen was the one who called Trevor, pretending to be Lydia to get him alone so he wouldn’t have an alibi.”
I stared at the water as the waves crested gently against the shore. Trevor had given his heart to Lydia and look what it had gotten him. Love… one of life’s greatest gifts, and one of its greatest banes. Which reminded me. Elliot was moving to town. Shit, what the hell was I going to do about him?
Kyle interrupted my thoughts. “Persia, can I talk to you for a moment?”
He walked me down to the water’s edge. “I know I’ve been acting pretty snotty to you. I think I’ve realized why. I was looking at a picture of Katy today—she was my wife. You know, you remind me of her. You were both strong women, both brilliant.”
I just nodded, letting him talk.
“Thing is, when she died, it felt like my gut had been ripped out. And when you came home, I think I felt guilty because I found myself attracted to you. Anyway, I’m sorry. It’s not your fault.”
I didn’t want him to be attracted to me, but I couldn’t be rude. Couldn’t shake off his confession like it meant nothing. I touched his arm. “Kyle, everything’s okay. It must be hard. I never met Katy, but from what I’ve heard about her, she was pretty special.”
He smiled then, a broad smile that lit up his face. “Yeah, she was. I’d like to tell you about her sometime. Would you consider going out to dinner with me? Not a date—I promise. Just two old friends, having dinner together.”
Not a date. That was good, because the last thing I needed was to get involved with someone like Kyle. Good friends? Yes. Lovers? No. Besides, my mind was still on Bran Stanton, who I found intriguing and altogether delicious. But dinner with a friend? That I could do.
“Sure thing. I’d like to hear about Katy. Bring pictures, okay?”
He let out a long sigh of relief. “Thank God. After that stupid mistake with the kiss, I was afraid to ask. You pack a good punch, lady. You know that?”
I snorted. “Of course I know it. And I’m proud of it.”
We rejoined the others, where Kyle said a quick good-bye and headed off to work. I linked arms with Auntie and Barbara and we strolled along the shore. The waves were crashing and the constant susurration of the wind sounded like wind chimes and voices mingling into a melody fresh in off the ocean. Barbara said something silly—I don’t remember what it was—and we all laughed.
We stopped at the foot of the lighthouse, and Auntie turned to me and gave me a fierce hug. “I am so glad you came back to Gull Harbor, Imp.”
As I stared out at the ever-changing dance of the waves, I knew it was true. I was home. Regardless of exboyfriends moving to town and local beauty queens getting murdered in our shop, regardless of anything else that might happen, I was home.
~End~
If you enjoyed this book, the other two—A BLUSH WITH DEATH and GLOSSED AND FOUND will be out within the six weeks.
For hot, steamy paranormal romance with a touch of dark humor, you might want to read BEWITCHING BEDLAM. Also, BLOOD MUSIC the prequel novelette to Bewitching Bedlam, is available for only $0.99 and the next BB book will be out in July 2017.
If you like post apocalyptic fantasy romance, I invite you to check out my Fury Unbound Series: FURY RISING and FURY’S MAGIC are available now.
And sign up for my newsletter to stay tuned for my upcoming releases:
May: MOON SHIMMERS (Otherworld Series, Book 19)
June: FURY AWAKENED (Fury Unbound Series, Book 3)
July: MAUDLIN’S MAYHEM (Bewitching Bedlam Series, Book 2)
August: FURY CALLING (Fury Unbound Series, book 4)
October: SIREN’S SONG (Bewitching Bedlam Series, Book 3)
October: TAMING THE SHIFTER (Anthology, Bewitching Bedlam novelette)
November: FURY’S MANTLE (Fury Unbound Series, Book 4)
November: WINTER’S HEAT (Anthology, Bewitching Bedlam novelette)
December: SILENT NIGHT (An Otherworld Novelette)
Biography
New York Times, Publishers Weekly, and USA Today bestselling author Yasmine Galenorn writes urban fantasy and paranormal romance, and is the author of over fifty books, including the Otherworld Series, the Fury Unbound Series, the Bewitching Bedlam Series, and many more. She’s also written nonfiction metaphysical books. She is the 2011 Career Achievement Award Winner in Urban Fantasy, given by RT Magazine.
Books by Yasmine Galenorn:
Fury Unbound Series:
Fury Rising
Fury’s Magic
Fury Awakened (May 2017)
Fury Calling (August 2017)
Fury’s Mantle (November 2017)
Bewitching Bedlam Series:
Blood Music (Prequel novelette)
Bewitching Bedlam
Maudlin’s Mayhem (July 2017)
Siren’s Song (October 2017)
Whisper Hollow Series (in order):
Autumn Thorns
Shadow Silence
Otherworld Series (in order):
Witchling
Changeling
Darkling
Dragon Wytch
Night Huntress
Demon Mistress
Bone Magic
Harvest Hunting
Blood Wyne
Courting Darkness
Shaded Vision
Shadow Rising
Haunted Moon
Autumn Whispers
Crimson Veil
Priestess Dreaming
Panther Prowling
Darkness Raging
Harvest Song (2018)
Blood Bonds (2019)
Otherworld: E-Novellas:
The Shadow of Mist: Otherworld novella
Etched in Silver: Otherworld novella
Ice Shards: Otherworld novella
Flight From Hell: Otherworld--Fly By Night crossover novella
Earthbound
Silent Night: Otherworld Holiday Novella (December 2017)
Otherworld: Short Collections:
Tales From Otherworld: Collection One
Men of Otherworld: Collection One
Men of Otherworld: Collection Two
Moon Swept: Otherworld Tales of First Love
Chintz ‘n China Series:
Ghost of a Chance
Legend of the Jade Dragon
Murder Under a Mystic Moon
A Harvest of Bones
One Hex of a Wedding
Holiday Spirits
Lily Bound Series (in order):
Souljacker
Fly By Night Series (in order):
Flight from Death
Flight from Mayhem
Indigo Court Series (in order):
Night Myst
Night Veil
Night Seeker
Night Vision
Night’s End
Indigo Court: Novellas:
Night Shivers
y Collections:
Mist and Shadows: Short Tales From Dark Haunts
Bath and Body Series (under the name India Ink):
Scent to Her Grave
A Blush With Death
Glossed and Found
Anthologies:
Winter’s Heat (A Bewitching Bedlam novelette
Taming the Shifter (A Bewitching Bedlam novelette)
Once Upon a Kiss (short story: Princess Charming)
Silver Belles (short story: The Longest Night)
Once Upon a Curse (short story: Bones)
Never After (Otherworld novella: The Shadow of Mist)
Inked (Otherworld novella: Etched in Silver)
Hexed (Otherworld novella: Ice Shards)
Songs of Love & Death (short story: Man in the Mirror)
Songs of Love and Darkness (short story: Man in the Mirror)
Nyx in the House of Night (article: She is Goddess)
A Second Helping of Murder (recipe: Clam Chowder)
Magickal Nonfiction:
From Llewellyn Publications and Ten Speed Press:
Trancing the Witch’s Wheel
Embracing the Moon
Dancing with the Sun
Tarot Journeys
Crafting the Body Divine
Sexual Ecstasy and the Divine
Totem Magic
Magical Meditations