37. Epilogue

Chapter 37

Epilogue

Hannah

A Month Later

W ith Blake on vacation, Monsters, PI needed a few volunteers to staff the front desk. Thain, their new ogre hire, sat out front all morning because he was still only taking on easier cases and the regular staff was busy handling other things. Melly took a shift in the afternoon, and since Reylor was managing things while Katar took paternity leave, I volunteered to manage the lunch hour. My building was nearly ready to open, and I only needed to put the finishing touches in each room and the downstairs areas, something I could do during the morning and afternoon.

As for the great mystery Justin had left behind?

Evelyn was convicted. She served her community service and fled town not long after, and I was grateful I hadn’t seen her since. A few demons stopped by once to ask me if I’d seen her, but honestly, I could tell them I hadn’t. They’d left as well, following her trail, and I wasn’t sure if I hoped they’d find her or not. As long as she didn’t return to Mystic Harbor or reach out to me again, I was happy.

Victor had profusely apologized for ruining my gardens and came by with some perennials to sweeten his apology. He even offered to rebuild my back deck. We had an uneasy truce that I hoped would smooth out into friendship, though we’d see. I still sent him recipes on occasion, and he’d started to send a few future guests my way.

Grant had served a few days in jail and left town after he was released. Estadore fired him, and no other realtor would hire him after what happened. Last I’d heard, he was working in a retail store near Boston.

As for Sylvia, her family arrived and said they’d take over her care. She was still ranting about needing to find it, though she wasn’t revealing what “it” might be. The judge dismissed the charges, and her family took her back home with them to Florida, selling her antique store and the apartment above not long after. A woman had bought it, and I’d heard she planned to move to town soon and open a new business while living in the apartment above. The location would be perfect for almost anything.

And Justin? It was hard to say if ghosts existed, but I swore he left little signs. A bouquet of flowers on the counter Reylor denied giving me. A piece of jewelry sitting on my bureau when I was about to go out for dinner. Even a good book when I was bored and didn’t know what to read. From the things he left for Reylor, it was clear he liked that my love had moved into the B&B and that we were happy together.

That was good enough for me.

When I first moved into the building, I went through the books in the library, and I found an old map. Since it was among a pile of children’s books, I’d left it there, thinking the children of guests might enjoy pretending they were following a pirate’s map to treasure.

Instead, the map led us to the floor of the wine cellar. When we dug down in the marked spot a few feet, we found a small chest full of gold Roman artifacts. I’d donated them to the local museum, and they were planning an exhibition of them soon.

Now I was covering the desk at Monsters, PI, and let me tell you, the phone rang almost nonstop. This business was building a solid rep, and they were going to be busy.

During a lull, Reylor strode down the hall with his latest client, a pixie trying to prevent a feud with her family. He would be performing some delicate negotiations, and I found what little he could share fascinating.

After the pixie flew out the front door, he walked over to stand beside the desk, his warm gaze traveling down my frame. He could heat me up with one glance, and I loved it. Loved him.

We had plans for the afternoon, and the picnic basket I’d packed sat in the trunk of my car.

The phone rang but it was a wrong number.

“Melly should be here soon to take over for you,” he said after I hung up.

The front door opened, and a woman with shoulder length, wavy brown hair and the best eye makeup I’ve ever seen strolled in. She paused and said something to the older woman with her, before they advanced on the desk.

“I’m Reese Hamilton.” She gave us both a smile and gestured to the woman by her side. “This is my assistant, Tracy Davenport.”

Ah, one of Monster, PI’s new clients, the famous thriller author who grew up in Mystic Harbor but moved away five or so years ago. She’d decided to settle in the area and had recently bought a home on the cliffs overlooking the water. Because someone had been threatening her, her assistant had reached out to us to secure a bodyguard on a temporary basis until they could interview and hire permanent staff.

“Nice to meet you both,” I said, and Reylor murmured agreement. “I’m Hannah, but I’m only filling in at the reception desk while the regular guy is on vacation. You’ll meet Blake next week when he’s back.” I tilted my head to Reylor and introduced him. “He’s covering for the owner, Katar, while Katar takes paternity leave. His daughter just turned one month old, and she’s a sweetie.”

“Amazing that he took the time off,” Reese said pleasantly.

I smiled. “He’s a great guy. Reylor can introduce you to Wolfram Zegrath, who’ll be providing the services you requested.”

“Is Wolfram good at this?” Tracy asked in a haughtier tone than Reese. “Because we will only work with the best.”

“He’s an ancient vampire,” Reylor said, and I admired how civil he remained. “No one, and I mean no one, will come close to threatening Reese while she’s under his care.”

“A vampire?” Tracy gasped, her hand fluttering at her throat.

“Cool,” Reese said.

I sent Wolfram a text, and he came down the hall, his black cape swishing around his legs and his red bow tie almost gleaming against his starched white shirt.

When he reached the end of the hall, his gaze landed on Reese, and I could swear he blanched, though that would be hard to do since he was pale already. He came across as stilted and stuffy at first, but I’d spoken with him a few times in the break room, and he was a nice guy. Smart and articulate.

Tracy’s gaze landed on him, and she released another gasp and backed away.

“Oh, cool,” Reese said in a cheery voice. “I assume you’re Wolfram?” She strode over to him and held out her hand. “I’m Reese Hamilton, your new client.”

He stared down at her hand for a very long time before reaching up to take it in his own.

When he dropped to his knees, I was the one left gasping.

Reylor grinned, and later, he was going to have to explain why he found this so funny.

Tracy took stuttering breaths while Wolfram leaned over to kiss the back of Reese’s hand. He gazed up at her with a look I couldn’t define. Was our overly formal vampire softening for one woman alone? Maybe I’d offer to cover lunches here for a bit to see this in action.

“If you’ll come this way.” Wolfram stood and gestured to the hallway. “We can begin.”

“Sure thing.” Reese trotted along beside him. “Can I call you Wolf for short?”

“It’s Wolfram,” he intoned in a deep voice. “Wolfram Xavier Vladimir Zegrath, if you please.”

“Whoa, that’s a mouthful. Do you really drink blood?”

“I’m a vampire, my dear.”

“And now you sound stuffy.”

“I’m anything but.”

No, he really did sound stuffy, but in a cute way. I actually liked him a lot.

“Vladimir, huh?” Reese tilted her head back to look up at him. “Don’t you find that a cliché?”

Pausing, he blinked down at her. “Why would I?”

“Vampire. Vladimir?” Her low laugh rang out. “I mean . . .” She flicked the edge of his cape and leaped up to tap his bow tie. “Cliché.”

“I’m not a cliché.”

“Sorry. I didn’t mean anything by it.” She took his hand and squeezed it.

A shudder ripped through Wolfram, but he stiffened his spine and smoothed his face. “As for the name Vladimir, I’m older than Dracula. If anything, he copied me.”

“Oh.” Her mouth formed a circle. “How old are we talking about here?”

“ Very old.” They entered his office.

Tracy came to her senses and raced after them, and the door shut, leaving me and Reylor alone. Not for long, however. Melly arrived to cover the desk for the next hour, and Reylor and I left for our picnic.

We spread a blanket out in a low spot in the dunes and sat and ate the lunch I’d prepared. After, we packed everything in the basket and lounged under the umbrella on the blanket.

We might’ve made out a bit.

Reylor might’ve gotten onto his knees and asked me to marry him.

I might’ve said yes.

And we might’ve celebrated our upcoming nuptials right then and there on that blanket.

I hope you enjoyed Reylor & Hannah’s romance!

I had so much fun with my dragon shifter and this story.

Next up is Reese and Wolfram’s story, and I can’t

wait to share my cryptic vampire and sweet/sunshine heroine with you

--plus the mystery of who’s trying to harm her.