6. Rowan

6

ROWAN

" H e said that?" Eloise asked, her fingers laced under her chin, brown eyes wide as Rowan recounted her meeting with the demon lawyer.

The pair of them were tucked in a corner of the local coffee shop, Roasted & Toasted, where they'd met for lunch and a recap. Eloise was perhaps a tad too into the fact that the lawyer was the crossroads demon from last night.

Rowan swallowed the bite of her fried green tomato sandwich on toasted sourdough and wiped her mouth. "Yep. Gave me this super-intense look when he said it, too." She squirmed, remembering the way his gaze seemed to sweep over both her body and soul, finding something he liked there. "So unprofessional." But so very hot , a tiny voice at the back of her brain added. Heat curled in her belly.

"Oh. My god." Eloise covered her mouth, trying to hide her delighted grin. "He's into you."

She scoffed. "No, he's not. He's my lawyer. That's it." Except that wasn't it. Since the moment she'd met him at that dark crossroads, there'd been this undeniable chemistry between them. He'd irritated her, tricked her, and pissed her off, and still she was drawn to him, like a magnet to metal.

"Technically, he's Granny's lawyer. You're just the one who accidentally hired him for her," Eloise pointed out before taking a big bite of her grilled cheese.

"You're not helping, El," she grumbled.

Her friend cocked her head. "Was I supposed to be?"

"Yes. That's what friends do."

Except Eloise wasn't the calm, logical, "maybe we should pause and think about this first" kind of friend. Never had been. She was the wild, impulsive kind who grabbed onto any squirrely idea of Rowan's — and there'd been too many to count — that sounded like a good time and ran with it. A shenanigan enabler to her core.

"Pfft. No way. This demon lawyer sounds like exactly the kind of guy you need to shake up your comfortable little world." Eloise poked the air with her crust. "Besides, I know that look. You're thinking about his butt and how he looks naked, aren't you?"

Her cheeks heated. "Am not." She was. He had a really nice butt. His tailored suit showcased it beautifully.

But Eloise wasn't having it. "Are so. You had that exact same look senior year. Remember your massive crush on Scotty McKinley. You boldly proclaimed you loved football, though you'd never voluntarily watched a game in your life and dragged me to every game so you could drool over his backside."

Rowan snickered. "I mean, you have to admit, there's something to be said about those tight uniforms of theirs." She tossed her wadded-up napkin on her plate and leaned back in her chair. "And I don't remember you complaining at the time."

"That's because football uniforms are elite. The only things better are old school basketball uniforms, back when the pants were short-short. Why haven't those made a comeback, huh?" Eloise stacked their empty plates at the edge of the table. "But let's leave Scotty in the past where he belongs and get back to your lawyer. What are you going to do? More importantly, what do you want to do?"

"I don't know," she said with a loud sigh. "No matter how fervently she says she doesn't want one and doesn't trust ‘em, Leith is right — Granny needs a lawyer. And I want those people from DownHome to leave Granny and our town alone."

"Our town, huh?" Eloise's eyes lit up. "See, I knew you missed us. You need to move back. Asheville is too far away, and I miss you."

"Shut up. It's not that far." Even as she brushed Eloise's plea aside, she had to admit she'd been considering coming back. She enjoyed where she lived and being part of the artsy-crunchy scene there, but she also missed her hometown town and its close-knit community.

A buffer zone was all well and good, but Granny was getting older and Rowan hated not being close enough to pop by to check that she was eating proper meals or to lend a hand in the store. Luckily, her career as a freelance artist gave her flexibility, so it wasn't like she had to stay in Asheville. At the same time, she wasn't quite ready to make the move yet.

With a huff, Eloise said, "As long as you're back for the Harvest Festival and bonfire at the end of the month, I won't pester you about moving back home. Much."

"Like I'd miss the bonfire." Rowan steered them towards another subject. "Did I tell you about DownHome's latest scare tactic?"

She shook her head.

"When I got to Granny's yesterday, she was all upset over some legal-looking documents that pretended to challenge her claim to the building title." Her blood boiled just thinking about it. The property that housed Granny's shop and her apartment had been in the Cannell family for over a hundred years, handed down through the generations. That letter was a threat, pure and simple. It was the main reason Rowan had taken a chance with the crossroads last night. They had no right to threaten her grandmother.

"Those bastards. I swear, DownHome and Seymour Myles are evil devils." She gasped, her eyes widening as a thought hit her. "Ooh, what if the CEO actually is one? I mean, sending threatening letters filled with tricksy legalese to the vulnerable? Absolutely done by some kind of monster who feeds on misery and greed. There are a lot of those, you know."

"Or he's an everyday human asshole who gets his kicks messing with old ladies and small towns. Never met the guy in charge, so I couldn't tell you," Rowan said with a shrug. "Either way, I can't let this go on."

"So, what about your demon, then?" She cocked her head, studying her friend. "You could fire him, you know. I'm practically positive he's pushed this whole contract at the crossroads business as far as he can and, if you really want him gone, he can't stop you."

"Yeah, you're probably right." Rowan pinched the bridge of her nose. "But Granny does need a lawyer, whether she wants one or not. And according to the Stonyburn grapevine, he's got a sharp legal mind and has gained a solid reputation for getting the job done."

"Plus, he's hot," Eloise added. "And charming."

"He's going to need all the charm he can muster to win over Granny."

"So, we're keeping the demon lawyer, then?" She rubbed her hands together with a wide grin.

With a grimace and a reluctant nod, she said, "We're keeping the demon lawyer." She dropped her head onto her arms, banging it a couple of times. "Now, I just have to tell Granny that I hired her a lawyer," she said, her voice muffled. Holy cats, but she didn't want to do that. Granny was going to have a hissy fit. It had to be done, though.

Eloise snickered and gave her a pat. "Thoughts and prayers."

"Brat." She batted Eloise's hand away and sat up. Fishing a hair tie out of her purse, she twisted her long hair into a loose knot on the top of her head before securing it. "Remind me again why I'm friends with you?"

"Because we did a ritual in third grade, and are now bonded through blood, sweat, and tears." She put her hands over her heart and batted her eyes at Rowan. "You're stuck with me forever, RoRo, and I you."

"Wonderful." Though she said it sarcastically, she meant it with every fiber of her being. She treasured her friendship with Eloise.

"Now, let's get back to these lustful feelings you're having for your grandmother's lawyer, shall we?"