Chapter 4

Monday had been quiet in Mysti’s store. In fact, she hadn’t seen a single customer all morning. She feared it was the beginning of what Reverend Begley had caused. Her customers would be terrified after he called her wares tools of the devil. Nothing she did, nothing she sold, had anything to do with satanism or witchcraft. Well, except for that black candle, she kept it securely locked up. It wasn’t for sale. For her own good as well as anybody else’s.

She loved God. She just hated Begley and his self-righteous church.

Then the door jingled. A familiar and welcomed voice called out. “Mystery Stonestar!” Her cousin, Harry Gladstone, cupped his hands around his mouth to amplify his voice. “Paging Mystery Stonestar!”

Mysti laughed. “Harry, stop, you’ll wake the dead.”

“Oh, we wouldn’t want to do that, now would we!” He wiggled his eyebrows. “Ol’ Begley’d be over here performing an exorcism.”

“You heard?” Mysti’s eyes dropped to the floor.

“Yeah, I heard. You okay?”

“I’m great.” She feigned a smile.

“Right. Come here.” He sat down at her tea table and pulled her toward his lap. “Tell your favwite cousin all about it,” he said in a baby voice. The momentum of his pull caused her to fall into his lap. The front door chimes rattled and she jumped up. No one came in and the door seemed to close on its own. Huh? She returned her attention to her cousin.

“Stop. I’m not seven and I’m not sitting in your lap!” She giggled. “It’s not funny.”

“No. I know it’s not. But it’s kinda funny.” He stood and leveled his eyes with hers.

“How so?”

“Well, Begley seems to have stirred up a lot of people with his shenanigans Sunday. Hal included. And you know as well as I, if Hal ain’t happy—”

They said together, “Nobody’s happy!” She chuckled.

“Well, whatever. Begley’s shenanigans have killed my business. He’s an ass and I will never step foot in that church again. I don’t care if Sammy gets married in it. I don’t care if YOU get married in it. I don’t care if Jesus Himself holds a sermon on the mount in there. I’m not going!”

“Aw. Mysti! Not even if I get married?”

She stared at him a moment. “Why? You getting married?”

He blanched.

“Harry!” She forced him to look at her. “Talk to me! You getting married?”

“NO! Of course not. Pfffft. I was just teasing you. You know after what you said the other day at Glenna’s spa. That’s all. Besides, who would want to marry me? Who am I, but just Hal Gladstone’s son and heir to all this?” He held his arms out wide to encompass the whole ... everything.

“Harold Gladstone the fifth. You are handsome, and kind, and your family’s loaded!” She winked at him. “Any girl in her right mind would marry you in a New York minute.”

“Pfffft.” He waved off her comment and began walking around her store, absently looking at her displays.

“Besides,” Mysti shoved fist on her hips. “I already told you who’s going to marry you. You just need to own it.”

“Hey, I brought your teas.” He took a step toward the front door. “They’re in the truck. Want me to bring ‘em on in?

The Bed & Breakfast had access to suppliers as a commercial restaurant and could order the specialty teas Mysti sold exclusively in her store. She, being without a food and beverage license, didn’t qualify to buy from the vendors. So Harry ordered the teas and delivered them to her regularly, since they were too much to strap to her bike. In truth, it was Harry’s excuse to see his best friend on a regular basis. And they both knew it.

“Sure.” She considered his sudden change in subject and smiled. It seemed he and Councilwoman Glenna Schumacher were moving along in their relationship. Even if he wouldn’t admit it. Mysti giggled to herself. They were so funny when they both vehemently denied any feelings for the other. It was as obvious as the noses on their faces. The other week, when Harry took Mysti to Glenna’s Lazy Day Spa for Glenna’s famous deep tissue massage, their auras told a completely different story. As if someone had thrown glitter into the air, their auras sparkled every time they caught sight of each other. Yep, soon Mysti would have her first cousin-in-law and she couldn’t be happier about the fact that it would be Glenna.

“And don’t worry about customer traffic. It’ll pick up soon, like later today.”

Mysti stared at her cousin. “How do you know that?”

Harry opened her door and paused. Let’s just say I had a premonition of all your friends needing teas and healing crystals today. We both know I’m never wrong about the important stuff.” He tossed her a wink before leaving the store.

“What!” Tears pooled in her eyes. He used her line about never being wrong and apparently had talked to all their friends at the Sunday Gourmet gathering at the B&B where his sister cooked with abandon for all her friends and favorite family.

She meant what she said, her cousin Harry was the sweetest man she knew and her best friend. Glenna truly was the luckiest woman she knew, once she gets over herself and agrees to marry him.

~ ~ ~ Several long, empty hours later, Lex poked his head in. The man wouldn’t step across her threshold. “Is it safe?”

Mysti couldn’t help but smile. There was something about this Alexander Cayden that made her insides tingle. “Well, it’s never completely safe in my shop. I might read your aura and be aware of your deepest desires.” She wiggled her fingers as if she cast a spell over him. “Or perhaps you’re asking me if my dad is still here?”

Lex entered cautiously and slowly closed the door behind him. “Well, yeah. And that guy you were sitting on earlier.”

She snickered. “What guy?” Her brow drew together as she pondered his statement. “Oh! You mean Harry? That was you who opened the door and immediately closed it again. Huh? I thought I had a visitor from the beyond.” She said in a warbled voice. “Harry’s my best friend and cousin, and, yes, it’s safe.”

With long strides, he closed the distance and scooped her up into his arms. “Best friend and cousin, huh? Like a kissing cousin?”

She swatted his shoulder. “Stop it. No. Not like that at all. Eww! No way.”

“Good, ‘cause I don’t want to get punched for doing this—”

He lowered his face to hers, and their eyes locked on each other the whole time. He was so close she could feel his breath on her skin and she wanted so very much for the distance between them to be gone. But he paused. She raised up on tiptoes until her lips touched his, and then he pressed in, claiming her mouth. Without thinking about it, she pressed into his kiss, claiming him, too.

The passion with which he took her mouth grew with every second and she willingly gave in to the hunger and responded with her own. Their fervor continued to grow until slowly, like a bell that had been struck once and allowed to still, the world around them faded away. Nothing existed except this kiss and his arms around her.

She felt safe for the first time since that awful sermon. Perhaps since ... that night Sammy was lost and she crawled into Harry’s lap for solace. He was thirteen, she was seven. But his loving embrace melted her terror and sealed their bond as more than cousins. Best friends for life.

Suddenly, Lex pulled back. Mysti struggled to catch her breath. Her lips felt empty without the pressure of his. She didn’t want to feel empty. She wanted him to make it all go away, again.

“Mystery.” His voice was husky and still full of passion. “I-I don’t know what it is about you. And I don’t care what Reverend Begley or anybody else thinks, for that matter. I know you’re an amazing woman. And I was serious when I said I want to solve your mystery.”